Rose Quartz - Pretty in Pink!

Rose Quartz is a super stunning gem, with its gorgeous pale pink loveliness. Perfectly flattering against all skin tones, Rose quartz is one of those gemstones that goes with everything! Rose quartz is a macrocrystaline variety of quartz, forming large masses and more rarely, well formed crystals. Usually milky and translucent, it can be clear with a good pink saturation of colour - this is highly prized and commands a good price as a gemstone. It is usually cut en cabochon, but is also cut and faceted with beautiful effect. The stone is also prized for carving and making stunning pieces of sculpture. Rose Quartz can be found in various locations in Germany as well as Brazil. I love Rose quartz - I hope you will enjoy the following examples from Folksy. Starting with some of my designs.......... This design features large nuggets of quartz teamed with labradorite. This design is all about the colour of the stone and the cut of the gems - all closed neatly with a sterling magnetic clasp. How about these fun earrings, with dancing charms od Tourmaline? Now for some beautiful creations from other crafters on Folksy. A stunning Rose Quartz Heart by Faith Bowman This feminine Flower necklace by Helen Murphy Or this stunning necklace and earring set by Maria Palmer Please just click on each of these pictures to take you to the items in the artisans shops. From there, you can browse and shop to your hearts content! There are so many more stunning Rose Quartz creations for sale now on Folksy. Please just put Rose Quartz into the search box and sit back and enjoy.... Jacqueline x

Emeralds - The May Birthstone

Emeralds are one of my favourite gemstones and I love them! I am a May birthday, so I seem naturally drawn to them. Prized for Millennia, Emeralds were coveted by the Ancient Egyptians and were mined there to satisfy the need of them by the most noble. Emeralds can be found all over the world, but the most notable and highly prized come from South America (Columbia) and more recently from Zambia. Emerald is the precious green variety of Beryl. Other colours include: Blue (aquamarine) yellow (Heliodor) Pink Morganite and colourless (goshenite)The colours are produced by inclusions of minerals within the the crystal structure during formation. Green is produced by trace amounts of the metal, Chromium. Emeralds have a hexagonal columnar structure and can be found in large sizes, though gem quality stones of any large size and colour is rare indeed. Emeralds are graded a little like fine diamonds, by their cut, clarity, carat and colour. The best have a eye clean clarity with few surface fissures, a good saturation of colour and tone. The cut is most often a cabochon, but the better stones are cut as faceted gems. It is normal for the stones to have inclusions of carbon, known as the garden and for the stones to be oiled to improve their clarity. Emeralds can now be grown under laboratory conditions and have uses in industry too. I have selected a number of Emerald goodies form the selection on Folksy - I hope you will enjoy them. Please click on the pictures to link back to the item in the sellers shop. Thanks so much everyone! Jacqueline x To start, one or two of my own for you.... This Emerald, Onyx and Aventurine Necklace or perhaps this pendant? Both the necklace and pendant have been designed and created using natural gemstones and sterling silver. These stunning Earrings, by Faith Bowman are just beautuful. The simple design of this ring, by asterlingidea, is so appealing to me How about this stunning Emerald Heart specimen from Geocraft Gems and Minerals? There are many more items to find on Folksy featuring emeralds - just put 'emerald' or 'emeralds' into the search box and see what you can find! Jacqueline x