Summer Beads - Carnelian & Peridot
 

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Carnelian – the gemstone for July

Peridot – the gemstone for August
Pearl & Peridot Necklace
Measuring Beads
About the author – Nigel Mckay
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Carnelian – the gemstone for July                  

This flesh-colored stone comes from the quartz family, and is usually bright orange to reddish orange, translucent to clear. Carnelian has brought many ancient beliefs, like protection during travel after death and against evil. It is also believed to combat bad tempers. The name comes from the Latin word "Carnis" meaning flesh.  The Roman thought that the darker Carnelian represented males and the lighter, females. Many believe that it creates a bond with man and nature.

Carnelian is for confidence.  Said to help blood disorders and eliminate toxins from the body.  Carnelian is in tune with the energies of the Earth, making you feel comfortable with your environment.  Allowing you to pause and reflect, while feeling settled and more secure.  Carnelian stimulates the reproductive organs too; hence it’s long use as a fertility symbol.  It is also said to help creativity and have a clearing effect, replacing negative energy with positive. Making it easier to find direction and feel in control of your life.

A good stone for people starting new projects or who feel they are going nowhere.  It motivates, allowing you to find the energy to make the most out of life.  Carnelian is best for people with the zodiac sign of Leo, and for those born on a Friday.

Peridot – the gemstone for August                            

The vivid, slightly golden shimmering green of Peridot is the ideal gemstone color to complement a light summertime outfit.  Peridot (pronounced pair-a-doe) is the gem variety of olivine, a mineral formed under intense heat.  Perhaps named from the French word “Peridot” meaning unclear, due to its inclusions and cloudy nature.  Small crystals of peridot are often found in rocks by volcanoes and in meteors.  Because the iron which creates the color is an integral part of its structure, its color is always green - ranging from transparent lime to olive green.  One of the few gemstones of only in one color.

Peridot has been mined as a gemstone for thousands of years, said to be the favorite gem of Cleopatra, and mentioned in the Bible.  In ancient Egypt it was mined at night because legend tells that peridot was hard to see during the day, yet easily visible by lamplight. The Greeks and Romans called peridot “topazion” and “topazius” - the later named topaz, to end the confusion between the two.  Peridot has also been confused with emerald and many jewelers refer to it as "evening emerald".   Peridot was later used to decorate medieval churches, carried back to Europe by the Crusaders, like the huge stones of more than 200 carats in size at Cologne Cathedral.

The gemstone is actually known under three names: Peridot, Chrysolith (derived from the Greek word “goldstone”) and Olivin, because Peridot is the gemstone variety of the Olivin mineral. In the gemstone trade it is generally called Peridot, a name derived from the Greek “peridona”, meaning something like “giving plenty.

Peridot is recommended for insomnia, digestive problems and to stimulate the mind.  Some say peridot has the power to drive away evil spirits, intensified when the stone is set in gold.  And it’s also said to strengthen the power of any medicine drunk from peridot goblets.  Peridot is for people with the star sign of Leo.                                        top of page

Pearl & Peridot Necklace                  

Teardrops of the moon goddess!  This necklace is to inspire what can be done using a combination of different stones.  Blue pearls with vivid green peridot make a striking fresh combination to cool you from the summer heat. Clusters of pale-blue 7mm rice pearls are wrapped with 4mm peridot beads producing this 16" -18" long necklace with a lobster clasp.        top of page

Measuring Beads                          

I often get letters telling me the 8mm beads we mailed are not 8mm.  Some people say our 4mm beads look bigger on the picture.  Others insist we've sent them the wrong size strand of pearls because most are smaller than we say.  Size of beads can either be exact or approximate depending on the type of bead.  Simple round bead sizes should be exact: 4mm, 6mm, 8mm etc.  But chip beads, being naturally all different sizes, will not be exactly the size quoted in the sale - some will be longer, but most will be shorter.  Bead sellers usually quote the largest size in the strand, this is especially true with natural pearls.  Under 25% of the pearls in a strand may be the full size quoted.  Nuggets, again being natural, will all be different to an average size listed in the sale.  Strands of beads are usually 16-inches (400mm) long.  Although pearls are normally sold in 15-inch strands and chips in 32-inch strands.  A Choker necklace is 16-inches long, a Princess necklace 18-inches, a Matinee necklace 24-inches, Opera necklace 32-inches, and a Mala necklace of 108-beads can be of any length!  A bracelet is usually 7-inches and an anklet 9-inches.                                                                                           top of page

About the author – Nigel Mckay        

I'm a 48-year-old Englishman living in both Hong Kong and Mainland China.  One of the first foreigners to enter China's antique and jade markets over ten years ago. Now I have an apartment 25-floors above the entrance to the Canton jade and bead merchants. I spend about 6-days in China, followed by a similar time in Hong Kong.  Traveling three-hours door-to-door by taxi and train to Hong Kong, where most items are mailed.  My wife Mi Mi buys in China and packs in Hong Kong - and my mother helps with British orders, posting them from Luton in the UK.  Tony, a long-time English friend helps photographing and buying in China. 

I usually work every day for over 80-hours a week.  Too long really, but I enjoy it!  Next month MiMi and I will be in the UK, however most of the time we’ll still be working there.  I've been online for over six years, selling from eBay and nine stores.  I have three premium stores powered by Miva software: MrBead.com, onlineoriental.com and awesomerings.com; two Market Works stores, one in US dollars and one in GB pounds; and four eBay stores.   I also list up to 3,000 auctions and buy-it-now on eBay most of the time under seller 'jensen4', 'betterbead', 'mrbead-uk', 'awesomerings', and ‘gothic-uk’.  Most of the work is done on three computers in China, two in Hong Kong and one in the UK + a laptop.

The hardest part of the whole job is understanding customer’s problems, especially payments that don’t make clear what they are for.  This takes a lot of time.  Where as large store orders are long to pack, they are easy to process.  My largest outgoing is eBay’s US$2,500+ a month and postage.  I used to sell on Yahoo and Amazon + FS and QXL in the UK – but eBay have either closed them down or trampled them to worthless.                                          top of page

To see all our carnelian & peridot go to our store at MrBead click http://www.mrbead.com
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