Autumn & Opal Beads

This month’s theme is autumn gems and October's stone Opal. Scroll down, or click a link below. If you weren't mailed this newsletter enter your e-mail address here to receive next month's newsletter.
Autumn Jewelry

Autumn is a great time to make some classy seasonal jewelry. Amber is ideal for this time of year, along with all types of brown, dark greens, gold, and misty yellow. Pearls, nature's treasure from the deep, can be very effective mixed with other beads – especially as they come in autumn colors too. Let these fabulous fall colors with a touch of gold capture your imagination as well as your eye. Try mixing contrasting colors like brown and gold with blues and green. Some of the most popular gemstones that make fabulous autumn jewelry are listed below. To see any of these gemstones in our US store, just click the picture.

Agate

Agate is the obvious stone to use in Fall. It forms by filling a cavity in its host rock, resulting in round nodules, with bands like the rings of a tree trunk, looking like eyes. Agate was highly valued as a talisman in ancient times and has been used as a traveler’s amulet for centuries. It is believed to bring good fortune, health, wealth and long life. Some call its strange patterns 'cosmic caterpillar tracks'. Others' swear that wearing these beads can heighten the spiritual consciousness and balance the body's physical and mental states. Dzi is one of the most mysterious of all the beads known today. These shiny Tibetan agate beads, patterned with mystical eyes are among the most treasured beads in the world. “Dzi” in Tibetan means: "shine, brightness, clearness, and splendor.

Carnelian

Another stone from the quartz family, usually bright orange to reddish orange. 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 anchored and comfortable with your environment. 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.

Citrine

”Citrine” comes from the French word for lemon, and is any quartz crystal or cluster that’s yellow to orange. The darker, orange colors were traditionally the best, but today people prefer bright lemony shades to mix with pastel colors. Sunny citrine brightens all jewelry, blending especially well with the yellow gleam of polished gold. The yellow color is a natural reviver, and citrine focuses the mind bringing a feeling of self-esteem.

Coral

Coral was long thought to be a strong talisman against evil spirits and hurricanes. It is also said to reduce blood flow. Naturally its color ranges from white to red, but most red coral these days is dyed. However, these days almost any color can be made by dying white coral. It grows in branches that look like underwater trees.

Flake Stone

The most common flaked stone is goldstone which is ideal for autumn jewelry. A man-made stone, first created by alchemists trying to make gold - however, all material has properties, these are transmitter stones. Causing light to pass through you in order to convey or receive a medium. Revitalizing, energizing, and encouraging a positive attitude and individualism

Jade & Aventurine

For 5,000 years Imperial China used the word "jade" as something precious. Because jade is said to have all the attributes most valued in society. A symbol of purity and serenity, it is delicate, but will not break - is beautiful, but not impermanent, it can be flawed with lines, but still pleasing. It is believed to radiate divine unconditional love and balance the emotions. The most famous type of jade carved in China is from Burma, with shades of green, lavender, yellow, white and grey.

Jasper

Jasper was highly valued in ancient times, not only for its beauty, but also for its magical and medicinal properties. Jasper is known as the “patron stone of counselors and healers”. Red jasper is an intensely protective stone, stabilizing the aura and bringing contentment. Poppy jasper is dark red with black flecks. Picture jasper is pale brown with darker patterns - named from pictures formed by patterns caused by trapped fossilizes algae. Fancy jasper is creamy brown with lavender or green swirls.

Lapis Lazuli is gemstone straight out of fairy tales of the Arabian Nights: deepest blue with golden shining Pyrite inclusions which twinkle like little stars. Through the ages, lapis has been associated with power, wisdom, and love. The twinkling inclusions are not gold but pyrite, caused by iron. The blue color comes from the sulfuric content of lazurite. For many people lapis is a stone of truth and friendship. A powerful gemstone that should not be worn by those who lack strength of character.

Malachite & Rhodonite

Malachite is green with irregular black banding. Its green stripes have the ability to soothe and bring rest - helping sleep, meditation, the circulation and balancing emotions. The copper content helps rheumatism. The magic of malachite is also thought to attract love and wealth. Some say malachite travels the world in search of energies to change. Rhodonite is usually pink to red or orange, very popular in 18th-century Russia where it was used extensively to decorate the Russian court. Rhodonite has similar properties to malachite.

Mookaite

Mookaite forms in Western Australia. An Australian aboriginal healing stone that bestows strength. It helps heal wounds and encourages the desire for variety and new experiences. Mookaite helps us to be kind to others is a very protective stone too.

Pearl

The least expensive cultured pearls today rival the most expensive natural pearls ever found. Natural freshwater pearls occur in mussels for the same reason saltwater pearls occur in oysters. Foreign material inside a mussel can't be expelled. To reduce irritation, the mollusk coats the intruder with the same secretion it uses for shell-building, nacre. To cultivate a pearl, farmers slit the mussel and insert small pieces of live tissue from another mussel. This can produce usually odd shapes. So for more roundness, the Chinese now reshape rejected pearls into spheres, and then nucleate mussels with them. Being an organic gem, grooves, pits, or dents are expected. Freshwater pearls are popular for their colors: white, silvery-white, pink, red, copper, brown, lavender, purple, green, blue, and yellow. These are usually dyed these days.

Tigers Eye

Tiger's-eye is polished to show its characteristic band of pearly luminescence, resulting from light reflecting off its thin parallel inclusions in the quartz. Colors range from a rich golden yellow to dark brown. Tiger’s-Eye is good for those worried about health. It also builds will-power and inner-strength.

Topaz

Topaz is a common gemstone that has been used for centuries in jewelry. Usually golden brown to yellow color. The Egyptians said that topaz was colored with the golden glow of the mighty sun god Ra. This made topaz a very powerful amulet that protected the faithful against harm. The Romans associated topaz with Jupiter, who also is the god of the sun. And Greek legend has it that topaz could make the wearer invisible and would change color in the presence of poisoned food or drink.

What is Opal?
All of Nature’s fury can be seen in fine opal. Like a Rembrandt: fire, lightning, all the colors of the rainbow and the shine of far seas. Australia supplies about 95% of the world’s opal from the outback. Aborigines there believe their creator came down to Earth on a rainbow to bring the message of peace to all humans. And at the spot where his foot touched the ground, opal was born.

The name Opal could have came from many places. In Greek “opallios”, translates as “color change”, and to the ancient Romans “opalus”, was a stone from several elements. Pliny, a Roman author, wrote that opal combines the sparkle of Almandine, the shining purple of Amethyst, the golden yellow of Topaz, and the deep blue of Sapphire.

Types of Opal                             return to top
Fine opals shine and sparkle in a continually changing play of colors called “opalising”. Depending on the rock and location they have names like Harlequin, Peacock, Mexican, and Fire Opal. Most opal has this play of colors except “Common Opal”, a name give to all others, like Pink Opal. Because demand outstrips supply, fine opalizing opal is very very expensive, so is sold in individual beads for hundreds of US dollars each. Therefore, the type of opal common in necklaces is non-opalizing opal – usually pink opal from Peru (more below).

Opal’s fantasy-like play of color is caused by small spheres of silica creating interference and refraction manifestations. The spheres, which are arranged in compact structures, dissect light through the gemstone, turning it into the rainbow effect, always new and different.    return to top

How to Value Opal
The most important criterion for determining the price of fine opal is the play of color, the colors themselves and their pattern. If red appears when looking through the stone, all the other colors will also. Value also depends on body color, transparency, and original location. Body color can be black, dark or light, or colored. Black Opal or a dark grey body has the most brilliant play of color. Black Opal from Lightning Ridge or Mexican Fire Opal is the best. Crystal opal, is the next best, and should be more transparent with a deep play of color. White or milky opals show more diffuse color and are the cheapest.

To best bring out the play of color in a fine opal, the stones are cut and polished to round or oval cabochons, or any other softly domed shape. Only the best qualities of Fire Opal are suited to faceting. The opal cutter removes any impurities using a diamond cutting wheel, before working out the rough basic shape, fine cutting, and finishing with sandpaper and polishing with a wet leather wheel.

How does Opal Effect You?
Opal is thought to solve depression and to help its wearer find true love. Opals are supposed to enhance the positive characteristics for people born under the sign of Cancer. With Black Opal recommended to Scorpios and Boulder Opal for Aries. The opalizing effect reflects changing emotions and moods of people. People prefer different opals for different moods. Opals are like human emotions: each type creates different feelings.   return to top

Peruvian Opal
Peruvian Opal comes in faint pink, light blue and light mint-green tones. From the Andes Mountains near San Patricio, Peru, just like the name implies. Although native South Americans have been using the stone for more than a thousand years, it only became widely available commercially within the last decade or so. It is usually translucent to opaque with no play of color and often has lots of black and tan dendrites. Most Peruvian Opal beads are semi-opaque to opaque. Peruvian opal’s metaphysical properties are similar to other opals. Helping to intensify your traits and characteristics and deepening your personal understanding. Peruvian Opal in particular is used to activate the heart charka and to assist you during spiritual journeys.

Looking after Opal
Due to 2 to 6% water, opals easily become brittle and if stored too dry or exposed to heat over a longer period of time, they will show fissures and the play of color will fade. Therefore, Opal jewelry should be worn as often as possible, for then the gemstone will receive the needed humidity from the air and from the skin of its wearer. In earlier days opal’s sensitive surface was oiled, but today they are sealed with clear resin.

UK customers can see us on 1st November at The Big Bead Show, Sandown Park, Surrey - and at the Hobbycrafts Show in the NEC, Birmingham, 13th to 16th November

Offer valid until Thursday October 2nd 08 - so act now! Only for use in our MrBead store at the checkout and not valid with any other offers.

To go to our bead store click MrBead.com or MrBead.co.uk

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