Rings & Things Jewelry Blog

The official state gemstone of Maine, tourmaline is a complex crystalline silicate containing aluminum, boron and other elements. Its name derives from the Sinhalese (Sri Lankan) word tura mali, meaning "stone of mixed colors," and tourmaline is indeed found in blue (indicolite), yellow, pink to red (rubellite), black (schorl), green, dravite (brown) and clear (achroite) varieties. We usually carry black, pink, and multicolor tourmaline beads.This semiprecious gemstone is piezoelectric (when it' …

Pearls are June's most-popular birthstone, and are a favorite in bridal jewelry and couture. Cultured freshwater pearl beads come in several shapes and colors, making it easy to add elegance to a wide variety of jewelry designs - pearls aren't just for bridal designs, weddings and proms! Pearls are organic gemstones, formed when a foreign object (like a tiny stone) makes its way into an oyster (or similar mollusk's) shell. Over time, the mollusk covers the intruding object with 1,000's of layers …

From royal crowns to Dorothy's slippers to, of course, delicious jewelry, the ruby is a most desirable gemstone. Its hardness, durability, luster and rarity are among the world's finest, and its blazing red color is beyond compare. Ruby is the red variety of the corundum (aluminum oxide) mineral, a family that also includes sapphire, and takes its name from the Latin rubeus or ruber, meaning "red." Corundum (which sapphires and rubies are comprised of) is the second-hardest natural mineral know …

Serpentine   is a lovely green translucent, waxy silicate of magnesium. it is often mistaken for various types of jade, and some stones called "jade" are actually types of serpentine. A major difference between the two semi precious stones is that serpentine is softer and less dense than most real jade. Its name comes from the word "serpent," or snake, perhaps because of its mottled green colors and patterns that can resemble snakeskin. Most of serpentine's history is tied in with the histo …

Apatite Gemstone Beads from Rings & Things: The name apatite is quite appropriate, considering this mineral makes up the teeth in all vertebrate animals (and teeth are used to satisfy one's appetite!). In fact, it comprises more than 60% of the bones and teeth in humans, fish, birds, cows, and even mammoths and dinosaurs. Apatite is a calcium phosphate that is typically green, but also can be blue, yellow, reddish-brown, violet, yellow-green ("asparagus stone"), colorless or multicolored.  …