Rings & Things Jewelry Blog

For centuries, the word jade applied to green gemstones brought to Europe from China and Central America. It wasn't until 1863 that society realized the term "jade" was being applied to two different minerals. These two gemstones, nephrite and jadeite, are relatively hard to distinguish from each other, and both are still called jade. Varieties of serpentine have also been confused with jade throughout history, and some serpentine is still called jade. In fact, the Chinese word for jade is appli …

Quartz gemstone beads and pendants from Rings & Things: Options include multicolor rutilated quartz, clear rock crystal quartz, rose quartz, smoky quartz, tourmalated quartz, druzy quartz and more. Members of this semiprecious gemstone family share the same chemical composition (silicon dioxide) and similar physical properties. All semiprecious beads described here are types of macrocrystalline quartz (crystals recognizable with the naked eye), just like citrine and amethyst. True quartz can …

Opal Gemstone Beads from Rings & Things: Opal beads have the same basic chemical composition as quartz, but usually contain 6 - 10% water. Because of this, opal jewelry components should be protected from heat and strong light. Loss of water can cause opals to crack and/or lose iridescence. Opal beads can be oiled to prevent dehydration. Make sure to keep your opal beads away from detergents, ultrasonic cleaners, metal polish, acids and strong solvents. Birthstones for October include Opal, …

Jasper is a semiprecious chalcedony (or microcrystalline quartz), and is usually red, brown or green. Its patterns are much less regular and defined than agate, the other chalcedony variety. Another difference between the two is that jaspers are generally opaque, while agates tend to be translucent (or at least contain translucent bands). This distinction stems from the stones' composition. Jasper contains microscopic "grains" of crystalline quartz and agate has microscopic "fibers" of crystalli …

Rhyolite gemstone beads can look very similar to jaspers, and the popular green variety of rhyolite is sometimes called rainforest jasper. Similarly, the type of rhyolite that displays red, yellow, brown, and pinkish spots is descriptively called leopardskin jasper. Rhyolites, igneous rock chemically identical to granite, have beautifully markings which originated when rhyolitic magma and lava cooled from a molten state too quickly for crystals to form. Rhyolite occurs largely in the U.S.A. Type …