Earlier today I put up quite a few new Crystal Formations photos for you. There are smallish ones, like you see on the right, and larger ones so that you can get a good look. I hope you enjoy them.

I’m updating the blog here to the newest version of the WordPress software. If the blog seems slow or strange it may be that it’s in the m iddle of updating. Please be patient

Thanks!
 

New Goodies

Yep, fun new stuff is up at CrystalsAndJewelry.com for your viewing and shopping fun.  There are new and back in stock tumbled stones, for one. And more jewelry has been added to the Jewelry Clearance, as I’m getting ready to make a number of changes in the site and goodies I keep in stock. So whether you’re a crystals and stones fan or a crystals and jewelry fan, there’s something for you in the new goodies. 

Stuff 

The "Stuff" part is personal stuff.  Yesterday, I had great plans for getting a bunch of made to order jewelry out and getting stuff I had ready for the site uploaded.  Then my shoe slipped off and tripped me. Down I went on one hand and one knee.  (The other hand and knee were propped on the edge of the bed where I was trying to catch myself.) I’m extremely protective of my hands, since it’s almost impossible to make jewelry without them. So I went to get an ice pack on my injured hand immediately, and that’s the way I stayed all day yesterday. Today I have a couple of stiff fingers and an achy wrist, but no swelling or anything alarming. So I think I’ll be fine, just a little slower than I’d like.  That brings me to this

Tip for Jewelry Artists: Protect your hands at all costs! If something happens in spite of your best efforts, stop everything to take care of your hands. Go to a doctor or the ER if there’s any question of a broken bone, even. It pays to keep your best tools in good shape.

Here’s the question that showed up in my email box:

Q: “Do lab created gemstones have same healing effects as the natural gemstones?”

A: The short answer is: In some cases. The longer answer obviously must be a little more complex.

First, a little info on lab created stones and their real and simulated counterparts. There are 3 basic types of gemstones in this sense: Real/Natural, Lab Created, and Simulated.

Real/Natural - These are the ones that grow in the ground, “manufactured” by nature. Natural stones are often enhanced with various treatments to make them more appealing or have deeper coloring, etc.

Lab Created - These are gemstones that are grown in the lab using the same chemical composition as the real/natural stones by simulating the heat and high pressure that grows the stones in nature. They are identical to real gemstones as far as color, hardness, composition, luster. Lab created stones, though, do not have inclusions normally, the way natural stones do, which can make them look “unreal” sometimes.

Simulated - These are gemstones that similate a real stone. They are made to look like the stone they simulate, but they seldom have the same composition and hardness, and may differ in other ways as well.

Real/Natural stones have similar energy, as in crystal healing, when they’re the same types of stones. Of course, within each type of stone there are variations in each individual stone. This is the same in the way that no two humans, snowflakes, cats, or anything else are precisely alike, even within the same type of being. Crystal healing lore and properties are generalizations based on the traditions that a stone has been used for in healing, as well as the energies of the type of stone. For instance, citrine is said to bring success — that’s a generalization because most natural citrines are seen to have these energies. It’s also possible, though, to encounter a natural citrine, though, that has greater energies of diminishing mood swings, another energy of citrine, than success energies, even to the point it may seem to have hardly any success energies at all.

Lab created stones in my experience have greater variations within type of stone. I have encountered lab created stones with great energy, some appearing to me to have the same energy as the natural version of that stone. I have also encountered ones that felt dead as doornails or that seemed to have totally different energy than a natural stone of the same type. My personal experience and thought on it is that lab created stones have to be judged individually and don’t generalize as well for crystal healing energies.

Simulants, the third type of stone are ones that I’ve found pretty consistent. They almost never have the same energies as the real/natural stone they mimic. One reason for this may be that different types of stones are used to mimic other types. For instance, purple cubic zirconia is often used to mimic amethyst, which is only mimics in coloring but not in composition or anything else. The only way I would use simulants in healing is for color energy healing, not for crystal healing per se

Please keep in mind that this is my experience and vewpoint on crystal healing energies. Many healers categorically exclude lab created stones and simulants from the idea of having healing energies.

I’ve adored Ornament magazine in print for a good while now. Last night a friend gave me a link to their website.  I didn’t even realize they had one! I’m not sure how I missed that, but I’m glad I’m not missing it any more.  If you ever need inspiration for making jewelry or some great eye candy or articles, it’s a great place to visit.