Tourmaline frequently found in anthracite coal like black columnar crystals and scattered inclusions in granite is more popularly loved for dazzling displays of primary colour from deep red hues and mellow lemon yellow to rarer electric blue, vibrant green and ranges of every tone in between.

Tourmaline refers to a gemstone group that belongs to a type of silicate mineral family, with members sharing a repeating circular hexagonal ring structure of fantastically varied interchangeable elements.

From the most common darker “schorl” gemstone to deep coloured Hungarian “dravite” and scientifically important “Elbaite”, the family of tourmaline gemstone is one of the most extensive of all minerals.

Found widely across Brazil and Africa and with lesser commercially important sources in Asia, tourmaline has been described as a magnet for volcanic ash, used as a polarising filter for important scientific pursuit and well known for fabulous water melon dual colour varieties.

Loved for radiant colour since it was first discovered before the modern age, tourmaline has been selectively imported into China by previous Emperors and was found in ancient Indian burial sites as an offering for the ancestors.

A Family of Tourmaline Gemstone

Sharing a common six sided ring of repeating elements the tourmaline gemstone family group is described as one of most complex and largest families of silicate minerals.

In common with quartz and most of the minerals of the Earth tourmaline is a crystal whose principal connecting units are atoms of silicon connecting to four neighbouring atoms in a repeating lattice.

Less common is the complexity of the natural structure with numerous boron and aluminium atoms forming interconnecting and substitutable links in a dimensionally complex structure that is found on Earth in many different varieties.

Though sharing a similar spatial arrangement of atoms, tourmaline family members differ most strikingly in ranges of colour that vary from as black as coal to as vibrant as electric neon light.

Named from the German Saxony village from near where it was first recorded “Schorl” presents coal like blackness and texturing in the way it forms and is rich in sodium and iron trace elements.

“Schorl” was discovered before the 1400’s and today is recognised as the most common variety of tourmaline – found in small amounts in many metamorphic and igneous rocks such as granite as an accessory mineral.

“Dravite” rich in magnesium and sodium is a tourmaline family member recorded in the early 1800’s in Slovenia and named after a local river, with colouring rich in emotionally deep golden brown and dark forest green.

“Elbaite” is a lithium rich tourmaline gemstone and was the first mineral within which elemental lithium was discovered, named after the Elba island in Italy it has colourless transparent types to lighter natural colour varieties including strawberry pink, rare electric blue, red green and other primary colours, and is also famous for watermelon crystal bicolour tourmaline.

Prized by collectors of gemstones for it’s propensity to form large crystals, the tourmaline member “Uvite” is also known as “Flour-uvite” due to the presence of the element fluorite which gifts this gemstone rich reddy brown colours, though other tones are also found in nature.

There exist in total 32 family members of the tourmaline gemstone group found widely across the world, often in mineral inclusions as part of other rocks where the right makeup of diverse constituting elements leads to many more rare types of tourmaline gemstone.

With so many family members tourmaline is usually sold simply according it’s colour and not according to chemical differences, names from canary yellow tourmaline to red and blue tourmaline are more typically found.

The Formation of Tourmaline

Tourmaline is found around the world in igneous rocks such as granite, where it is scattered throughout the rock as a minor mineral inclusion.

As a commercially viable crystal tourmaline is extracted from the similar rock “pegmatite“, which is an important source of many other gemstones.

Pegmatite though similar in composition to granite is distinguished by a different process of metamorphic change, that results in the parent rock being a composite of large well separated crystals sometimes reaching massive sizes.

Gemstones including aquamarine, beryl and tourmaline among many others are found in pegmatite rocks as well as important commercial elements including lithium and rare earth minerals.

In the complex rich mineral environment at the high temperatures and pressures of geological process tourmaline gemstone crystals form into rocks and cavities sometimes exceeding several tens of centimetres in size.

Tourmaline is known for forming long trigonal crystals with curving striation, heavy faces and easily distinguishable by three sided faces that are not found in other gemstones.

Tourmaline gemstone is most famous for a wide variety of colour across the rainbow of the visible light spectrum that in nature will sometimes display two pronounced tones across the breadth of a single crystal.

The kaleidoscope of colours is believed to arise from differences in tourmaline’s chemical makeup that encompass many variations of different elements across family members.

“Schorl” crystals rich in iron display deeper bands of colours while “Dravite” varieties including magnesium cover dark shades of gold and brown, lithium containing “Elbaite” tourmaline cover most colours including transparent crystal finds.

Other coloured varieties include natural radiated pinks where deep underground radiation alters manganese varieties of tourmaline producing deep pink and rich red colours.

In the long process of tourmaline crystal growth the environment of the crystal will sometimes change just slightly enough to alter the colour of the crystal during formation.

Many tourmaline “water melon” crystals are found to vary from green to pink from one end to the next or from the outside to the interior and are a popular faceted gemstone showcasing the best of bicolour gemstones.

Tourmaline and the World

Tourmaline at approximately the same hardness of quartz on the moh’s scale is a durable mineral that persists through weathering that wears away most surface rocks and can naturally accumulate in river and alluvial flows where it is later sieved out of sediment by gemstone collectors.

Many beautiful gemstones of slightly rounded rough stone are found in the downstream rivers of Tanzania with Africa being one of the more important modern producers of colourful tourmaline gemstones.

Though used since ancient ages by Mediterranean peoples where it was locally found, tourmaline was first identified as a unique mineral by the Dutch in 1703 who imported the colourful stone from Sri Lanka and named it “turamali” from the Sinhalese for “multi colour stone”

Some of the early discoveries of tourmaline where made in North America Maine and California by native American people who used the rainbow coloured gemstones as offerings to ancestors, later 18th century development and commercial marketing of these localities produced the world’s most sought after green and pink varieties in the latter 19th century.

Chinese Empress dowager “Ci Xi” had a special fondness for the lighter colours of pink gemstone and imported significant quantities to be used as carvings and faceted gemstones that decorated grand summer palaces and adorned the social elite.

The modern world’s love of this natural rainbow gemstone has seen commercial sources opened up further from Indian to Sri Lanka and Africa, though the most notable finds come from Brazil.

“Paraiba” tourmaline is a colourful variety found in Brazil and is exported widely, the largest find of Paraiba tourmaline is a hefty two hundred carat gemstone named “The Paraiba Star of the Ocean Jewel” which is a flawless sapphire blue gemstone mounted in a colourful diamond encrusted yellow gold necklace.

Presentation of Tourmaline Gemstone

With a greater range of colour than any other gemstone tourmaline is the go to jewelry stone for lovers of vibrant colour and natural energy.

Rainbow colour is the hallmark of the lighter varieties of tourmaline gemstone such as “Elbaite” though darker coal black toned “Schorl” and golden brown “Dravite” varieties are more common.

Asides from radiant colours tourmaline has many other special properties including pleochroism and chatoyancy effects with pleochroism being found in most tourmaline varieties to different extents.

Pleochroism happens when rays of light passing through the crystal are changed with the path taken through it – observed as changes in colour when viewed from different directions.

Tourmaline gemstones vary in these colour changes quite significantly, red varieties will vary in intensity, green colours show changes in the amount of yellow and blue and brown types change from light to dark.

Faceted gemstones are cut to maximise the amount of colour projected from the setting, and the axis of the crystal displayed must be chosen carefully to minimise less desirable colour changes that result from the strong pleochroism of tourmaline.

Some tourmaline gemstone crystals including some of those from Brazil show great “chatoyancy”, where microscopic inclusions are oriented in a way that focuses light along an axis perpendicular to the inclusions, producing a bright band of reflected light known as a “cat’s eye”.

Tourmalines Special Properties

Along with beryl and opal, tourmaline gemstone is the modern US birthstone for October, sharing with these other gemstones a similar range of bright rainbow colour.

In the scientific world tourmalines greatest contribution to science was it’s use as a polarizing filter in 1678 by the Dutch scientist “Christiaan Huygens” in an experiment that was used to prove the wave theory of light.

Tourmaline is also known for a range of special properties including one which no other blue gemstone is known to produce.

Extensively analysed by the world of science in the 1900s minerals of the family member “elbaite” produced the first detectable traces of the element Lithium which now forms an important part of the modern low energy economy.

Tourmaline show interesting piezoelectric and pyroelectric effects with all crystals that lack a centre of symmetry accumulating electric charge when subject to mechanical stress or change in temperature.

Due to these special properties tourmaline was known as the “ash puller” gemstone and when heated was used to clean ash from smoking pipes due to it’s electrical charge attracting dust and soot – this effect also leads to tourmaline requiring more frequent cleaning than other gemstones.

Coal black “schorl” varieties that are heavily saturated with iron show strong magnetic response while “elbaite” varieties show different magnetic responses varying from red and green types with the lowest response to yellow, green and blue showing the highest.

Blue “indicolite” tourmaline shows the strongest paramagnetic response of any gemstone, though not generating a discernable magnetic field of it’s own it will however follow a neodymium magnet when it is placed next to one – being the only blue gemstone to do so.

Tourmaline Jewelry

Loved by jewellery artisans the rainbow of colour that tourmaline is found in is suited for all manner of design, from dark mysterious “schorl” to deep emotional “dranite” and the more popular kaleidoscope of lively tones that come from “elbaite” varieties.

Tourmaline is found in the market in a range of jewelry pieces from ear rings and rings featuring crystal cut faceted gemstones to pendants of single cabochons and bead necklaces and bracelets.

The colours of tourmaline are often enough to entirely carry the style of a design, some of our own designs are carried by the weight of radiance projected by the range of colours present in one bead of tourmaline.

“Water melon” tourmaline and other bicolour tourmaline crystals are an exception to the avoidance of buying bicolour crystals by gemstone buyers, with examples of faceted bicolour tourmaline crystals being found in a variety of beautiful jewelry types.

Many larger carat size faceted gemstones preserve the frequently found long elongated shape in specially designed settings.

Though “paraiba” gemstones that show radiant electric colour are some of the most sought after varieties of tourmaline, recent finds in Africa have similar radiant colours that are – with the exception of trace element analysis – indistinguishable from the Brazilian localities.

YAN Tourmaline Gemstone Fashion

Tourmaline is one of the craft maker’s most sought after gemstones, loved for the fascinating plethora of colour that can be used in an abundance of design.

Our own jewelry range use the natural colour range of tourmaline gemstones in evocative emotional pieces inspired by art, nature and our brand of new colourful styling that reaffirms beautiful design.

Matching ocean blue cordierite with the deeper emotional ranges of colour from selected natural tourmaline varieties our showcased matching set of cordierite blue necklace and bracelet projects eye catching beauty.

Lighter in colour and filled with colourful gaiety the rainbow tones of our silver bird pendant necklace is awash with colour from the principal tourmaline supported by the addition of light silver spacer and white quartz crystal supporting bead.

Natural deep purple amethyst colours match well to the lighter colourful gamut of tourmaline in the floral concept combination necklace that is further set off with additional silver flower brocade clasps.

YAN jewelry designs carry the vibrant colour of tourmaline in a range of attractive bead necklace and bracelet design where our designer has sought beautiful combinations of natural colour that carry the living vibrance of this popular gemstone.

Citrine yellow and warm like the sun, this radiant gemstone and naturally rare variety of quartz is a sister crystal to amethyst and was prized by ancient European peoples as a ward and healing stone.

With colours ranging from light yellow to dark golden brown, citrine derives it’s colour from traces of iron within the crystal in the same way as amethyst does, in fact within the precious stone “ametrine” both citrine and amethyst are found together in the same crystal.

Often confused with yellow gemstones such as apatite and beryl, citrine with it’s yellow topaz like colour is also trade named as “Rio Grande Topaz” after one of the more famous places it is found.

Citrine Gemstone Distribution

Citrine is a species of quartz – a mineral of silicon and oxygen that is found widely in nature both upon the surface of and deep within the Earth.

As a hardy crystal with a hardness of 7 on the moh’s scale, quartz is very resistant to weathering and will remain long after the parent rock which it formed within has eroded away with the passage of time.

Quartz with it’s evident resistant to weathering will slowly accumulate in streams, rivers, glaciers and other places that gradually wash and wear away other rocks, leaving deposits of this semi precious stone visibly exposed and contrasted well against other rock.

Tiny crystals of quartz are widely present on beaches around the world as the greatest constituent of sand, fine white sandy beaches are indicative a process of weathering that has taken place over millions of years, leaving behind these small fine crystals.

Below the Earth quartz is found in rock such as granite and other igneous rocks that have slowly crystallised from subterranean flows of magma.

Other quartz containing rocks include sedimentary rocks such as sandstones where quartz crystals have accumulated on the surface over time, and metamorphic rocks including quartzite – where sedimentary rocks have been compressed, heated and transformed into new forms.

Formation of Citrine Gemstone

Under the presence of heat and time trapped minerals of quartz will slowly grow into crystals wedged between fissures in rocks, filling the hollows of geodes and even growing outwards into rock cavities and caves.

Quartz grows into two types of crystal that are called macro and micro or “crypto” crystalline crystals, micro crystalline quartz is comprised of countless small faceted crystals that are invisible or “cryptic” to the unaided eye and include well known chalcedony.

Macro crystalline quartz varieties include well known amethyst, citrine, smoky quartz, rose quartz and rutilated quartzes among many many others, are all quartz family crystals distinguished by numerous different inclusions that include previous crystal impressions, mineral rutile inclusions, gas bubbles, metal inclusions and many others.

See our quartz gemstone article for more about the family of quartz.

Amethyst and citrine gemstone are quartz crystals whose crystal structure is interspersed with iron atoms that were part of the environment that the crystal formed within and were slowly incorporated into the crystal as it grew.

The presence of iron in the otherwise near transparent crystal changes how light is transmitted through the gemstone, for example amethyst will slightly absorb visible light tending towards red, with the opposite purple showing through.

In citrine gemstone the interaction of the iron elements with the surrounding crystal exists in a slightly different state, shifting the absorption of light towards blue leaving a yellow tint.

The small difference between amethyst and citrine is so slight that in nature the two crystals can grow together into a single crystal called an “ametrine” that shows both purple and yellow colouring, while in the market of gemstones “poor quality” amethyst that displays little purple colour is frequently heated to change the colour.

In nature the difference between citrine gemstone and amethyst is often a result of the temperature at which it formed, our jewellery uses natural unheated citrine that shows only slight yellow colouring as opposed to the much stronger yellow of heated citrine.

Where is Citrine Found?

Natural citrine crystal is rare when compared to other quartz crystals with the majority of market citrine being heat treated amethyst.

Natural citrine shows common light yellow colour to less frequently seen golden yellow in “Madeira Citrine” and also includes dark gold brown colours.

Heat treated citrines will often have a red tint and “citrine” quartzes that display dazzling lemon yellow colour are irradiated, heat-treated amethyst can also display inclusions of small lines in the crystal.

The most sought after citrine comes from Madeira and shows strong golden yellow colours, with no visible eye inclusions and no variation of colour across the crystal that is more typical in other citrine.

Citrine is found in a few select places around the world with the most popular coming from Brazil’s “Rio Grande do Sul” area though many heat treated Brazilian amethysts are also sold as natural citrine.

In Brazil it is not uncommon to heat large quartz crystal finds, including geodes of amethyst to become more valuable citrine yellow, producing large clusters of crystal that is more valuable with the sought after yellow colour.

It is considered best to store citrine in a place away from sunlight and strong heat, as both can lead to the gemstone’s yellow colour fading over time.

Citrine Gemstone Culture and History

Citrine has a strong connection to the ancient Celtic people of Western Europe who incorporated it into pendant jewelry that would shield the wearer from both evil thoughts of others and poisons and sickness.

In metaphysical writings citrine is considered to be linked to the sun, and is a stone that is described as giving a boost to energy, as well as the more ancient uses of a ward and health giving stone, other sources describe citrine as a “money stone” and bringer of prosperity.

During the era of ancient Greece citrine was fashioned into large crystal motifs and shaped into figurines, though it was not considered especially valuable – perhaps due to the rarity of stones of good quality compared to more prevalent smoky and milky “included” varieties.

Citrine has a connection to healing and health with the Scottish people believing the stone can protect from the bite of the poisonous local “adder” snake and historically was considered to protect from plague.

Victorian era citrine was very popular and included brooches of large carat crystals set in gold and silver surrounds, citrine jewelry of the era was influenced by the production of Citrine from the “Cairngorm” area in Scotland which continues to produce prized quartzes to this day.

Citrine Fashion

Citrine fashion ranges from large carat designer gemstones that have been carved into beautiful shapes to more common earrings and rings, often matched to gold the natural yellow gemstone colour shines with a warm attractive energy.

Citrine as well as topaz and amber are some of the “go to” gemstones for lovers of natural yellow colours and are frequently cut into faceted gemstones that maximise reflected light and matched to gold and silver.

Our natural citrine jewelry take the light straw yellow colouring of this beautiful gemstone to form designs carrying a lightness and brevity that project life and energy while lifting the colour depth of clothing.

Citrine is an elegant gemstone and is well matched with pink quartzes and the light white jelly agate shown in our beautiful pink crystal necklace piece.

This beautiful citrine necklace uses a pink thread laced through supporting citrine bead whose soft yellow light adds levity of tone to the whole piece.

Matched to seldom seen purple phantom quartz the light purple and citrine yellow of our flower pendant bracelet support each other with fresh spring colour tones and a light airy feeling.

In our design ranges the natural beauty of gemstones is shown with selections of gemstones chosen to support each other in colour and lightness, threaded together in designs that carry an evident emotional feeling and new colourful life concept.

Citrine belongs to our lighter range of necklaces and bracelets, it’s light spring colour is well matched to the silver flower brocades and floral themes of the pieces shown above.

More of our citrine featuring bracelets and necklaces can be seen in our collection page on our website here, the pale yellow colouring of natural citrine is suited to floral jewelry necklaces and floral jewelry bracelets – belonging to those concepts in which a floral blossom feeling is very evident.

Our amethyst gemstone necklace and bracelet page features the sister gemstone of citrine.

Citrine is a beautiful light gemstone and a rarely seen variety of quartz that when incorporated into bead jewelry design gives a sunny lightness to clothing, lifting the presence of elegant apparel and perhaps more importantly brightening the day of not only the wearer but the people around them who catch sight of this lovely warm radiant gemstone.

Kyanite as an alternative to sapphire shows the same deep crystal blues with brilliant lustre that makes both gemstones some of the most extravagant and sought after crystals in fashion.

From the Greek word “Kyanos” – which means of blue colour, this precious gemstone was named in 1789 by the German geologist Abraham Gottlob Werner, a geologist and famed teacher who taught talented students from across Europe.

Forming under high temperature and pressure in metamorphic rock, and famous for being found in the rock bed deep underneath Manhattan island, kyanite shows peculiar differences in hardness across it’s crystal planes as well as a cat’s eye chatoyancy that draws gaze deep into the blue serenity of this beautiful crystal.

Origins of a Kyanite Gemstone

Following the passage of time across Earth’s geological ages, multitudes of great continents and oceans have formed together then rifted apart, riding upon the trapped heat of the core that is slowly released from the centre of our world.

One of the most famous of these previous continents is the so called “super” continent Pangaea, a vast hemisphere spanning land mass covering the Earths surface that existed over 300 million years ago.

In the early formation of Pangaea the core geological “craton” of Laurentia – which is the stable body of continent that forms most of present North America, rode across the planet from a position on the Equator ever Northwards.

As Laurentia travelled North it merged together with the ancient micro continent “Avalonia” and the Northern European landmass “Baltica”, forming what would later be the first building block of a supercontinent that would exist for over 160 million years.

The merging of these massive Northern American landmasses took place under tremendous energies, leading to great masses of rock being pressed downwards into the Earth where tremendous heat and pressure altered the original minerals.

The bedrock underlying Manhattan, and that rises to the surface in some rock outcrops of Central Park, carry the indicators of this ancient exchange in the form of kyanite crystals which can be found within them, a beautiful crystal remnant of an ancient upheaval.

Structure of Kyanite

Comprised of aluminium, silicon and oxygen – an aluminosilicate, kyanite forms naturally in aluminium rich rock at high pressures, and is used as a geological index to determine the history of temperature and pressure the parent rock has been exposed to.

Forming long columnar crystals of strong blue colours to colourless and blue tinged brown, and even green varieties, kyanite is found where rocks have been exposed to extreme pressures – typically in “regional” metamorphism that has accompanied continental shifts across geological time.

Kyanite exhibits strong anisotropism – with the crystal exhibiting different properties in different directions, the most noted of which is two different hardnesses along and across the axes of the crystal, that vary from 5.5 to 7 on the moh’s scale and make this a gemstone that is difficult to cut.

Asides from the famous and sought after deep blue colouring Kyanite also displays strong changes in colour when viewed from different angles, ranging from deep blue to blue and then colourless – a display of “pleochroism” where light is absorbed differently as it passes from one axes to the next.

Lesser seen is a “chatoyancy” or cat’s eye effect that appears in gemstones with fibrous qualities or aligned rutile inclusions.

The chatoyancy of gemstones is caused by reflected light being reflected more strongly against the lengths of the fibres or aligned rutile inclusions, and is the same as the effect seen in a reel of silk and polished hardwoods.

Cat’s eye gemstones reflect light very strongly in the direction perpendicular to their long axes, producing a line of light that is better known in tiger’s eye crystal, beryl and aquamarine.

Kyanite Gemstone a Short History

Found across the world where metamorphic rocks have been exposed enough for people to find them, Kyanite was first identified as a unique gemstone by the geologist Abraham Gottlob Werner.

Born into a mining family in the 18th century Abraham developed an interest in studious classification of minerals and would later publish the first text on physical traits of minerals in 1774.

Claiming fame as a teacher of geology his teaching style drew students of mineralogy across Europe, many of whom would later send him minerals to be identified.

He would later name Kyanite from the word of “Kyanos” which is the Greek word for blue in 1789.

Fashion of Kyanite

With a colouring like the blue of a sapphire, Kyanite in the form of faceted gemstones is a sought after crystal that possesses a deep lustred colour on par with any other precious stone and a perfect match for elegant and beautiful fashion wear.

With deep blue like colours being the most sought after, as with it’s more famous precious gemstone equivalent, kyanite is often cut into larger carat gemstones and mounted with silver and gold surrounds in simple pendant necklaces and earrings.

Best worn in stronger light where the blue colours are more apparent, though faceted kyanite rings do exist due to the ease of which kyanite is fractured, and the softer than usual hardness along one crystal axis, rings are not seen as often as well secured pendant pieces.

Our YAN Jewelry Kyanite Gemstone

Softer in texture our kyanite beads are treated with resin to aid in milling and polishing, our beads are of natural colour and not artificially enhanced, showing cat’s eye chatoyancy and a range of famed blue colours varying from deep to light intensity.

Natural veining of mineral inclusions in our lighter kyanite beads are well matched to the ocean concept theme, carrying feelings of rolling blue sea and peaceful in projection of natural energy.

These lighter blue beads are well matched to the kunzite crystal that clearly varies in colour along it’s axes, flashing pink violet bursts that act to soften the transition from opaque blue to clear crystal, likewise aiding in the incorporation of lotus pendants and other light silver adornments.

Upon first glance the lighter kyanite beads may lack some of the deep sapphire blues of our other pieces but upon gazing into the crystal a wealth of inner beauty and detail give great depth to the viewer.

Kyanite cabochons and beads are rich in deeper colour and lend great depth to design, lighter rutile inclusions, texturing of colour and visible sheen of light from cat’s eye create rich tapestry of living blue colour that bring life into our designs.

Kyanite Gemstone Summation

Nature bestows the growth of each kyanite crystal with a unique detail that differs from each and every bead, carefully choosing the spread of colours across the piece creates necklaces and bracelets that are full of energy and a sum beauty greater than any individual gemstone.

Though each of YAN jewelry designs is crafted independently with love of vibrancy and life, the deeper regal blues in our single loop kyanite and amber bracelet piece stand against other designs in moody deep blues that are very evocative of feeling.

Kyanite is a gemstone very suitable for matching between light and dark colours and differences in textures, matched with yellow amber with bright vitreous lustre and simple colour, the white sheen of chatoyancy and fibrous character of the crystal act to bridge the differences in colour and produce a stunning design in the above photos.

Our designs featuring kyanite gemstones and shown in the photos above can be seen under our our beautiful kyanite necklace and bracelet collection here, while ocean concepts with natural blue coloured gemstones are also in store.

Kyanite is a crystal formed deep under the Earth under tremendous pressure, a gemstone of the deep world underneath us that has marked the formation of the great continents of our world in their slow and massive evolution.

As a gemstone of the deep each kyanite crystal with deep blue colour and fascinating further detail carries with it a rich sensual display of tone and quality that mark this gemstone as a special addition to the world of fashion and designer jewelry.

Kunzite discovered recently in gemstone history is alive with subtle changes in colour when viewed from different angles and set apart from parent mineral spodumene by it’s beautiful crystal pink violet colouring.

Discovered in the early 1800’s the mineral spodumene – and related crystals kunzite and hiddenite, are gemstones that project energy into worlds of both energetic fashion and modern technology.

Famous in spodumene for a source of lithium powering our modern world’s electric cars, gadgets and gizmo’s, the crystal form of kunzite is known for being a stone of feminine energy in metaphysical writings, and vibrant accessory for the rich and famous of our time.

Formation of Kunzite

Kunzite has traced a path of fame that has followed closely in the footsteps of it’s parent mineral, as our modern world finds this beautiful crystal and useful mineral entwined together with our love of new energy.

Both kunzite and spodumene are found together in distinct layers of large granular size mineral sheets called “pegmatites”, as well as very fine grained layers in granite called “aplites”.

Pegmatites are some of the most famous gem producing rocks on Earth, with crystal sizes commonly greater than 2.5 centimetres in size, even reaching as large as 14 meters in size.

These granite like rocks are made up of quartz, feldspar and mica and form in large layers of intrusive rocks that have been pushed up by heat from deep below the earth.

The pegmatite quarries of the Greenbush’s region of Western Australia produce most of the worlds production of spodumene, with demand for this mineral increasingly growing with our world’s changing energy needs.

Kunzite Gemstone Presentation

The gemstone kunzite was discovered and named as a gemstone distinct from spodumene by George Frederick Kunz, a jeweller of Tiffany & Co in 1902.

Kunzite displays a delicate pink violet colour which comes from trace elements of manganese and is well known for evident display of pleochroism.

Pleochroism in Greek means “more colour”, and is seen in gemstones whose crystal structures alter light in different ways depending on the path that light travels through them.

Showing different colours with different viewing angles kunzite’s display of pink lilac to crystal clear transparency is a sought after effect in faceted gemstones that has seen this gemstone being used to stud royal tiaras and large carat rings.

Frequently heat treated or irradiated to increase the depth of colour most natural kunzite shows only light colouring with delicate splashes of pink to purple that change with the angle from which it is viewed.

No matter treated or untreated natural colour kunzite gemstone is known to fade to a lighter colour tone when exposed to sunshine, and is seen as a gemstone best worn at night and safely stored away in the day.

Composition of Kunzite

As a silicate mineral kunzite shares a basic commonality with over ninety percent of the Earths other minerals that belong to silicate groups.

Made up of a type of rock called a pyroxene – which is comprised of long interlocking lines of silicon and oxygen atoms, kunzite is found crystallised in igneous and metamorphic rocks that have formed from or been exposed to high temperatures.

Pyroxene means stranger of the fire in Greek, and was named for the appearance of ghostly crystals of these minerals which were found in otherwise uniform volcanic glass.

Other pyroxene gemstones include popular jadeite which can be found in our collection of beautiful jadeite gemstone jewelry.

Gemstone Family of Spodumene

As an important source of lithium spodumene is a sought after mineral that in the right conditions forms large crystals up to 14 metres in size, with clear to pale yellow colouring known as “triphane”.

In addition to yellow crystals of triphane there are two additional known varieties of spodumene crystals.

Hiddenite is a light green crystal of spodumene whose emerald green colour comes from trace amounts of chromium in common with emeralds.

Discovered in North Carolina by a local boy who then presented them to a keen gemologist, the nature of hiddenite was at first unidentifiable, and was sent across America passing between gemologists for many years, until finally being identified as a form of spodumene, the name “hiddenite” came from the hidden nature of the gemstone.

The town where the crystals were first discovered marketed these emerald green crystals as “lithia emerald” and the success from commercial sales of this new gemstone led to the local town changing it’s name to “Hiddenite” which is still named to this day.

Though related to emerald green hiddenite, kunzite’s colour instead comes from trace manganese with delicate colours varying from pink to lilac purple seen in nature.

Frequently heat treated to enhance colour kunzite gemstone crystal’s natural colour and charming display of pleochroism carries a feminine touch and is considered more valuable with stronger displays of colour.

Kunzite in Modern Culture

Kunzite gemstone’s energy and distinctive sought after pink colouring has made this crystal a glamorous alternative to diamond for many of the world’s rich and famous past and present.

Set against brilliant gold and surrounded with a flash of diamonds the final gift that President John F Kennedy gave to his wife Jacqueline was a 47 carat kunzite gemstone crystal ring bought as Christmas gift for his beloved.

Worn by the Duchess of Gloucester at a banquet to greet the prime minister of India on his state visit to the UK kunzite made an appearance set into a Russian tiara as a large central gemstone.

Most frequently seen as cut faceted stones which maximise the amount of reflected light kunzite is often seen matched to precious metals in large carat rings and earrings.

Kunzite is a gemstone which is notoriously difficult to cut and mount due to the ease with which it fractures in different directions, similar to diamond most settings aim to reduce the pressure exerted on the stone, with bezel mounts that entirely surround the stone being the safest

Due to kunzite’s propensity to fade in sunlight, and quick to take damage from knocks and falls, this is a gemstone that is most suitable for evening wear and less suitable as engagement rings and every day wearing.

Believers of the metaphysical energies of gemstones tend to hold that kunzite is a gemstone of feminine character and beneficial to soothing ailments that align with feminine energies.

YAN Fashion Kunzite Jewelry

Our designer fashion design uses the natural colours of gemstones in complement with each other to project colour and energy in new concept fashionable designs.

Transparent kunzite used in our jewelry is of a high quality stone with natural lilac colour which give tender and soft feelings.

Generally speaking the colour of our kunzite tends towards a lighter lilac than a stronger purple, our single present design of bracelet uses kunzite as a bridge between the opaque blue kyanite and silver lotus pendant, emphasising natural light in the design and presenting mesmerising flashes of lilac colour.

Our presently small collection of kunzite jewelry bracelets and necklaces can be viewed in our collection here, the matching ocean concept to which it belongs to is available under our concept page.

A gemstone of the modern world kunzite is a stone alive in energy with a tangible connection to the electricity that powers our world and projecting feminine fashion in a confident way.

Agate varying in beautiful bands of colour with layers of chalcedony and quartz crystals sublimely folding together, presenting swirling ranges of natural rainbow colours.

Agate has been a traditional gemstone for the making of colourful beads, cabochons and carvings since it was discovered alongside a river shoreline in ancient Greece by philosopher Theophrastus over two thousand years ago.

With names including “cherry blossom agate”, “scenic agate” and “crazy lace agate”, the family of agate gemstone types is both colourful and a fascinating look into a world of natural colour and variation.

Popularly used as an ornamental stone for it’s hardness and resilience to weathering, agate has been a canvas for artists that have carved such wonders as the Roman “Holy Grail of Valencia“, and the Byzantine “Rubens Vase”, acting as relief to beautiful carvery with no indication of great age.

In the modern world agates are fabulous presentations of colour that are used widely in cabochon jewelry such as pendant necklaces and bracelets, and takes centre stage in our selection of designer jewellery with confident new modern life design.

Formation of Agate Gemstones

A cryptocrystalline gemstone, agate is comprised of multitudes of tiny micro crystals of quartz and chalcedony, with small changes in the environment of the growing agate forming differences in the bands of colour.

Much as tree growth is represented by lines in the section of a growing tree, agate forms layers as the minerals that it grows from deposit slowly over time into the bands it is so famous for.

When volcanic rocks are the parent rocks, agate forms when gases released by the heat of volcanic action escape and expand into molten hollows, forming cavities that will become the birthplaces of the subsequent agate.

Surrounded by volcanic minerals rich in silica minerals, water seeps into these cavities, coating the inside with an initial, often green tinged “priming layer”.

In the cosy birthing nodule the silica rich water then crystallises into chalcedony, coating the interior layer in a ring of new material that continues to grow so long as the mineral rich fluid provides for.

Over time the environment of this crystalline nodule slowly changes, and with the change in the environment the deposition of the agate bands change in colour, depth and constitution, ever so slowly growing towards the centre in changing bands that will forever reflect this passage of time.

No matter how these changes occur, perhaps a change in flow, a make up of the mineral rich fluid or otherwise a change in the environment around the nodule, the changes are unique to the agate’s birth and identifiable to the place where the agate comes from.

Myriad Presentations of Agate

The result of this gradual formation presents as beautiful bands of shining colour, a blend of quartz and chalcedony shifting between light and dark layers, sometimes finished with stunning arrays of quartz crystals filling the centre of a volcanic geode.

Not just limited to volcanic rock, under the right conditions “cold water” agates can be found forming from silica rich fluids in pockets of marine limestone, producing muted layers of white and grey colouring.

Given the right environment agate gemstones can also be found growing into stalactites in caverns deep under ground, into the voided husks of fossilized coral – slowly taking the internal shape of the coral, or into the shells of fossilized “Turritella” – ancient marine gastropods.

Hardier than the ancient rock cocoon it comes from agate will often separate and later found in “agate nodules”, these are found with a rough outer surface and a shape taken from the environment which it grew from.

When taken in cross section the beautiful bands of chalcedony and quartz present as lines of colours starting from an initial prime layer and then proceeding inward in a succession of bands.

These agate bands vary considerably in colouring and shape across the family of gemstone types.

Though many agate gemstones are found to be light to dull grey in colouration and subsequently dyed with colours, many ranges of colour across the visual spectrum are found in nature.

The Family of Agate

Though agate is comprised of chalcedony, chalcedony itself is not considered agate unless it shows banding, though there are some exceptions where the bands present as fern and landscape type patterns.

With the majority of agate gemstones found in Brazil these “Brazilian agates” have ranges of colours that are finely separated into even layers of banding, which have historically been dyed to enhance their predominately white and grey colour.

Less common “cherry blossom agate’ is a form of agate gemstone that presents soft translucent peach tones and is famous for inclusions of milky flower like “cherry blossoms”.

Dendritic agate and scenic agates show subtle ranges of colour with fern like and landscape like impressions respectively, found in Brazil these agate families form in similar ways to traditional agates.

Moss agate of India is often shown in small plates of material to better show translucency, this agate is green to brown in colour, with moss like inclusions that show micro landscapes of nature.

Discovered only in Central American regions “fire agate” is named for a fire effect of iridescent light similar to mother of pearl colouring and gifted with red colours and vibrant dynamic reflections.

There are many many varieties of agate gemstone with each showing different features in the structure of bands which are uniquely coloured and make for beautiful inclusions into jewellery matchable to many different fashion styles and personalities.

Agate Gemstone Finds

As nodules that have become separated from parent rock agates are found to size from less than a centimetre to almost a metre in circumference.

Nodules of agate are often opened to reveal crystals inside them, these are called druse’s, quartz, amethyst and many other crystals can be found within.

Where the nodule is completely filled with agate it is referred to as a geode.

Once found in the German town of Idar-Oberstein agate was extensively used in the gemstone trade and lauded for size and natural ranges of colours.

Over many centuries of activity agate was subsequently mined out, and in the 19th century many local people seeking escape from poverty found their way to South America.

In Brazilian Rio Grande do Sol these emigrants found what was to later be the most important economic sources of agate ever discovered, a massive commercial source of regular even striations, readily accepting dye that increased the value of the stone.

Shipped back as ships ballast to their town in Germany, this foreign source of agate renewed the old town and turned it into a gemstone hub that sent colourful patterned gemstones to jewellery makers across the world.

Though later finds in Indian and Thailand have opened up the global market for agates the original gemstone hub of Europe has retained fame for accumulated experience, and continued it’s heritage as a centre of agate excellence.

Cultural History of Agate

In nature agate shows good weathering characteristics that stem from it’s higher hardness of over 6 on the mohs scale, and can be readily polished to a smooth finish when worked with polishing wheels or rubbed against sandstone.

Agate has been widely shaped into much more than beads and cabochons for jewellery.

In headstone carving many cultures have turned to this precious gemstone as it holds detail very well, with pendant charms impressed with portraits, vases with decorative detail and shaped handles for knives and forks.

Dating from the kingdoms of ancient Egypt agate gemstone was used as a decorative gemstone, while ancient Minoan culture and Byzantine cultures of the Mediterranean used agate in drinking vessels and decorative jewelry.

With the development of industrial gemstone production in Europe, agate was shaped by water and later steam driven sandstones in workshops that created ranges of colourful beads used in art and craft uses across the early world and today.

Much agate found today is dyed in colour, though dyed agate is not recognisable by eye typical natural colours are much softer in presentation across bands, with light transitions of a single colour range as opposed to contrasting stripes.

As our jewellery makes use of natural gemstones all of our agate is sourced from suppliers that do not dye agate.

YAN Fashion use of Agate

Used extensively in YAN fashion jewelry, agate pendants and beads are chosen for their natural beauty that stems from rich floral imagery and soft projection of colour and light.

Suited well to our designer’s love of art and flower, cherry blossom agate shows clear blooms of flowers captured in small landscape scenes that are unique to each and every piece.

Cherry blossom agate is often peach pink in colour and matches well to both light white moonstone and quartz crystal designs that project purity, and our wood bead series of necklaces and bracelets that with accompanying floral silver brocades complement the floral nature of this type of agate very well.

Many of our bracelet designs are supported by agate beads which as complement to larger pendants help to blend agate together combinations of gemstone colours.

Of slightly different character is our new design range of litchy jelly agate necklaces that feature a translucent form of agate with pure elegant presentation and simple transparent tone in novel styling, this necklace can be seen here.

Classic agate types are seen in our ocean concept collection where a pendant necklace’s bands of subtle colouring are an element in the peaceful feeling of this series.

Agate’s of other types include scenic agate, natural landscapes are as if painted in the traditional fashion, casting visages of leaves and natural forms against white canvas.

Our designer’s studios efforts to bring out the natural beauty of gemstones in concert with each other to achieve a clearly evident design has made full use of agate with it’s floral character and natural beauty.

Our ranges of agate necklaces and bracelets can be seen in our store here, many of our designs feature agate beads and pendants with individual products detailing further details and interesting reads.

YAN fashion design shows that uncoloured agate are is just as rich and lively in colour as any gemstone, and our new designs that blend gemstones beautifully together to form new modern inspired styles are a continuation of the world’s love of this precious stone.

Lapis with the meaning of “stone” in latin and lazuli as a meaning of “blue” from ancient Persian, Lapis Lazuli speckled with gold inflections has been revered from a prized source of artisan pigment, to a gemstone fit for adorning the mask of lauded ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamun.

Revered throughout ancient Egypt this semi precious stone was imported from as far away as the mines of Sar-i Sang in what is now Afghanistan, where it was secured and then carried on caravan trade routes that stretched for thousands of miles connecting the ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Sumeria and Indus Valley civilisations.

Popularly made into scarab beetle figurines that signified rebirth and regeneration, as well as amulets and legal seals, lapis lazuli was considered highly in ancient Egyptian society and imported across the history of this ancient civilisation.

Mesopotamia’s mention of Lapis Lazuli gemstone is found in the first recorded poem “the Epic of the Gilgamesh”, while in nearby Sumeria it was used in jewelry that included examples of beautiful bead necklaces and statuettes, where it was used as azure blue iris’s.

The ancient Greeks were also familiar with this gemstone and in the classical ages they referred to it as “Saphirus”, with the Roman author Pliny the Elder talking of it as being “opaque and sprinkled with specks of gold” in his work “Naturalis Historia” which was to become the model of all subsequent encyclopaedia.

Later frequent old testament mentions of “Sapphire stone” made at the time of the Roman empire are most likely referring to lapis lazuli, as the precious stone Sapphire had not yet been discovered.

Brilliant Ultramarine

As natural source of the bright blue pigment ultramarine – which is obtained by grinding down the parent rock and extracting the bright blue pigment, Lapis was used in provision of Egyptian makeup that included blue coloured eyeshadow adorned by Egyptian Queen Cleopatra .

The later middle ages saw ultramarine pigment used for the painting of central religious figures, where it’s azure blue colouring was likened to the blue of the sky interspersed with natural golden flecks from the sun, and with a commensurate value that was second only to gold.

Ancient peoples traded Lapis Lazuli gemstone widely across the world, with notable deposits being found in the “Sar-i Sang” mines that date from pre history and have produced some of the worlds best examples, with a brilliant azure blue colouring uniformly found throughout their precious stones.

Precious Blue Mineral

Unlike many gemstones lapis lazuli is actually an aggregated collection of other minerals that form when limestone deep under the Earth is heated by the conducted heat from nearby intrusions of magma.

This form of “contact metamorphism” occurs mainly due to this heating alone, slowly changing the mineral makeup of the original rock into something new.

The most prominent constituent mineral is named “lazurite” and must constitute at least twenty five percent of Lapis Lazuli gemstone makeup for it to be considered true Lapis.

Lazurite is an intense blue silicate mineral whose radical silicon elements show strong absorption of yellow and red visible light – contributing to the strong blue reflections of light that give rise to Lapis Lazuli’s famous blue colour, while lazurite found singularly in nature can also directly grow into beautiful azure coloured blue crystal.

Lesser minerals, notably pyrite, are almost as important in lapis lazuli, and pyrite inclusions are very visible to the eye as small crystal flecks that shine with golden yellow in real lapis lazuli.

Most lapis lazuli gemstone will include some white areas of calcite minerals, though prized examples have less white calcite area and a larger depth of deep blue colour, which is interspersed more with gold pyrite and violet blue lustre.

Art and Fashion

Metaphysical writings on lapis lazuli gemstone vary across sources, though perhaps as lapis lazuli is comprised of different minerals that were once different crystals altogether it is often written as a gemstone of great depth, showing a connection to it’s deep blue colour that projects hidden meaning, and is frequently connected to use in meditation and exploration of the deeper self.

In the world of fashion and the art’s lapis lazuli’s history stretches across great works of art and famous names throughout time.

One of the most famed uses of lapis lazuli derived ultramarine is in the “Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh, in whose art deep blue ultramarine pigment depicts the impressionist view of a deep night sky as seen from the window of his asylum in residence.

“The virgin in prayer” by famed Italian artist Sassaferrato depicts the blue robe of the virgin Mary devout in prayer, painted in brilliant blue ultramarine pigment.

Belonging still to the ancient world the famous funeral mask of Tutankhamun is cast in solid gold, though features gemstones ranging from quartz crystal eyes, obsidian pupils, turquoise and amazonite inlays of a broad gold collar, and lapis lazuli for eye surrounds and eyebrows.

Lapis Lazuli Gemstone Jewelry

Modern era lapis lazuli jewelry still follows many of crafting traditions carried forward from the ancient worlds love of this precious jewel.

Set in simple worked golden yellow surrounds lapis lazuli is often found radiating it’s natural colour in large carat pendant necklaces that feature single cabochon pendants of the bluest varieties of lapis, though multiple pendants set into more complex precious metal chains and settings are sometimes seen.

Though faceted gemstones can be found in pendants that play more strongly upon reflection of light, perhaps owing to the softer nature of lapis and the ease of which it can be worn down if not careful, lapis is more often seen as cabochon and bead jewelry.

Taking a high level of shine in polishing lapis lazuli cabochons and beads are oft mounted in high polished gold and silver work, following in the footsteps of the ancient Egyptians who also adorned this gemstone with precious metals.

Our Take on Lapis Lazuli

Our own designers use of lapis lazuli takes the natural radiant blue colour and matches it with the colours of other natural gemstones such as white agates and cream aventurine to achieve plays of colour projecting new modern style and the artists concept goal.

One of our best loved necklaces is a blue lapis bead and white agate star pendant necklace shown above, in this piece the pure blue colour of lapis projects deeply from a long dress necklace length bead chain, lightened by silver floral brocades that act to bring a little extra light to the design.

The centrepiece of the design is the beautiful natural crystal of agate radiating in light and semi transparent, that not only catches the eye but serves to further uplift the colour of lapis from blue to azure and brings contrasting blends of colour to the piece.

Matched with an agate and lapis lazuli bracelet that elegantly contrasts innocent colours this set is a simple projection of colour and style and a beautiful adornment to cheery dresses and colourful clothing.

Our pink bead aventurine bracelet continues this trend of colour palette contrasting in the above photo.

Carved into five petal flowers the depth of colour in the lapis lazuli is made more evident by contrasting to the detailed though simple cream white aventurine bead it is partnered with.

Silver baubles of flowers catch and reflect light in this design further drawing attention to the contrast of deep blue and natural peach pink white.

With some similar colour traits and opacity to lapis our collection includes a vibrant example of phosphosiderite and lapis lazuli bracelet that matches purple and yellow gemstones to a bright carved barrel bead of lapis in the centre.

Designs including lapis lazuli gemstone can be found under our gemstone collection page on our website that can be viewed here while designs with similar colour contrasting can be seen on our vibrant colour concept page.

Lapis lazuli is as much known for as a colour as it is for a gemstone, it’s natural azure blue tone can be found in the great art works of history, in the worlds greatest gallery’s, and decorating the most famed examples of ancient works that have become cherished parts of global culture.

The Gemstone

A gemstone whose names derives to water of the sea, Aquamarine is a much loved gemstone of the Beryl gemstone group – a valuable crystal family whose members include famous beautiful green emerald and increasingly popular pink morganite.

Though sharing the crystal structure of the beryl family Aquamarine differs most visibly with its dazzling cyan blue colouring of which the deeper hues are most prized by collectors and from which the colour of “aquamarine” is directly attributable.

Aside from a lighter colour that is easier to match with bright clothing and fashion designs it has other traits rendering it more desirable in some ways than emerald.

A gemstone whose typical quality is much higher than emerald, aquamarine can be found in fine quality large crystal inclusions in deposits around the world most notably in Brazil whose large carat gemstones decorate the “Brazil tiara” of the Queen of England.

Aquamarine’s lower number of inclusions make this a semi-precious stone that is less prone to fracturing than the notably fragile Emerald and more suitable to wear especially in rounded bead form.

With less market pressure to produce good quality finds buyers in developed markets can find good quality faceted gemstones that are naturally sourced beautiful examples of larger carat size.

Aquamarine and our Design

The clear sea blue complements well with lighter colour hues such as our stunning pink rose quartz combination where the light colours co-ordinate to express our maiden’s heart concept, a youthfulness of pink hue and a purity from the clear blue of the aquamarine.

Many of these current designs carry a sea side feeling of fresh clean atmosphere from the sky colour cyan simultaneously matched with light blue’s of the ocean and carrying the lighter tones of matching hues perhaps from a bright sunny day.

With such clear colour palette choices these jewellery pieces light up clothing and character radiating bright lightness into clothing and style.

Also light in tone though different in styling is our series matching aquamarine to the beautiful cherry blossom agate, in the above piece the reflections from the faceted surfaces of the ball cut beads of agate enhance the light coming from the aquamarine.

This series of elegant bracelets and necklaces though lightened by the cool blue of the aquamarine offers warmer toning from the cherry blossom agate balanced in tone with lightening design choices such as above.

When matched to clothing this is a versatile gemstone of many uses, our photo collection includes many examples of pink and rose coloured dresses where the cool blue of aquamarine draws more attention to the beautiful and coquettish drape of pink frills and drape of fabric in lovely dresses.

With more formal workwear pink clothing as above the blue coloured gemstone lightens the pink and adds a slightly playful maiden character, while simple white dress is made special though not too overdone with the addition of these classic matching bi tones.

Aquamarine and Fashion Culture

With positive traits of flexible colour matching, high natural quality and beautiful sea blue tones Aquamarine directly vies for attention with emerald, appearing in exquisite large carat faceted ring’s and necklaces that show off silver settings contrasted to exquisite blue cyan hue.

Being naturally less included than other beryl family members high quality and high carat size finds of this gem are sometimes carved into individual designer pieces from seashells to figurines, while the naturally included crystal material that is used for cabochons and beads preserve the beautiful colour which offers us a versatile colour in our own bead necklace and bracelet designs.

Of the more famous examples of Aquamarine in cultural fashion is that of Queen Elizabeth’s “Brazil Tiara” – a tall crown of Brazilian gifted aquamarine and precious metal and a beautiful example of the natural clarity of large sized crystals.

Among modern fashion designers today the polished irregular shaped baroque stones are a popular material in a variety of new lifestyle bracelets and necklaces conveying life full of energy and positivity.

To a coveter of rarer gemstones perhaps emerald will be the more sought after of the beryl family crystals but as a gemstone that makes a more versatile and real contribution to fashion design Aquamarine is a gem that will always shine in any collection as clear as a new sun rising over the cool blue sea.