What do the following have in common? Agates (all forms); Amethyst; Amethyst Quartz; Ametrine; Aventurine; Black Onyx; Bloodstone; Blue Quartz; Cairngorm; Carnelian; Chalcedony; Chert; Chrysoprase; Citrine; Crystal; Dendritic Agate; Fire Agate; Flint; Fulgurites; Geode (most forms); Hawk’s Eye; Heliotrope; Herkimer Diamond; Jaspers (all forms); Lodalite; Madeira Citrine; Moss Agate; Moukaite; Mtorolite; Onyx (most forms); Opal [...]

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Q: Now-a-days everyone is selling those fresh water pearls. They’re really beautiful, and much cheaper than those Japanese Cultured pearls. I’d like to know more about them and how they compare. Why are the Japanese pearls so expensive, and are they that much better? Z.A. A: To answer your question, I feel I should give you a short [...]

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Q: Since you know a lot about gemstones, I hope you can answer something that has me confused. I love Black Onyx, but when I select it on your, and other web sites, it shows that it is dyed. Is Black Onyx real or a dyed rock? Also, when I visited Texas last year, I bought [...]

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I am involved in many forms of beading. I string all types of beads for my jewelry. I have woven beads on a loom; used Peyote, Comanche, and other stitches; wire wrapped; etc. When I started stringing beads I was very confused about what to string my beads on. I asked numerous experienced beaders, and [...]

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Q: Wow! This toughness stuff is fascinating. I do have one question, though, about your chart. You list a Beryl Group, and you have indented names under Azurite, Chalcedony & Chrysoberyl. I assume there is some significance, but I’m not sure I understand it. If so, please explain. Thank you. I can’t wait to read [...]

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Q: They say, “Manhattan was bought for $30 worth of beads”, so my wife and I have a $30 bet resting on your answer. She says Gold Fill and Gold Plate are the same thing. I say they are completely different. Who’s right. If I am, please describe the differences. J.D. A: Well, J.D., Mannhattan’s all yours. [...]

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Color: Colorless Chemical composition: SiO2 silicon dioxide Mohs’ Hardness: 7 Transparency: Transparent Luster: Vitreous Fracture: Conchoidal, very brittle Crystal system: Hexagonal (trigonal) with hexagonal prisms Cleavage: None Specific gravity: 2.65 Streak: White Refractive index: 1.544-1.553 Dispersion: 0.013 Pleochroism: None Fluorescence: None Occurrence: Worldwide Astrology: Connected with Capricorn and Leo Chakra: All The word crystal comes [...]

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THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN CREATING WITH GEM BEADS. Here is information for using the following chart: TOUGHNESS CODE: POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELENT. (WEAKEST TO STRONGEST). COLOR CODE: BLACK= BK, BLUE= BL, BROWN= BR, COLORLESS= CL, GOLD= GD, GRAY= GY, GREEN= GN, PINK= PK, ORANGE= OR, RED= RD, VIOLET= VL, WHITE= WT, YELLOW=YW, WHITE= [...]

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Q: A few days ago I saw a beautiful new gemstone that I’ve never heard of, on a national T.V. shopping network. It was a transparent, “light celery green” gem they called Prasiolite. I talked to a jeweler who told me it is man made. Is it real or not? What can you tell me [...]

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A week ago I received an e-mail from a customer. She asked questions about how to figure costs when you are only using a portion of a strand of beads or ounce of wire. Below is my response, as reported in the “Beads & Beading” Blog. “Her second question pertained to calculating precious metal wire [...]

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