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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