Mother's Day - Let me help you pruchase the perfect gift for your Mother.

Mother’s Day, the day that we honor our Mothers, is just around the corner. If you are looking for the perfect gift for the special Mother in your life, let me assist you in your selection. And, don’t forget your wife and grandmother.



If your Mother loves the ocean, scuba diving or just sitting on the beach, then N450 is perfect. The wild polka dots, wavy lines, multi-colored floret patterns of Ocean Jasper make this a gorgeous and exciting stone (also called Orbicular Jasper). The colors vary widely - including white, green, pink, red, black, blue.






Always the life of the party, she sparkles with fun and makes life enjoyable for everyone around her. N188 is the one for this Mother. Formed when hot water saturated with colloidal silica and iron oxide invaded cavities in country rock and began to cool, the beautiful, rare Fire Agate asymmetrical necklace is ablaze with possibilities.



For the Mother who is down to earth, in tune with nature and loves the outdoors, I suggest N274. Reminiscent of the colors of fall, this intertwined, three strand necklace with sterling silver clasp contains New Jade (Aventurine), Vesuvianite, Carnelian and Jasper.







For the sophisticated Mother who enjoys the opera, theater or concerts, N430 is the necklace you need. The semi-opaque variety of pale azure blue Amazonite is as cool and refreshing as a mountain breeze. This asymmetrical necklace is set off by the sterling silver shell and clasp.



Is your Mother adventurous, fun-loving, always looking for ways to make your life exciting and different? N398 is just what you are looking for. Inspired by the colors of a vase created by Dale Chihuly, this necklace contains Sugalite, Purple Rain Forest Jasper, Denim Quartz and Aragonite with a Sterling Silver clasp. It is truly an adventure in color.



Enjoy browsing my website at marybrownjewelry.com and if you need any help selecting the perfect gift for you Mother, please contact me at mbjewelry@comcast.com.

Happy Mother's day to all the mothers of the world.

Mohs' Hardness and Amazonite

When people refer to the hardness of the mineral they mean the scratch hardness which was introduced more than 159 years ago by the Viennese mineralogist Frank Mohs (1773-1839). He used ten minerals of differing hardness to draw up a comparative scale. The Mohs' hardness scale is valid throughout the world to the present day.

Pale azure blue Amazonite is as cool and refreshing as a mountain breeze. This semi-opaque variety of Amazonite is blue-green to pale green stone in the feldspar group. It comes mainly from United States and Australia.






The pale blue Amazonite in this necklace is combined with sterling silver in an asymmetrical design a very sophisticated look any woman would feel proud to wear.



The deep green/blue of Russian Amazonite combined with the hues of cream in a natural, opaque stone is mainly from Russia.




The Russian Amazonite necklace featured here with Peridot Jasper and Yellow Jade creates a very beautiful color combination.







Both display a schiller of light which is caused by inclusions. Schiller is a lustrous reflection from planes in a mineral grain and is similar to what is more commonly known as iridescence. The schiller is caused by a feature of the stone's crystal structure. Orthoclase feldspar and albite are present in close association, arranged in layers. This causes an interference effect of light.

History/Background

A Brazilian legend boasts that Europeans (familiar with green microline from Russia) assumed that the “green stones” given to them by the Amazon people was the same stone. As it turns out, Amazonite is not found in the Amazon Basin and the legend was most likely referring to Nephrite (jade). It is believed that Amazonite was first called ''Amazon Stone,'' and was later changed to Amazonite.

Care and Cleaning

Even though Amazonite has a hardness of 6, it is pressure sensitive and should be stored by itself so that it cannot be scratched by other gemstones.

Amazonite is sensitive to chemicals, abrasives, heat, acids, and ammonia. Never use a steamer, hot water or ultrasonic cleaners with this gemstone. Use mild soap and room temperature tap water with a soft cloth so you do not diminish the luster of the gemstone.

Folklore, Legend, and Healing Properties:

Amazonite balances feminine and masculine energy, enhances creative expression, promotes kindness and practicality and is an excellent stone for artists and for men. Amazonite is considered a soothing stone that offers confidence and is often called the "hope stone" because it inspires confidence and hope.

Used extensively by the Egyptians it is called the stone of courage and is said to be named after the Amazon women warriors. Some archaeological evidence suggests that the Amazonians were a matriarchal society during the Bronze Age.