The color of March is dark and light pastel green. You see this hue in forests and jungles, from the darkness of ivy and malachite to the lushness of green lotus leaves and Peruvian opals. 

Peruvian opals, the lightest of these March gems, are found in the Andes Mountains in Peru.

They vary from nearly white and opaque to a pastel, sea-foam green with a milky translucence.

I have several gorgeous varieties of Peruvian opals.

Some are ovals, long and thin or rounded like exotic eggs.

Some are cut into triangles, either rounded, looking very pear-like with their green, or geometric like mystical arrowheads. Some are even shaped like half-moons and marquis.

What is common among them all is their unique markings. None are simple pastel green.  Each have their own stripes of gold or dark brown to black that give each stone character and movement.

If you would like to schedule a time to see my collection and plan a custom piece, or if you already have a stone in mind, please fill out my custom jewelry form or shoot me a quick note.

Several of these pieces (and more!) can be found on Etsy and others are at various locations in the Western North Carolina Mountains: Kress Emporium in downtown Asheville & Jeweler’s Workbench in Waynesville to name a few.

The next stone is chrysoprase. For most of their existence, they were found solely in Poland.

However, these days they can be mined from Australia, India, Madagascar and even the United States.

These can vary from a light green color to the more sought-after apple green chrysoprase.

They are generally opaque with a waxy luster.

They can contain inclusions of dark brown and white, though these aren’t as obvious as the striping of the Peruvian opals.

Despite their color being described as apple green, these beautiful stones are more closely colored like the horsetail reeds with their lush green hue.

Finally, the darkest gem of March is malachite, named after the mallow plant.

It is generally found in parts of Africa, especially Namibia.

One of my favorite stones to work with and wear, these are dark green with light and dark stripes swirling across their surface.

This whirlpool of green looks to be the result of a painter eddying different shades of green but not fully mixing the hues.  

 

While most malachite-lovers look for the “bulls-eye” pattern in a cabochon, I have found that the shape of the stone should complement the pattern.

For instance, I have several teardrop-shaped malachite with vertical stripes that lengthen and run parallel to the gentle curves.

Others are round with the coiling bulls-eye that draws the eye to the center of the stone. 

Whatever the pattern, each is beautiful in its dark green glory!

Of course, I have many more stones than pictured here.

If you would like to schedule a time to see my collection and plan a custom piece, or if you already have a stone in mind, please fill out my custom jewelry form or jump over to my contact page and send me a messagesmile

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