To coordinate with the Henderson County Gem and Mineral Society’s upcoming HUGE annual Gem Extravaganza on Labor Day weekend, I thought I’d give you a bit of background on this year’s theme.
It is the Colors of Quartz.
Quartz is found all over the world and is the most abundant mineral, consisting of one part silicon and 2 parts oxygen (SiO2).
It is rather hard, #7 on the Mohs scale, so very durable (it’s even used in making glass).
Well, that says a lot!!!! The most familiar ones are Rose quartz and amethyst; citrine, smoky quartz and aventurine follow.
Some of my favorites are tourmelated and rutilated quartz.
Rutilated Quartz
Black Tourmaline
Some of the more opaque ones are jaspers.
Topping the list of my favorites are ocean and red creek jaspers, plus black tourmaline.
Red Creek Jasper
Ocean Jasper
Here are some of the beauties I’ve turned into jewelry. Many more can be seen at my shows and the upcoming HCGMS gem show. Details are in my accompanying newsletter.
Bye for now,
