killamch89 Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 Hey everyone! Let's talk bling! Whether it's the timeless elegance of a diamond, the vibrant hues of a sapphire, or the mystical allure of an opal, we all have our favorite gemstone. Share yours and tell us why it holds a special place in your heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reality vs Adventure Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 This is the best topic ever!!!!! 1st, I collect mineral specimens and have gorgeous gemstones. This sounds ridiculous, but my all time favorite stone is pyrite, also known as fools gold. The reason is because it’s crystal structure is cubic, perfect cubes growing within another cube. I have a giant 2.5 inch cubic flawless pyrite with sharp edges. So amazing. I have pyrite necklaces and have about 20 different pyrite specimens. Sometimes the cubes are flattened naturally in mine on black slate and it looks like a golden flower. Pyrite is so amazing despite the funny name of fools gold, because many times it’s golden and shiny looking like gold. The best pyrite cubes are found in Spain, the same region in Spain my ancestors are from. There are so many types of stones I love though. Lapis Lazuli has beautiful deep blues which are so therapeutic to look at. It grows often with pyrite, giving golden flakes in beautiful deep blue. Opals are awesome reflecting so many different colors because it’s chemical formula is silica with H2O. I have the most beautiful large Citrine gemstone. The orange color will put you in a trans. I can go on and on. Galena is another I love. It’s cubic properties are similar to pyrite, but shiny silver instead. Galena is made from lead. killamch89 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blackangel Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 (edited) If we're talking precious and semiprecious gem stones, I really like my birthstone which is garnet. I love the deep blood red that many specimens have. Now if we're talking in general, my absolute favorite stone is hematite. It can look like perfect steel if polished right, and can be magnetically charged, which I have never seen done with any other stone. I have several hematite stones around here. Somewhere I have a raw hematite. For those wondering, that means it's not polished or worked on in any way. Edited May 15 by The Blackangel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killamch89 Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 I like Sunstones, Peridot and Amber stones. There's something magical about the way they look when light hits them especially at a certain angle. My birthstone is Aquamarines and there was this pendant with it and sunstones on it, it looked so cool. Pity I never got it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reality vs Adventure Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 On 5/15/2024 at 1:35 PM, The Blackangel said: If we're talking precious and semiprecious gem stones, I really like my birthstone which is garnet. I love the deep blood red that many specimens have. Now if we're talking in general, my absolute favorite stone is hematite. It can look like perfect steel if polished right, and can be magnetically charged, which I have never seen done with any other stone. I have several hematite stones around here. Somewhere I have a raw hematite. For those wondering, that means it's not polished or worked on in any way. Hematite is amazing. It's properties in blocking certain wavelengths is well known just as lead is known for blocking radiation. Hematite is powerful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reality vs Adventure Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 On 5/18/2024 at 8:35 PM, killamch89 said: I like Sunstones, Peridot and Amber stones. There's something magical about the way they look when light hits them especially at a certain angle. My birthstone is Aquamarines and there was this pendant with it and sunstones on it, it looked so cool. Pity I never got it... That's cool. Amber is more of a fossil. It's hard to trust any legitimate specimen. Oh man I have Aquamarine crystals, light blue, elongated, growing on matrix. Remind me to give a picture. killamch89 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killamch89 Posted May 21 Author Share Posted May 21 22 hours ago, Reality vs Adventure said: That's cool. Amber is more of a fossil. It's hard to trust any legitimate specimen. Oh man I have Aquamarine crystals, light blue, elongated, growing on matrix. Remind me to give a picture. I'm aware of that but still like how the Amber looks. Aquamarine looks amazing especially out in the sun. Reality vs Adventure 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reality vs Adventure Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 1 hour ago, killamch89 said: I'm aware of that but still like how the Amber looks. Aquamarine looks amazing especially out in the sun. Amber is super pretty, I love the butterscotch color. But it's so hard to find a real quality one. So many of them are fakes made of plastic and glue or something. I think it can be tested with a lighter, not so sure but I swore I read that one day. I have a baltic amber, but I'm skeptical it's even real. I think I was duped on it cause it just feels way too lightweight for its size. There are some that even have fossilized insects still in them. I've always wanted one of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killamch89 Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 On 5/21/2024 at 5:23 PM, Reality vs Adventure said: Amber is super pretty, I love the butterscotch color. But it's so hard to find a real quality one. So many of them are fakes made of plastic and glue or something. I think it can be tested with a lighter, not so sure but I swore I read that one day. I have a baltic amber, but I'm skeptical it's even real. I think I was duped on it cause it just feels way too lightweight for its size. There are some that even have fossilized insects still in them. I've always wanted one of those. I don't own any at the moment and I'm somewhat aware that they're a lot of fakes being sold by Jewellers. That's not the only stone to be fair and that's why I started getting jewelry testers so that I won't be ripped off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reality vs Adventure Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 2 hours ago, killamch89 said: I don't own any at the moment and I'm somewhat aware that they're a lot of fakes being sold by Jewellers. That's not the only stone to be fair and that's why I started getting jewelry testers so that I won't be ripped off. If I can do my life all over again, I’d go journey into the wild, mine my own specimens, kill some bandits, and design jewels. I’d own my own mines. I’d dig, polish, collect and sell. That’s my fantasy in life. I’d leave everything to go be a prospector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilita Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 Opal would have to be my favorite. The best opal gems glitter with an irridescent hue, and it's almost like there's a small secret and magical world inside the gem killamch89 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killamch89 Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 13 minutes ago, Bilita said: Opal would have to be my favorite. The best opal gems glitter with an irridescent hue, and it's almost like there's a small secret and magical world inside the gem I totally agree! The way opals change color depending on the light is mesmerizing. Do you have a favorite type of opal, like black opal or fire opal? 14 hours ago, Reality vs Adventure said: If I can do my life all over again, I’d go journey into the wild, mine my own specimens, kill some bandits, and design jewels. I’d own my own mines. I’d dig, polish, collect and sell. That’s my fantasy in life. I’d leave everything to go be a prospector. Wow, that sounds like a plot straight out of an epic adventure novel! If you could start your journey anywhere in the world, where would your first mine be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...