Why are Some Gems Cut as Cabochons?

Mixed Gemstone Cabochon Assortment

A cabochon is a stone that is cut with a highly polished rounded or convex top, with or without faceting, with a flat or slightly domed base.

Technically, cabochons are not really "cut." Rather they are shaped and then polished. Before the art of faceting was developed, all gemstones were produced as rounded smooth topped cabochons, though some were intricately carved as well.  It was a much simpler task to produce a cabochon, than it was to cut a faceted gem with many faces.

Faceted gemstones made their appearance in European jewelry during the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Once the technology and skill was available to facet gemstones, why were cabochons still produced? Different gems are cut as cabs for different reasons. In many cases it is because the gem has special properties that are displayed only when it is cut as a cabochon. Examples are gems that display the star effect (asterism) or the cat's eye effect (chatoyancy)  or iridescence (e.g., opal) or adularescence (e.g., moonstone).

Azurite Malachite, Smooth Round Cabs

Most gems that are opaque rather than transparent are cut as cabochons rather than faceted. You will also see lower grade material in gemstones such as sapphire, ruby and garnet cut as cabs. If the gem material has very good color but is not sufficiently transparent or clean to be faceted, it can still be shaped and polished to be a very attractive cabochon. It is also common to cut softer stones as cabs.   Minute scratches show much less on a cabochon than on a faceted stone.

(Information shared from GemSelect.com)

We're Changing Our Name to Tiger Gem Store!

Me and Tiger, 2007

Tiger Bead Store was opened in October of 2007, and at that time, it started out as a bead store.  We carried all types of beads:  gemstone, glass, wood, clay, crystal, and lots of strands of pearls.  As the store developed, I kept adding new merchandise to see what kinds of gems and jewelry supplies my customers were interested in.

When I began to add cabochons and faceted gemstones, there seemed to be quite a need for quality gems at affordable prices.  And that is really what took off as far as sales went for the store.  So Tiger Bead Store, has really become a gem store.  And that is why the name change.

Only the name has changed.  The store is still owned and operated solely by myself.  You will continue to find quality gemstone cabochons and faceted gems, and superior customer service at Tiger Gem Store.  In a few months, I am also going to change the look of the store too, which I am excited about.

Me and Tiger, 2016

As always, if you have any feedback or suggestions for me, I would love to hear from you.  Thank you for all your support over these years.  And I am always here to answer any questions or concerns you may have regarding gemstones or the products I carry.

Thank you.

What is Mother of Pearl?

Recently, I received some new mother of pearl cabochons for the store and when I was talking to my husband about them, he asked me, "what is mother of pearl anyway?"  And since I could not answer him off the cuff, I decided to look it up for myself and share what I found.

(By Hannes Grobe/AWI (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

Mother of pearl, also called nacre,  is a combination of "minerals that are secreted by oysters and other mollusks and deposited inside their shells, coating and protecting them from parasites and foreign objects."  Nacre is the same substance that builds up and forms around a small particle or irritant that gets inside mollusk to form a pearl.  Because the nacre can take up a the whole of a  shell's interior, cabochons, with a larger focal area than pearls, can be cut and shaped from the shell.

Free form faceted mother of pearl cabochons available at TigerBeadStore.com.

 Mother of pearl is optically iridescent, strong and resilient.  It is considered organic in nature, in that it originates from a living creature, plant or organism.

Just some of the various shapes we carry in Mother of Pearl cabochons.

 (Some of the information for this post was shared from http://jewelry.about.com/od/pearls/qt/motherofpearl.htm)

Druzy Quartz Cabochons

Jewelry made with drusy quartz cabochons have become very popular of late.  Since I didn't know much about this gemstone, I decided to do some research and share here with you. 

The name "drusy" is derived from the German word for geode, which is "druse."

You may see drusy quartz spelled as druse, druzy, or drusies.   Either way, it is all the same gem.  The simplest definition for drusy quartz is that it is a rock covered in tiny crystals.  Tiny quartz crystals form inside geodes, in large pockets of mineral deposits, or on the surface of other stones, such as agates or chalcedony.

Here is a more "scientific" or "geological" explanation.  "When ground water carrying dissolved silica is forced into a porous area of the rock, rapid cooling often occurs, causing the formation of tiny crystals on the surfaces or in cavities of the rock. The clear crystals often form on top of previously deposited minerals."

Druse gemstone cabochons are natural stones, having a quartz base and a thin layer of crystalline quartz on the surface that sparkles. You can find natural colored drusies in turquoise blue, green, pink, mauve, lavender, black, white, grey, dark brown, deep red, and rust colored red.  Some of the coloring in the natural colored drusies comes from the crystals themselves, and in others, the color comes from the underlying gemstone, such as agate or chalcedony, and the transparent druzy crystals "convey" that gem color to your eye.

Color Treatment

Besides the natural coloring, druse cabochons are also being dyed brillant colors or coated with titanium, or other substances to give them pearl essence, or iridescence.

Vapor deposition is the name of the treatment when metals like titanium, gold or platinum are used to improve the color of a dull druzy or impart the distinctive color of the metal.  Titanium metal coating will produce spectacular shades of bight, dark blue or an iridescent white, that are permanent. 

***The coating on a drusy is thin, so the drusy needs to be treated with care.  If you scratch them hardly, the base gemstone will show through.


Care for Drusy Quartz Cabochons

Druzy gemstones are a 7 on the Moh's scale of hardness.   That means they are fairly hard and thus durable in jewelry.  Of course, they are more fragile than their smooth, domed surface, counterparts and some care must be taken when setting, cleaning, and wearing these stones.

Over and over I read that druse crystal cabochons are best set in pendants or earrings, and are not really suitable for rings and bracelets.  That is because you can scratch the coating off a coated druse, or break a crystal if you bang the cabochon too hard.  Custom designed jewelry with druse cabochons are best used for dress up, rather than every day wear. 

As with most gemstones, drusy should be kept away from chemicals like solvents and acids and from exposure to heat as this can cause damage or permanent changes to its appearance.

Restore the sparkle of any druzy by swishing the piece through warm water with dishwashing liquid, rinse in distilled water, and dry with a blower or hair dryer.  Cared for properly, all drusies should last as long as the piece in which they are set.  Each stone is unique.

***For the Jeweler:  To protect the beautiful finish on these gemstones against inadvertent abrasion, we recommend covering the surface with a clear plastic while you position and set them into your bezel. Place a soft cloth between the stone and the work surface to protect the underside of the stone as well.

Please remember that the metallic coatings are not thick, so NEVER machine-buff the surface of coated druzy.

This information has come from various sources online.  A couple of the sources are:

Bernadine Fine Art Jewelry's blog and the blog of the Examiner.

***If you would like to see the selection of druzy quartz cabochons that TigerBeadStore.com carries,  please go to this link. 

Folklore of Moonstone

  

I love gem folklore.  I find it fascinating to read what different cultures have thought about the powers and uses of gemstones.  The following is folklore for June's birthstone, the moonstone.

"There is a bit of folklore which claims that if a man gives his lover a moonstone necklace on the night of the full moon, the couple will experience intense passion for each other forever.

The moonstone is also believed to bring good fortune, enhance intuition, offer protection, and bring success in love and business matters.

Fortune tellers decorated their crystal balls with moonstone to aid them in predicting the future. It is believed that the moonstone gem regenerates its power when placed under the light of the full moon.

Moonstone in Rome, Greece and France
From ancient civilizations to our modern-day society, moonstone has been prized and sought after to be worn as jewelry.

The Romans revered the moonstone, believing it to be born from the rays of the moon’s light.

The Greeks believed that the moonstone represented the great lunar deities like Achelois, Phoebe, Artemis, Selene and Hecate, and worshiped the stone.

 Indian Moonstone Legends

In India, the moonstone is thought to be a sacred, powerful gemstone. Moonstones there are called 'dream stones' and are believed to bring the wearer beautiful visions during sleep.

The stone is believed to bring luck in love and is given as a traditional wedding gift. Moonstones are always displayed on a cloth that is yellow, which the Indians consider a sacred color.

The legend about how the moonstone came into existence begins with a battle fought between Lord Vishnu and Bali, the demon god. Lord Vishnu destroyed Bali and broke his body into pieces. The pieces then fell to Earth as various jewels. The moonstone was formed from a piece of Bali’s eye.

Moonstone in the Middle East

In the Middle East, many women wear moonstones discretely sewn into their garments because they believe the stone is a symbol of fertility.

Amulets with moonstone are hung from trees to ensure an abundant crop.

Similar to Indians, the people in the Middle East also associate the moonstone with love matters. It is believed that a couple can predict the direction of their relationship if a moonstone is placed in their mouths at the time of the full moon.

The moonstone is also offered as a blessing to young couples. It is believed that the gem will provide fertility and help to create a large and healthy family.

  
Oriental Beliefs

In the Orient, it is believed that the moonstone gem is actually a ray of moonlight that has solidified and that a good spirit lives inside the gem. Emperors were buried with moonstone and other symbolic gems."

This information in from the website JewelryNotes.com

What Are Man Made Gemstones?

Just what are man made gemstones?  I was curious about this myself, so I thought I would do a little research and share what I found with you.  


Man made gemstones are also known as lab created stones,  or synthetic stones.

These stones are created in a laboratory and have similar chemical composition and physical properties of their natural counterparts.  An example is a lab created ruby, which posses similar chemical composition and physical properties of a natural ruby.

Lab created stones look better than natural stones and are fine gem quality. Most of these stones are made of "lab spinel" or "lab corundum" or “lab quartz”. Even experienced gem dealers and professionals are sometimes puzzled to differentiate between the natural and lab created stone.

Lab created stones are the perfect version of the natural stones. Lab created stones usually come with the best colors and without any flaws or inclusions - that is very rare or highly expensive to be obtained with a natural stone.

Man made gemstones have very good sparkle and are flawless.  The price of a lab stone is just a fraction of the cost of a natural stone, which makes it more affordable to buy.
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Another type of man made stone is  he imitation stone, also called simulated stone.  These stones are made in the laboratory and look like natural stones but they do not have similar chemical composition and the physical properties of their natural counterpart.  They just imitate the color and look of a natural stone.  An example is cubic zirconia, or CZ.   This stone has similar look and sparkle to that of a natural diamond but costs just a fraction of the price of a natural diamond.

Most of these imitation stones are made of "lab spinel" or "lab corundum" or "lab CZ" or “glass”.

(this information is being shared from Ebay Guides, What are Man Made Gemstones?  and Why Buy Them?) 

Chryscolla

I recently bought chrysocolla cabochons for the bead store.  I have never purchased this gemstone before so I wanted to find out a little bit about the stone. 

I wanted to know if somehow it was related to turquoise.   What I did find out is that it is often confused for turquoise.   Due to its color similarity, Chrysocolla can be used as a cheaper substitute and is occasionally falsely labelled as Turquoise.

Chrysocolla is a gemstone with a beautiful sky blue to bluish-green color. It's chemical make up contains copper, which is responsible for the bright attractive color.  It can be solid in color, but more often it is multicolored blue and green, with interesting color patterns or mottling, inclusions, or veining of black and brown material. 

Chrysocolla is found worldwide. It is a copper bearing mineral found wherever copper deposits occur 
especially in areas of the southwestern USA, Mexico, Chili, Australia, France, England, the Congo (Zaire), Israel, and Peru. 

Chrysocolla, in its pure form, is soft and fragile, and therefore not widely used in jewelry. It has a 
variable hardness from 2 to 4 on the Mohr's scale of gem hardness. 

Though soft as a gem, you could put a finish over the stone to help make it more durable. If you 
wanted to use it in jewelry, I would recommend using it for a piece that would not get as much 
wear and tear, such as a pin, or possibly a necklace pendant.      

Chalcedony

I was interested in the gemstone chalcedony and thought I would do some research.

Chalcedony is also known as agate. Its colors are bluish white, or gray. The various types differ in color due to metallic impurities, such as iron, nickel, copper, and titanium, present during crystallization.

Some of the best known chalcedony species are:

Bloodstone, an opaque, dark green chalcedony with red spots (caused by iron oxide).

Blue chalcedony, called "Mohave" and "Mt. Airy Blues", originating in California and Nevada, are slightly to moderately grayish blue with a light to medium color range.
Blue chalcedony from Namibia, often called "African Blue", varies from grayish to nearly pure blue and from light to medium dark. The most unusual and most valuable type is from Oregon. Its blues are modified by slight to moderate amounts of pink, making a noticeably lavender gem, which nonetheless is called "Holly Blue."

Carnelian ranges in color from yellow-orange to rich, near reddish orange, to orangey brown, and varies from semi-opaque to highly translucent.

Chrysocolla, marketed as "Gem Silica" is relatively rare. It's color is blue to blue-green, opaque to near transparent material is the most expensive type of chalcedony. Its color agent is copper.

Chrysoprase, apple green chalcedony that derives its color from nickel, ranges from nearly opaque to nearly transparent. Its color spectrum includes olivey, to nearly pure greens of medium tone. Very fine, highly saturated pieces have been successfully misrepresented as Imperial jade.

March's Birthstone, Aquamarine on SALE

This is just a quick post to let you know that it is...SALE TIME!!!

***MARCH BIRTHSTONE SALE*** Today through friday, (3/19-3/22) take 20% OFF all purchases of AQUAMARINE gemstones and crystals at Tiger Bead Store! *(Please make your purchase first and the discount will be credited back to your Paypal account or credit card).*

Here is a sample of what I have available:

4mm round cabochons.

Wire wrapped swarovski crystal pendant.

Crystal Swarovski briolette pendant.

Crystal Swarovski briolette pendant.

Swarovski Crystal Pendant  in 8mm and 4mm.

Crystal Swarovski pendant in Baroque style.

Faceted Aquamarine in 4mm and 5mm.

I have more aquamarine cabochons coming in at any moment,  in rose cut and checkerboard.  I will list them as soon as I get them, so that hopefully, they will be a part of this SALE.  

Watch for them in the bead store, or on my Tiger Bead Store Facebook page.  Since I have not been very good about blogging lately, you can find out about new gemstone listings by following me on Facebook.  I am much better about staying up to date with news there.    

The Greek Myth of Amethyst

There is a wonderful Greek myth that tells the story of the creation of the gemstone amethyst.  According to the myth, Dionysius, god of intoxication, was angered by an insult from a mere mortal and swore revenge on the next mortal that crossed his path, creating fierce tigers to carry out his wish. Along came the unsuspecting Amethyst, a beautiful maiden on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Diana. Diana turned Amethyst into a statue of pure crystalline quartz to protect her from the tigers. Dionysus wept tears of wine in remorse at the sight of the beautiful statue. The god's tears stained the quartz purple, creating the gem we know today.

Featured in a New Treasury

My new rainbow moonstone cabochons are featured in a new treasury,  Gems and Finding Treasury , curated by Leighs Wiccan Boutique. 

Here is a quick screen shot of the treasury:

And my new pretty cabs are on the bottom left.

 Thank you Mandi!