Author: TylerH

Pink Opal earrings, pendants and ring in Sterling Silver.

Pink Opal Gem Guide and Properties Chart

Pink opal is a variety of common opal that is known for its milky-pink color and is primarily sourced from Peru, though other deposits exist in places like Australia, the United States, and Mexico. It has a hardness of about 5.5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale and a waxy to vitreous luster. Metaphysically, pink opal is associated with emotional healing, love, and tranquility, often linked to the heart chakra.  

Physical and origin information

• Color: Typically ranges from pale pink to a medium rose, often described as opaque or translucent with an appearance like porcelain. The color can be influenced by manganese. 
• Origin: The most well-known source is Peru, where it’s often called Peruvian or Andean opal. Other locations include Mexico, the United States, and Australia, with Australian pink opal being a distinct variety of opalized radiolarite. 
• Hardness: Ranging from approximately 5.5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, making it moderately soft and susceptible to scratches and fractures. 
• Luster: Exhibits a vitreous to waxy luster when polished. 
• Composition: A hydrated form of silica that belongs to the Common Opal group. 

Beautiful New Pendants in Indian Paint Stone, Sodalite and Silver Lace Onyx, set in Sterling Silver.

Indian Paint Stone, also known as Death Valley Paint or Navajo Blanket Stone, is a colorful sedimentary rock from the Death Valley area of California. However, collecting is no longer permitted, as it is part of a National Park. Its distinctive patterns of iron and manganese oxides create intricate designs. These can be polished to a satin finish, and the material is used for lapidary work and display. 

Sodalite is a blue, rock-forming mineral in the feldspathoid group, named for its high sodium content and often found in silica-poor volcanic rocks. It’s popular in jewelry and carvings for its distinctive royal blue color. Additionally, it can be gray, yellow, green, or pink, frequently marbled with white calcite. Sodalite is a moderately hard but brittle stone. It is used for its aesthetic appeal and on a metaphysical level for promoting communication, logic, and emotional balance.  

Silver lace onyx is a unique, collectible layered calcite found exclusively in the Calico Mountains of California. It contains silver ore and black manganese dendrites that resemble miniature trees. Although named for the silver content, it’s not mined for the silver itself. This non-commercial lapidary rock is characterized by its distinctive banding of white, gray, and brown calcite. This contrast with the black dendrites makes it prized by collectors for its rarity and patterns.  

Gemological Institute Of America | All About Gemstones – GIA

Larimar is found in a limited deposit in the Dominican Republic. Its lovely sea-blue color is reminiscent of the Caribbean seas. Set in Sterling Silver.

Larimar is a rare, blue volcanic pectolite gemstone found exclusively in the Dominican Republic, known for its ocean-like patterns and often called the “gemstone of communication” for its believed calming and healing properties. Discovered in 1916 but popularized in the 1970s, its name combines the Spanish word for sea (“mar”) and the name of the discoverer’s daughter, Larissa. Larimar is mined in challenging, underground conditions and is used in jewelry and decorative pieces, with the Dominican Republic declaring November 22nd as National Larimar Day to honor it.  

The name “Larimar” is a combination of the words “Lari” from Larissa and “mar” which means sea in Spanish. Larissa is the daughter of Miguel Mendez, who rediscovered this stone in 1974. Other names for Larimar include Atlantis Stone, due to its connection with the Lost Continent of Atlantis based on Edgar Cayce’s prediction of a blue stone in the Caribbean, and Dolphin Stone, as dolphins have been associated with the lost continent.

Larimar – Wikipedia