Can wearing gemstones heal your ills? According to lore they can.

Agate is a form of chalcedony, a member of the quartz group. They are made of agate stones which comes from the Sicilian river Achates. They range from translucent to opaque. Eye beads were made out of them in earlier civilizations by carving a hole through an agate disc. It would be seen as a savior from evil and bring good luck.
 

Amber is actually the fossilized, hardened resin from pine trees. They have sometimes tiny air bubbles, fracture lines or tiny inclusions. They are very susceptible to acids or solvents. They have been polished to be used as a valuable gemstone. It is just like an amorphous stone, meaning that like glass, i.e. it does not have an ordered structure.

Amethyst is a color-striking, translucent purple stone. It is a natural occurring violet form of quartz which is usually found in geodes of volcanic rocks. It is the recognized birthstone for February. The deep medium purple with rose-colored flashes is the main secret of amethyst's beauty and fire. It is available in a variety of sizes and shapes. It is durable and can be worn every day. Amethyst is considered as the most desirable gem in the quartz group. Though, it is not a very expensive gem. It requires a lot of care & protection from scratches & sharp blows. It is found mainly in Brazil, Uruguay and Zambia.

The origin of the word "garnet" came from the Latin word granatus for "seed like". Garnet is actually a deep red colored gemstone that is mostly used in precious and antique jewelery. It is perfect for all seasons as it has the ideal quality to be used for any kind of jewelry making. It is a very hard and robust gemstone. Since, most of them are hand crafted, this might lead to irregularly facets. Commercial garnet, on the other hand, is dyed with a particular color. It has the stamina to resist everyday wear and tear which other stones might lack. They are generally formed with diamonds in huge quantity. Garnet is seen as a symbol for fire, faith, courage, truth, grace, compassion, constancy and fidelity. Since ages, it has been known as a warrior's stone, because of the strength it imparts.

Jade actually refer to two individual minerals, called as Jadeite or Nephrite where Nephrite is more common. While Jadeite type is rarer & more precious is available in varied colors. Nephrite, on the other hand, is found in only bold green, white and black. Jade beads are used for any purpose & can gel well with any attire.

Jasper is an opaque stone. Popularly known as "Poppy Jasper", this form of semi-precious chalcedony, or micro crystalline quartz, is generally found in red, brown or green. Sometimes, it is also referred to as "Landscape Jasper" simply because of the landscape pattern. The word was originated in Greece with the word "iaspis" meaning "spotted stone".
 

Lapis luzile is actually a combination of the Latin word "lapis" or "stone", and the Arabian name "azul", meaning "blue". It is composed of grains of several blue minerals, namely lazurite and soda lite. The rich blue color is because of the sulfur inherent in lazurite.
 

Malachite gemstones are found in association with copper deposits. The texture is soft and they need utmost care to preserve their glossy finish. It is a basic copper carbonate, having vivid bands of two or more shades of green. The origin of it's name again comes from a Greek word "malache" which signifies green or herb. The stone obtains its beautiful green color from the copper contained in the stone. The shade of the color is directly affected by the amount of water present. Meaning, more water leads to lighter shade & less water leads to darker tone. While, complete absence of water will turn it into black.

Opal bead is a member of the quartz group. It derived its name from the Sanskrit word for precious stone, "upala". The opal is a gemstone of hydrated silica.

As far as beads are concerned, then opal is the most challenging material in bead making. Before going for it, one must see that the best color should be seen either on the face or the side of the stone. Opal with bright colors are considered good for beads. One must also see that apart from projecting strong color from any one direction, it must also show color in the full 360 degrees of rotation.

Quartz either got its name from the Saxon word "querkluftertz", which meant "a cross vein ore", or from the Greek word for "ice". There are two varieties of quartz, namely macro crystalline (crystals which are recognized with naked eye) and micro crystalline or crypto crystalline (crystals which are too small to see without high magnification).

Quartz is found in varied colors and forms. Certain colored beads are highly demanded like blue quartz beads, cherry quartz beads, lemon quartz beads and rose quartz beads. Quartz beads are also in other forms like "Rock Crystal" and "Crystal Quartz". It actually means clear and colorless.

Quartz can be easily spotted by its double refraction and the minute air bubbles. When compared to glass, a quartz is much harder. Glass qartz beads are very popular. It is seen as a universal healing stone due to its capacity to promote hope, happiness and optimism.
 

Emotional balance. Very good for expressing and soothing emotions

Tigers Eye

Tiger's eye (tigers eye, tiger eye, tiger iron) is a member of the quartz group of chalcedonies. It is one of the chatoyant gemstones. Chatoyancy exhibits a changeable silky luster as light is reflected within the thin parallel fibrous bands. This effect is due to the fibrous structure of the material.

Tiger iron is composed of tiger's eye, red jasper and black hematite. The rippled wavy bands of color often resemble a scenic view. Marra Mamba is a form of tiger iron found in one area of Australia near Mount Brockman. It is a very rare type of tiger iron that contains shades of red, green, yellow, and blue. This area has been mined out for many years so very little of the "true" marra mamba is available today.

The exceptional looking piece of marra mamba tiger's iron rough from Australia (seen in third image) looks like the evening sun setting behind a mountain range.  It has a greenish cast with shades of brown, golden yellow, red and blue veining.  Because the minerals in this stone are of varying hardness, it is difficult to polish without under cutting.

It is claimed that tigers eye will counteract feelings of hypochondria and the onset of psychosomatic illness and will also give a feeling of self-confidence.

It is especially good for clear thinking and helps one to see a problem objectively when confused or emotionally affected. It releases tension and develops will-power.

Good for asthma.  Helps people gain insight into their own faults.  Protects from witchcraft and evil.  Attracts good luck.

 

Topaz Beads

Turquoise is considered to be one of the most precious gemstones in the world. Stuffs made from these beads are always in in vogue because of it's timeless beauty. This stone is a hydrated aluminum copper phosphate that often contains iron. The origin of this letter has been derived from French Pierre turquoise, meaning "Turkish stone". When compared to other quartz, then a turquoise has a softer feeling.