Saturday, January 21, 2012

New stones

I went gem shopping this weekend.  I must say I am now spoiled.  The only stones I have ever purchased have been online purchases and though I try to buy the best quality I can afford I have honestly never held in my hand high end stones (other than my wedding ring).

I have worked with moonstones before and love the way they look.  The stones I have are usually white with amazing flash.  Today I saw a moonstone that was truly mesmerizing.  It was about the size of a peanut and was completely clear. BUT, when you moved it into the light it glowed with the glow of a moonstone.  Oh boy! Yum!  Then I turned the little case over and $450!  wow!  Now I know what a AAA excellent clarity and color moonstone look like (and what it costs).  That stone has stuck in my mind and I have the perfect setting for it in my mind....but it's a little out of my price range for now.

I did, however, splurge on these.  I have used opals before but have never seen anything like these.  You get what you pay for is so true!  The fire in these is amazing and the range of colors is so beautiful.


And look at these little ones:

They look like there is their own universe inside them.  Just stunning.  So, I splurged.  Spent Waaay  more than I wanted to spend but so worth it!  (I have also learned trying to photograph them to show their real beauty is going to be a real challenge!)



And last but not least these lovelies.

These are rose cut prehnite (light green), amethyst (purple), blue topaz and yellow topaz.  Aren't they yummy? I am working out in my head sets of stacking rings or a cluster pendant, or maybe both.

I hope your Saturday was full of yummy treasures, too! 

2 comments:

  1. What are the mm sizes of the oval opals vs. the round opals?

    Thanks,
    Lori

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    1. Lori, the small opals are 5mm and the larger ovals are 8x10.

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