Aventurine Gemstone

Aventurine is a form of quartz, characterised by its translucency and the presence of platy mineral inclusions that give a shimmering or glistening effect termed aventurescence. It is is composed of two gem minerals, one is a plagioclase feldspar and the other is quartz . Both have a sparkling reflection from oriented minute inclusions of mica or hematite, which cause a slight metallic iridescence. The most common colour of aventurine is green, but it may also be orange, brown, yellow, blue or gray. Chrome-bearing fuchsite (a variety of muscovite mica) is the classic inclusion, and gives a silvery green or blue sheen. Oranges and browns are attributed to hematite or goethite. Because aventurine is a rock, its physical properties vary: its specific gravity may lie between 2.64-2.69 and its hardness is somewhat lower than single-crystal quartz at around 6.5.


The majority of green and blue-green aventurine originates in India (particularly in the vicinity of Mysore and Madras) where it is employed by prolific artisans. Creamy white, gray and orange material is found in Chile, Spain and Russia. Most material is carved into beads and figurines with only the finer examples fashioned into cabochons, later being set into jewellery. Main markets for aventurine are landscape stone, building stone, aquaria, monuments, and jewellery.


The healing power of avanturine is said to increase libido, releases fear and anxiety. The green aventurine strengthens one's blood and muscle tissues. It is also said that aventurine is said to increase confidence, and gratitude, promotes emotional tranquility and positive attitudes. Aventurine is a wonderful stone to use daily, especially during meditation and prayer. It is the anniversary gemstone for the 8th year of marriage.

Choose quality colored gems at iceforever.

Amber Gemstone

Amber is derives its name from Middle English ambre, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin ambra, from Arabic anbar ambergris. It is the fossil resin from a pine tree that flourished in the Baltic region some 25 to 40 million years ago. Globs of this aromatic sap poured down from prehistoric trees, often trapping insects, twigs, bark and leaves. Amber is one of the few gemstones of organic origin. It emits a sunny and bright energy capable of calming nerves and enlivening the disposition. It stimulates the intellect and helps with making choices. The ancient Greeks saw amber as hardened tears or rays of sunset. In ancient India and Egypt, amber was burned as an incense, believed to purify the surrounding area.

Amber is treasured and used for centuries in jewelry. It was familiar to Paleolithic peoples and to the Greeks and Romans, who used it extensively in jewelry. Amber has been used for decoration since the stone age. Amber is perhaps the oldest substance used for human adornment. Amber beads and pendants were found in Northern Europe gravesites dating back to 8000 B.C.E.

Amber is one of the most popular stones collected today. Amber with special markings such as the intials of ones name is a great protective talisman. Nowdays amber is used in the manufacture of beads, amulets, mouthpieces, cigar and cigarette holders, pipes, and other small ornamental objects.

The healing ability of Amber is excellent for eyes, and for glandular swellings of the throat and lungs. Amber balances endocrine and digestive network. It brings good luck and is also regarded as being highly sensual and magnetic. It insures very long enjoyment of the qualities that make the wearer attractive. Amber has long been associated with healing energy and mental stimulation, and is said to balance aggressive traits.

The most famous source of the world's amber is the Baltic coast of Germany. It is also found off the coasts of Sicily and England and in Myanmar (Burma). In the Western Hemisphere, there are rich deposits in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the state of New Jersey.

Choose quality colored gems at iceforever.

Amazonite Gemstone

Amazonite sometimes called "Amazon stone" is a green gemstone variety of microcline feldspar mineral. It is usually opaque and therefore is cut en cabochon (with a rounded and convex polished surface). The name is taken from that of the Amazon River, although no deposits have been found there.


Amazonite is a mineral of limited occurrence. Formerly it was obtained almost exclusively from the area of Miyask in the Ilmen mountains, 50 miles southwest of Chehabinsk, Russia, where it occurs in granitic rocks. Articles made of amazonite were found in Ancient Egypt. The Pikes Peak district of Colorado, U.S., became the most important source of amazonite after 1876. Some other localities in the United States yield amazonite, and it is also found in pegmatite in Madagascar. When samples were unveiled at the Centennial Exhibition, their impressive purity and size eventually forced competing Russian mineral dealers out of business.


Because of its bright green colour when polished, amazonite is sometimes cut and used as a gemstone, although it is easily fractured. For many years, the source of amazonite's color was a mystery. Naturally, many people assumed the color was due to copper because copper compounds often have blue and green colors. More recent studies suggest that the blue-green color results from small quantities of lead and water in the feldspar.


Amazonite is believed to have many healing characteristics, including improving your skin, marriage, clarity of thought and social interaction. It is also credited with alleviating muscle spasms, stress and exhaustion.

Choose quality colored gems at iceforever.

Citrine Gemstone

Citrine is derived from the French word citron means lemon. It is transparent, coarse-grained variety of the silica mineral quartz . It is a form of quartz with ferric iron impurities, and is rarely found naturally.

Citrine is a semiprecious gem that is valued for its yellow to brownish color and its resemblance to the rarer topaz. Natural citrine is rare compared to amethyst or smoky quartz , both of which are often heated to turn their natural color into that of citrine. Most commercial citrine is in fact artificially heated amethyst or smoky quartz.

Citrine is a beautiful translucent yellow gemstone. The larger the stone, the more golden the tone. It is a popular and affordable alternative to the much more expensive yellow sapphire or yellow diamond. To create wondeful multi-colored jewelry, it is often combined with other stones such as peridot, amethyst, and garnet. Citrine is often marketed under various names that confuse it with topaz to inflate its price. It may be distinguished from topaz by its inferior hardness and from decolorized amethyst by its lack of reddish cast.

The mystical power of citrine symbolizes light-heartedness, joy and happiness and is a great protective talisman. It is the signature of wisdom and peace and it stimulates the mental body and aids the opening of the bridge between higher mental body and intuitional levels. Citrine also is valuable in the treatment of depression, it eliminates self-destructive tendencies.

Citrine is 7.0 on Mohs’ scale of hardness and it's primary source includes Brazil, Madagascar, Spain, Uruguay, Scotland, USA (California, Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, and Nevada) and Russia. Citrine along with topaz are birthstones of Scorpius (Scorpion) from Oct. 24 - Nov. 21 and the anniversary gemstone for the 17th year of marriage.

Choose quality diamond ring with Citrine at Iceforever.

Turquoise Gemstone

Turquoise is a hydrous copper aluminum silicate, that occurs in microcrystalline nodules. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue. In recent times turquoise, like most other opaque gems, has been devalued by the introduction of treatments, imitations, and synthetics onto the market, some difficult to detect even by experts.

Turquoise is a secondary mineral deposited from circulating waters, and it occurs chiefly as an opaque, granular vein running through a host rock. The substance has been known by many names, but the word turquoise was derived around 16th century from the French language either from the word for Turkish (Turquois) or dark-blue stone (pierre turquin). This may have arisen from a misconception: turquoise does not occur in Turkey but was traded at Turkish bazaars to Venetian merchants who brought it to Europe.

The use of turquoise dates back to 3000 B.C.- 4000 B.C.in the Sinai. It was the primary holy stone for Native Americans living in the Southwestern United States. Every Navajo carried a "personal" piece of turquoise. Middle Eastern tradition claimed that turquoise prevented accidents, especially falling. It was a talisman for horsemen, to keep them from falling off the horse. This belief carried over to Europe, evolving into the belief that if one did fall, no bones would be broken.

The healing power of turquoise is said to be a guard against all diseases. It assist in tissue regeneration, subtle body alignment & strengthening. It has been thought to warn the wearer of danger or illness by changing color. Turquoise is also believed to bring happiness and good fortune to all. It's said that turquoise attracts healing spirits, making it a premier healing stone and it is also a valuable amulet for travelers. Turquoise along with zircon are birthstones of Sagittarius (Archer) form Nov. 22-Dec. 21 and the anniversary gemstone for the 5th year of marriage.

Choose quality diamond ring with turquoise at iceforever.

Zircon Gemstone

Zircon derives from the Arabic word zarqun, meaning vermilion, or perhaps from the Persian zargun, meaning golden-colored.. It is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates. Its chemical name is zirconium silicate and its corresponding chemical formula is ZrSiO4. The high refractive index and dispersion of zircon cause it to approach diamond in fire and brilliancy. The crystal structure of zircon is tetragonal crystal class and the natural color varies between colorless, yellow-golden, red, brown, and green.

Zircon contains trace amounts of the radioactive minerals hafnium, uranium and thorium. Over time, these radioactive components break down the lattice of the crystal, eventually (over tens of thousands of years) destroying the crystal, leaving it with an amorphous structure and a dark pithy appearance. Zircons that are young and unaffected by radioactivity are termed "high" zircons. These stones are transparent golden, yellowish-green and greenish-brown in color with incredibly high dispersion. "High" zircons can be heated to temperatures greater than 1800 degrees Fahrenheit and become colorless or blue. These highly dispersive colorless stones have long been used as diamond substitutes.

The healing ability of Zircon can relieves pain. It is said to whet one's appetite and also prevents nightmares and ensures a deep tranquil sleep. Zircon supposedly helps one be more at peace with oneself and is believed to provide the wearer with wisdom, honor and riches. The lost of luster on a Zircon stone is said to warn of danger.

On Mohs’ scale of hardness, it is 6.5-7. It has a vitreous to brilliant luster and sources include Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Sri Lanka, Australia, Vietnam, Korea, Madagascar, Brazil, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania and Cambodia. Blue Zircon along with turquoise are birthstones of Sagittarius (Archer) from Nov. 22-Dec. 21.

Choose quality colored gems at iceforever.

Topaz Gemstone

Topaz is derived from the Indian Sanskrit word tapas, meaning fire. It is an aluminum, hydroxyl-flourine silicate. Strong chemical bonding makes it the hardest of the silicate minerals. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and its crystals are mostly prismatic terminated by pyramidal and other faces, the basal pinacoid often being present. It has an easy and perfect basal cleavage, meaning that gemstones or other fine specimens have to be handled with care to avoid developing cleavage.

Topaz typically occurs in cavities in rhyolites and granite, in pegmatite dikes, and in high-temperature veins with cassiterite and tourmaline. A common misconception is that all topaz is yellow. It is most commonly colorless, but colors include blue, pale green, and the spectrum of yellow through sherry orange to pink, and most unique, red.

During the Middle Ages topaz was thought to strengthen the mind and prevent mental disorders as well as sudden death. It assists in general tissue regeneration and is valuable in the treatment of hemorrhages. It also increases poor appetite and helps fighting blood disorders. Topaz also balances emotions and calms passions and has been considered a "cooling" gem, much like ruby is considered a "hot" gem. Topaz was thought to have the ability to quickly cool boiling water and flaring tempers.

Topaz has a hardness of 8 in Mohs scale, a specific gravity of 3.4–3.6, and a vitreous luster. It is also believed that topaz along with citrine are birthstones of a person born under the zodiac sign of Scorpius (Scorpion) from Oct. 24 - Nov. 21 and the anniversary gemstone for the 4th and 19th year of marriage. Imperial topaz is the anniversary gemstone for the 23rd year of marriage.

Choose quality diamond ring with Topaz at Iceforever.