Welcome to my Zen Garden
Over all the years of collecting cool items, I don’t think they belong in a dark drawer closed. So I created a garden for them to all hang out in!
I will do my best to name them all off & number them in a duplicate picture here for you to find also!
Legend Goes As Follows
1️⃣
Number 1
Panther / Jaguar
Made from Jade in Mexico
I actually scored this from a Moving Sale near Calgary for $5!! I asked what it was & where it was from.
Jade, known best for its green varieties, is one of the most favorite materials for carvings used in various feng shui adjustments.
2️⃣
Number 2
Dreamer Amethyst
Tower Crystal
Unknown Origin (Acquired in Victoria)
Dream amethyst is a blend of amethyst and milky white quartz and comprises V-shaped bands or stripes. These bands form a clear triangular shape or chevron, which is why this stone is also known as chevron dream amethyst.
3️⃣
Number 3
Blue Apatite
Tower Crystal
Origin unknown (Acquired in Victoria)
Blue Apatite is a brittle and soft mineral, which makes it rarely used in jewelry, although it's widely seen as a semiprecious stone based on its beauty. The powder obtained from this stone makes a beautiful and powerful pigment, which is commonly used in the production of artist's paint. It's often confused for Aquamarine.
Some of its Uses:
Blue Apatite occurs naturally in a rock called phosphorite which is used industrially in the manufacture of chemicals, acids, and fertilizers. Since blue Apatite is a hard mineral with good translucence, higher-quality material is often used decoratively as a faceted stone, although its brittleness reduces its appeal somewhat. Lower-quality examples of this mineral are instead used to make beads and other jewelry items.
4️⃣
Number 4
Citrine Quartz
Tower Crystal
Origin unknown (Acquired in Victoria)
This variety of yellow quartz can range in color anywhere from a golden yellow to a darker brown, and can have rainbow elements or a sparkle to it. The durability and brilliance of citrine have long made it a preferred choice for jewelry. This stone is November's birthstone.
Some of its Uses:
While quartz crystals have a variety of industrial uses, the yellow specimens called citrine, whether mined or created, are put to largely decorative purposes – it is an ornamental crystal, faceted stone, and a popular lapidary stone in general.
5️⃣
Number 5
Amethyst Elestial
Polished Palmstone
Origin unknown. (Acquired in Calgary)
Amethyst Elestials carry the wisdom and knowledge of the past into the present. The information these precious crystals hold inspire deep and profound healing for individual, the mass conscious mind, the animal kingdom and our beloved Earth. Amethyst Elestials are birthed from the heart and soul of Gaia. Their creation, inspired by the Angelic Realm, are a gift of pure love given to all life living in and upon the Earth, and to the Earth as well.
6️⃣
Number 6
Larimar
(Raw, one side polished to show colour)
Dominican Republic. Legit sourced from co-workers home country. Last batch from mine before it closed in 2021.
Larimar is found in only one place worldwide, in the Caribbean island nation of the Dominican Republic, and is a very rare type of the mineral pectolite. Its coloration varies from white to various shades of blue. It is a popular jewelry stone and also used to make beads and decorative objects. The swirling bands of white are reminiscent of the waves of the blue Caribbean.
Larimar jewelry is popular in the Caribbean, including the Virgin Islands. It is used in rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. The stone is important to the people of the Dominican Republic - the only place where it is mined. Larimar is an important economic resource due to its rarity. Along with jewelry, the semi-precious stone is also kept as a talisman under pillows and on bedside tables.
7️⃣
Number 7
Labradorite
Origin: Madagascar
Named for the Canadian province in which it was first categorized, labradorite is a feldspar mineral notable for its iridescence, which is so unusual that it has spawned an entirely new term: labradorescence. Famed for these spectacular displays of color, this unique mineral is most often used by jewelers who create unusual or custom-made pieces.
Some of its Uses:
The unique iridescent optical effect known as labradorescence causes stunning color displays seen in labradorite. Specimens with the highest labradorescence are selected for use as gemstones. The rock Anorthosite also contains labradorite, and is cut into slabs for creating counter-tops, tiles, facade stone, sculptures, and other architectural materials.
8️⃣
Number 8
Blue Calcite
Tower Crystal
Origin: Madagascar
A carbonate mineral, calcite has been a popular carving material since ancient times due to its softness; the Egyptians dedicated many artifacts carved from calcite to Bastet, the cat goddess. It may be either transparent or opaque, and perhaps tinted with other colors if tainted with traces of other substances.
Some of its Uses:
Calcite is primarily utilized in the construction industry in the forms of limestone and marble. Calcite is also one of the minerals known as Alabaster, used for carving ornamental sculptures and items. Microbiologically precipitated calcite is used for concrete repair, as well as soil remediation and stabilization.
9️⃣
Number 9
Rose Quartz
Tower Crystal
Origin unknown (Acquired in Nanaimo)
Rose Quartz is a highly favored and recognizable type of quartz for its soft pink coloring. It is also a very hardy stone, known to be among the toughest substances that exist. This variety of quartz is very common and found in abundance all over the world.
Some of its Uses:
Like with other attractive forms of quartz, rose Quartz is mostly used as an ornamental crystal, faceted stone, and lapidary stone. Rose Quartz is one of the world's favorite gems because it is attractive, good to work with, widely available, and inexpensive. It is used to create tumbled stones, beads, and cabochons.
1️⃣0️⃣
Number 10
Agate
Origin: Brazil
An ornamental stone since antiquity, agate has been found in a variety of ancient Greek contexts, such as for Mycenaean jewelry and warriors' seal stones. Because it is hardy, often spectacularly colored, and polishes to a high shine, it has long been valued for decorative purposes. It is formed in alternating layers that produce the distinctive banding effect, of which there are many varieties worldwide.
Some of its Uses:
Agate is one of the oldest stones to be molded by people, and has been used for tools and as a gemstone for thousands of years. Today, its ornamental uses include making cabochons and beads for jewelry, small sculptures, functional objects such as paperweights, and rarely marbles. Agate is also a popular tumbled stone. It is porous and can be easily dyed.
1️⃣1️⃣
Number 11
Blown Heartshaped Glass (Trinket)
Origin: Canada
Found this gem thrift shopping here on the Island!
1️⃣2️⃣
Number 12
Angel Quartz
Angel aura is a man-made stone that is composed of clear quartz. To create the glistening iridescent look, the stone is molecularly bonded with platinum. What makes angel aura quartz so special is that it emits a soothing, gentle and angelic energy frequency. Angel Aura quartz is often compared to Aquamarine because of its similarity due to its calm and relaxing effect on the mind and body.
1️⃣3️⃣
Number 13
Fluorite
Origin: China
Also known as fluorspar, fluorite is the mineral form of calcium fluoride. Because its impurities give it a variety of semitransparent colorings, it is a popular ornamental and lapidary stone and has been used for these purposes since ancient times. The term fluorescence derives from this stone, as certain specimens display this visual phenomenon and glow under UV light.
Some of its Uses:
A common mineral, fluorite has a wide variety of industrial uses, specifically in the metallurgical, ceramics, glass, and chemical industries. Its colorfulness also makes it a popular ornamental and lapidary mineral. Because of its optical properties, fluorite can be used for the production of optical lenses.
1️⃣4️⃣
Number 14
Glass Marble
Gifted to me at Shambs. Blessed with courage
1️⃣5️⃣
Number 15
Green Jasper
(Found in glacier river at MoNo)
Origin: Golden, BC (Handpicked by me)
Used since the earliest days of human civilization, green Jasper has been an important stone for ornaments and jewelry. Suitable for fine polishing, this attractive Jasper variety has been used for carved ornaments, beads, ring inlays, and cabochons. One of the most famous green Jasper varieties is the one with small red dots known as Bloodstone or Heliotrope.
1️⃣6️⃣
Number 16
Serpentine
Polished Star (WOW this tiny star has alot of uses!)
Origin Unknown (Acquired in Victoria)
The name serpentine comes from the greenish-brown color of this stone, which is thought to evoke the shades of a serpent. Appreciated for its coloring and clouded appearance, it has been used as a carving stone by civilizations ranging from ancient Rome to the modern Māori. It is the official State Rock of California.
Some of its Uses:
Decorative stone in architecture: Grades of serpentinite higher in calcite, along with the verd antique (breccia form of serpentinite), have historically been used as decorative stones for their marble-like qualities. College Hall at the University of Pennsylvania, for example, is constructed out of serpentine. Popular sources in Europe before contact with the Americas were the mountainous Piedmont region of Italy and Larissa, Greece.
Carvingstone tools, oil lamp-known as the Qulliq and Inuit sculpture: Inuit and indigenous people of the Arctic areas and less so of southern areas used the carved bowl shaped serpentinite Qulliq or Kudlik lamp with wick, to burn oil or fat to heat, make light and cook with. Inuit made tools and more recently carvings of animals for commerce.
Swiss ovenstone: A variety of chlorite talc schist associated with Alpine serpentinite is found in Val d’Anniviers, Switzerland and was used for making "ovenstones" (Ger. Ofenstein), a carved stone base beneath a cast iron stove.
Neutron shield in nuclear reactors: Serpentinite has a significant amount of bound water, hence it contains abundant hydrogen atoms able to slow down neutrons by elastic collision (neutron thermalization process). Because of this serpentinite can be used as dry filler inside steel jackets in some designs of nuclear reactors. For example, in RBMK series, as at Chernobyl, it was used for top radiation shielding to protect operators from escaping neutrons.
Serpentine can also be added as aggregate to special concrete used in nuclear reactor shielding to increase the concrete density (2.6 g/cm3) and its neutron capture cross section.
1️⃣7️⃣
Number 17
Jelly Bean!
Found in garden bed while maintaining
1️⃣8️⃣
Number 18
Tourmalinated Quartz
Origin unknown (Acquired in Victoria)
Tourmalinated Quartz is a type of clear rock crystal resulting from the fusion of white quartz with black tourmaline, producing the stone's uniquely striated appearance. Like many kinds of colorful quartz, prolonged exposure to light and heat will eventually alter its coloring and should therefore be avoided. Most of the world's stock is currently mined in Brazil.
As tourmalinated Quartz is mainly quartz with tourmaline impurities, it has similar uses as the common quartz. However, due to its decorative nature, tourmalinated Quartz is mostly a jewelry gemstone, or a stand-alone decoration. Ground quartz is also a chemical ingredient used in production of abrasives, porcelain, glass, cements and other industrial products. Likewise, quartz is commonly used in watch, clock, computer and radio manufacturing.
1️⃣9️⃣
Number 19
Clear Quartz
Origin unknown. (Personally given to me from an outstanding connection)
Quartz has an astounding array of uses, ranging from items as abrasive as sandpaper to those as delicate as glass. It is readily available is the second most abundant mineral on earth. One of the strongest minerals in nature, only sapphire, diamond, and topaz surpass it. From jewelry to countertops, quartz can do it all!
One of the most common piezoelectric uses of quartz today is as a crystal oscillator. The quartz clock is a familiar device using the mineral. The resonant frequency of a quartz crystal oscillator is changed by mechanically loading it, and this principle is used for very accurate measurements of very small mass changes in the quartz crystal microbalance and in thin-film thickness monitors.
2️⃣0️⃣
Number 20
White Dragon Agate
Origin: South Africa
Agate is an ornamental variety of Chalcedony. Most people are familiar with the signature banded appearance and semi-transparent finish. While standard cuts of Agate are readily available and easy to find, Dendritic Agate is a sought-after rarity!
This stone falls into a unique middle ground as far as mineral classification goes. It’s not banded. Therefore, it’s not strictly an Agate. However, geologists lump it in with the others because of its Quartz content and formation.
With one look at Dendritic Agate, it’s not hard to see why this stone is so beloved. As the name would imply, the stone features branch-like inclusions. Typically, they’re made out of iron or manganese.
The dendrites create an awe-inspiring look that many compare to tree branches or cracks of lightning.
The inclusions stand out nicely against the muted backdrop. Most cuts are colorless, white, or gray with a translucent or opaque finish.
2️⃣1️⃣
Number 21
Iron Oxide Quartz
Groundscore!
Pure quartz, traditionally called rock crystal or clear quartz, is colorless and transparent or translucent, and has often been used for hardstone carvings, such as the Lothair Crystal.
Common colored varieties include citrine, rose quartz, amethyst, smoky quartz, milky quartz, and others. These color differentiations arise from the presence of impurities which change the molecular orbitals, causing some electronic transitions to take place in the visible spectrum causing colors.
Polymorphs of quartz include: α-quartz (low), β-quartz, tridymite, moganite, cristobalite, coesite, and stishovite.
The most important distinction between types of quartz is that of macrocrystalline (individual crystals visible to the unaided eye) and the microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline varieties (aggregates of crystals visible only under high magnification).
The cryptocrystalline varieties are either translucent or mostly opaque, while the transparent varieties tend to be macrocrystalline.
Chalcedony is a cryptocrystalline form of silica consisting of fine intergrowths of both quartz, and its monoclinic polymorph moganite.
Other opaque gemstone varieties of quartz, or mixed rocks including quartz, often including contrasting bands or patterns of color, are agate, carnelian or sard, onyx, heliotrope, and jasper.
2️⃣2️⃣
Number 22
Calcite
> Let me know which one you like the most!
Or if you have a neat rock you want to share with me!
Some descriptions are from the Rock Identifier app to help describe these properties
Here is the app in the store if you are interested:
I have many pieces of paper like this which describe some of these stones, but since some are missing I wanted to keep the information consistent.
