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Find the courage to be yourself! Carnelian crystal healing

Apr13

Change can be scary – but on the other hand? Change can also be exciting and full of awesome adventures.

Carnelian is one of those crystals that can help you to embrace changes and begin new phases of your life on your own terms and by being yourself, FULLY!  You can trust your own instincts and overcome negative conditioning and let your true inner self shine like the sun.   It can help you to feel protected and grounded while also empowered with energy the motivation to push through things.  Open yourself up to welcome abundance and energy and you can really grow and change.  It’s also a great partner for those who are artistic or if you are working with your Sacral Chakra.

Working with this charka helps you to be open to change and to trust your instincts as you go through experiences in life.

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Stress Begone! Agate crystal healing

Apr12

Stroke away the stresses of the day….

Agates are a powerful crystal that can help you to relax during times of stress and turmoil and let all those nasty energies go away.  It does this by grounding your energy and giving you a better sense of balance.  This can be really helpful when you are in a situation where you feel overwhelmed and confused about what to do or what direction to take.

Agates are also great for inviting luck and abundance into your life.  You can also find more Agate jewelry on my site by clicking here

And yes, I do wear an agate from time to time…  especially when I’m looking at a pile of monthly bills going “what? hey! where did you come from!” Ugh!

Tetkite and connecting with the energy of Thor

Mar17

Tektite – a powerful crystal for connection with Thor (God of Thunder and Lightening)

Tektite meteor jewelry

One of a kind meteor jewelry

This is a natural Tektite and it is formed when meteors hit the planet and then fly back into the sky (while melting rocks and other things around them) and crashing back down to the surface.  As they drop, they cool into these interesting shapes.   Some say that this stone helps to connect with healing energies from the guardians of the Pleides (a group of stars within the Taurus constellation).

In ancient times, this stone was associated with the Gods of thunder and lightening (Thor – Viking culture).  Also excellent for attracting wealth, working with dreams, releasing stresses and letting go of things you no longer need in your life.  Looking to make changes? The energy of this crystal can partner with you on your journey.

This, and other awesome pieces in this area of my shop (clicky clicky)

Thanks for reading..

We all need a little strength sometimes – Healing Hematite gemstone and information

Apr26

Ah the beauty of Hematite…. A little info on it and it’s healing properties.
Hemtate healing crystal for protection

Hematite is one of those types of stones that you almost always see at a gem show and rock shops you stumble across in your travels.  It’s found in various places across the world and that’s probably the reason why it seems like a more commonly seen gemstone. We are usually drawn to it because it’s so shiny and pretty! In it’s natural state, it’s somewhat dull looking but when it gets polished! YOWSA!!

On the MOHS hardness scale, it’s between a 5 – 6, which means it’s pretty hard.  The interesting thing about hematite is that it’s also very heavy (or dense).  It’s actually a mineral from the Iron Oxide family which gives it more weight that you would expect for the size of the stone.  That’s important when you are choosing jewelry online and you can’t hold it, to realize that this gem may weight a bit more than you think.  Always ask if you would like to know the weight of your jewelry before purchasing. Personally I have worn hematite rings throughout the years and I have also found that if they are dropped on hard surface, they do tend to break.  So if you have a stone ring, take it off carefully when you removing it.

A lot of my clients who I have worked with over the years, have told me how the temperature changes on the gem when they wear it.  It begins cool against the skin and then warms to your body temperature, making it a lovely companion piece.

A little side note on Magnetic Hematite:  I have worked with it over the years and it’s very important to note that natural hematite is not very magnetic at all.  If you are purchasing magnetic jewelry please note that it is treated to achieve this goal.  I do sell magnetic jewelry so if you are looking for a piece, please visit Wicked Stones and I may be able to custom make you something special just for you.

It’s interesting to note that in ancient times, Hematite was crushed and mixed with liquids to use as paints.  You can find such examples (or pictographs) across the world that date back over 40 000 years! I was lucky enough to visit several locations in our Ontario Provincial Parks that have the most awesome historical pieces (one in Sault St. Marie area and one near Bancroft Ontario).

If you are searching for the healing properties of Hematite, here’s a bit of info for you.  Hematite is helpful for the following:

  • Boosting low self esteem
  • Protection
  • Grounding energy (makes you feel centered and strong when life is going a bit wild around you)
  • Courage to face changes in your life
  • Reflects back negative energy being directed at you
  • Divination (fortune telling, tarot card readings, astral travel)
  • Meditation
  • Will power

Hematite is also a gem for your root chakra healing and balancing.  The Root chakra is also called the Muladharaor or Base Chakra.  This chakra helps you to feel stable and centered with both feet on the ground.  Let me put this in a very easy way:  You know that feeling you get when life is going a bit wild on you and you just want everyone to stop because you are feeling overwhelmed with so much going on? By working with this chakra, you can help yourself to feel more “centered” in what is happening around you and focused with confidence and strength.  Your root chakra is like your tree roots that keep you anchored to the planet and feeling strong!

I hope you enjoyed this little bit of info on Hematite.

Cheers from the Rock Lab!

Vikki

 

 

 

Leopard Jasper Healing – when you just need a little oomph to get you moving forward.

Mar21

Oh how I love Leopard Jasper!!
Leopard Jasper healing gemstone by wicked stones

Leopard Jasper is one of those gemstones that I’m always picking up and using as I get tired… zzz.. I get tired of working on my website.. tired of answering emails.. blah blah blah.. tired of doing the dishes.. tired of sweeping.. same old same old same old..   I get stuck in a rut and I need a little help to just get me motivated and up over the hump so I can move foward.

Leopard Jasper is one of those stones that imparts a little energy back into your life when things are feeling low and blah.  When working with this stone, you can find it within yourself to face the rest of the day and begin to plan what comes next in your future.  It does not necessarily being to you what you want but more of what you need.  You are strong and you are motivated, you sometimes just need a partner along your journey to bring that out in yourself.

This gem is natural, which means that there is no dye used anywhere to create the colours and patterns you see.  But it’s not just visual, these patterns can often be felt with your fingertips as there is quite often times that Leopard Jasper has interesting textures to discover.

Just like the leopard LEAPS forward to catch his or her prey – you too, can leap forward and get on with your daily dreary chores..

Cheers from the studio!
Wicked Stones – healing gemstone jewelry in Ontario Canada.

 

Kyanite Healing and Mineral Properties – Stress Begone! And a few rock hunting pics

Mar17

Every singe time I get a piece of Kyanite in my hands, I wonder how such a beautiful thing can be this natural!  The blues you encounter with this stone are just that.. fully and totally natural.

I can speak from experience on this as I had the pleasure of visiting a Kyanite location, many years ago, with the Sudbury Lapidary group during their annual field trip from the Rock and Gem show.  If you have not gone, it’s well worth it.  Check out their website for more info by clicking here.

Vikki Soros picking kyanite in Sudbury ontarioThat’s a really old picture of me trying to catch a break while looking through the rubble looking for various types of Kyanite (probably taken about 2003).

During this trip, I did actually find a few tiny pieces of Blue Kyanite, but nothing compared to the ones I currently have on my website.  (You can see my Kyanite jewellery by clicking here)

The pieces up on my site have a lot more blue and white in them than some of the pieces that I was able to hunt down all those years ago.

Here’s a picture of a few of the rock samples we came home with that day.
Kyanite gemstones picked in Sudbury Ontario

If you look real close you will be able to see the lines in the stone.  Look closer and you will begin to see the gray and very light blue shades hidden deep inside.  Most of the stone is host rock with these picked pieces that we found, but it was nice to see tiny bits of kyanite included.

I have included below, mineral information that can help you to identify what’s in those samples as well 🙂

So now to the Kyanite I’ve been hording back from my site for a while.  It is finally time for me to let some of these beauties find a new home.

Blue Natural Kyanite from Wicked Stones

You can see that the blue in this kyanite pendant is SUPER stunning!! Yes, that shade of blue is totally natural and made by Mother Nature herself.

No dye has been used to achieve this amazing blue shade.

Okay so what’s so great about this stone, besides the fact that it will catch just about everyone’s eye that’s around you and draw them to you?

Here’s a bit of info for you to enjoy and get to know this gem

Healing Properties of Kyanite

  • It is a stone for the throat chakra.  This chakra is all about speaking honestly and openly as well as creativity and self expression.  This is an avenue for confidence and being able to speak from your heart.
  • Is negative energy making you cranky? This gem can help you to feel protected from those slings and arrows being flung at you.
  • Need to tap into your creative energy and find your muses? Give this gem a whirl and see if you can relax and find it within yourself to let go of what’s blocking those creative flows.
  • Meditation – relax, de-stress.. you can let go of what is bothering you for a while and heal.
  • Psychic powers and intuition – a great gem for those who work with divination to help you to  trust your first instincts.  It can also help you to find your spirit guide in times of need.
  • If you are meditating on past life information and looking to find answers for a currently phobia that has no present roots in your life? Try working with this gem and see if it helps.

Mineral Information of Kyanite – thank you to the National Audubon Society book Rocks and Minerals (Which is awesome! Get yourself a copy if you are into rock hunting!)

  • It comes in a variety of colours:  blue, white, clear, gray, green, and almost black
  • Streak colour for testing is colourless
  • The crystals are Triclinic – more info here on Wikepedia
  • MOHS scale of hardness:  it depends on how this stone is cut – if it is length cut its 4 to 5.  If it is cut across the stone it is harder at 6 to 7
  • It is created by regional metamorphisms and often around quartz, biotite and almadine in gneiss and shist (basically a lot of what you see in the photo above of the rock samples collected in Sudbury Ontario.

If you are looking for more pieces of Kyanite or other beautiful gemstones, feel free to browse my website.. Wicked Stones

Cheers and thanks!

 

 

Falling in love with jade, Info and a bit of Rock hunting in Ontario

Feb5

Okay I have to say.. I have fallen deeply in love with Jade

I’ve been kicking around pieces of it in the workshop and getting Rob to polish up a few accent pieces once and a while, but not until recently did I start working with larger Jade gemstone beads.

A few years back, I picked up a few strands of the most amazing African Jade beads.. the following bracelet you see in the photo is of one of the bracelets I made just recently.  It’s… soooo…. amazing!!

African Jade Bracelet by Wicked Stones

African Jade Bracelet by Wicked Stones

This type of Jade has an incredible weight to it..  the beads are heavy and mixed with the sterling silver accent pieces, this is truly a gem to have around your wrist.  I think I’ll be making more of these!!  Okay enough babble about things I’m working on.. here’s a bit of helpful info on Jade for you.

Jade is great for the following healing properties:

  • Luck
  • Tranquility
  • Widsom
  • Releasing bad thoughts and negative energy (now who can’t use that?)
  • Dream stone.. (add a piece into a dream pillow if you make or use them)
  • Helps you to self heal
  • Resolving emotional issues
  • Good fortune (come on lottery ticket!)
  • Working with nature

Working with Jade
Hand polishing Jade

Rob’s worked with Jade now and then in the lab and usually the pieces he comes out with are quite beautiful.  The hardness on the MOH scale is around 6.5 so it’s hard but not so hard that you can’t work with it.  To give you an idea, if you are not sure what is what on the MOH scale system, Talc is a 1 on the scale where Diamond is a 10.  So when you are in the middle range, it gives you some wiggle room for working.  I’ll have to ask him later what polishing compound he worked with that seemed the best.. if you do know, please feel free to add to the comments below.

Jade is certainly one of those stones that you have to be aware of as there are many “wanna-bes” out there.  Just a few (and not all) you should look for are items labeled things such as New Jade, Aventurine Quartz (which is green and we’ve collected it locally up here in Canada), Serpentine and Prehnite.  You should also do your research before you make any serious Jade purchases to get to know your supplier.

Have a peek.. here’s a few pictures from our trip to collect Aventurine Quartz (or Apple Jade).

Collecting Aventurine Quartz in Ontario

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s Rob, way down in the rock cut bringing up some larger pieces.  He made me stay up at the top for safety reasons as this bank was pretty steep.

Rock Hunting Ontario for Apple Jade

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see from the photos that the green is quite beautiful..

I’ll go hunting later to see if I can find a picture of what they look like tumbled…

Thanks for reading!