Tag: healing gemstones

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

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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

Kyanite Healing and a few rock hunting pics

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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 ontario

That’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).

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.

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

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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!

Goddess Pele Pendant – The Goddess of Fire, Volcanoes and Magic

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A lot of new things have been going on here at Wicked Stones including a full change of our website.  You can see the new site by clicking here.

So I’m going to start off our new site by introducing you to a lovely gemstone pendant made of Lava.

Hawaiian myth says that Lava is actually the tears of Pele (the Goddess of Fire, Volcanoes and Magic.). It is a gem of great strength to help you to dissipate feelings of frustration and anger.  It is a good grounding gem to keep your feet on the ground and can help you when the world is going around you and you need to feel centered.   It’s a gem of quick swift changes and also helps to protect you from nasty grams that people around you are sending out (negative vibes and energy).

This is also a Root Chakra gemstone that helps you to feel rooted and planted on Mother Earth.

Lava Goddess pendant in sterling silver wire

This is a one of a kind piece.. hand made right here in our shop..  you can find many pieces by clicking here.

It just seemed appropriate to share something with fire energy for change during this time of transition here in our shop.

Cheers everyone!

Lapis Lazuli – Healing Stones for lifting your spirits

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I thought I’d start sharing some of the pieces up on our website (Wicked Stones) from time to time so you can get an idea of what we do…

Today, I’m sharing an incredible piece of Lapis Lazuli.  Photos just can’t do this stone justice as it has so much colour – from rich blues to shimmering golden pyrites, it packs a punch when it comes to the beauty department.

Lapis Lazuli wire wrap gemstone from Wicked Stones
Wicked Stones wire wrap

Here’s  bit of info on Lapis:

Lapis is a stone

  • intuition
  • balance
  • uplifting spirits
  • combating depression

Lapis is a good focus for meditation and increasing clairvoyant abilities.  This stone helps us to contact our spirit guardians and reverse curses.

Wearing it around the home can help bring a feeling of contentment and family loyalty.  It also helps to bring harmony to the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels of our selves and restore any unbalances that can result in depression and lack of purpose.   Once these areas are balanced Lapis helps to bring keep inner self knowledge to light.

Cheers!