Feldspathoid Minerals – Lapis Lazuli

The feldspathoids is a group of minerals very similar to feldspars, including solidate, hauyne, nepheline, lazurite, leucite, cancrinite, and nosean. They are all minerals that would have become feldspars if there was more silica present when formed. Feldspars tend to contain three times as much silica, so feldspathoids do not occur in silica-rich rocks such as granite but typically form in volcanic lavas.

Its beautiful, rich blue color makes lazurite one of the most distinctive and attractive of all minerals. Its chemical make-up is quite complex, but the blue color comes from the sulphur that takes the place of some silicate atoms. It is soft and brittle and easily ground to make the rich blue pigment ultramarine, but it is most famous as the major ingredient of the gemstone Lapis Lazuli, famed since the days of Ancient Egypt. Little spots of gold pyrite look like starts in the deep blue lazurite of Lapis Lazuli.

Lapis Lazuli is one of the oldest, most treasured of all gemstones. Its name is a combination of the Latin Lapis for ‘stone’ and the Arabic Azul for ‘sky’ or the ancient Persian Lazhuward for ‘blue’. It usually occurs as lenses and veins in white marble. Consisting largely of Lazurite with spots of pyrite, it has a mottle look. Crystals are sometimes found, but more usually it is massive, and carved to make jewelry, cups and other decorative objects. It was first mined over 6,000 years ago at Sar-e-Sang in the Kokchua valley in Afghanistan, still the source of the world’s finest and most sought after Lapis Lazuli. The ancient royal tombs of the Sumerian city of Ur contained over 6,000 beautifully carved lapis lazuli statues, and it was a favorite stone of the Ancient Egyptians, much used in the tomb decorations of Tutankhamun. The Roman writer Pliny the Elder described it as ‘a fragment of the starry firmament’.

Today, lapis lazuli is mined near Lake Baikal in Russia and at Ovalle in Chile as well as in Afghanistan.

Lapis Lazuli: Wisdom, intuition, awareness, objectivity, clarity, creativity, expanded consciousness, dreams, purity, courage, serenity.
Pearl: Purity, faith, charity, innocence, integrity, focus, wisdom, spirituality, sincerity, fertility.

Custom designed gemstone jewelry available at our website.
Research from various gem-rock-mineral books.

Chinese Silver Metal Beads

While on my trip to Tucson this year, I saw a lot of Chinese dealers that have what they are calling “Chinese Silver Beads”. What caught my attention the most is how shiny and very light they are. When I inquired about the difference of this metal, I was told it’s a thin base metal from Copper that is laid over resin or plastic hollow beads. This makes them very light and easy to use verses Sterling Silver, however, I’m not sure I’ll be buying them anytime soon, as the metal is an alloy….read on to see the entire story provided by Lee our resident Gemologist, who was kind enough to do some research for me when in Tucson on some things!

“Chinese silver is an alloy used for costume jewelry. Its composition is 58% copper, 17.5% zinc, 11.5% nickel, 11% cobalt, and 2% silver, whereas the mix rate is 92.5% silver to 7.5% copper. This is why sterling silver is often stamped with “925” somewhere on the piece, and why it is graded as such. Because of the high copper content of Chinese Silver, once the protective lacquer coat and the thin silver finish wears off; many people turn the material green. Another drawback is that with the nickel content, again when the finish wears off, the nickel is exposed and many people have allergic reactions to the nickel.
For collectors and the public, the word "silver" might bring to mind an English tea set or a Continental soup tureen or maybe a patriotic silver tankard by Paul Revere. Less familiar to collectors and the public, but well known to jewelers, is a world of silver that is not Western, but Chinese. Chinese export silver was made for Western tourists in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, featuring designs that include Chinese dragons rather than Western motifs such as goats and grapes.

"With the China trade, tourists were coming to China and they loved to shop," explains Stuart Slavid, director of fine ceramics at Skinner, Boston. "They would go to trading centers such as Canton, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Many of the ships returning home took silver as well as tourists."

All Chinese silver until recently was made by hand, with its elaborate designs hammered out by master Chinese craftsmen. The silver depicts flowers, birds, landscapes, dragons and human figures, the patterns that collectors seek out most often. Since Europeans would spend weeks or months aboard ship to travel to China, they would often spend months there. That was long enough to choose a pattern that could be custom-made while they holidayed. "Many of the pieces you see for sale today were made to order," Stuart says. "It was primarily for foreigners. The elaborate designs of most of the export silver weren't to the Chinese tastes." It's important to note that the Chinese did not use the same standard of silver that was used in the West, so silver content is not something buyers need to consider. "Every piece might have a different level of purity," Stuart says, but that doesn't affect the value of any particular piece. Another nice thing about Chinese export silver is that it uses English hallmarks. "They make it very easy to distinguish the different makers," Stuart says. "Nobody knows exactly who suggested the Chinese use the English marks but it's been a tremendous aid to many today." Chinese silver is also a specialty that has very few fakes. "I don't think collectors really have to be concerned about that in the same way they do in other silver markets," Stuart assures collectors.

While there are a few books that offer guidance, Stuart notes that the best way to make sure that what you're getting is real is to work with someone you trust. Many Silver US Trade Dollars were melted down by the Chinese to make their Chinese Silver, thus why when separated from the other metals; it is much purer than the native Chinese Silver.

Today, “Chinese Silver” not only refers to the old craft items which are rare and hard to find, but to a new generation of molded items, many now in plastics, to which Silver is plated over the formed piece.”

Just be aware of what you are buying and understand the make-up of the metals before purchase. There are Pros and Cons to buying metal beads made from Chinese Silver, and cost is not always one of them; in Tucson I saw them run as much per gram as Sterling Silver and by the strand or bag for small quantities. I encourage you to do your homework before purchasing any type of metals, stones, lampwork, or any raw materials, your customers are the ones that are going to want to make sure they are getting something that will not only last, but that they can also wear.

Sweetness In Plume Agate Quartz

This is more of a simple, just elegant design for those who are looking for a little less than the bold. A very nice sized Plume Agate pendant in non-tarnish gunmetal wire and accented with faceted Cherry Volcano and Smoky Quartz and a sprinkling of freshwater pearls in a champagne color.

This and many other artisan crafted designs are available for purchase on our website.
Smoky Quartz: Believed by some to lift depression and dispel negative moods.
Pearl: Purity, faith, charity, innocence, integrity, focus, wisdom, spirituality, sincerity, fertility. Agates: Balancing physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual energies; perceptiveness, strength, inspiration, awakening talents.

Unusual Old World Style

A great find from our Tucson trip in a Madagascar Goniatites; but it’s not in the usual black/brown/white colors. This one is cream/brown shades and has a small amount of ‘fiery’ opec reflection that catches the light every now and again and a very tiny amount of dark green leafy patterns on the one side. There is also some ‘ribbing’ on the fossil, giving it a nice texture in such a large sample. To accent and bring out more of the earthy tones, I paired it with very nice colored ceramic Tibetan beads that are filigree bronzy/coppery end-caps and Coral chips (dyes) in a variety of earthly tones; the wiring is handcrafted in non-tarnish brass to highlight the entire stone and necklace.

This piece along with many others is available on our website for purchase.
Coral is known to protect against negative energy while also preventing loss of energy; it also symbolizes joy and happiness, to bring enjoyment in life to the wearer.

Eclectic Picasso Mixes

Picasso beads are very diverse; with their marbling and colors almost anything is possible. I got the opportunity to try some Picasso beads along with some very nice sterling silver pieces and toggles from Artbeads.com. This collection of Picasso beads has a few different cuts; teardrop, rondelle, oval, and round coin. I love the different colors and the ability to build in any direction with colors.

Here, to the left, I’ve paired the oval and coin round Picasso beads with Turquoise that has a strong color of green to blue and matrix in the same brown and rust patters at the Picasso beads; in-between each is a very nice, very tiny sterling silver square bead that has tiny bubbles on all four corners, which gives nice texture to the necklace pattern.

In this piece to the right, I’ve mixed the faceted rondelle Picasso beads to bring out the blue and green of the stones used; mixed with cracked navy blue glass beads and green/blue Serpertine stones; highlighting with textured oval tube sterling silver beads and a lovely Petsky Coral Fossil pendant.

Legal Disclosure/Disclaimer: As a reviewer of products for Artbeads.com, I received the sterling silver beads, toggles and Picasso bead products free of charge. I have not been paid nor compensated by Artbeads.com for my endorsement of these said products. I have been asked by Artbeads.com to review these products and provide my own honest feedback, whether it be positive or negative.

Hot New Mix in Red

This new design uses some of the new lampwork beads we just picked up in Tucson. It’s all about the red with this design, and lots of it! Using a Sponge Coral ax style pendant, we mixed it up with some swirled beige/cream/red rondelle lampwork beads, red hot natural Coral, and for something different kicked it up a notch by adding copper accents.

This one definitely says...Red, hot and spicy!

See this and many other new designs in our designer collections.

Sneak Peek Tucson Finds & Review

Another buying season is over in Tucson; vendors have packed up and are now returning home or moving onto the next show and Tucson is probably settling down just a bit until the next big event. Usually we go to Tucson in the 1st week of activities, but because of scheduling this year couldn’t quite make it until the 2nd week.

The difference that I saw was in missing out on the quality and more unique stones and finds in the first week; whereas with the second week it appeared picked over, but pricing was a little cheaper compared to the first week, especially toward the end of the week when the vendors were willing to deal/bargain for their products. I can’t say one show is better than others, just as everyone has their ‘favorite’. But I have my favorites and may have even added a few new ones to the ‘continue to attend list’. It really is up to the person, their schedule, finances, and being able to get to Tucson. Although if you’re in the business of jewelry and lapidary, I would highly recommend going, even just once!

With that said, we still were able to find quite a few unique and unusual finds such as California Palm Wood Jasper, Ivoryite, Star Jasper, Inca Jade, Black Agate/Pyrite, Ammonites (in two different cuts!), Goniatites, and many other stones. But, not to be forgotten, we also got lots of Turquoise, Magnesite, Onyx, Jaspers, Agates, pendants, glass/ceramic and wooden beads, crystals, and much more.

Here’s just a taste of what we did pick up in Tucson….check back and stay tuned as we début many of these stones and more in coming styles this season!



Lampwork, Glass, Cloisonne Beads (to the right)

Wood & Ceramic, Crystals Beads (to the left)

Star & Mixed Jaspers, Black Agate/Pyrite, Turquoise (stabilized/treated - to the right)

Ammonites, Inca Jade Pendants, Spiny Oyster, California Palm Wood Jasper (to the left)


Over the next few weeks, we’ll be doing inventory, restocking and designing……In the meantime, browse our collections to purchase custom designed jewelry.