ORE FEATURES
A Monthly publication of Ozark Rock Exchange
VOL #4: Issue #11, August 6, 2003
 |
||||
|
|
Main: >> Start Page >> ORE Features Archives >> 2003 >> Tanzanite | |
|
ORES FEATURED GEMSTONE: Tanzanite By Stephanie Pflumm This shy, gentle crystal instantly stole my heart. Its magical color changing as the light and Grandfather Sun changed. Tanzanite is trichroic, which means where and even when light hits the gemstone will affect the colors that you see. Tanzanite is a member of the Zoisite mineral family. Zoisite is a calcium, aluminum silicate which includes other gemstones like Thulite and Epidote (the green portion of Unakite). Tanzanite crystals also includes chromium and strontium. As its name implies Tanzanite is from Tanzania, exclusively. While Zoisites are found around the world, this particular family member is found only in and around the Usumburu mountains and Umba valley in the North of this country. It was first found around 1966 or 1967 by an Indian tailor, Manuel D'Souza. He noticed a lively blue crystal in the ground near his home in Arusha Tanzania. The newly discovered crystal was sent to the German Society for Precious Stones in Idar-Oberstein for identification, cutting and finishing. Examination and chemical analysis of the crystal identified the blue beauty as an undiscovered member of the Zoisite crystal group. Tiffany's instantly adopted the new gemstone and launched it with much fanfare and publicity in 1969. Unfortunately for the crystal, and many of those that mined it, their introduction of Tanzanite was highly successful. The vast majority of Tanzanite is not the valuable blue or lavender color when it comes from the Earth, but rather a bronze or a brownish/blue/gray color. Not a very exciting gemstone. Exposing these raw crystals to temperatures of 500 to 700 degrees changes everything. Heat brings out the commercial colors that Tanzanite is so desired for. Add to that its ability to alter colors in changing lights and in no time at all you have a gemstone in high demand. However many of the crystal's physical qualities do not lend itself to jewelry. It has a perfect cleavage, which means Tanzanite will break along a perfect plane with the slightest tap. So it is injured easily when banged or jarred. Ultra sonic cleansing is not recommended for these gems either because the process can cause damage. Perhaps it was not intended for jewelry. I had to wonder if the story had been circulated in their publicity material (or originated in it). It is extremely rare for a Tanzanite crystal to be naturally blue. Even more rare are green specimens of the crystal. More often than not, green Tanzanites are tossed in with the brownish ones to be changed by the fires. Retrieving the stone from Mother has not been easy. High expectations and pressures were put on the limited resources to meet commercial demands for the gemstones. In the early Spring of 1999 the mines had to be closed. Heavy rains and flooding had killed over 100 miners (many that had gone into the mines seeking shelter from the downpour). The corporations involved decided that bringing the mines up to safety standards would be too cost prohibitive. Tanzanite crystals form in cracks and fissures of igneous rock, the result of minerals like calcium, strontium and aluminum being altered by precipitation. It also formed in contact zones of schists and shales. The crystals tend to be fairly small. The Natural History Museum in Washington has one of the largest on record, weighing in at 122.7 carats. The largest was 126 carats before being cut into jewelry gemstones. Light exerts a substantial influence on this stones appearance. The time of day and type of light can determine what color our human eyes will perceive. In natural light, Tanzanite is at its bluest color during the Sun's zenith (midday). In the mornings and late afternoons it can appear red, yellow or orange. Under incandescent, halogen or candle light the crystal may appear more purple or violet. Fluorescent lights enhance the blues in a Tanzanite stone. If you are going to use this gemstone in a jewelry setting, you must take extra care with it. Store it in a separate pouch or bag when placing it in a box or container with other stones. Have your crystal set in earrings or a short pendant so that it has less chance of being banged and damaged. Wash it gently with a mild detergent and warm water. You will also want to avoid exposing it to extreme temperature changes. Even going from a 100 degree Summer day into a 69 degree air conditioned building can have a negative impact on your stone. My personal observation is that Tanzanite is not comfortable as a jewelry stone. The small strand of beads that I worked with for this article felt very shy. For the first week or so I wore the strand wrapped around my wrist and the stones were, well, silent. It felt like I wasn't able to connect with the gem at all. Then it lost itself for a couple of days. When I finally found it a few days later, lurking under a sock, under my bed I stuck the strand in my pocket and immediately it began singing to me. After that I kept the strand of Tanzanite beads in my pocket and we got along wonderfully. Well, there were a few times I took them out to wear on my wrist, but I always waited until we were safely home first. Their color is just too mesmerizing to watch, I couldn't resist admiring them every once in a while. Tanzanite is a stone of personal awareness and spirituality. If you are needing to learn more about yourself, to be able to ask yourself the big questions and answer them honestly, then you need to become acquainted with Tanzanite. However you must be prepared to handle the truth. This may be a shy gentle gemstone, but it is not going to lie to you, nor will it allow you to lie to yourself. If you are ready to face your talents and faults head on, then it is time to welcome Tanzanite into your life. It is an excellent gemstone for help with manifesting. It can stimulate your will, bringing all your energy, focus and enthusiasm into turning your project or wish into reality. You can use this crystal to open the doors and gates that guard the physical realms from the spiritual. It also aids the subconscious in communicating with the conscious mind. This openness can result in heighten psychic skills or in more effective communication of your spiritual self. The crystal works to open and activate the Throat and Third Eye Chakra. You can use it for vision work or to invoke protection during magic or ceremony. There are not many healing traditions associated with Tanzanite at this time. It is still a fairly young gemstone. Melody's "Love Is In The Earth" recommends it for problems with your eyes, alignment of the spine and waking up comatose patients. --+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+-- SUBSCRIBER'S SPECIAL: FREE Tanzanite Bead! --+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+-- SKY NOTES Lammas crossquarter day, Thursday August 7 * NASA link for more information on the Perseid showers: -+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+-- Following Mother's Example The other day I was reading one of the tips that I receive in an ezine on developing business and building sales. The tip was talking about planting seeds, nurturing them and reaping your harvest as metaphors for finding potential customers and building your business. I was struck by how much the process mirrored The Wheel of Life, and realized that not only was the Wheel a way of honoring and celebrating Mother Earth and Father Sky, but it was also a perfect model for living a happy mundane life, building a business, starting a romance or attaining any goal you seek. It is such an easy model to emulate. It begins in the darkness of your dreams. Deep within a desire, a need, a wish sleeps yearning for a light to awaken it. What do you wish to do with your life? With your job? With your family? In the cold night of your silent moments what dream is whispering to you. Listen to your dreams. Contemplate their potential, visualize yourself with your wish fullfilled, see your dream as reality, it is the first step in making it so. It is no coincidence that our year begins in the embrace of Winter's bitter grip. It gives us time to dream the new year to be, to plan and see the outcome so that we can design the road map to get there. So, begin with a dream. Imagine all the choices you'll need to make along the path to the realization of your dream. Say you want to buy a house. Start by making a list of all the things your dream home will have. Fireplace, two car garage, cat door, bay window, giant kitchen. Where do you want it to be? How many rooms? What about schools and how close to the grocery store do you want to be? Think of all the questions, so you can come up with all the answers. You're looking for a job, not a house. Still the same thing. Imagine your dream job and list its benefits. How much it pays you. What hours you want to work. What kind of people you want to work with. Writing down your dream, listing its qualities is one way of manifesting it into reality. The instant you write down something from your thoughts, you give it physical strength, reality. You give it power. Now that you've brought your dream out into the light, it is time to begin sowing your seeds. In nature, it's pretty easy to recognize the seeds that will bring flowers or trees or vegetables. But what are the seeds you plant to bring a new house, a new job, a more balanced life? Simple, research and contacts. In every case. When I started to search for my house I picked up these real estate books outside restaurants and grocery stores. They list hundreds of houses in the region where I live. I called three or four different real estate agents until I found one that listened when I talked. Today you can even research online. Many realtors have their own websites with pics of their listed houses. You can enter your wish list and get an instant listing of all the area homes that match your desires. Looking for a job? Go to the library and get information on area companies. Find out what kind of jobs are in your region - or maybe you want to find a job in another city. Look for jobs that match your wish list. Ask friends, neighbors, business leaders about their jobs or the kinds of jobs their company offers. You want to be a buyer for a department store? Call the manager and tell them about your desire, ask them if they could spare a few moments to answer some of your questions. People love to talk about their expertise, you won't have any trouble getting the meeting. Trust me. Even if your wish is to be more balanced or more spiritual, you still sow the same kinds of seeds. Look at (research) what in your life is throwing you off balance. Read books, articles or tips on how other people have learned to balance their lives. Look for organizations, groups, individuals that offer a spiritual fruit or guidance that match your desires. Make contact with friends or acquaintances that you admire for their spiritual strength or balance. Ask them how they do it. I've never met anyone that ever tired of talking about how they managed to achieve a goal. So don't be afraid to ask them. With your research and contact seeds planted, now comes the time to toil under the blazing Sun. Weed out the things that your research showed to be unhealthy for your goal and nurture those seedlings that will bear your dream's fruit. This is where many dreams can whither, in the blazing heat of effort. It takes persistence. You can't just send out resumes. You also make follow-up phone calls, send flowers, cards, thank you notes, stand out from the other, more boring candidates. Look at houses (you can't believe how much hard work this can be - I'll bet I looked at almost 75 houses before I found the One). Lots of houses. Hold them up to scrutiny. Experiment with lifestyle changes. Bring new things into your life that will create more balance, make Mother, Father and Spirit more feel more welcome in your life. Perform a ceremony to celebrate. You don't need to get caught up in creating elaborate details. Do a simple smudging or cleansing on the New Moon to clear out old memories or injuries that might be blocking your progress. Or raise an empty cup to the Full Moon and welcome the overflowing abundance that the Universe will pour into it. Just get out and do it. The amazing magic of this process is that if you do all these things: dream your wish, plant your seeds and nurture your garden, the final aspect, the harvest comes automatically. The fruits of your labors will ripen and you only need to pick and enjoy your bountiful harvest. The next big project you undertake, before you start take a moment to consider your Mother's example. Each of Her seasons has a purpose that you can emulate in your plan to succeed. Winter to dream and visualize. Spring to prepare your seeds and plant. Summer to work your garden. Then finally the Fall and the harvesting of the dream that you created. -+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+-- SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Favorite Crystal Contest! It's time to play again at Ozark Rock Exchange! You may remember the Favorite Crystal contest from last year. I so enjoyed reading all the entries last year, that I was anxiously waiting for a chance to do the contest again this year. Finally deciding that the end of Summer was the best time to do it! The contest is very simple - to enter, just email webmaster@ozarkrockexchange.com about your favorite crystal. It can be as simple as writing the name of the stone, or maybe you have a story to share about your special gem. It doesn't matter, because the winner will be chosen by random drawing. No judging or guidelines, just sharing. That means there is no reason not to enter. PLUS if you post your Favorite Crystal to the ORE Gemstone Bulletin Board, you'll receive a special bonus entry in the contest! Two chances for one crystal! Post your Favorite Crystal story at http://www.ozarkrockexchange.com/highlights/bbs/index.shtml and receive an extra bonus entry! The winner (chosen by random drawing) will win a collection of my favorite crystal, Rose Quartz that includes: rare Rose Quartz micro cluster of points (value $9) Favorite Crystal entries must be received and posted by Midnight September 2, 2003 to be eligible for the Favorite Crystal drawing. Email entries to webmaster@ozarkrockexchange.com and post your entry at Board: http://www.ozarkrockexchange.com/highlights/bbs/index.shtml to earn an extra bonus entry! One entry and bonus post per contestant please. Pictures of the Rose Quartz collection and contest information are posted at http://www.ozarkrockexchange.com/highlights/events/index.shtml -+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+-- What's Happening At Ozark Rock Exchange? CONGRATULATIONS! To Rosie R. from Rogers Arkansas. She won an Amethyst cluster after subscribing to ORE FEATURES at the Fayetteville Spirit, Body & Soul Expo. --+--+--+-- MOBILE ORE STORE |
||||
| << Top >> | ||||
 |
Copyright © 1999-2008, Ozark Rock Exchange Memphis, TN 38118 Phone: 901-496-2434 |