In the popular crafts of beading and jewelry making, one of the most beautiful bead materials is semi-precious gemstones. These stone beads can be found in any size or shape: from tiny chips to large carved beads or natural shapes. This article will give an overview of semi-precious gemstone bead colors and variations.
Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead – Agate
Agate is the most varied of all the semi-precious gemstone beads. It comes in many different color varieties and patterns. Black agate has colors from black to brown and golden. Blue lace agate is mostly white with delicate blue striations. Old crazy lace agate has stripes and swirls in neutral colors. There is also golden, green, fossil, red, and white agate.
Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead – Amethyst
Amethyst is a purple stone that can be either opaque or translucent. Its name stems from a Greek myth about Bacchus pouring his purple wine over a woman who had been turned into a white gemstone. Amethyst ranges in tone from very pale lavender to dark purple.
Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead – Aventurine
Aventurine is an opaque semi-precious gemstone with tiny flecks of sparkly mica within it. It comes in many colors such as blue, dark or emerald green, peach, or red.
Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead – Carnelian
This semi-precious gemstone comes from South America and is a variety or transparent chalcedony. It varies in tone from bright golden to deep, fiery red.
Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead – Fluorite
The name of the stone fluorite comes from the Latin word for “to flow." It comes in varying colors from pale lavender to rainbow fluorite, which covers white, green, and purple with the occasional yellow splash. It is translucent.
Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead – Garnet
Garnet is most usually thought of as a dark red stone that is either semi-transparent to opaque. The garnet family also includes hessonite, which ranges in tone from light brown to golden and orange. There is also Tsavorite, which is green.
Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead – Howlite
In its natural state, howlite is opaque white with grey marbling. Howlite is frequently dyed to look like other semi-precious gemstones like Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, and red coral.
Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead – Jasper
This semi-precious gemstone comes in many different colors and styles. Jasper is often mottled or striated in appearance. It ranges in tone from soft peaches, dark red and olive, black and white Dalmatian spotted, neutral tones leopard skin style, white, and silver-grey.
Choosing which semi-precious gemstone bead type to use in your next craft or jewelry making project can be fun. There are so many styles and colors of stone beads to choose from. Not only are the gemstones different from each other, but the natural variations within one type can also be vast. Semi-precious gemstone beads make great materials for your beading projects.
Gemstone beads are very popular these days and they are hence in high demand everywhere. Those who wear them are most often unaware of the history and legacy behind them and the significance that the gems have. Gemstones have always been surrounded with a lot of story telling and they have been part of many mythologies.
The history behind gemstone beads is not very clear but there are definite points in history where we can tell that they were in active use. Ancient Egyptians are famously noted for their love for jewelry and the finer things in life. Ancient Egyptians are known to have worn a lot of jewelry and gemstone beads were one of the most common forms in which gemstones were used. The stones were brought in by the merchants over the Nile and they were carved by the royal craftsmen.
The Hittites, Assyrians and Persians are also know to have used gemstone beads in their jewelry. Some gemstones were actually reserved for only the ruling classes, just like Amethyst is taken a symbol of royalty even today, especially the deep purple ones. Amethysts like these have been in the crowns, collars, crests of many royal personalities.
The ancient Greeks were good at almost everything they did be it war or literature. And they were also very good at carving gemstones. They were craftsmen of exceptional caliber and they carved exquisite forms out of gems in their time. There are many great works wrought by exceptionally gifted Greek craftsmen who were part of the royal Roman court. Some of these works still exist in museums around the world.
There are also various mythologies surrounding each stone. There are Celtic myths, Greek Myths, Pieces of Roman Mythology and Egyptian myths that surround gems and crystals. They are still believed to have many healing and beneficial properties and are even believed to be able to influence a person's life in Hindu, Shamanic and other traditions.
For an example of myths, Amethyst is believed to have been formed by the tears of Dionysus (Bacchus) when they fell in to his wine glass and the wine stained a stone. Quartz is said to have been formed by Diana while she was trying to protect a young Virgin from the wrath of Dionysus.
Stones are also associated with people born in certain months, like Onyx is associated with February and also with July as per Roman astrology. In the shamanic tradition, Jade is the stone of Virgo and is also an earth stone according to planetary astrology. There are many myths surrounding Turquoise and it is seen in many traditions as a healing stone. It is used as a means for mental as well as physical healing.
According to many people crystals and gemstones are part of an ancient art and practice that can be greatly beneficial even in today's world. There are many people who do believe and practice these beliefs actively. Whether you believe them or not, it is always good to know the history and significance behind the various gemstones that you wear.
Both Melanie Marten & Gen Wright are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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