When one actually reflects on the scope and magnitude of the gemstones available in the world, it is little wonder that ancient people found it impossible to conceive that nature created all of these “wonders” alone. That is why in the past, people who admired gems came up with theories to explain where these amazing  …Read More

Peridot is the best known gem variety of olivine. It is a bright yellow-green to green gemstone that caught the fancy of many and has been documented as early as 300 B.C. Some historians even suspect that at least some of the “emeralds” worn by Cleopatra were actually peridot. The United States was for many  …Read More

Ancient Egyptian jewelers created designs using elements of nature that had magical or religious significance.  The scarab beetle, the favored adornment of the time, represented the sun and creation.   Lotus flowers represented resurrection.   If the gems or minerals used were not themselves fashioned into a flower or fish, their color represented the elements.  Lapis Lazuli,  …Read More

The streak of gold mines and prospecting areas in Virginia begins in Fairfax County and heads southwest for about 140 miles. The Gold Belt in the James River Basin of Virginia, is an area about 60 miles above Richmond, consisting of Fluvana, Goochland, Buckingham, Cumberland, Powhattan and Amelia Counties stretching into Fairfax county and Yes,  …Read More

Opal has been mined through history in India, Mexico, what is now Czechoslovakia and possibly even in central Africa.  People of the Far East prized opal as a symbol of purity and considered that the wearer of the gem was protected from illness.  To the Romans, opal was a much valued stone as well, being  …Read More