Peridot

Peridot crystals have been collected from some Pallasite meteorites. Peridot is the only gemstone found in meteoritesPeridot is also referred to as " the Evening Emerald"Some of the Indian Reservations in the United States mine this gem and sell it.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PeridotPictureshttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Peridota really nice website!http://www.gemstone.org/gem-by-gem/english/peridot.html

Amethyst

The name comes from the ancient greek to mean "Not Intoxicated" for the Greeks belived that the stone would keep you from becomming drunk! They even went so far as to have goblets made of the stone to prevent the likely outcome!Lore-In greek mythology, Dionysus, the god of intoxication, was pursuing a maiden named Amethystos, who refused his affections. Amethystos prayed to the gods to remain chaste, which the goddess Artemis granted and transformed her into a white stone.

Humbled by Amethystos' desire to remain chaste, Dionysus poured wine over the stone as an offering, dyeing the crystals purple.Variations of the story include that Dionysus had been insulted by a mortal and swore to slay the next mortal who crossed his path, creating fierce tigers to carry out his wrath. The mortal turned out to be a beautiful young woman, Amethystos, who was on her way to pay tribute to Artemis. Her life is spared by Artemis, who transformed the maiden into a statue of pure crystalline quartz to protect her from the brutal claws. Dionysus wept tears of wine in remorse for his action at the sight of the beautiful statue. The god's tears then stained the quartz purple. Another variation involves the goddess Rhea presenting Dionysus with the amethyst stone to preserve the winedrinker's sanity.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AmethystAnd some nice pictureshttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Amethyst

Aquamarine

Aquamarine is the primary Birthstone of March, the secondary being bloodstone. These two lovely gems are part of my collection, and they look even better in person, like two drops of dew enchanted by faery. Indeed, their very name includes two latin words for water.. Aqua, literally meaning water, and Marine, meaning the sea.

These were the 3rd kind of loose stone I ever purchased, comming in behind the pearls. I originally did not want them.... but they were so beautiful, even on television, and at such a low price, I simply couldnt resist. And, I'm glad I didnt, because they are a fine addition to my loose stones collection. Some might even say the prettiest.

Ancient sailors traveled with aquamarine crystals, believing that it would ensure a safe voyage, and guarantee a safe return; they often slept with the stones under their pillow to ensure sound sleep.

Hessonite Garnet

Hessonite Garnets... The first loose stones I bought while in a rock shop in Kauai.. not very big, but I would say at least a carat and a half combined. These stones are also not very clear, with many inclusions, but they will always be dear to me... my first stones! They were a mystery at the time, because I had no idea what Hessonite was... much less could I guess if they were a garnet! The bright, tangerine look is strongly remnicient of the tropics, and will always be a reminder of my time on the island!!

The resarch is hard to find for these.. as they are neither as popular as the rare green Tsavorite, or as common as the red garnet... Which, by the way, I own several of, set in jewelry pieces, of corse.

However, with patience, and diligence, I hae come across some stunning information about these beautiful stones!

http://www.gehnabazaar.com/gemstones/37/hessonite-garnet.html

This helpful website suggests that these stones are popular in India, where they are called gomedha or gomedh.. Raju ratna and Ping Spatik! Who knew this gem had such exotic names!

Well, one thinks that they are exotic, unless you speek sanskrit, and you know that Gomedh literally translates to " the color of cow urine"!!!

In indian culture this stone seems to be quite, quite popular, cited as a cure for most of what ales you.

Pearls

"June Girls Wear Pearls" is what my GrandNani said to me when she gave me my first pearl necklace, and my second.

"Ah, this is a beautiful pearl... pink, as it represents love. How foruitous for your Honeymoon" Said an overly helpful Asian woman in a popular tourist trap on Kauai, as my husband and I pried open a previously seeded oyster to reveal the certain treasure.

Yes, even though A pearl is definately an organic treasure, or one might say, an irritant, I have never been able to escape them. As I have grown up, I have come to appreciate the unique luster of the pearl, and come to care for it, as a precious gem.

The pearls depicted in the picture are from my own personal collection... more of the treasure I found in Kauai, allong with the sea glass, and the hessonite garnets. I have a third pearl, pink, a sister if you will to these two. These two came from the same oyster, but one is coated darker than the other. My other pearl, the first honest, untampered pearl I ever came to possess, nearly caused me to make a scene.

At the stand, where I got to pick out my own oyster, a great big ugly behemoth... which in my opinion isnt saying much as far as oysters go, the helpful saleswoman held up my pink pearl, let me cup it breathlessly in the very palm of my hand, and then... plucked it from me, only to drill a hole right into it!!

Readers, if only you could have imagined my face as I watched this! My stomach dropped! I felt nauseated! But, it was all part of their ploy! Now that my pearl had a hole in it, it was much easier to trick me into buying a pendant to put it on! The pendant I chose was a modestly priced one... I was horrified, natually to be tricked in such a manor, my stomach still queasy with the sound of the drill.... and I eventually made a choice of a simple white gold, with a tiny diamond nestling next to my pearl, apologising under my breath to my husband, for falling for such a costly gimmick!

However... all was not lost, for in cooperation for sitting through he horrible scene, I was given an oyster seeded with two pearls, both pinkish in color, and I quickly yelled out " DO NOT PIERCE THEM!!!" Much to the saleswomans surprise. These are the pearls you see in my picture.

If you like, you, too, can have a riviting experiance... if you go to http://www.mauidivers.com/ the company who sponsored my private thriller.

My wedding was in June, as is my birthday... so for that summer month, pearls still reign supreme.

Other gemstones for June birthdays include: Moonstone and Alexandrite.

"The Pearl of Allah" is a famous, and mysterious pearl.

The largest pearl known, was found in the Philippines in 1934. It is a naturally-occurring, non-nacreous, calcareous concretion from a giant clam. Because it did not grow in a pearl oyster it is not pearly, instead it has a porcellaneous surface. In other words, it is glossy like a china plate. Other pearls from giant clams are known to exist, but this is a particularly large one.

The pearl weighs 14 lb (6.4 kg) and was supposedly first discovered by an anonymous Filipino Muslim diver off the island of Palawan in 1934. According to the legend as it is currently told, a Palawan chieftain gave the pearl to Wilbur Dowell Cobb in 1936 as a gift for having saved the life of his son. The pearl had been named the "Pearl of Allah" by the Muslim tribal chief, because it resembled a turbaned head.

Another even more elaborate legend says that this object is actually the Pearl of Lao-Tzu, a cultured pearl created with a carved amulet and then supposedly progressively grafted into several giant clams, before supposedly being lost due to a shipwreck in 1745. This legend has been discredited, however because this pearl is indeed the product of a giant clam, Tridacna gigas, which cannot be grafted. The pearl is also a whole pearl, not a mabe pearl, and whole pearl culturing technology is only 100 years old.