Rebecca Zemans Jewelry Blog — pliny the elder

Moonstone - Stone of the Month

  One of the birthstones of June and one of our favorite gemstones to use is Moonstone. With its beautiful shimmer it has fascinated people for centuries continuing to be a very popular and elegant stone. The moonstone got its name from the historian Pliny the Elder, who believed that the stone changed its appearance depending on the phases of the moon. Although a myth, people believed this until the 16th century. Today we know that beautiful shimmer to be adularescence, which happens when the light hits the stone. Moonstone is composed of orthoclase and albite, two minerals from the...

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Chalcedony - Stone of the Month

The traditional birthstone for the month of May is the emerald, a beautiful gemstone known for its deep green color. Some of us cannot afford emeralds or might be looking for more variety in color. Chalcedony, the alternative birthstone for May, offers both. Chalcedony is a term that includes several varieties of cryptocrystalline quartz gemstones rather than one specific gemstone itself. The chalcedony is very common and can be found in all 50 United States. It also comes in a variety of colors, shapes and transparencies. The word chalcedony comes from the Latin word chalcedonius, which was first used in...

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