I had been wanting to learn to etch copper for quite some time, then recently I ran across a tutorial written by Etsy seller Copperheart that made it seem so easy. Check out her tutorial here!
So now, I’m happily etching every piece of copper, brass, and nickel silver I can get my hands on. You’ll see quite a lot of it popping up in my Zbella shop soon. I’ve already made butterflies, gingko leaves, bamboo (like the example above), and fun little abstract patterns. If there’s anything you’d like to see in my shop, just write your suggestion in the comments below.
Question of the Day: What’s your favorite current tv show?
Emerald is May’s beautiful and precious green birthstone. Yes, indeed, Lava Jewelry has emerald in stock for those May birthdays! Emerald is the green variety of the mineral beryl. Emerald is one of the five precious gemstones, along with diamond, sapphire, ruby, and tanzanite. (As I write this, I ponder why alexandrite isn’t included as a precious gemstone. Anyone knowing the answer, please feel free to comment.)
Other gemstone varieties of the mineral beryl include aquamarine (light blue to greenish blue), heliodor (yellow to orange), and morganite (pink). Less common varieties are goshenite (clear) and bixbite (red). Emerald is a 7.5 to 8 on Moh’s hardness scale.
Emerald is found in mica sheets in metamorphic-hydrothermal zones where a pluton or pegmatite has come into contact with low-silica host rock. Associated minerals include calcite and dolomite. Perhaps the best-known emerald locality is Columbia.
Emeralds are often treated with oil to eliminate the appearance of fine fractures that often occur in the gemstone. Because of this, emeralds should never been cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner or with jewelry cleaning solution. If you have emerald jewelry that needs to be cleaned, the safest thing to do is to take it to a professional jeweler who is knowledgeable about emeralds.
From mineralminers.com:
“Emerald is said to give confidence, peace and harmony and to enhance one’s creativity and mental capacities. It is also said to instill and nurture mutual love and loyalty in marriage, and to ensure honesty and success in business dealings and other relationships.”
“Emerald is also said to help strengthen and heal the heart and kidneys, and to help remedy circulatory and neurological disorders and eye irritations, and to help eliminate free radicals from the body.”
Question of the Day: Non-emerald related… Who is the final Cylon?
