SaroSaguaro

Hello Comrades,

This bracelet is a relatively new addition and is (for my shop) uniquely patterned. One pink common opal bead is separated by 14k gold-filled spacer beads from a pair of petrified wood beads.

Petrified wood is also known as fossilized wood. Similar to other fossil formations, fossilized wood forms when the original organic material (in this case a tree) is covered in sediment and then mineral-rich water flows through the original organic material. Over millions of years, minerals replace the original organic material, but wood shape and structure are preserved. The result is a pseudomorph mineral, usually quartz or agate, that resembles wood. Occasionally, the pseudomorph mineral can be opal, calcite, apatite, and others. The color of petrified wood depends on the mineral replacing the wood: common colors include red, orange, and green.

Pink opal is just one of variety of common opal. It is comprised of opal, palygorskite, and some chalcedony. It is known for its warm, salmon toned pink color which is caused by the presence of organic compounds called quinones. Like other common opals, pink opal does not display any play of color characteristic of precious opals. Like all opals, pink opal is not technically considered a mineral according to the definition of the word because it lacks internal crystal structure. Instead, opals consist of either poorly crystalline material (similar to cristobalite and/or tridymite) or amorphous silica. The technical term used naturally occurring, non-organic solid substances lacking internal crystal structure is mineraloid. Pink opal is mined in Australia, Mexico, Peru, and the United States.

Hello Comrades,

Try though we might to resist the restraints of capitalism, there comes a point in which we must acknowledge the bitter realities of the system we are in.

Thanks to the decisions made by a few very wealthy politicians (who do not consider, in any way, the everyday difficulities of their constituents), inflation in the United States is staggering. I confess: the prices of just about everything have increased at a mind boggling rate. As a reflection of this reality, I will no longer be offering free domestic shipping. I cannot afford to do so.

Stay strong, Comrades. The road before us is long and gruesome, but we have agency. In fact, we have amazing agency when we pay attention and work together.

Eid Mubarak, Comrades.

Hello Comrades,

I would like to apologize for my month long hiatus. Some things have happened in my personal life, and they had all but consumed my mind. I will, in sha Allah, post here more regularly in the future.

For the time being, I will share some brief information with you about tiger's eye.

Hello Comrades,

I just wanted to take a few moments to appreciate my favorite clasp.

Although I justified including this clasp in my jewelry because of the 14k gold-filled composition, the real reason I was so taken by it is because of the filigree design.

Just look at it.

Ma sha Allah, it is so pretty. The fine details and floral motif make this clasp appear delicate. It blows my mind.

Metal? Delicate?

Hey Comrades,

Hello Comrades,

I did something a bit unusual yesterday. I entered a contest for the "most beautiful" photo for an Etsy listing. This is unusual for two reasons: insane competition and personal reservation.

As for the first, these competitions are usually very popular. We're talking thousands, if not tens of thousands, of competitors all putting forth their best photos. As a matter of numbers, my entry is practically nonexistent in such a large competition; however, the competition I chose to enter is being conducted by a relatively small community of Etsy sellers. There is, of course, no guarantee I will win, but there is a far greater chance of my entry being seen.

As for the second, there are very few things in this world that make me more uncomfortable than putting myself "out there". This is exponentially more true for my business. Although I am passionate about gemstones, beads, and jewelry making, I really struggle to even mention my gemstone jewelry business. It just makes me feel gross and sleazy as if I am some robber baron trying to force my capitalist product down consumers' throats. To be clear, that's not at all my intention. I just want to make nice jewelry for people who appreciate nice jewelry. Anyway, I entered this competition because the only people who will even know who the winner is are other sellers. The winner will not be plastered all over Etsy nor sent to innocent, unsuspecting people being targeted by surveillance capitalism.

I will keep y'all up to date about the results, in sha Allah.

Hello Comrades, here is some information I gathered for you about malachite.

Recorded use of the modern name malachite as "malachites" was in 1661, but the stone was called "molochitus" even as early as 79 CE. The name comes from ancient Greek "malachi" meaning "mallows". The stone was presumably given the name because of its green color that resembled the leaves of the mallow plant. Malachite's characteristic rich green color is a result of Cu^2+ (copper) in octahedral coordination. It often grows as a secondary mineral in the oxidation zone of copper ore deposits and can co-occur with azurite (ie. azurmalachite), turquoise, and chrysocolla. Because of its high copper content, malachite itself can also be an ore of copper. While it can occur in well-formed crystals, single malachite crystals are uncommon. Malachite fairly commonly forms as a pseudomorph of azurite. Far more often, malachite forms in botryoidal clusters of radiating crystals or in mammillary aggregates. This botryoidal formation is responsible for the concentric circles and other banding malachite is known for. Some malachite is sufficiently fibrous to produce a silky luster and even chatoyance. As noted above, the beads of this bracelet are chatoyant.

This bracelet is made of petrified wood and 14k gold. Petrified wood is also known as fossilized wood. Similar to other fossil formations, fossilized wood forms when the original organic material (in this case a tree) is covered in sediment and then mineral-rich water flows through the original organic material. Over millions of years, minerals replace the original organic material, but wood shape and structure are preserved. The result is a pseudomorph mineral, usually quartz or agate, that resembles wood. Occasionally, the pseudomorph mineral can be opal, calcite, apatite, and others. The color of petrified wood depends on the mineral replacing the wood: common colors include red, orange, and green.

Hello Comrades,

Here is some minerological information I gathered for you about howlite. Enjoy!

Howlite was discovered in 1868 when gypsum miners near Windsor, Nova Scotia called upon Canadian chemist Henry How to study an unknown, nuisance mineral in the mine. Howlite often form is nodules that are opaque or white with grey or black veins; however, it can also form as crystals. As a nodule, howlite has a Mohs hardness of 3.5, but the crystals are significantly harder at 6.5. Howlite crystals are usually small and quite rare. One known location of howlite crystals is Iona, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Howlite belongs to the monoclinic crystal system and can sometimes fluoresce orange in short wave UV light and brownish yellow in long wave UV light. It can also be dyed blue and used as an alternative to turquoise and lapis lazuli.

Hey comrades,

It has been quite a while since I last posted a mineralogy lesson (almost two years!). I have some catching up to do, clearly, but I do intend to utilize Tumblr more this coming year. The platform is more caption and text friendly. While other platforms are pushing visuals, -especially videos- I want a place to communicate important ideas at length.

If you are curious about what I have been up to, see what's in store at