Harmonize the body and the chakras
Channel the universal energy
Earth's connection in the Healer's Stone
Good luck, creativity, and prosperity

Out of the south west of the United States comes a stone that is believed to have great healing power.  Healer's Gold is a combination of pyrite and magnetite.  This stone has a Mohs hardness of 5.5 to 6.5 and is a mix of black and gold in color.  As it has a high iron content, it is both magnetic and one of the most dense gem stones available.  This stone from Arizona and New Mexico is sometimes called Apache Gold and is a stone popular for jewelry.

This stone has a history of healing used by the medicine people of the United States and has become a popular stone around the world for this purpose.  For the energetic or spiritual healer, Healer's Gold is a stone of positive energy that tends to harmonize the energy flow in the body, and balance the chakras.  It is believed to be a channel for universal and earth energies so that the healer and energy worker is not drawing on their own energy.

The overall positive and uplifting energy of Healer's Gold is believed to have a general beneficial effect for the person using the gem.  It is believed to promote clear and confident decisions.  It enhances creativity and good luck, helping with the manifestation of wealth and prosperity.  The general positive energy of the stone encourages motivation and optimism.  Like iron, this stone lends inner strength that helps you trust your intuition.

Healer's Gold is believed to help dissipate negative energy.  This protects the body and the Spirit from life's negative influences and helps guard against anger, attachments, fear, and exhaustion.  It can help act as a protective agent for psychic development and spiritual work.

Other sources that I used are:
thecrystalcouncil.com
rockidentifier.com
crystalgemstones.net

Process the grief born of tragedy
Strengthen the resilience of the human spirit
Stone of fire, Stone of the Earth
Into the now, ground the spirit

Legendary Apache Tear derives its name from an 1870's battle from the American "Indian Wars".  During one of the battles, the Apache warriors were overwhelmed and trapped in the mountains of Arizona.  After a brave battle, instead of being captured, the warriors rode their horses over the cliff.  After the battle, the families of the warriors discovered the tragedy that had unfolded.  According to the legend, the bitter tears shed by the families became the Apache Tears.

These globules of black to brown obsidian are found in the volcanic perlite deposits of Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Northern Mexico.  This silica rich natural glass is translucent to opaque and has a Mohs hardness of 5 to 5.5.  Natural Apache Tears are usually coated with a white deposit of the perlite where they are found.  Much of what is sold as Apache Tear has been shaped and polished.

Because of this association with the legend, Apache Tear has a primary energy of processing grief.  Whether recent or ancient and suppressed, this stone will tend to bring the grief to the light of day.  When these difficult emotions surface, Apache Tear helps process the grief, loss, and tragedy so that healing can occur.  As a part of the healing process, the difficult emotions are released and transmuted so that balance and resilience can be regained,  It can also help process ancestral grief and loss.

Apache tear helps to process and release other difficult emotions as well.  When the emotions get stuck as energy patterns in the subconscious or they develop into deep wounds or grievance, this gem can help transmute that energy, process it and release it.  When the wounds are generational, Apache Tear might also help.  It can help calm fear and panic and bring comfort to the broken heart.

Apache Tear is a stone of Earth and fire that helps ground you into the here and now of the physical plane.  It provides protection from negative energies and psychic attack.  It helps provide stability and strength.  It may promote spiritual growth and introspection guiding you to a deeper truth.

I love working with natural Apache Tear.  The soft polish that develops from my hands as I create jewelry from this stone is luscious.  It is one of the stones that tends to calm and focus my spirit as I work with it. I do keep a few for my personal use.  I have a pair that live in my pillow to act as protection and an anchor as I sleep.

This is a stone of unique energy that I encourage you to check out.
You can find Apache Tear pendants and other stone pendants for sale in my gallery.
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Stone of the Goddess, Stone of Wise Women
Soothing tranquility to calm the mind
Aligning the voice to the heart
Empower truthful communication

Watery blue green chrysocolla is a soft stone with a high copper content.  This hydrous copper silicate is usually found in veins with malachite and azurite.  While green and blue green are the most common colors, it can also be found in blue, brown, or black.  This stone with a Mohs hardness of 2 to 4 can be found in Chili, Zaire, Mexico, Russia, and the U.S.

Chrysocolla is seen as the Stone of the Goddess.  It is believed to carry the energy of water and of the sacred feminine.  It is believed to empower feminine wisdom and knowledge.  It teaches strength through compassion and self-awareness.

This gem is often seen as a stone that helps soothe chaotic emotions.  It is believed to help one find inner tranquility and peace and forgiveness when the emotions put us on a roller coaster.  It helps us find the mental calm that encourages meditation and healing.  It is an aid to the ability to see higher knowledge and inner truth.

Chrysocolla is seen as a stone of communication and self-expression.  It is a stone that teaches the power of words and creativity.  When we seek first wisdom, truth, and our center, then chrysocolla teaches us to use our words with the power of wisdom and purpose behind them.  This power of the word and creative communication and expression creates the world in which we will live tomorrow.

Whether you are looking for the calming energy so you can settle into your space, or want to honor the Earth energy of the Goddess, chrysocolla may be the stone you are looking for.  If you are looking to connect to your inner truth and wisdom, or higher knowledge, chrysocolla may facilitate that connection.  If you are looking to support creativity and self-expression, chrysocolla has that potential.  The gentle energy of this stone is said to support all of this.

Sources for this article are:
crystalvaults.com
tinyrituals.com
mycrystals.com
thecrystalcouncil.com
sagegoddess.com

Ancient knowledge ancient wisdom
From the civilization beneath the waves
Goddess connection through the heart
Written within the stone's lines

Lemurian quartz or Lemurian seed crystal is a clear quartz from Brazil.  This is a special form of quartz that is etched with lines that are believed to hold recorded information.  Like most quartz, this silicon dioxide crystal has a Mohs hardness of 7.  It has all of the basic characteristics of a quartz wand point and some special characteristics as well

Lemuria is believed to be an ancient civilization that some people say existed in the Pacific Ocean.  Others locate this civilization elsewhere.  This ancient civilization is believed to have been destroyed by a disaster that sank it into the sea.  Legend has it that this civilization knew that it was facing a disaster.  One of the steps that this culture took as its time was drawing short was to record their knowledge and wisdom in a way that could be retrieved later.  This record is believed to be the Lemurian quartz.

The Lemurian quartz is believed to impart higher knowledge of spiritual connection to anyone who can listen.  This is the knowledge of the heart that connects to intuition and all of the energies of the universe.  It is a spiritual connection that is believed to impart ancient wisdom and the intuitive healing that is possible.

The legend of the Lemurian crystals, and the lesson of this quartz is one of listening and connection.  The message is to connect to the heart, the Spirit, and the higher purpose.  It is a connection to the sacred feminine and all of the beings and energies of the universe.  The Lemurian crystals say to listen to the guidance that is available to everyone from the energies that surround us.  This is a balancing guidance that speaks of connection and oneness when times of turmoil tend to drive us apart through fear and anger.

Additional sources for this article:
littlelemuria.com
sagegoddess.com
​crystalvaults.com

Cosmic glass from a rain of fire
Spiritual growth and transformation
Clear the channel from Earth to Star
Connections cleared for communication

Beautiful and enigmatic tektite is a natural glass from a handful of debris fields around the Earth.  The debate around tektite has been about the stones actual origins.  Do they have cosmic or terrestrial origins?  The consensus at this time is that tektite is formed from Earth's stone matrix when a meteorite or asteroid strikes the Earth at high speed.  This sends molten debris up into the atmosphere where it cools into the droplets of molten material that we know as tektite.

This high silicon dioxide material forms a glass as it cools in the atmosphere.  It has a Mohs hardness of 5.5 to 6.5.  Its most common color is black, but other colors are found.  The most striking of these being green moldavite from the Czech Republic.  The black and grey tektite is found primarily in North America, Australia, Africa, China, and South East Asia.

The earliest descriptions of this stone come from ancient China, dating from around 900 BC.  The ancient Chinese called tektite "Ink Stone of the Thunder God".  In Australia, it was called the magic stone.  The Sanskrit term for it is fire pearl.  In Tibet, it was called "The Stone of Shambhala".  The modern name comes from the Greek word tektos meaning molten.

Tektite is seen as both a stone of Earth and a stone of the stars, or of the divine.  Because of its connection to meteor strikes, it is believed to be a stone of good luck, abundance, and balance.  It is believed to be protective.  Many cultures believed that this stone is a gift from the gods.

This is a stone that most consider to be vibrating at a high energy frequency.  It is believed to elevate consciousness and promote spiritual growth.  Many energy workers find that tektite enhances dream work, psychic abilities, focus, and clarity.  It can help to clear energy channels and facilitate communication with the spiritual realms.  Many people believe that it promotes courage, strength, and resilience.  It may also help release negative emotions, energy blocks, and stagnation in your life.

I work with tektite on an occasional basis and never have very much of this beautiful gem on hand.  That said, my experience with it very much mirrors what I found in my research.  Creating jewelry with this unusual gem is a heady experience that is best enjoyed sitting down.  Creating the piece that is in the photograph was an experience that can best be described as electric.  The energy of the tektite tends to interact with the energy of the quartz in a manner that is exhilarating and visionary.
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Other sources that I used for this article are:
thecrystalcouncil.com
trulyexperiences.com
sagegoddess.com

To find my hand made necklaces click here.

Mental clarity of the Eye of the Hawk
Tiger's courage and integrity
Balanced center to manifest abundance
Enhance the seer's ability

Tiger Eye or Tiger's Eye is an unusual member of the quartz family of stones.  This gem actually starts its life as a different stone, crocidolite, a stone rich in asbestos.  Over time, with heat and pressure, the asbestos fibers are replaced in a pseudomorph process by silicon dioxide.  This creates a fibrous stone with the characteristic flash that gives it the look of a tiger's eye.  The most common form of tiger eye is brown to golden brown with streaks of iron oxide.  Other colors of the stone include red, green, purple, black, and blue.

Tiger Eye has a Mohs hardness of 7.  The largest deposit known is in South Africa.  It is also found in India, Burma, Australia, Brazil, and the U.S.

The Egyptians saw this gem as representing divine vision and used it to represent the God's eyes in their religious icons.  The Romans believed tiger eye to be protective and to give strength.  In China, it was considered to be good luck an to be connected to the magical tiger.  During the Renaissance, tiger eye was used to ward off evil.

Today, this beautiful stone represents abundance, courage, and inner strength.  It is a reminder to see what is really there and to accept reality with integrity and courage.  This is a stone that balances the inner fire of passion and will with the practical action that it takes to create what you desire to see in your life.  It is a stone that teaches us to look deep into ourselves and accept both the shadow and the light in order to step into our full empowerment.

Tiger Eye has always been a stone of magic and mystery.  It grabs the energy of both the sun and the earth, balances them, and grounds them into the here and now.  It is believed to be a shield against negative energy and the "evil eye", and to clear negative energy from a space.

This Eye of God is believed to connect the third eye to the root and sacral chakras, grounding vision into the physical realms.  It is believed to enhance psychic vision and the abilities of the seer.  It is said to help you see patterns of cause and effect, and the underlying patterns in what seems random.  This becomes an aid to mental clarity and the ability to see through the illusions of polarity.  This higher vision of the tiger eye encourages the wise and honorable use of power, calm strength, and discernment.

Tiger Eye might be a gem for you if you are looking for courage, integrity, and inner strength.  It may help you stay in your calm and balanced center,  that balance point of mind, body, and spirit, from which you can take focused and enlightened action that benefits both you and society.

Here are some of the other names for Tiger Eye
The All Seeing Eye
The Shape Shifter Stone
Cat's Eye when the fibers are perfectly aligned
Falcon's Eye or Hawk's Eye for the blue
Ox Eye for the red
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Here are links to some of Manitu's hand crafted jewelry.
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Ancient waters, Ancient Earth
Self-discovery and harmony
Intuition and mind, heart and voice
Balanced for truth and integrity

Deep, watery Amazonite is a stone that lives up to its name.  This gem is a potassium aluminum silicate with a Mohs hardness of 6 to 6.5, just a bit softer than most gemstones.  The most common color of Amazonite is blue-green, but it can range into green, blue, purple tones, or grey.  The color of Amazonite comes from traces of lead and water found in the mineral.  The primary sources of this stone are Brazil, U.S., India, Madagascar, Namibia, and Russia.

Even though Amazonite was given this name by an explorer in the 19th century, it has been used for at least 4000 years.  It was used for jewelry in India, Egypt, Sudan, and Mesopotamia.  Parts of the Egyptian Book of the Dead is engraved on Amazonite.  It has long been used in South and Central America for jewelry and talismans.

Amazonite is a symbol of balance between earth and water.  The dreamy and watery color is an invitation to dive deep into the depths of mystery and self-discovery to find our own truth and integrity.  It is a symbol of courage, prosperity, connection, and balance.

This gem is believed to encourage and facilitate the connections between heart and voice, intellect and intuition, and masculine and feminine, bringing balance and harmony.  It is believed to bring emotional and spiritual healing and balance.  It's calming and balancing nature may help calm scattered thought patterns and self-destructive behaviors.  It may help you create healthy boundaries and shield you against the expectations and intrusions of others.

Amazonite is a stone of courage, truth, self-discipline, and balance.  You may find that it helps you live in integrity and in alignment with your values and purpose in a healthy and calm manor.  It may help you find your inner strength to manifest your true desires and that which is of the highest good.  It may help you find the empowerment to speak your truth in a calm and compassionate way.
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I personally find Amazonite to be a gentle and calming stone to work with.  It seems to work with the other elements in the jewelry that I create to bring the whole piece together in harmony and balance.

To find more of my hand made necklaces, click the button.

Glass comes forth from volcanic flow
Arrowheads, blades, and surgeon's art
Speak to the present,past, and the future
Seen in the smokey mirror of the Earth's heart

Beautiful, mysterious, and intriguing obsidian captures the imagination in every form that it takes.  This natural glass is formed from volcanic flows that cools too fast to form crystal structures.  I can just imagine the reaction of my ancestors when they found these shards flashing in the sunlight.  This natural glass can be found in many regions of the world where the volcanic activity creates flows that cool quickly.  Some of my favorite forms of obsidian can be found in North America.

This glass, with a Mohs hardness of 5 to 5.5 and no crystal structure is ideal for knapping.  No, knapping is not the ancient art of sleeping.  Knapping is the ancient art of creating tools from stone.  The process involves the skilled chipping of flakes from the stone in order to create beautiful and functional tools or sacred objects.  My favorite material for knapping is obsidian.  Yes, I do knapp.  No, I am not good at it.  Obsidian is used to create some of the sharpest arrowheads, knives, and even scalpels.  It both holds its edge and tends to be self sharpening, as anyone who has broken a glass can attest to.

Black obsidian is one of the materials that ancient mirrors were made from.  These highly polished pieces of natural glass could be flat, concave, convex, or shaped into a ball.  Some were used for practical use, but often, they were used in spiritual practices.  These mirrors and crystal balls were used by shamans, energy workers, and seers to get glimpses of the past, present, and the future.  Sometimes they were used to see spirits and ancestors.  Sometimes, they were used to communicate with the spirit realms.

The symbolism of obsidian is more often found in the specific used than in the stone.  However, in general, obsidian carries with it the symbolism of deep truth, protection, and abundance.

Obsidian is a stone of deep earth energy and fire.  It is, above all things, a grounding stone that connects to the heart of the earth.  It can create an important protective shield against negativity of all sorts. This is a gem that brings to light the full truth.  It is often used as a stone for shadow work and deep spiritual healing.  Some people find that it is a stone that dissolves limitations, and that it promotes clarity and focus.

I love working with obsidian on every level.  Artfully hand knapped blades make some of the most beautiful knives.  When I knapp my own jewelry, there seems to be a "buzz" to the air.  The pieces that I work with for meditation connect me deeply to the earth and my own heart.  Each form of obsidian has its own special twist on the energy of obsidian.

BLACK - protects from negative energies, connects with deep earth energy and spirit, shadow work, and prophecy.
SNOWFLAKE - helps to make the best of a bad situation, hear languages of spirit and nature, and shift patterns.
MAHOGANY - clears negativity and old wounds, connects deeply to earth, grounds, stabilizes, and strengthens.
RAINBOW - aids in shadow work, dimensional work, healing, and works as a mystical stone of vision.
GOLDEN SHEEN - connects to the cosmic sun, helps with manifestation and communication with spirit.
SILVER SHEEN - is often used as a meditation aid.

Northern lights trapped in a stone
Bring magic and mystery of the universe
Courageous expression of your truth
Gift to workers in the unseen realms

Labradorite is an unimpressive grey-green form of feldspar, until you get it into the light.  This translucent stone is laid down in layers and swirls that reflect the light in shimmering, vivid flashes of green, blue, and gold.  This is a sodium calcium aluminum silicate with a Mohs hardness of 6 to 6.5.  This magical stone has been known and used by the indigenous people of North America for more than 1000 years.  It was introduced to Europe in the 1700's by missionaries that visited the Labrador coast of Canada.  Deposits of labradorite are also found in Mexico, Russia, Madagascar, and the US.  The form found in Finland is called spectrolite.  The form found in Scandinavia is called larvikite.  Nuummite comes from Greenland.

There is an ancient Inuit legend of the discovery of this stone.   The legend has it that a warrior was out hunting when he came across exposed rocks.  As he traveled by, he saw the flashes of light in the stone where the Northern Lights had become trapped in their travels.  When he saw what had happened, he struck the stone with his spear.  Thus, he set the lights free.

The original people where this gem is found have always seen it as a stone of magic and connection with the spirit realms.  The shimmering and shifting light of this stone is seen as a portal between physical reality and the unseen dimensions.  Shamans, seers, spiritual healers, and other energy workers use this portal to access the knowledge and wisdom that is found there.  Labradorite is also seen as an aid for channeling energy and manifesting desires,  Not only is this a portal for energy workers, but it is also used as a protective and grounding aid for safe travels and safe return.

Labradorite is seen as enhancing intuition and psychic gifts.  Whether those gifts are clairvoyance, telepathy, or prophecy, this stone of mystery is seen as an aid.  This beautiful gem inspires and encourages creativity and artistic vision.  It can help you find the courage to express your truth.  It is often used as an aid to communicate with your guides and higher spirit.  It is seen as a connection to past lives and the Akashic records.

It has been said that the tyrant seeks power over others, where the magician seeks self mastery.  Labradorite truly is the magician's stone.  It encourages self-discovery and mental development.  It encourages you to find your own worthiness and focus for your energy.  It may help you tap into your inner power and limitless potential.
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I love this stone in all of its forms.  I find that its heady energy opens up the possibilities and potentials in life.  It is just soft enough to hand polish and yet it holds a beautiful sheen.  The photographs in this article are from my personal collection.

​To browse and purchase my wrapped stones click here:

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Find your path
With the Stone of Transformation
Work with Spirit
For creative manifestation

I love working with malachite with its mesmerizing swirls of light and dark green.  This richly colored gem is a copper carbonate stone with a Mohs hardness of 3.5 to 4.  Some of the best deposits of malachite are in Zaire, but it is also found in Australia, Chili, South Africa, US, Russia, and The Congo.  The Egyptians were mining malachite 6000 years ago in the Suez and the Sinai.

This easily worked stone has been used for thousands of years for polishing, carving, and pigment.  Although it is no longer recommended because of its toxicity, the Egyptians used it as a cosmetic and a medicine.  The Greeks, Romans, and others used it for jewelry and stone carvings.  The Russians used it for ornaments, inlay work, and paneling.  Malachite is still a favorite stone for jewelry makers who shape and polish their own pieces.

Malachite has long been seen as the Stone of Transformation.  It is believed to absorb negative energies from the environment and electronic pollution.  It is used for deep energy cleansing and healing.  It can help you let go of old traumas and patterns, and flush out old toxic emotions.  But transformation also requires the courage to embrace change.  Malachite is believed to encourage the strength, confidence and courage to follow through.  This combination of breaking up old patterns and finding new options is the beginning of finding new and healthier paths.

Not only does malachite absorb negative energy, but it can also help you spot emotional abuse and manipulation.  When this is combined with malachite's tendency to encourage confidence, courage, wisdom, and will power, it may help you set healthy boundaries.

It may help with the maintenance of both emotional and spiritual balance and a sense of spiritual connection.  Malachite is  a gem that connects to both the heart and the mind.  It is a stone that can be used to connect to your heart's desire.  It also connects to your higher self and purpose.  This earth magic stone helps ground this spiritual and heart energy in the practicality of the here and now.  It may help your creativity, and focus and clarity.  this all comes together with intuition to help you co-create your deepest desires with the universe.

Whether you are looking for protection or strength, connection or to break up old patterns, spirituality or beauty, malachite has something to offer almost everyone.  I find that working with malachite to create jewelry is a meditative process.  The stone and I become one for a while.  When I meditate with malachite, following the patterns and swirls pull me into other worlds.  This truly is a beautiful gem, on all levels.

To order your custom jewelry, click below.
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