From the areas of the Amazon Basin in South America comes one of the prettiest stones, in my opinion. It is called Amazonite, as that was the first area this stone was purportedly discovered. Wikipedia reports that other deposits have been found in Russia, Colorado, Virginia, Canada, Madagascar, and Brazil. The rock is a microcline variety of feldspar.
Many specimens of this mineral have a green color, but my favorite variety is the soft, pale blue, as shown in these photos of an Amazonite sphere that is in my collection. Wikepedia reports that:
For many years, the source of amazonite's color was a mystery. Naturally, many people assumed the color was due to copper because copper compounds often have blue and green colors. More recent studies suggest that the blue-green color results from small quantities of lead and water in the feldspar.
Besides scientific properties, some people believe that minerals and stones can have metaphysical properties as well, and many sources report such properties for Amazonite. For those interested, one such source is CrystalsAndJewelry.com.
I find the soft, pale color of this specimen of Amazonite to be pretty, calming, and delightful to hold and examine. There are delicate, whitish lines running around the sphere in various patterns which I find fascinating. The whitish streaks are another mineral, albite, that has grown alongside the Amazonite. Thanks for looking at this lovely sphere with me! 😊
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