Larimar & Turquoise Jewellery

Larimar is a rare form of Blue Pectolite which is renowned for its unique colour and markings.  Popular for use in semi precious jewellery, it’s a magnificent gemstone which is pretty rare due to there being very little rough material left to mine.  Found exclusively in the Dominican Republic, the most valuable mining area is Los Chupaderos, approximately ten kilometres south west of the city of Barahona.

Also known as Atlantis stone because of the belief that the Dominican Republic was once a part of the lost continent of Atlantis, Larimar closely resembles the natural colours of the Caribbean Sea.  In crystal healing it is known as the Dolphin Stone and is believed to be able to increase communication with sea creatures.  There are many metaphysical and spiritual properties associated with Larimar and its unique colours are associated with peace, serenity and love.

Stone Mania the UK’s leading online retailer of hand crafted pendant necklaces and chunky gemstone rings boasts a magnificent collection of finest grade Larimar mounted as gemstone pendants in fine sterling silver.  This rare and fascinatingly translucent gemstone is highly sought after and for ladies who love gemstone jewellery, a Larimar pendant would make a very special gift.

Although the two are very different, Larimar is sometimes mistaken for Turquoise, one of the world’s oldest semi precious stones.  Known to have been used as far back as 6000 years BC, the colour of Turquoise can vary quite significantly and it is often identified from its dark brown coloured matrix or veins.   Despite its age, it is still one of the most popular gemstones for use in women’s jewellery but sadly it is also one of the most common to be imitated.  Surprisingly the practice of copying semi precious stones is known to date back to at least Ancient Egypt.  Man has always been and still is obsessed with imitating anything of value whether it be a Turquoise gemstone or a Gucci handbag, if it can be copied convincingly, it will be in great demand.

With regards to ladies jewellery, Turquoise pendants, big chunky Gemstone Rings and Turquoise earrings are always popular and sterling silver jewellery is much more affordable than gemstone jewellery which has been mounted in gold. Sleeping Beauty Turquoise from the Sleeping Beauty Mountain in Globe, Arizona is highly sought after due to its pure blue colour and the fact that it will often lack any matrix.  Although Turquoise can be found in a number of locations worldwide, some of the most important producers include south west USA, China, Afghanistan and Iran.

Christmas Shopping for Jewellery Online

Are you really dreading starting your Christmas Shopping?  The mere thought for most men will make their hair, for those lucky enough to have any, stand on end.  Joining the throngs of women and screaming kids up and down the country as they trawl through towns and shopping centres desperately looking for the perfect Christmas gift that will probably end up on eBay on Boxing day anyway, is just too much to bear.  Even before you get close to the shops, the thought of how to get there is stressful enough unless of course, you’re fortunate enough to be able to do your Christmas shopping midweek between 11am and 2pm which is pretty unlikely for the vast majority of men and many women today as well. 

On week-ends and after work you’ll be packed in like sardines on public transport, if you drive you’ll likely to be stuck in traffic in both directions plus there’ll be queues to get in and out of the car park and the most traumatic thought of all, what the hell am I going to buy!   Oh the delights of Christmas shopping, thank goodness Christmas only comes once a year.

With the explosion of shopping online over the last few years, you can now do all your Christmas shopping in comfort at any time of day on any day of the week, in an environment of your choice and without having to worry about how you’re going to get it all home.  Shopping online has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years and it’s now possible to buy almost anything at all online and have it delivered to your door, wherever you live.  Many companies offer incentives like free shipping, fast delivery and gift wrap service and if you're nervous about using your credit card online, consider using PayPal, their services are free to the consumer, your financial details are kept safe and should your items not arrive or match the description given on the website, they will help you get all of your money back.

The amount of jewellery online has also increased dramatically and now instead of having to trawl around jewellery shops looking in cabinets at what they have available for sale, whatever kind of jewellery you’re after is now available right at your fingertips.  Gemstone jewellery, silver jewellry, chunky jewelry, pendant necklaces, gemstones rings, whatever you want is there at the click of a mouse and the variety is almost unlimited. 

Not only has the volume of shopping done on a daily basis online increased dramatically but in recent years, Christmas shopping has also rocketed.  Statistics for shopping online can be pretty daunting, but to give you an idea of the magnitude of this phenomenon, Boxing Day 2011 was the busiest ever online shopping day in the UK with ninety six million UK internet visits targeting retail websites.  Through the course of that same year, thirty eighty billion pounds was spent on retail therapy from the UK a figure which is expected to rise to seventy seven billion during 2012.  It is estimated that six out of ten British adults shop for jewellery online as well as many other products including food, music, clothing and holidays. 

Another terrifying fact for any online retailer is that after Googling a specific word or phrase, many people will only look at the first page of results that are returned and even more will only look at the first two or three listings and if nothing captures their attention, they’ll search again.  With this in mind, the importance of appearing at the top of page one of Google for any business trading online cannot be under estimated and many will pay obscene amounts of money in an attempt to land the top slot, however Google is not stupid and constantly keeps its eye on the ball to ensure that only the most genuine, most popular and most frequently visited websites actually reach the top slots.     

The word “Jewellery” is searched for 13,600,000 times per month globally through Google alone and when spelt “Jewelry” which is the American spelling, that figure increases to 20,400,000 and you may be surprised to learn that when spelt incorrectly as “Jewellry", it’s searched for 1,830,000 times just from the UK.  With regards to results, this varies from 1,040,000 to 444,000,000 depending on the way in which the word is spelt and bearing in mind what has just been said about the vast majority of people not looking further than page one, the success of any business online no longer rests in the laps of the Gods, but instead they're at the mercy of Google.  

So this year, avoid the stress of Christmas shopping on the high street and shop online instead.  Stone Mania the UK’s leading online retailer of gemstone jewellery with a particularly impressive collection of Rose Quartz pendants, has had a significant presence with jewellery online since 2003.  We have most certainly seen a dramatic increase in Christmas Shopping year on year and we are well aware that in order to succeed, you must stay ahead of your game.  All of our customers can enjoy free shipping within the UK and also to the USA and whilst shopping for gemstone jewellery at Stone Mania, you can chat to us live in real time whenever we’re online.  If you prefer to call, just use our 0800 number and emails are answered as soon as we receive them.   

Stone Mania offers plenty of exciting gift ideas for ladies who love gemstone jewellery and in particular jewellry featuring large, colourful semi precious stones.  Doing your Christmas Shopping online with us may just possibly be the best choice you’ve made all year.

Caring for Women's Jewellery

Before starting to sell women’s jewellery online in 2003, I knew absolutely nothing about jewellery or semi precious stones however since then, I have accumulated a wealth of invaluable information which I now love to share with others who are as passionate about gemstones as I am.

The term “semi precious stones” is not particularly favoured by gemmologists who deem all gemstones to be precious to a certain degree.   After all a fine grade of Garnet or Aquamarine, both of which are “semi precious stones”, can easily rival the price of a Ruby or Sapphire so what exactly makes one gemstone precious and another semi precious?  Some may argue that rarity or value is the chief contributing factor but there are plenty of semi precious stones which are rare and pretty expensive and many low grade precious stones which are common and relatively cheap which basically puts an end to that argument straight away!

Whatever you prefer to call them, gemstones are beautiful natural objects which have evolved over millions of years and gemstone jewellery has been worn for personal adornment since prehistoric man walked the Earth.  Historians have learnt that almost every natural material has at one time or another been used in women’s jewellery and certain semi precious materials can be dated as far back as 70,000 years.  

Semi precious stones come in an endless variety of colours and despite it having taken millions of years for the minerals to evolve, gemstones can quickly become spoilt if not well looked after.  Whilst the colour of Amethyst can fade if exposed to excessive heat or bright sunlight, Chrysocolla will easily crack if not well protected and Turquoise can be damaged by coming into contact with the oil from your skin or chemicals found in perfumes and hairsprays.

Women’s jewellery is easy to look after and by following a few easy steps, you’ll be able to enjoy your collection for many years to come.  The most important rule is to keep your jewellery covered with a soft piece of material when it’s not being worn, this will help to prevent silver from tarnishing and gemstones from becoming scratched.  Mohs scale of mineral hardness confirms that all semi precious stones can be scratched by a gemstone which is harder so you’ll be surprised at just how easy it is for your favourite Turquoise pendants or Lapis Lazuli necklace to get scratched and without re polishing, these marks are there to stay.

Using a silver polishing cloth will remove any build up of tarnish and giving your jewellery a quick wipe before putting it away will remove traces of chemicals or other pollutants which it may have accumulated whilst being worn.  Due to the chemicals in most swimming pools and salt and moisture from your skin, always remove your jewellery before swimming or going to the gym, protect your hands from detergents when wearing gemstone rings and be careful to avoid sudden temperature changes such as opening a freezer if wearing a pendant necklace as this could cause certain gemstones to crack.  Women’s jewellery often becomes damaged as a result of being cleaned in silver dips or other jewellery cleaning solutions so take extra care if ever you’re thinking of using one of these.    

There are no hard and fast rules to follow with regards to caring for women’s jewellery and what may be acceptable for some pieces may be not be recommended for others so before cleaning any of your jewellery or gemstones, always speak to a professional first to get some expert advice and remember, if you’re doing your research online, anyone can write articles and post them online so be sure to delve deeper and cross reference what you read to check how accurate the information actually is.