Amazonite

Amazonite is a color variety of microcline, a potassium-rich member of the feldspar mineral group and its green color is thought to be caused by trace amounts of lead. The gem was first named “Amazon stone”, after the Amazon River - although there are no known occurrences near that river. That name evolved into Amazonite, which sounds more appropriate for a gem or a mineral. Amazonite is found in small deposits in several parts of the world. Deposits are known in the United States, Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Namibia, Norway, Poland, Russia, and Sweden.

Some vendors attempted to make the gem sound a little more valuable by calling it “Amazon jade”. That type of name is a “misnomer”, a name that suggests a different (and usually more valuable) identity - in this case, jade. Amazonite has been used as a gem for over 2000 years. It has been found in archaeological excavations of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (an area that covered portions of present-day Iraq, Kuwait, Syria and Turkey). It was also worn as jewelry in pre-Columbian South and Central America and was believed to have adorned the shields of the semi-mythical Amazonians, a formidable tribe of female warriors thought to live in the 10th century B.

C. They also used Amazonite medicinally to heal wounds and illnesses of all kinds. The conquistadors prized it for adornment Some of the most popular amazonite specimens are from Teller County, Colorado, where amazonite crystals are often accompanied by large prismatic crystals of smoky quartz. Our pieces here today are from Madagascar.