| Stone |
Durability |
Rarity |
Cleaning Recommendations |
| African Jade |
A relatively hard gemstone. Generally untreated. |
A somewhat rare massive green garnet from Africa |
Sunshine Cloth |
| Amazonite |
A feldspar which is relatively durable, this gemstone should be protected from excessive sunlight and water. Generally not treated, this gemstone can be immersed in warm water. Avoid harsh cleaning solutions. |
Moderately common |
Sunshine Cloth |
| Amber |
A soft organic gemstone, this is fossilized Tree Sap. Can be rinsed in warm water. NO harsh cleaning solutions. |
Moderately common |
Sunshine Cloth |
| Andalusite |
Protect from heat. |
Relatively rare and expensive |
Sunshine Cloth |
| Angelite |
VERY Fragile! Soft and dissolvable in water, so be careful to protect from HEAT and WATER. |
Somewhat rare |
Sunshine Cloth |
| Apatite |
Somewhat Fragile--about the same hardness as your teeth. Protect from heat, excessive exposure to water and harsh cleaning fluids. |
Rare and quite expensive |
Sunshine Cloth |
| Aquamarine |
A very durable gemstone, this is Beryl, with a Hardness of 8 out of a possible 10 (diamond). Sometimes dyed, so beware of harsh cleaning fluids if you think the stone has been treated. |
Rare and very expensive. Aquamarine is being flooded from China. We do not expect this to last, as Geologically, Aquamarine (Beryl) is a rare gemstone. We highly suggest investing in some nice grade Aquamarine at this time. |
Sunshine Cloth |
| Aragonite |
VERY Fragile! Soft and dissolvable in water, so be careful to protect from HEAT and WATER. |
Relatively common |
Sunshine Cloth |
| Aventurine |
Relatively durable. Composed of finely crystalline Quartz. |
Relatively common |
Sunshine Cloth |
| Azurite |
VERY Fragile! Soft and dissolvable in water, so be careful to protect from HEAT and WATER. |
Rare and expensive |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Bloodstone |
Relatively durable. A Jasper. |
Relatively common. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Blue Aventurine |
Relatively durable. A finely crystalline Quartz based gemstone. |
Relatively common. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Blue Chalcedony |
Relatively durable, however, should be protected from Heat and Sunlight to
preserve the coloring. An amorphous Quartz gemstone. |
Relatively rare and expensive in the natural state. May be heat treated (generally more purple and cloudier) |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Blue Lace Agate |
Relatively durable. A Quartz based gemstone. |
Somewhat rare. Found in one locale. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Botswana Agate |
Relatively durable. A Quartz based gemstone. |
Somewhat rare. Found in one locale. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Bronzite |
A submetallic gemstone, Bronzite should be protected from excessive exposure to Water. |
A beautiful stone, it is a rare find in Jewelry |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Bulls Eye Agate |
Relatively durable. A Quartz based gemstone. |
Relatively rare and obscure |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Calcite |
EXTREMELY FRAGILE. Can be easily scratched with a fingernail. Readily dissolvable in water. Protect from heat. |
Common |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Carnelian |
Relatively durable. A Quartz based gemstone. |
Somewhat common |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Cats Eye |
This is the precious Chrysoberyl Variety. Genuine Chrysoberyl Cats Eye is a tough gemstone. |
Extremely rare and expensive. |
Silver or Gold Cleaning Solvent. |
|
Charoite |
Somewhat durable, this gemstone is softer than Quartz |
Rare. Found in only one locale in Russian. With the fall of the Iron Curtain, Charoite has flooded the market. We do not expect this to last, as Geologically, Charoite is a rare gemstone. We highly suggest investing in some nice grade Charoite at this time. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Chrysocolla |
EXTREMELY FRAGILE. Can be easily scratched with a fingernail. Readily dissolvable in water. Protect from heat. |
Rare and expensive. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Chrysoprase |
Relatively durable. A Quartz based gemstone. |
Somewhat rare. One of the most expensive Quartz gemstones. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Citrine |
Relatively durable. A Quartz based gemstone. |
Somewhat common. Often heat-treated, most natural Citrine comes from Brazil. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Copper |
Fragile. Easily bent with the fingers and scratched with a fingernail. Will tarnish on exposure to air. Store in Ziploc baggie between wearings. |
Common. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Coral |
EXTREMELY FRAGILE. Can be easily scratched with a fingernail. Will dissolve eventually if worn in water. Protect from heat and sunlight which will fade the gemstone. |
Natural Coral is rare and getting rarer and has now been BANNED from mining and
is prohibited for shipment outside the US. An excellent investment (if you can find any!) |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Crazy Lace Agate |
Relatively durable. A Quartz based gemstone. |
Somewhat common. Most Crazy Lace Agate comes from Mexico and appears to be getting rarer and of poorer quality. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Dalmation Stone |
Relatively durable. A Quartz based gemstone. |
Somewhat common. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Diamond |
Extremely hard, though may be brittle. |
Very rare. |
Silver or Gold Cleaning Solvent. |
|
Diopside |
About as hard as your teeth. |
Quite rare, especially the stunning Green Diopside. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Dumortierite |
Sometimes called Dumortinite. Quite durable. Often used to mimic Lapis |
Somewhat common. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Emerald |
Very durable. A Beryl. |
Very Rare Chromium bearings Beryl. An excellent grade of Emerald is more valuable than a Diamond. |
Silver or Gold Cleaning Solvent. |
|
Dalmation Stone |
Relatively durable. A Quartz based gemstone and the name for multi-colored Jasper |
Common. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Fire Opal |
FRAGILE. A Quartz based gemstone with water trapped in the crystal structure. PROTECT FROM HEAT and SUNLIGHT. |
Rare. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Fluorite |
VERY FRAGILE. Soft and easily cleaved (broken). |
Somewhat common. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Garnet |
True Garnet is always heavy. Relatively durable. |
Red varieties are commonest, then Orange. Green Garnet is the rarest. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Gold |
In pure form (i.e., 24KT) Gold very soft. Most Gold is alloyed to make the metal harder (i.e., 10K, 14K). |
Very rare. |
Gold Cleaning Solvent. |
|
Hematite |
Hematite is an Iron Ore and will rust when exposed to water. |
Common. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Howlite |
Quite soft. |
Common. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Iolite |
Sometimes called Water Sapphire or Cordierite, Iolite is a durable gemstone. |
Somewhat rare, especially in larger sizes. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Jade/Jadeite |
Jade is known for being a tough gemstone. Real Jade is expensive,
so Serpentine is often passed off as "New Jade" and substituted for this gemstone. |
Rare. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Jet |
FRAGILE. Jet is the fossilized remains of ancient Trees and every bit as fragile as Amber. |
Rare. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Kunzite |
A relatively hard and durable gemstone. Kunzite may change colors on exposure to light--usually settling on Pink. |
Extremely rare and expensive. |
Sunshine Cloth |
|
Kyanite |
An exceptionally beautiful gemstone, Kyanite is somewhat fragile in that the stone wants to break along certain lines and until very recently could not be formed into beads. |
Rare. |
Sunshine Cloth |
