2) We recommend a Sunshine ® Polishing Cloth to brighten up your Jewelry. Silver is quite soft and can be easily scratched
with a fingernail, so be sure to remove any dust or dirt and clean your piece gently!.
3) How can you prevent the Silver from Tarnishing? All of our silver jewelry is sent in little Ziploc Baggies. Keep your Sterling
Silver Jewelry bright between wearings by keeping it stored in the baggie.
| Stone |
Durability |
Rarity |
Cleaning Recommendations |
| African Jade |
A relatively hard gemstone. Generally untreated. |
A somewhat rare (and becoming much harder to find) 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 |
