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- 1. Aventurine
- 2. The History and Meaning of Aventurine
- 3. Physicochemical Properties of Aventurine
- 4. Healing Properties and Metaphysical Properties of Aventurine
- 5. Aventurine for sale by KenKenGems
Aventurine
They say that accidents are not accidental. The hero of this post confirms this statement because its very name means an accident, a lucky one. Accidentally or not, this stone displays myriads of tiny sparks, it as if it was covered with golden dust. A few gems can boast this amazing optical phenomenon but this stone was the one to give it its name. Without further ado, let us introduce aventurine, a shimmering mineral loved by countless generations.
The History and Meaning of Aventurine
Aventurine has been known since antiquity. The first mentions of the stone come from Ancient China and India. In the Celestial Empire, the gem was highly revered on a par with jade. Even an imperial seal was made of aventurine. In India, aventurine nuggets were used by snake whisperers since they believed that the energies of the gem and snakes were similar. With an aventurine charm, they could easily and safely interact with serpents.
One of the legends explaining the origin of the gem’s name mentions snakes as well. Once an Italian glassblower was looking for materials he could use to craft some items for one of his wealthy clients. The craftsmen wandered through a cave and came across a snake. Scared to death, he tried to run away, but tripped over a stone, fell, and hit his head. When he got up, the snake disappeared. The glassblower carefully examined the stone that came his way. The gem appeared shimmering and sparkling. ‘This radiance must have scared away the snake’, the glassblower thought, so he took the beautiful stone with him. A lucky chance helped him avoid danger and fulfill the order of a rich client. The man named the stone aventurine because Italian ‘per avventura’ means by chance or by accident.
A different story says that a glassblower accidentally spilled copper filings into molten glass. The glass he made of this blend was so beautiful that he came up with an apt name aventurine to emphasize that it appeared completely by accident. Soon, this name stuck to gemstones looking like shimmering glass.
Physicochemical Properties of Aventurine
Aventurine belongs to the group of fine-grained quartzes. These gems consist of small fragments of quartz and chaotically scattered disseminations of mica. Depending on the deposit, aventurine may contain admixtures of hematite, muscovite, goethite, fuchsite, iron, rutile, and chlorite. These impurities are responsible for the color of specimens and shimmering. When a ray of light hits the mineral, its surface and depths flare up with thousands of tiny glowing particles. This optical effect was named aventurescence after the stone.
Aventurine has a medium hardness (6.0-6.5 on the Mohs scale) and after polishing, the stone gets a waxy luster.
When it comes to colors, the most common ones are the following:
•Green aventurines, sometimes called fuchsite after the famous mineralogist I. Fuchs, feature admixtures of chromium and mica. Some of the most noteworthy varieties of the gem are mined in India nearby the town of Chennai. These specimens are also referred to as Indian jade or Indian nephrite.
•Honey-yellow aventurines have a porous structure and uniform coloration. Their glittery effect is due to the admixture of muscovite. A yellow-brown variety of the mineral from a large deposit in the Southern Urals is called taganaite. Some of the most shimmering specimens of yellow aventurine are dubbed golden sand.
•Brown minerals exhibiting a cherry tint have a granular structure and the highest density among their peers. These specimens are distinguished by a high content of chromophore elements and hematite.
•Golden cherry aventurines have the most uniform structure due to the small size of quartz particles in their chemical composition. This variety of gem is believed to be the most shimmering.
•Pink aventurine is perhaps the least shiny of its counterparts. It has a relatively modest content of hematite, rutile, and mica, i.e. minerals responsible for shimmering. The stone is pink due to iron admixtures.
•Aventurines mined it Tibet feature flakes of hematite. These stones have different colors and each of them got its own trade name. Astrumite showcases greenish-gray tints, leonite is yellowish, and eosite is of a gentle pink color.
•White aventurines feature a dense fine-grained structure with little impurities.
•Black aventurine has a high density and subdued gloss.
•Blue stones have a velvet-ish blue tint spangled with tiny golden splashes. Its appearance resembles the night sky.
Healing Properties and Metaphysical Properties of Aventurine
The metaphysical properties of aventurine are associated with the lunar cycle. It is not beneficial to wear aventurine jewelry when the moon is growing since the gem may bring misfortunes and problems.
It is believed that aventurine is a symbol of love. However, the gem is handful and fickle so it’s not advised to wear it all the time. You can put on aventurine jewelry and talismans when you start a new venture because it can help enlist the support of Lady Luck.
They say that aventurine helps in gambling. Indeed, it is capable of bringing luck but, again, due to its mutable nature, it will hardly act as a lucky charm if you keep it with you at all times.
When it comes to its healing properties, this stone is beneficial to people who have skin issues. To promote recovery, you should either massage the affected skin area every day or wear aventurine jewelry. Besides that, the mineral is capable of combating the diseases of the upper respiratory tract. If you want to get rid of bronchitis, an aventurine pendant or necklace will come in handy. Finally, the gem is able to remove toxins from the blood and prevent hair loss.
Aventurine for sale by KenKenGems
The shimmer of aventurine mesmerizes. If you, too, have succumbed to its allure, feel free to browse through KenKenGem aventurine collection. We have many exciting options to please you including aventurine beads, strands and half-strands, pendants, sets of hand-picked stones, as well as fascinating one-of-a-kind aventurines. Cut en cabochon or carrying fancy cuts such as flowers and donuts, our gems are always the best choice for your jewelry.
