Favorite stones!

"Favourite stones"

ArmidatheSaracen said:

I'm becoming fond of fire agate, I read a great deal about its history, I don't remember whether it is fire agate or carnelian that the ancient Romans would burn before riding into battle to give them courage, but the two are often used interchangeably for inspiring the spirit and mind, for ambition and passion, confidence...

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Really? I have never heard of this - and how can one burn a stone?
Might you have a reference as I'm most interested ArmidatheSaracen.
I have a small rough piece of fire agate with a tiny polished section - it really looks like a frozen piece of bubbling lava. It's fascinating.

Here's an example of the agate (not mine, I doubt my little camera would do it justice):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/1505...1=ICEP3.0.0-L&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108&ff19=0

Pricey.

i love anything that shows an interesting play of colour or chatoyancy.
my all time favourite would probably be labradorite, i also love moonstone, opals, fire agate and anything that shows a 'star' or cat's eye effect.
other stones i find myself drawn to are fluorite, citrine and garnet.

i was torn between choosing an opal or a star sapphire for my engagement ring (i ended up choosing the opal). i think diamonds are so boring

My favorite is garnet.

I like anything with a little fire...Boulder Opal, (any opal really) Labradoraite, Rainbow Moonstone, Fire Agate...

But I also am very drawn to sparkly golden Citrine crystals and to Smokey Quartz

and lately I have a new found affinity for Flourite, Aqua Aura crystals and the amazing Alexandrite.

I guess I like a lot of stones.

and I know it's not a natural stone...but being in Michigan all summer, I was introduced to Fordite...so freakin' cool!
http://www.fordite.com/

There is no way i can come up with only one favorite...

i love them all! Really, i do...

Chronata, when you were in Michigan, did you see any Petoskey Stones?

http://www.tribal-software.com/images/petoskey7.jpg

Hubby and i are originally from Michigan. There are also a lot of Agates on the
shores of Lake Superior. When i was a child my dad used to take me"agate picking" in a place called
"Five Mile Point" [Near Ahmeek, where my dad was raised]in the Upper Peninsula on the shore.
We used to come home with so many gorgeous agates.

Iolite wins out over the others for me (I've got a very nice eye clean piece, about 35ct) - but my selenite votive holders come in a close second
Michael

"Favourite stones"

Chronata said:

and I know it's not a natural stone...but being in Michigan all summer, I was introduced to Fordite...so freakin' cool!
http://www.fordite.com/

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Natural, smatural!
I love Blue Goldstone. Goldstone apparently came into being with Monks attempting alchemy (the dream of the Midas touch) . It's a mixture of copper, glass and... can never remember the 3rd ingredient.
I have a small frog, heart, and wrist mala that I strung myself after searching for the perfect sized beads
at a market.
(In- fact, some years ago, I bought a similar frog as a present for my sister-in-law and
found myself writing a spontaneous creation myth about it. Spontaneous writing is fascinating to me, as it happens rarely. When it does - it's usually a lovely little poem or storey that comes out.).

Blue Goldstone reminds me of the night sky and the Egyptian Goddess Nuit.
http://uk.pinterest.com/pin/507569820478394106/
(sorry, photo is a bit fuzzy).

My favorite stone from my small collection is a tumbled lapis lazuli. I like to keep it in my hands especially when I'm mulling over Oracle or Tarot cards.

Other stones I've put on my shelf for easy viewing are an amethyst cluster, raw citrine, black tourmaline, and a heart-shaped aventurine the Metaphysical shop I frequent was giving out for the holidays.