Abalone
A
mollusk with a shell that is iridescent on the inside; abalone is one source of
mother of pearl. 
Alabaster
Also call gypsum, alabaster is a fine-grained, calcium-rich white mineral that
looks somewhat like white marble. It has historically been quarried in England
and Italy but there are fine Alabaster quarries in Colorado as well.
Amethyst
Amethyst
is the most highly prized purple variety of quartz and is the official birthstone
for February. The name comes from the Greek word amethystos, meaning "not drunken,"
because in ancient Greece amethyst was believed to protect the wearer from drunkenness.
With this in mind, wine goblets were often carved from it! Amethysts can fade
in sunlight, so minimize direct exposure to help maintain the rich purple color.
 Amber
Fossilized
tree sap. Commonly clear tan amber colored, but may have greenish to goldish inclusions.
Argite
Argite
appears in Zuni carvings but little can be found about its origin. It has been
called Spotted Serpentine and is similar to Zebra Stone which is
a black and white stone from the vicinity of Prescott, Arizona. It is said to
bring out your intuition, tenderness, gentleness and love. It helps you exercise
self-control and understand your chosen destiny. It stimulates creativity and
success.
Azurite
Azurite
is a brilliant deep blue stone (hydrated copper carbonate) that gets its vibrant
color from its close association with copper-bearing ores. It is related to malachite,
a vibrant green gemstone that is often found nearby or within the azurite. When
they are found together, often near copper deposits in Arizona, they are called
Azurmalachite.
Carnelian
A
translucent, semiprecious variety of the silica mineral chalcedony with physical
properties like quartz. Shades of red, orange, and reddish brown come small amounts
of ron oxide, or rust. Carnelian was used widely during Roman times to make signet
or seal rings for imprinting a seal with wax because hot wax does not stick to
Carnelian. Some of these rings have retained their high polish better than those
made from harder stones. Carnelian is mined principally in India, Brazil, and
Australia.
Charoite
Purple
with opal-like or pearlized variations in color raning from bright lavender to
violet to dark purple May have white, gray or black matrix (inclusions).
It
is a relatively "new" stone as it was first discovered in Russia in
1978 and acknowledged as a specific mineral at that time. Thus far, the Siberian
region is the only place it is found.
Charoite is said to accelerate spiritual
growth and increase the ability to love. 
Dolomite
A a sedimentary rock comprised primarily of calcium and magnesium. It is a
pinkish-yellowish brown in color and has a pearly luster. It has bands and striations
which give it depth and interest. 
Fish
Rock
Fish Rock is a form of serpentine. It is a very traditional
stone that has been carved since ancient times. It shines up very nicely. It is
usually a buff color with specks but can vary quite a bit. 
Jet
(Acoma Jet)
A solid black type of lignite coal that is mined around
the Acoma Pueblo region, thus the name Acoma Jet, or Jet for short. It is very
popular for carving fetishes. It is also used for inlaying but usually not used
in stone sets. 
Marble
Most marble is 90% calcite or dolomite. It is commonly white, brown, black and
mottled or variegated. 
Picasso
Marble (or Picasso stone) is a carbonate rock of diverse natural colors
such as gray, brown and black and with seemingly randomly oriented transecting
black veinlets. Much of Picasso Marble comes from Utah. 
Pipestone
Pipestone,
also known as catlinite, is a form of clay with a high iron content that
makes it red. The Plains Indians consider it to be a "sacred" material
since it often is used for ceremonial items such as pipes.
Olive
Shell
 Olive
shells are mollusks found mostly in warm tropical seas. These snails are carnivorous
sand-burrowers, feeding mostly on bivalves and carrion and are known as some of
the fastest burrowers among snails. An olive shell is smooth, and oval-shaped
with various muted but attractive colors, and often patterns.The shell surface
is extremely glossy because in life it almost always covered and protected by
a mantle.
Melon
Shell
 Melon
Shell comes from several melon-shaped mollusks of the genus "melo". Also called
Bailer shell or Bailer melon shell. Melon shell comes in various pastel shades
of cream to light brown. Commonly found on beaches and also are often by-products
of the seafood industry because the snails are harvested for meat.
Howlite
Snow
white to milky stone sometimes with wide brown or black veins. Can be dyed and
imitate turquoise, but real turquoise seldom has the wide veins that howlite does.
 Jasper
Jasper
comes form the Greek word, iaspis, jwhichmeans "spotted stone." A form of microcrystalline
quartz, jasper derives its colorful patterns from other minerals present, and
is often named according to its pattern. Wild Horse Jasper, for example,
is a striking combination of white with brown and small tan spots. It is generally
opaque and has a dull luster but takes a fine polish. It is mined in North Africa,
Sicily, France, India, Venezuela, Germany, the U.S.A. and elsewhere.
It
it thought by some that jasper has the power to drive away evil spirits and protect
against bites of snakes spiders. It supposedly gives a person courage.
Picture
jasper
Brown based stone with many swirls of darker brown to black.
In bigger pieces these swirls seem to make pictures.
 Red
Coral (also called Red Branch Coral)
Red Coral is the common name
given to Corallium Rubrum and several related species of marine coral.
The distinguishing characteristic of precious corals is their durable and intensely
colored red skeleton, which is used for making jewelry. Other names for Red Coral
are Precious Coral, Ox Blood Coral, and Fire Coral. Red coral
is a collection of hundreds of tiny animals living together in a colonies that
resemble small leafless bushes growing on dark, rocky seabottom. The arms of red
coral, like other branching corals, wave in the tides and curents to collect microscopic
plankton upon which they feed.The original species is found mainly in the Mediterranean
Sea, while other species are native to the western Pacific, around Japan and Taiwan.
Most of the deep red coral is Italian Coral. Their skeleton
is composed hard calcium carbonate, colored in shades of red from pale pink to
deep red. It can be semi-translucent to opaque. It is naturally matte, but can
be polished to a glassy shine. Red coral is frequently dyed to enhance color and
it can also be impregnated with resins or epoxies to fill surface fissures and
flaws. Reconstituted coral is made from natural solid material, or coral fragments
that have been pulverized into a powder, soaked in binding agents, then pressed
into a solid mass to be re-cut. Coral jewelry has been found
in ancient Egyptian and prehistoric European burials. The Romans believed coral
could protect children from harm, as well as cure bites from snakes and scorpions
and diagnose diseases by changing colour. 
Spiny
oyster
Spiny oyster, not surprisingly, is an oyster that is covered
with spines. It is found along the Atlantic coast of Baja California and Baja
Mexico. It varies from vibrant red shading into oranges and purples, with definite
striations and variation of the colors. Red spiny oyster has been used as a subsititute
for coral.
 Soapstone
Soapstone
is a very soft stone composed primarily of talc. It is gray to green in color,
has a soapy feel (hence the name) and is notable for its high degree of resistance
to acids and heat. Soapstone is easily cut with a knife or other sharp tool, making
it a popular material for centuries as a soft medium for carving and for making
smoking pipes.
Purple
onyx
Deep purple stone with no color variations. No black veins.
Sugilite
Deep
purple(intense) with some color variation, and possible black veins running through
stone. No opalization in this stone. 
Lapis
lazuli
Bluish purple, with possible gold flecking or striations.
(see description of flecks in turquoise.) 
Denim
lapis
A light bluish-white form of lapis lazuli. This stone comes
close to the color of faded denim material, hence the name.
Sodalite
 Sodalite
is a rich royal blue mineral that together with hauyne, nosean and lazurite is
a common constituent of lapis lazuli. A light, relatively hard yet fragile mineral,
sodalite is named after its sodium content. Well known for its blue color, sodalite
may also be grey, yellow, green, or pink and is often mottled with white veins
or patches. The more uniformly blue material is used in jewelry, where it is fashioned
into cabochons and beads. That with more veining, patches and mottling is used
in carving for interest. Although very similar to lazurite and lapis lazuli, sodalite
is royal blue rather than ultramarine. Sodalite also rarely contains pyrite, a
common inclusion in lapis. Sodalite's six directions of poor cleavage may be seen
as incipient cracks running through the stone.
 Malachite
Malachite, copper carbonate, is a secondary copper mineral found in oxidized copper
deposits. It is light to dark green, sometimes banded with darker and lighter
shades of green. The bands sometimes form concentric rings. Polished,
banded Malachite has been carved into ornaments and worn as jewelry for thousands
of years, and in some ancient civilizations it was thought to be a protection
from evil if worn as jewelry. Malachite is generally found with blue Azurite,
and sometimes the two may occur admixed or banded together, forming "Azure-malachite".
Green
snail
A shell of green variegated colors. 
Black
onyx
Solid black stone used in settings, but not used for carvings
or inlay work.
 Pink
mussel
Clear pink shell. Can vary from deep pink to pale pink, has
translucent quality.
Rhodochrosite
Pink
stone with some color variations and striations and interior fracturing of colors.
 White
mother of pearl
Clear white translucent shell, sometimes has a little
striation. MOP is the common name for iridescent nacre, a blend of minerals that
are secreted by oysters, abalone, and other mollusks and deposited inside their
shells, coating and protecting their bodies from parasites and foreign objects.
Mother-of-Pearl is said to stimulate intuition, sensitivity, imagination, and
adaptability and help with clarity in decision making. Mother of Pearl stirs and
awakens the primordial memory of your origin in the infinite ocean of divine love
and stirs this memory in every cell of your physical body thereby producing an
overall calming effect as it gently stirs the life energy of your cells. Like
waves lapping the shore, this stirring is steady, relaxing, and rhythmical.
 Gold-lip
mother of pearl
Outside edge of certain mother of pearl (mop) shells.
Clear yellow to yellow -gold colors, used mostly for inlay work.
 Opal
Blue
stone with interior fracturing of light which results in a play of color. Opal
is October's birthstone and is believed to make the wearer less self-conscious,
thereby encouraging spontaneous action and awakening one's psyche.
Lab
grown opal
Whiter stone with much fracturing of light. Can be also
bluish or reddish color. Similar chemical composition as natural opal.
Varacite
Turquoise
look-a-like, very similar chemically, generally light blue/green with a lot of
matrix.
Magnesite
(also called Wild Horse)
A milk chocolate- to-dark chocolate colored
stone, with bold patches of white.
Serpentine
The
state rock of California, serpentine is a gemrock, with wide diversity in color
and character, from green to yellow, with browns, black and whites. It can be
bi-colored, streaked, mottled, banded or spotted and it has a slippery, snake-like
surface (hence the name). It is composed of several minerals including minor amounts
of chrysotile a somewhat benign form of asbestos. It is said to help one find
inner peace, calmness, and a long life; instills in the bearer a respect for the
elderly and wards off snake bites. 
Tiger
eye
A rich brown stone with veining and opal-like iridescence. Can
have a definite 'eye'.
Gaspeite
Pea
green stone with some color variations. Darker shades can resemble some green
turquoise.
Zebra
stone
A black and white stone from the vicinity of Prescott, Arizona. It is said
to bring out your intuition, tenderness, gentleness and love. It helps you exercise
self-control and understand your chosen destiny. It stimulates creativity and
success. | 
