Gemstones have been a part of the human culture for countless centuries. Regardless of which part of the world you live in, there is a strong chance that your region has a history of dealing with gemstones in terms of their mystical effects on life. While many cultures have their own versions and renditions on how different gemstones affect a person’s life, the perception of most people in the modern world is aligned with western astrology. According to western astrology, just like every month has a star sign related to it, there are specific gemstones for each month as well. The traditional gemstone for the currently ongoing month of March is aquamarine.

As the name of the gemstone suggests, aquamarine is almost always connected to sea water. In fact, aquamarine literally means sea water. According to many legends, aquamarine is said to be the treasure of the mermaids. While there are mystical connotations pertaining to the aquamarine, the most logical reason for it being related to the sea could be its color. If you live on the coast or have seen clear and pristine waters in your life then you would find it easier to understand the color of aquamarine. Even though the aquamarine can boast the full range of colors i.e. from red to completely transparent, the majority of these stones are either sea blue or sea green in color. Notably, the most desired version of the aquamarine gemstone is sky blue.

March 27 - Mariah Carey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Traditionally speaking, owing to its relation to the sea and the mermaids, aquamarine is known to have the ability to protect sailors and guarantee their journey over water. The color of the stone can also be a reason for the fact that aquamarine is said to signify faith, courage and friendship. Some people even believe that dreams involving aquamarine mean that the dreamer would find new friendships and will see his existing relationships becoming stronger. Furthermore, as is usually seen with such colors and clear waters, aquamarine is supposed to have a tranquil quality to it. This is the reason why most people with anger management issues are advised to wear aquamarine in either a necklace or rings. An extension of this working principle is the fact that aquamarine is a gemstone that is highly recommended for couples whose marriages may be in trouble or who have difficulty in communicating with each other.

March 26 – Keira Knightley (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Also worth mentioning is the fact that aquamarine is a gemstone that is advised for people who are on the verge of some dangerous or risky tasks. The reason for this is that aquamarine is said to have properties that allow it to counter evil or the devil. Moreover, there are some people who even believe that aquamarine has some healing properties for the person wearing it. The most common beliefs suggest that wearing aquamarine can prove to be highly beneficial for people who have health problems related to the throat or mental stresses of varying kinds.

March 19 - Bruce Willis (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On a different note, people whose birthdays fall in the month of March are said to be specifically sensitive to the positive properties of aquamarine. It is because of this reason that most astrology experts advise March born people to wear aquamarine and always have it in contact with their skins. This means wearing aquamarine in either rings or in necklaces because these are the best avenues for the physical contact that is required. There are many famous celebrities who have birthdays in the month of March and can benefit from the use of aquamarine’s wondrous qualities. Pictured in this post are the more prominent ones.

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The Amethyst

This stone is belongs to the quartz family and can be found in many locations worldwide.  The color of the Amethyst ranges in all hues of purple, from tender lilac to grape purple.  It is also referred to as the “Bishop’s Stone” since Catholic bishops wear Amethyst rings. The Crystal System is trigonal and its hardness is at a solid 7. Continue reading »

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Introducing our New Monthly Feature: Know Your Birthstone! Every month we will put the spotlight on that month’s birthstone. Learn about it’s gemological origins and implications, and even some of the bigger names to share your birthstone! Continue reading »

Materialytics claims it can tell you the origin of a diamond with 95 percent accuracy. The company is based out of Killeen, Texas and is not interested in marketing their technology at the present time.

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The California gold rush in the mid-1800s brought many to California in search of fame and fortune, but the first gold found in the United States was found much farther east in North Carolina. While the gold rush didn’t last very long, people did make some money and the West was founded on that premise. Although gold or mining is not often found in the United States, there are pockets of gold that can be useful to mining companies.

One such mine has been reopened in South Carolina of all places. The Haile Gold Mine is now re-open and being mined by a Canadian company, Romarco Minerals Inc. This mine is the only one of its type located east of the Mississippi River and will provide gold for jewelry and other uses. With an expected 3.1 million ounces of gold, the Haile Gold Mine is an exciting find and will help Romarco make its first gold bar there., which is expected to happen in 2014. Continue reading »

Treasure hunting is very exciting, especially when you consider the history of the ships that have been sunk out in the waters. The treasures, which include jewelry, antiques and precious metals, were often being hauled by the orders of kings and queens and were considered very valuable. Now that time has passed, these treasures are even more valuable for their history as well as the sheer value of the items themselves.

A company in Florida that specializes in finding sunken treasure has discovered a ship carrying millions of dollars worth of silver. Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc has discovered the SS Mantola that was torpedoed by a German ship back in 1917.  The sliver was insured for 110,000 British pounds back then, but is worth much more now and Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc will be able to keep 80 percent of the value of the treasure with the other 20 percent going to the British government. Continue reading »

Young boys often think about treasure hunting and pirates, but there are real treasures out there deep beneath the surface of the oceans. Advances in aquatic technology have allowed us to recover treasures as well as sunken ships from the ocean depths. A recent discovery has led to the future excavation of millions of dollars worth of silver.

Although gold is always in the news, whether as an investment tool or for jewelry, silver also has some value as well. This recent silver discovery is worth about $210 million and amounts to 219 tons of the precious metal making it the biggest shipwreck haul ever. One only person survived the sinking of the 412-foot ship, which occurred 70 years ago. Continue reading »

Investments are always risky, even the ones that are considered the safest. For investors, this volatility is good and bad. They can see large increases or huge drops and just need to grin and bear it. Gold  has been on a meteoric rise for the past couple of years and experts have called for a price adjustment to happen at some point.

Clearly it was time for this price adjustment as gold experienced a three-day drop that saw its price go down more than 15%.  This drop was untimely as gold had hit a record $1,920 an ounce just a few weeks ago. Analysts believe that the precious metal is dropping due to excessive demand from jewelry manufacturers as well as investors. When people flock to an investment, it tends to go down in price and once it levels off, it could steady itself. Continue reading »

Gold seems to be the talk around the water cooler these days. Whether you are buying it for jewelry or you are using it as a hedge against the volatile stock market, the price of this precious metal seems to be very expensive, more so than any other metal of its type. At one time, platinum was the big dog metal, the one that everyone wanted to get but simply could not afford. Now the tides have turned and gold prices have reached the prices of platinum and in very short order. The way the stock market has been, it is no wonder that the prices of gold have gone up so much, so quickly. Now in August, the price of gold has actually surpassed that of platinum, even if only for a short time. The two precious metals remain very close to the same price. Most people buying jewelry saw platinum as classier as it has always been more than gold in price. Gold, now that the economy is not doing well, is now the metal everyone is clamoring for and the price reflects this activity. Supply and demand is one of the ways that investments are priced. It is a common economic principle and also applies to retail goods and other items such as gasoline, which has also been a topic of many discussions. Continue reading »

The uncertainty in the United States economy as well as the declining value of the dollar has led many to seek shelter in gold. Gold is considered very safe for investing as it seems to stay up while other investments are losing money. The way the gold price works is the same as any other investment vehicle. When there is strong demand, the price goes up. If the demand cools, the price will start to falter. The more people sell their stocks, the more they are likely to invest in gold as an alternative. Many believe the gold prices have not reached their maximum amount and that there is still much more room for the price to go up. A decade ago, gold was worth much less than it is now, and usually hovered in the $300 an ounce territory, but as markets started to get worse and worse a few years ago, the price started to creep up and never seemed to stop. The prices of gold jewelry went up as well as did the price of diamonds, which are now also being used for investment purposes due to their resilience. The economy was getting worse and people turned to gold out of fear that the economy would collapse. When we went into a recession, the price continued its meteoric rise and we haven’t looked back for a second.

The recent surge of gold has led many investment analysts to reevaluate their stance on the potential price of gold. Many were not even sure it would hit $1,500, but it has and has been up above that target for some time. JPMorgan Chase thinks that it could even hit $2,500 by the end of the year, which is an ambitious number, but reasonable considering that things aren’t going that well with the economy. Bank of America puts it around $2,000, which is much more conservative a stance, but it is better for an investment firm or bank to be conservative so that there is no backlash. Many feel like gold is the way to go in this type of economy, but if too many people jump in now, it may create a bubble, sort of like the housing bubble, that will burst and possibly bankrupt the people who came late to the party. They have to remember that the price of gold has tripled in only a few short years, so the possibility of a bubble is strong with any investment or market when the prices rise that fast.

If you are invested in gold, watch it very carefully. If the bubble does pop, you will want to sell quickly and not for it to go back. At the very least, this is something that we have learned from the housing bubble. Housing prices will one day go back up, but most likely, never at the rate that we saw just a few short years ago. It is silly to think that we thought that that type of growth was sustainable and that it was even possible. Hopefully, we learned enough from that fiasco to play it safe with gold and even though it is considered a safe haven for investors, there is risk in any investment you make.