Sun in Aries / Equinox 2021

As the Sun moves into the sign Aries today (March 20), we celebrate the start of a new zodiacal year, while also celebrating the Equinox and International Astrology Day.

One way I am marking the move into Aries is by creating and crafting pieces of jewelry designed specifically for people born with the Sun in Aries. Here are my two latest creations, along with links to the Etsy shop where they can be purchased (just click the name of the item under the pictures).

Aries Memory Wire Bracelet

Aries Silver Chain Earrings

Eternal Crystals: Lapis and Jasper

I love lapis lazuli (lazurite), an intense dark blue stone made up of several different minerals, including lazurite, sodalite, hauyne, calcite, and pyrite. Minor patches of white calcite and brassy yellow pyrite indicate the best quality.

In her guidebook for the Eternal Crystals Oracle Cards (Blue Angel Publishing), Jade-Sky associates Lapis Lazuli with the throat and third eye chakras. As such, it helps us communicate clearly and use our intuition more effectively. Jade-Sky also notes that Lapis Lazuli helps us resolve problems by giving us a surge of transformative energy.

In The Tarot of Gemstones and Crystals (AGMüller), Lapis Lazuli is The Hermit. According to the LWB with this deck, “This stone of wisdom brings clarity to thought, calms the mind, and allows easier perception of your task in life. As a meditation stone, it guides us to our inner being and brings new inspirations, as well as strength of faith and kindness.”

In the jewelry pieces below, I have combined Lapis Lazuli with a rich, caramel shade of jasper, a fine-grained, opaque variety of chalcedony, believed to protect against sight defects and drought. Neither the Eternal Crystals Oracle nor the Tarot of Gemstones and Crystals include jasper. My information comes from the Dorling Kindersley Handbook on Gemstones by Cally Hall.

All of the items below are available through my

_Etsy shop_. 

Jasper Lapis Necklace
Click HERE to see more photos or purchase.

Jasper Lapis Bracelet
Click HERE to see more photos or purchase.

Silver Lapis Earrings
Click HERE to see more photos or purchase.

Eternal Crystals: Tiger Eye

The gemstone I want to share with you today is Tiger Eye, sometimes spelled Tigereye, Tiger’s Eye, or Tiger’s-Eye. I love the name of this stone, of course, in addition to its silky luster and rich yellow and golden brown stripes.

For those who are interested in gemology, Tiger Eye is a chatoyant quartz, one of three varieties that have a cat’s-eye effect. Tiger Eye is black, with iron oxide staining that creates its coloring. The most important source of Tiger Eye is in South Africa, although chatoyant quartz is also found in Australia, Brazil, India, and the USA.

I’m going to start with the Tiger Eye card from the Eternal Crystals Oracle deck by Jade-Sky with card artwork by Jane Marin (Blue Angel Publishing). Next I’ll share the Tiger’s Eye card from The Tarot of Gemstones and Crystals by Helmut G. Hofmann, illustrated by photos of stones (AGMüller Urania). Finally, I will share some of the jewelry I have made using this beautiful and versatile stone.

In the Eternal Crystals Oracle deck, Tiger Eye is card number 39, connected to “Animals – Solar Plexus Chakra.” The stone is said to highlight our connection with the animal kingdom. It is also associated with our own personal will power and the solar plexus chakra, located between the navel and solar plexus, representing the core of our personality, our identity, our ego.

In Hofmann’s Tarot of Gemstones and Crystals, Tiger’s Eye is given the role of the Ten of Coins. Hofmann writes, “The tiger’s eye teaches us to tolerate different points of view, making it possible for us to see unity. It strengthens our inner eye, increases powers of concentration, and makes us more flexible.” These qualities can of course lead to security, success, wealth, and fulfilled relationships – common keywords for the Ten of Coins.

I use Tiger Eye gemstones quite a lot in my jewelry creations. Here are a few of my favorites. All are easy to purchase through my Etsy shop. I am happy to offer you FREE SHIPPING (USA orders only). Just use FREESHP as a coupon code when you check out!

Click HERE to see more photos or purchase.

Click HERE to see more photos or purchase.

Click HERE to see more photos or purchase.

Click HERE to see more photos or purchase.

Eternal Crystals: Unakite

Continuing what I started in my previous blog post, I am taking a look at UNAKITE, card 42 in the Eternal Crystals Oracle deck by Jade- Sky with card artwork by Jane Marin (Blue Angel Publishing)
.

Card 42 - Unakite - is subtitled "Live in the Present" and it links unakite with the Heart Chakra.

This unusual looking, beautiful stone is an altered granite composed of pink orthoclase feldspar, green epidote, and generally colorless quartz. It exists in various shades of green and pink and is usually mottled in appearance.

In the Eternal Crystals Oracle Cards guidebook, Jade-Sky tells us that unakite can help us live in the "now" by balancing and grounding us. We can find satisfaction by focusing on the things and people that bring us the most fulfillment or happiness at the moment.

I love the colors in unakite. For the bracelet shown below, I used a large unakite stone and unakite chips, then complemented the pink color in the unakite with rich mahogany jasper squares and tiny peach colored vintage glass pearls. I call this bracelet "Earth Mother." To read more or to purchase, just click on the link below the photo.

CLICK HERE TO SHOP

Eternal Crystals: Prehnite

Once I realized the existence of the Eternal Crystals Oracle Cards, I knew I wanted to do some blog posts using this deck and pieces of jewelry I created from the stones pictured on the cards.

Eternal Crystals Oracle Cards

by Jade-Sky

Card artwork by Jane Marin

Blue Angel Publishing

As you probably know, gemstones and crystals are associated with various traits, qualities, and metaphysical properties and with certain chakras. The Eternal Crystals Oracle features gorgeous borderless cards showcasing the color and appearance of 44 different crystals, from Amethyst to Zincite.

Today, I am going to share some of this oracle’s wisdom related to PREHNITE.  My research tells me that the gemstone prehnite was named after its discoverer, Colonel Hendrik von Prehn (1733-1785), a Dutch mineralogist and an early governor of the Cape of Good Hope Colony. The stone occurs in a soft yellow-green to apple-green color. Many specimens have an intriguing luminous quality. Deposits of prehnite are found in places including South Africa, Australia, China, Scotland and the United States.

PREHNITE is card number 33 in the Eternal Crystals Oracle deck. Keywords for this stone are “Release/Declutter” and it is linked to the heart chakra.

Jade-Sky writes that prehnite can “help you to move forward in your life by releasing anything that is holding you back.” This can apply to objects, ideas, or even emotional attachments to people.

Below are a couple of pieces of jewelry I made using prehnite. Both the necklace and bracelet are made of prehnite and yellow jade, along with wood beads and metal. If you are interested in purchasing either of these pieces, just click on the link below the photos.

Click here to shop.

Click here to shop.

Queen of Wands Bracelet

Continuing my “Inspired by the Tarot” series, today I am sharing a bracelet I made that was inspired by the Queen of Wands from The Gendron Tarot by Melanie Gendron (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.) This deck is extra-special for me because it was gifted to me as a gently used and loved deck by my blog partner and long-time friend, Helen Howell. Helen and I recently met face to face when I visited Australia, and she gave me several decks that she is no longer using.

I remember the Gendron deck fondly from a forum I participated in years ago in which one of the members always used the Gendron for her readings. I liked what I saw of it, but just never acquired it for myself.

Anyway, here is the Queen of Wands card:

The Gendron Tarot (U.S. Games)

I wanted to capture the rich shades of copper, gold, orange, red, and cream in this card. I had a few beads on hand that seemed ideal: carnelian, dyed jade, bright gold tone heishi beads, copper bead caps, large vintage cream-colored silk-wrapped beads, and tiny vintage glass pearls.

For that perfect extra touch, I turned to a favorite supplier of mine, _Auntie’s Beads_.  I love the name of the shop but also the variety and quality of what they sell. This time I selected shiny copper curved tube beads with rope ends to add variety of texture and shape to the finished bracelet. These tube beads are curved, so they are an excellent choice for this coil bracelet made with memory wire. (Memory wire "remembers" its shape and retains its coil form, allowing the bracelet to fit most wrists.)

Below you see the finished piece, with a few of the copper tube beads alongside it. Auntie’s Beads comes through again!

The Queen of Wands bracelet is available from my

Jewelry by Scotti shops at both

 _Etsy_ and _ArtFire_. 

Aquamarine for March

In honor of the month of March I pulled out my Tarot of Gemstones and Crystals, with instructions and interpretation by Helmut G. Hoffman (AGMüller Urania). As I mentioned in a post last month, I purchased this deck primarily to have a collection of images of gemstones and their meanings so that I could use that information in describing my handmade jewelry (Jewelry by Scotti).

This seems like a good time to take a look at the gemstone associated with March birthdays: aquamarine.

Aquamarine is a blue to green-blue variety of precious beryl. The beryl group of minerals is most famous for emerald, one of the “Precious Four” gems of the world. The name 'Aquamarine' was derived from an old Latin expression which meant 'seawater'. Aquamarine (and other types of beryl) are quite durable and hard.

Helmut G. Hoffmann writes: “Aquamarine gives us peace, sympathy, understanding, making it easier to gain new insights. This stone is intuitively worn during critical phases in life. Its mild blue supports a gentle nature and shows us the way to light and love.”

For this deck, Hoffman has chosen for aquamarine for the Hanged Man card. With the images of several Hanged Man cards from other decks in my mind, I can see how the idea of aquamarine helping us gain new insights applies. The “mild blue” color of aquamarine and the actual name of the stone (aqua + marine) also mesh nicely with the Golden Dawn association for The Hanged Man, which is the element Water. Some systems extend this association to the planet Neptune, modern ruler of the water sign Pisces.

At his best, The Hanged Man offers us a chance to look within ourselves, take a break to contemplate, and gain a new perspective on something. There may be a sacrifice involved, but that could be for the best in the end.

Here is a necklace I designed using aquamarine semi-precious faceted teardrops, rainbow moonstone ovals, and freshwater pearls.

To purchase this necklace, click HERE.