Gemstones and Glass Beads and Trust

I've come across it and I'm sure many others have as well...Strawberry Quartz...Pineapple Quartz...and someone's advertising it as a Natural Gemstone.

In actuality, most of the "fruity" Quartz stones are made of glass. This would include Strawberry, Cherry, Blueberry, Pineapple, etc. The "fruity" Quartz is a clear glass with a "line" pattern from the added color, like rutilated stones but more dyed looking. Opalite and Goldstone are other glass "stones" and are not natural.

The "fruity" Quartz and Opalite can be very fetching! However, they are made of glass and not "natural".

The most well-known stones from the Quartz family are Amethyst, Rose Quartz, and Carnelian*. The only exception I can think of to the "fruity" Quartz is glass is "Lemon Quartz" - which is usually a very yellow variation of Carnelian and most commonly found in pendants vs. strings of beads.

Many stones look alike and pictures on the internet are different on everyone's computer screens! (Aventurine & Jade, Aquamarine & Topaz, Petersite & Chrysanthemum Stone) I would suggest that you feel comfortable with your seller and ask as many questions as you might have! Be sure to feel confident in their responses and the items you are getting so you can treasure the work of art you are wearing!

For more information than you could ever want, please view this lively discussion I was proud to start on Etsy.com:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5135256

Thank you!

*Carnelian is a member of the Chalcedony family which is part of the Quartz family. Chalcedony can be found referenced in the Old Testament!