Carnelian
Its warm orange-red colour can range from translucent peach to deep reddish brown. Learn its mineral identity, hardness, care, common treatments, authenticity notes and traditional associations.
Read guide →Editorial guides
Placement: <span>Desk</span>
Mineralogy, identification, care, lapidary craft, interiors and documented cultural history—with traditional beliefs clearly labelled as a separate subject.
Pyrite
Sharp cubes from Spain and sparkling clusters from Peru are visually very different expressions of the same mineral. Learn its mineral identity, hardness, care, common treatments, authenticity notes…
Read guide →Smoky Quartz
Ranges from pale tea-coloured quartz to nearly black morion. Learn its mineral identity, hardness, care, common treatments, authenticity notes and traditional associations.
Read guide →Ametrine
Distinct purple and yellow zones make each piece visually individual. Learn its mineral identity, hardness, care, common treatments, authenticity notes and traditional associations.
Read guide →Agate
Pattern, banding and translucency are usually more important than a single “grade”. Learn its mineral identity, hardness, care, common treatments, authenticity notes and traditional associations.
Read guide →Onyx
A useful example of why trade names and mineral identity are not always the same thing. Learn its mineral identity, hardness, care, common treatments, authenticity notes and traditional…
Read guide →Jasper
Best appreciated for pattern and landscape-like colour rather than transparency. Learn its mineral identity, hardness, care, common treatments, authenticity notes and traditional associations.
Read guide →Green Aventurine
Its hallmark is a subtle internal shimmer rather than a mirror-like flash. Learn its mineral identity, hardness, care, common treatments, authenticity notes and traditional associations.
Read guide →Tiger’s Eye
The cat’s-eye band is the defining visual feature and is strongest on well-oriented polished surfaces. Learn its mineral identity, hardness, care, common treatments, authenticity notes and traditional associations.
Read guide →Aragonite
Radiating clusters can look spectacular but are more fragile than their visual heft suggests. Learn its mineral identity, hardness, care, common treatments, authenticity notes and traditional associations.
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