What Is That Stone? Part I

Rhinestones and semi-precious stones as seen in costume jewelry come in a variety of colors and shapes. But just when you think you've seen them all, you realize there's another world of specialty stones. These are the ones which catch my eye. They included bi-colored stones, foiled stones and art glass stones. Here I'll show examples of some of the semi-precious stones and specialty stones I've found over the years. 

CABOCHON
Cabochon, Cab for short, refers to a rounded stone without facets. It can be natural or glass.

FROSTED MARQUISE OR NAVETTE STONES
Marquise or Navette stones are pointed at both ends with matching curved sides.

RIVOLI STONES
Rivoli stones have lots of facets and a pointed top. They can be round or square.

DRAGON'S BREATH aka FIRE OPAL or MEXICAN FIRE OPALS
Various metals are mixed with the molten glass resulting in a final product with an array of fiery colors.

GIVRE STONES
Transparents stones with ribbons of color on the inside

SAPHIRET STONES
Achieved by adding a tiny bit of gold to the molten glass. These were popular in Victorian jewelry. A resurgence in popularity in the mid 20th century saw the stone's name changed to Saphirene.

An example of faceted saphiret; much less common that cabochons

PEACOCK'S EYE STONES
Usually green with a blue center; the effect is achieved by placing foil behind the molten glass.

FOILED STONES
Like Peacock's Eye, this effect is achieved by placing foil behind the molten glass.

MOONGLOW STONES

GOLDSTONE
Not natural as many think, but in fact a man-made glass stone
Aventurine is a natural material which often contains gold flecks and particles; it is sometimes called Goldstone

ART GLASS STONES

The four smaller stone on the outside are Dragon's Breath, the center stone is art glass.

Speckled stones like this one are sometimes called Easter Eggs

SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES

Lapis Lazuli, a combination of minerals with sulfur providing the blue tone

    
Jade is actually a combination of Jadeite and Nephrite



Rose Quartz

Tiger's Eye, a member of the Quartz family

Moonstone, a shimmery stone from the Feldspar family

     
Malachite is fairly soft and scratches easily

Rhodochrosite, a rose colored stone first discovered in 1940

Chalcedony

Pyrite, a fiery mineral, also called Fool's Gold

     
Turquoise, it varies in color, the more green it looks, the more iron in its composition

Carnelian, a type of Chalcedony

     
Spotted or Leopard Agate and Bull's Eye Agate

 
Montrose Agate often seen in Celtic and Scottish Jewelry

     
Orange / Red Banded or Striped Agate

     
Banded Agate or Striped Agate

     
Moss Agate, translucent with moss like inclusions

MOTHER NATURES'S TRICKS

Operculum, not a stone at all but rather a small sea shell, or "trap door" found on sea snails.

Sea Beans, a type of seed pod

Elk's Tooth

What Is That Stone? Part II  (coming soon)

REFERENCE
Collecting Costume Jewelry 303 by Julia C. Carroll
Gemstones of the World, 4th Edition, Walter Schumann