I want to take a moment to address an age old problem and its probable causes. It is not a fake or forgery, nor it is a myth or misinformation, it is simply something that needs to be addressed and this was the best page I could find for it

Everyone, at one time or another, has purchased an inexpensive (OK cheap at $1.00 to $1.99 a pop) Hematite Ring. It is a perfect grounding stone that you can wear on your finger or a necklace. It touches your skin, directly applying the energy of the Hematite to your energy field. Perfect! Right?

Perfect until it breaks. And for many folks, this is exactly what occurs. But why does it occur? Are they supercharged with energy? Well, yes…and no…and maybe

Just like many of the stabilized stones I have written about in the past (and that you can see below), Hematite Rings also fall into this category. The Hematite used for rings and some stabilized tumbles are the either the “dull to bright “rust-red” in earthy, compact, fine-grained material” or silver powder flecks off of more massive specimens. These powders are put into a stabilizing solution, heated up and cooled forming blocks of material perfect for slabs, tumbles and yes, you guessed it, Rings. Due to the stabilizing solution, these Rings are not 100% Hematite.

Our bodies generate heat and cold due to a variety of factors. Many folks “run hot”. In other words, their body temperatures stay on the warm side. Other folks may find they have cold hands all the time. The temperature of our bodies will affect the ring itself. This thin band of Hematite will draw heat to it (or cold). This softens the material and eventually, it will break. The same for cold. If it is warm around you, but your hands are quite cold, the change in temperatures (heat expands, cold contracts) will make the material more brittle, and again, it will break. So there is a reasonable, logical and somewhat scientific explanation.

I know when I first purchased a Hematite ring many, many years ago. Just getting started in this new crystal endeavor I had undertaken. I purchased a ring at a gem show that morning. By the afternoon, it had broken in two pieces. I ran to the vendor to ask why. She told me that I must have some really powerful energy! Boy, I puffed up like a peacock! I mean, imagine, ME, having powerful energy!!! My fall from “powerful energy grace” was swift. I was offered another explanation by a gentle, kind soul. I simply ran hot. She went on to explain to me for the first time, what I have shared with you above.

Now, do not get upset just yet Because as I have grown in this field and have notched a few learning curves on my crystal belt, I have discovered that one explanation is not all that different than the other. We are all source energy, right? And energy produces heat. So……

For instance–When you do Reiki, or Crystal Healing, or some other form of energy work, does your body not heat up? I have heard time and time again how this has occurred. Do you tend to take on the energy of others without being conscious of it? Any excess energy (an infusion of energy from source, or others, that is in addition to your own, unique, energy vibration) will metaphysically “heat up” your body. So this too, could soften the material Hematite and cause it to break.

One thing is certain, no matter what explanation you are drawn to–Heat expands and in this case will soften a Hematite Ring causing it to break and cold will contract causing the material to become brittle and break. Either way, they are only a buck or two, so stock up

I am so very grateful for Jon Bon Jovi

http://www.vh1.com/video/play.jhtml?artist=1044&vid=158219

In the ever growing world of rocks and minerals, there appears to be a recent rash of questionable pieces with questionable names. Many times, a vendor purchases pieces from their source and the identity of that piece shared. This identity is passed from the vendor who made the original purchase down to his customers. They in turn, pass it on to those they sell to and on and on it goes. Once a piece is misidentified, that too, passes down the chain of vendor to purchaser, neither being the wiser.

Sometimes, the identification SEEMS to be right, but the piece itself looks a bit too perfect or different than what has been seen in the past. Welcome to the world of Stabilization!

It is important to note, that even though the information provided below shares how stabilized pieces are crafted and created, that the minerals involved are the real deal.

Let’s take the case of these specific Azurite/Malachite Tumbles.

Yes, that is lovely blue Azurite with Green Malachite. However, it is not a natural occurrence. Someone came up with a brilliant idea on how to utilize (recycle) the powdered material that was left over after cutting.

Here’s how it works. Azurite is a soft mineral. You can literally scrape a piece and get a little mound of blue powder. (How do you think the Egyptians used Lapis as an eye shadow?). When Azurite is mined, or boxed and shipped or sliced and diced, this blue powder accumulates.

They take all of this beautiful blue powder, add it to a stabilizing solution, mix it up and sprinkle in Malachite shavings. Then they put it into a 350 degree oven….wait, I was starting to sound like Julia Childs there….LOL Anyway, you get the idea.

Once these blocks harden, they can then be sliced into smaller pieces to be tumbled or slabs to be polished, jewelry pieces to be crafted, etc. This production technique can and is used on many other softer materials, like Chrysocolla for example.

And something to note–these pieces are normally NOT dyed. They may however get powder in the micro cracks that occur during tumbling or polishing ect and may turn your hand a different color if held for too long (heat from the hand loosens up powder in cracks) . Washing or soaking will also release these micro powders so your water may turn a different shade. So if you wash your tumbled Chrysocolla to cleanse it and get some color on your hand, do not panic, it is still Chrysocolla, just with a twist.

So remember, everything may not always be what it appears to be, or then again, maybe it can Education is important and this is my intent on sharing this information with you. The world of crystals is a huge one and the more you know, the more you grow

**ALERT** As I was doing some research on this type of process, I ran across no more than 6 sites that labeled these tumbled Azurite/Malachite pieces as RARE!!. This is not true. They are not rare at all. China manufactures these on a regular basis.