*11*PROPERTIES OF ROUGH VS. POLISHED GEMSTONES/RAMONA MOORE

MAN HAS BEEN FASHIONING UTENSILS AND TOOLS OUT OF STONES FOR CENTURIES,

OUT OF NECESSITY.

AS HE DEVELOPED BASIC MACHINERY, SUCH AS THE WHEEL, THIS LEFT HIM WITH MORE TIME TO CREATE OBJECTS OF ADORNMENT, AS PART OF HIS CREATION PROCESS.

FASHIONING BEADS AND AMULETS TO WEAR WAS HIS NEXT NATURAL STEP TO TAKE,

IN RELATING TO HIS ENVIRONMENT, AND TO PLEASE HIS MATE.

IT WAS EARLY MAN WHO FELT THE PRESENCE OF ENERGY IN MANY DIFFERENT STONES, WHETHER THEY WERE PRECIOUS, OR SEMI-PRECIOUS GEMSTONES.

WHETHER THEY CARVED THEM INTO TOOLS SUCH AS SPEAR-HEADS, IN OBSIDIAN, OR AS BOWLS TO GRIND THEIR GRAIN WITH ANOTHER STONE, AS IN A MORTAR AND PESTLE, STONES WERE ORIGINALLY USED AS TOOLS.

AS MAN BEGAN TO REFINE HIS METHODS OF FASHIONING TOOLS, SMALL PIECES THAT WERE BROKEN OFF OF, OR CARVED AWAY AS THEY WERE BEING FASHIONED, WERE THEN TURNED INTO ARTICLES TO BE WORN ON THE BODY.

SMOOTH STONES WERE MORE COMFORTABLY WORN AGAINST THE SKIN, THAN THE ROUGHER VERSIONS OF THE SAME STONE. SOME STONES REQUIRED 'GRINDING DOWN' WITH OTHER HARDER STONES TO SMOOTH THE ROUGH EDGES.

MANY STONES AND CARVED OBJECTS WERE ALSO ORIGINALLY WORN IN SMALL POUCHES.

AS MAN DISCOVERED THE ENERGY THAT EACH STONE EMITTED, HE BEGAN TO USE THEM TO EASE PAIN, TO SET BROKEN BONES, TO IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN, (HEALING CLAY), EVEN TO CONSUME.

HUMANS OBSERVED ANIMALS AND BIRDS EATING MINERALS IN DEPOSITS IN

AND ON THE GROUND - SALT IS ONE EXAMPLE.

MANY OF OUR VITAMINS HAVE THEIR ORIGINATIONS IN THE GROUND, IN 'CORAL CALCIUM',

(A FOSSILIZED MINERAL FORM OF A ONCE LIVING SEA CREATURE), MAGNESIUM, MOLYBDENUM, AND MANY OTHERS.

OUR CONNECTION TO STONES GOES FARTHER THAN JUST SKIN DEEP.

AS OUR SOIL IS DEPLETED THROUGH POOR FARMING PRACTICES,

OUR NEED FOR SUPPLEMENTAL MINERALS IS EVEN MORE APPARENT THAN EVER.

WHETHER WE INGEST FINELY GROUND MINERALS OR WEAR THEM ON OUR SKIN,

WE HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MINERAL KINGDOM, AS WE HAVE THEM IN US,

IN FACT, WE ARE ACTUALLY A CARBON-BASED 'UNIT'.

OK, LET'S GET BACK TO THE STONES AND THEIR PROPERTIES OF ROUGH VS. POLISHED, IN MORE DEPTH.

'SMOOTH' VERSUS 'ROUGH' INVOLVES MORE THAN WHAT PLEASES THE EYE,

WHEN IT COMES TO REVEALING THE QUALITIES OF ANY PARTICULAR STONE.

SOME STONES SHOULD NEVER BE HANDLED IN THE ROUGH, UNPOLISHED FORM.

CINNABAR IS ONE EXAMPLE, A BRIGHT RED STONE, THAT CAN LITERALLY CAUSE DEATH,

IF NOT POLISHED WITH THE CORRECT PROTECTIVE GEAR.

SOME STONES' BEAUTY IS BEST LEFT UNPOLISHED, OR WITH PORTIONS POLISHED.

THE NATURAL FORMATIONS CAN BE POLISHED ON ONE SIDE, BUT LEFT NATURAL ON THE OTHER.

MANY JEWELRY DESIGNERS WILL LOOK FOR ROUGH STONES THAT HAVE ONE SIDE THAT IS 'DRUSY,' (MEANING HAVING MANY TINY SINGULAR POINTS GROUPED TIGHTLY TOGETHER,)

AND ALSO STILL HAVING ENOUGH SPACE TO SLICE AND POLISH THE OTHER SIDE TO A SMOOTH FINISH, TO SET IN METAL, USUALLY SILVER OR GOLD.

THE ENERGY OF ANY STONE IS EMITTED IN PATTERNS THAT WERE CREATED AS THE STONE WAS FORMED. A DIAMOND GROWS IN CERTAIN GROWTH PATTERNS THAT BEFORE BEING 'FACETED', (MEANING POLISHED IN A MATHMATICAL PRECISION TO REVEAL MORE FLAT EDGES TO REFRACT THE LIGHT FROM OUTSIDE OF ITSELF), IT HAD A ROUGH EXTERIOR.

YOU HAVE HEARD THE SONG LYRICS,

"YOU WOULDN'T KNOW A DIAMOND, IF YOU HELD IT IN YOUR HAND."

MANY DIAMONDS HAVE BEEN NATURALLY POLISHED, TO A FROSTY FINISH,

BY REMAINING IN THE MUD, BY BEING NATURALLY SANDED, LIKE BEING IN A ROCK TUMBLER.

ONE CANNOT SEE THROUGH THEM AT ALL, BECAUSE OF THE MICROSCOPICALLY PITTED SURFACE.

IN THE HANDS OF A SKILLED CRAFTSMAN, MOST STONES CAN BE POLISHED TO A SMOOTH FINISH TO REVEAL THEIR INNER BEAUTY.

IN THIS PROCESS, MUCH OF THE ROUGH STONE IS GROUND AWAY, TO MAKE THE FINISHED PRODUCT.

IT IS AN EXACT SCIENCE AS TO WHICH ANGLE THE SLICING AND POLISHING MUST OCCUR TO REVEAL THE MOST COLOR IN A STONE.

IN THE CASE OF LABRADORITE AND MOONSTONE, THEIR GROWTH PATTERNS LINE

UP IN SUCH A WAY, THAT ONLY ONE DIRECTION OF A SLICE OF THE CUTTING WHEEL WILL REVEAL THE DESIRED COLOR PATTERNSTO SHOW IN THE FINISHED PRODUCT.

IF CUT AT ANY OTHER ANGLE, ONLY A DULL COLOR WILL BE REVEALED, USUALLY A DULL GREEN, BROWN OR GREY, WITH NO COLOR CHANGE WHEN MOVED BACK AND FORTH.

THE THIN 'SKIN' OF COLOR THAT COATS THE OUTSIDE OF AN AMMONITE, A GIANT SNAIL, IS SO FRAGILE, THAT IT CAN ONLY BE LIGHTLY POLISHED, IF AT ALL. A SECOND LAYER OF CLEAR QUARTZ NEEDS TO BE ADDED TO PROTECT ITS FRAGILE EXTERIOR, WHEN BEING MADE INTO JEWELRY.

SOUNDS COMPLICATED?

IT IS, AND THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT GEMSTONE JEWELRY IS PRICED TO REFLECT THE TIME AND EXPERTISE IT TAKES TO BRING THE 'ROUGH' PIECE TO ITS FINISHED SMOOTH POLISH.

THE COST OF TRIAL AND ERROR 'THROWAWAYS' IS ONE THAT CAN BE AVOIDED BY WORKING WITH GROUPS OF 'CUTTERS' THAT HAVE HOURS AND/OR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE THAT WE CAN BENEFIT FROM.

OR, LIKE MOST PEOPLE, WE CAN GO TO THE LOCAL JEWELRY SHOP AND PAY THE CRAFTSMAN FOR HIS/HER WORK THAT WAS PERFECTED THROUGH HOURS OF PAINSTAKING WORK.

MOST SPHERE SHAPES ARE CREATED BY CUTTING OFF MAJOR PORTIONS OF THE ORIGINAL STONE, THEN TURNED IN A MACHINE THAT GRINDS DOWN ALL THE POINTED EDGES TO A SMOOTH SURFACE.

THIS TAKES MORE THAN ONE STEP IN THE PROCESS OF CREATING A SUPER-SMOOTH, PERFECTLY ROUND SURFACE.

THESE ARE SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS SPHERES.

A CLEAR QUARTZ CRYSTAL IS THE ORIGINAL FORM OF THIS FINISHED PRODUCT PICTURED ABOVE.

THE PICTURE ABOVE IS A 'HERKIMER DIAMOND,' FROM HERKIMER, NEW YORK, USA.

THOUGH TECHNICALLY NOT AN ACTUAL DIAMOND, THEY EXHIBIT SOME OF THE QUALITIES THAT SOME ACTUAL DIAMONDS DO NOT.

THESE 'NEW-YORKERS' ARE DOUBLE-TERMINATED, MEANING THEY ARE POINTED AT THE TWO OPPOSITE ENDS OF THEIR FORMATION. THAT IS NOT TRUE OF DIAMONDS.

HERKIMERS ARE USUALLY QUITE CLEAR, WITH NO INCLUSIONS (INTERIOR FORMATIONS OF OTHER MINERALS).

THEY RARELY GROW TO LARGE SIZES, ANOTHER SIMILARITY TO THEIR AFRICAN COUSINS.

THE INCLUSIONS IN THIS VARIETY OF AFRICAN SUNSTONE ARE WHAT GIVE IT ITS 'SHINE',

AND WOULD BARELY BE REVEALED IF THEY WERE NOT POLISHED.

TINY MICROSCOPIC 'PLATELETS' OF COLORS (RED, YELLOW, BLUE, GREEN)

CREATE THIS STONES' COLOR 'PLAY.'

WHEN MOVED IN ANY DIRECTION, ANY LIGHT WILL REFRACT OFF THE TINY SPECKS OF ITS MULTICOLOR, ITS BEAUTY BEING REVEALED.

THE PICTURE ABOVE, IS OREGON, USA, SUNSTONE.

THE TINY MICROSCOPIC FLECKS ARE ALMOST SO MINUTE, THEY CANNOT BE DETECTED WITHOUT A MICROSCOPE, BUT THEY ARE THERE, AND CREATE A BEAUTY THAT IS PRIZED THE WORLD OVER.

THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SIZE OF THE 'SCHILLER' IN THE AFRICAN SUNSTONE,

AND THE OREGON VARIETY.

THE GREEN AND RED SATURATION COLORS ARE THE MOST PRIZED OF THE OREGON SUNSTONE.

BOTH THE AFRICAN OR OREGON SUNSTONE EXHIBIT THEIR BEAUTY BECAUSE THEY ARE POLISHED.

A DIAMOND MUST EXPERIENCE SUCH INTENSE PRESSURE THAT MUST CHANGE FROM A LUMP OF COAL, INTO A COMPLETELY CLEAR STONE.

THE DIFFERENT COLORS OF STONES ARE CREATED DUE TO CERTAIN MINERALS THAT ARE PRESENT TO IMPART THEIR INFLUENCE WHEN THE STONE IS BEING CREATED.

WHEN A STONE IS IN ITS NATURAL FORM, ITS ENERGETIC 'BLUEPRINT' IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN THE ONE THAT IT IS DRAWING ITS MINERALS FROM, TO FORM.

THIS IS REFERRED TO AS 'THE HOST ROCK.'

MANY STONES CAN TAKE DIFFERENT FORMS THAT SEEM CONTRARY TO THE NORM.

DEPENDING ON THE INFLUENCES THAT AFFECT IT DURING FORMATION,

INSTEAD OF FORMING IN ONE WAY, IT IS FORCED TO GROW IN A PATTERN THAT EXPRESSES ITSELF COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY.

EVEN THOUGH THESE TWO DIFFERENT FORMATIONS ARE CHRYSOCOLLA,

THEIR ENERGY WILL BE EXPRESSED COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY.

THE ONE ON THE LEFT HAS BEEN CUT AND POLISHED ON A PERCENTAGE OF THE SURFACE, REVEALING TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SURFACES, IN THE SAME STONE FORMATION.

THE ONE ON THE RIGHT HAS ONLY BEEN BROKEN OFF OF ITS 'HOST' ROCK, AND HAS NEVER BEEN POLISHED AT ALL.

EACH SIDE OF A STONE, WHETHER POLISHED OR NATURAL,

WILL EMIT ITS ENERGY IN A UNIFORM WAY.

IF A STONE IS CUT TO REVEAL 320 CUTS, SUCH AS A DIAMOND, IT WILL SEND

OUT ITS ENERGY IN 320 DIRECTIONS - - EQUALLY.

THIS IS A NATURAL DIAMOND, BELOW. THE TRIANGLE FORMATIONS ARE A BIT OF A MYSTERY.

THEY WERE NOT CREATED BY A HUMAN.

SOME STONES LIKE THE ONE ABOVE SHOULD NOT BE POLISHED.

THEY CARRY A DESIGN ON THE SURFACE THAT GIVES IT ITS SIGNATURE,

EXACTLY LIKE YOUR WRITTEN SIGNATURE.

THERE ARE DIFFERENT NAMES FOR THESE SHAPES.

SOME ARE INDENTATIONS, SOME STICK OUT FROM THE SURFACE OF THE STONE,

BUT ALL REVEAL THE STORY OF THEIR EVOLUTION.

I HAVE POSTED 2 OF THE 7 SHAPES OF STONES PLUS THE 'AMORPHOUS' VARIETY THAT HAVE NO EXACT FORMATION QUALITIES, IN OTHER BLOGS.

OBSIDIAN AND MOLDAVITE ARE TWO EXAMPLES OF AMORPHOUS STONES THAT WERE CREATED SO QUICKLY, THEY DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO SET PATTERNS.

WHETHER A STONE IS CUBIC (SQUARE), OR HEXAGONAL (6-SIDED), OR THE OTHER 5 VARIETIES,THEY WILL EMIT THEIR ENERGY, REGARDLESS IF THEY ARE POLISHED, OR NOT.

I HAVE OTHER POSTS ON THE DIFFERENT SHAPES, THEIR PROPERTIES, AND HOW WEARING THEM CAN BRING THE NEEDED EXPERIENCES FOR OUR 'UPLIFTMENT'.

A ROUGH (NATURAL) SPECIMEN OF STONE ALWAYS EMITS ITS ENERGY IN AN EFFICIENT WAY.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A POLISHED STONE, AND ONE THAT HAS BEEN LEFT NATURAL,

IS THAT THE POLISHED STONE WILL EMIT ITS ENERGY IN A CLEARER, LESS 'MASKED' FASHION.

THE NATURAL STONE FREQUENTLY EXHIBITS A FROSTY EXTERIOR.

THE POLISHING REMOVES THIS LAYER, REVEALING THE INTERIOR.

IT IS EXACTLY LIKE FINDING AN OLD CAR SITTING IN THE DESERT.

ITS WINDOWS MUST BE CLEANED TO SEE THE INTERIOR.

(WE ARE GOING TO PRETEND THE DOORS ARE PERMANENTLY LOCKED, FOR THIS EXAMPLE.

YOU KNOW THERE ARE PROBABLY SEATS AND A DRIVING WHEEL, BUT UNTIL THE WINDOW IS CLEANED, YOU CAN'T BE SURE WHAT IS IN THERE, RIGHT? COULD BE ANYTHING.

SOME STONES LOOK LIKE ROUGH, MUD-COLORED BALLS, THAT WHEN CUT IN HALF, REVEAL A SMOOTH FORMATION THAT HAS PATTERNS OF COLOR.

SOME OF THESE HAVE OPEN CAVITIES THAT HAVE SMALL CRYSTALS IN THE INTERIOR.

THESE ARE CALLED GEODES. THEY USUALLY CONTAIN QUARTZ OR AGATE, WHICH IS A TYPE OF MICROSCOPIC QUARTZ WITH INCLUSIONS.

THEIR BEAUTY WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN EXPOSED IF THE CUT AND POLISH

HAD NEVER TAKEN PLACE.

I HOPE THIS SHEDS SOME LIGHT ON THE PROS AND CONS OF

'TO CUT, OR NOT TO CUT,' AND POLISH.

IT IS IN MODERN MAN'S NATURE TO WANT TO INFLUENCE HIS ENVIRONMENT TO HIS LIKING.

- - - - - - -SOME PEOPLE CALL THIS ANOMALY- - - ART.