Journal · Field notes
Field notes for understanding materials, comparing stones, choosing size, and caring for what you wear.
61
A geology-first guide to clear quartz — its lattice, why some specimens are flawless and others milky, where the best material forms, and how to read a strand.
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62
Rutilated quartz contains rutile needles inside quartz. A material-first note on titanium dioxide inclusions, density, readability and BE. golden rutile jewellery.
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63
A geology-first guide to garnet — the garnet group of minerals, why colour varies from red to green, top deposits and how to read a strand.
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64
Amethyst is violet quartz formed through trace iron, natural radiation and time. A geology-first note on colour centres, care, safety and amethyst jewellery.
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65
Aquamarine is blue because trace iron behaves differently inside beryl. A material-first note on Fe2+, beryl, heat treatment and choosing blue crystal jewellery.
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66
Obsidian is volcanic glass, not crystal: a material formed without a lattice, made sharp by fracture and luminous through microscopic gas bubbles in gold sheen obsidian.
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67
A geology-first comparison of gold sheen and black obsidian — what creates the metallic shimmer, how the volcanic glass differs, and which to choose.
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68
The chemistry of crystal colour — Fe / Mn / Cr / Cu / Ti trace elements and how each shifts mineral hue across the gem spectrum.
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69
Prehnite is a calcium aluminium silicate associated with low-temperature hydrothermal and metamorphic settings. A BE. note on colour, quality, care and jewellery.
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70
A starter guide to crystal jewellery — three materials worth starting with based on visual range, value and durability, not metaphysical claims.
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71
A material-first reading of stones culturally associated with abundance — citrine, pyrite, jade, golden rutile — and what their colour, chemistry and history actually mean.
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72
A practical guide to spotting fake or imitation crystals — glass, resin composites, dyed material, lab-grown vs natural, and what to look for.
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