*** All information about the metaphysical properties of the listings on this site is for reference only and is to be understood in this context. It is based on research of opinions and beliefs from different cultures today and throughout history and my own personal beliefs.The information is not to be taken as a replacement for a medical examination, diagnosis, or treatment. For medical advice, please consult a healthcare professional. ***

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This specimen weighs 84g and measures 6cm x 4.5cm x 2.5cm.

This material is Garnet on Quartz/Feldspar from Fujian province, China. Quite often this product is listed as being sourced from the “Wushan Spessartine Mine”, Tongbei, Yunxiao Co, Zhangzhou, Fujian, China. The minerals actually originate from numerous small, independent tunnels, crevices, and commercial stone quarries scattered around Tongbei Village and Wushan Hill (Wu Mountain) in Yunxiao County. This also helps explain the massive variety in specimens labeled Tongbei Garnets.

I will be listing a variety of specimens showcasing each of these elements in the near future.

Some specimens have Smokey Quartz, Some have Both Spessartine Garnets and Almandine Garnets, some are on a blocky Feldspar matrix whilst some are on a fine Microcline Feldspar or a Quartz based matrix. All of these materials are from the same general area and are simply different transitional stages of growth. For example if an orange Spessartine Garnet is forming in a particular pocket that then has in influx of Iron rich liquid the Garnet will develop into the much darker Almandine Garnet. This is also why some specimens have both members of the Almandine-Spessartine Garnet series.

There is an 800 km long Cretaceous granitic belt exposed in the southeastern coastal of China, it occurs from Guangdong through Fujian and extends to Zhejiang provinces. At this stage there are many locations that produces miarolitic cavities with different mineral specimens. There are over 20 different locations, and one third of them have spessartine. Perhaps this is why there is such a variety in the specimens advertised for sale from the “Wushan Spessartine Mine”.

Garnet:-

Spessartine is member of the Garnet group, and is known for its aesthetic orange and reddish-orange colors. This form of Garnet was once much rarer, but new abundant finds in Tanzania, China, and Pakistan have really put Spessartine on the map, making it very well regarded. Spessartine forms a solid solution series with Almandine, and can be virtually indistinguishable from it in localities where both these Garnets occur together. Spessartine is named after the Spessart Mountains, in Bavaria, Germany, which is the type locality for this mineral.

Garnet is a powerful energizing and regenerative stone. It balances, strengthens and protects. While it is one of the most plentiful stones, it has several forms according to its mineral base.

Garnet is also known for its utilization of creative energy. It grounds spirit forces within the body and helps in the ability to work lovingly on the physical plane.  Yet Garnet is a sensual stone. It represents primordial fire, the creation of the world out of chaos, purification and love. It is a stone of strong, intense feelings.

The distinctive title Garnet is derived from the Latin name Granatum, a pomegranate, because of the resemblance the granular varieties of Garnet bears to the seeds of that fruit. Garnets vary in size from a grain of sand to the size of an apple. According to the Roman historian Pliny, the large dull-colored "Carbunculus of India" (a variety of Garnet) used to be hollowed out into vessels which would hold as much as a pint.

Garnets were used in the former Czechoslovakia as far back as the Bronze Age, and in Egypt more than five thousand years ago. They were used in Sumeria around 2100 B.C. and in Sweden between 1000 and 2000 B.C. They were also popular in ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. According to the Talmud, the only light on Noah's ark was provided by a large Garnet. In Europe during the Middle Ages, Garnet was used to enhance truth, faith and constancy, and to dispel melancholy. As a Warrior's Stone, Garnet served as a talisman in the Crusades for both the Christians and their Muslim enemies.

Emotionally it provides a protective and calming influence during use and is thought to heal melancholy and depression, strengthening the survival instinct, and bringing courage and hope into critical situations.

Garnet balances energy, bringing serenity or passion as appropriate, and can inspire love and balance the sex drive. Garnet is considered a lucky stone, for love, success, and for business relationships. It helps you let go of old behavior patterns and boosts self-confidence.

All Garnets honor Sekhmet, the Egyptian Goddess of War, and is the traditional birthstone of those born in January. It is the stone of those born under the zodiac sign of Aquarius, and as an Enhancer Strengthener crystal, it has been worn for centuries as a protective and powerful talisman.

Smokey Quartz:-

Smokey Quartz is the national gem of Scotland, a country with the longest historical association with the stone. The Celts, who began colonizing the British Isles around 300 B.C., mined the brownish-gray Quartz in the Cairngorm Mountains of the Scottish highlands, calling the dark brown to black crystals they found Morion, and the yellow-brown to grayish-brown crystals Cairngorm after the mountains where they were located. These stones eventually became prominent adornment for Highlander apparel in the form of jewelry, shoulder brooches and kilt pins, and as power stones on the handles of weaponry, especially the Scottish dagger sgian dubh, a “sock knife” which is still part of a proper kilted dress uniform.

The term “Smokey Quartz” was first reported to the gem world by J. S. Dana in 1837 and was named for its color which had been likened to smoke. Smokey Quartz is readily found in many locations around the world. A variety of Quartz, it is a silicon dioxide mineral ranging in color from pale, smoky gray to deep brown and black, sometimes yellowish-brown. It forms as crystals, drusy or in massive form, and its color is caused by impurities of aluminum and natural irradiation of the stone. Though Smoky Quartz can be nearly opaque, it is almost always transparent to translucent. Many gems on the market are Clear Quartz that have been artificially treated with radium or x-rays to turn the crystals dark, and are usually very dark and unnatural looking, often lacking in transparency. Though Scottish named, the origin of the word morion may have come from the Greek term for “baneful or hideous,” or from the French moreau, meaning “black.” The name may also relate to quadertz, an old German word for a bad mineral. In any event, morion is the German, Danish, Spanish and Polish synonym for Smoky Quartz. Smoky Quartz has also been erroneously marketed as “Smoky Topaz.”

In the metaphysical world, Smokey Quartz is one of the most efficient crystals for grounding and cleansing. Alone, or naturally blended with other Quartz, it provides some of the finest healing tools available.

In the realm of dark stones, Smokey Quartz offers a rare and beautiful transparency that draws light into shades of black and brown. With crystals as pale and surreal as a wisp of smoke, as dark and clear as midnight waters, or as warm and rich as a cognac by the fire, this mineral honors its connection with Mother Earth. It is a talisman of the Root Chakra, an anchor in the natural world, drawing white light energy from the Crown down through the body to be deeply rooted into the physical plane. It initiates movement of primal forces within the body and activates one’s survival instincts in a purified way. It brings strength and stability, and a sense of personal pride in walking the Earth and inhabiting a human form.

Smokey Quartz was known as a Stone of Power. To the ancient Druids, it was sacred and signified the potent dark power of Earth gods and goddesses. In other cultures it guided souls to the afterlife, served in shamanistic rituals and tribal ceremonies, and was utilized in magic and scrying to connect with spirits of the lower worlds. Smokey Quartz’s phenomenal power, then and now, lies in its ability to protect and ground one physically and spiritually to this world, and to absorb and transmute significant amounts of negative energy and release it into the Earth to be neutralized naturally. It provides a vital shield against psychic attack, emotional and environmental stress, and is used extensively in healing and meditation.

Feldspar:-

Very briefly, the term Feldspar is used to identify a very large group of minerals. In fact, it is used to describe any mineral which consists of framework Aluminium , Oxygen and Silicon atoms plus an additive. All minerals in this grouping have the same crystalline structure. The Feldspar group has nearly 20 recognized members, but only nine of those are common.  These may be divided into two types of Feldspar: Plagioclase and Alkali. Many people would be familiar with more common names of some types of Feldspar. For example Amazonite, Albite and Labradorite are all types of Feldspar.