Gemstones Jewelry Set BI0004

Amazonite is a usually opaque, greenish-blue mineral. It took its name from the Amazon River where it was first found in 1850. It has a hardness of 6 and a specific gravity of 2.57. It is usually cut in cabochons, while faceting is avoided because it can cause the gemstone to break. Today Amazonite is located in the Urals in Russia, Colorado and Virginia in the USA, as well as Australia and South Africa.

Druzy or drusy or druse refers to a layer of tiny crystals that occurs either on the breaking surface of a rock or in a geode. Druzy quartz or agate are more common and garnet, calcite and dolomite are less common. In general, it is possible to find natural druzy gemstones at any location with water that has evaporated. They often occur along rivers and coasts.