I’ve been making jewelry since I was 8 years old, and if there’s one thing that has kept me hooked all these years, it’s the stones. Every one of them has its own color, its own personality, and its own little quirks when it comes to wearing and caring for it.
People ask me all the time about the stones in my pieces, so I put together this guide to the ones you’ll see most often in my shop: what they are, what makes each one look the way it does, how tough they are for everyday wear, and how I like to style them. I pick stones because they’re beautiful, and I hope you do too.
Moonstone: the stone of the moon
Moonstone is probably the stone I reach for most. What makes it special is the soft, floating glow that seems to move across the surface when you tilt it. That glow even has a name: adularescence. Some moonstones show flashes of blue, and others have a warm peach or pink shimmer.
Moonstone is a type of feldspar and sits around 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, so it’s fine for necklaces and earrings but appreciates a little care in rings. Take it off before gardening or the gym and clean it with mild soapy water and a soft cloth. It’s also one of the birthstones for June, which makes it a sweet gift for a June birthday.
If you love that glow, my Crowned Moonstone Ring has a teardrop moonstone held in an ornate, crown-like silver filigree setting. In person the stone shows so many different colors.
Turquoise: a favorite for thousands of years
Turquoise is one of the oldest gemstones people have worn. It was prized in Egypt and Persia thousands of years ago, and it has a long, deep history with Native American artisans here in the Southwest. It’s also the birthstone for December.
No two pieces of turquoise look the same. Some are a clear robin’s-egg blue, and others are greener with dark veins (called matrix) running through them. I love the ones with lots of character. Turquoise is fairly soft (about 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale) and porous, so keep it away from lotions, perfume and long soaks in water, and wipe it with a dry cloth after wearing. It looks wonderful with silver and with warm metals like copper and brass.
My Two Strand Silver and Turquoise Necklace mixes tiny bright turquoise beads with a larger square-cut turquoise piece that has beautiful veining running through it.
Labradorite: the northern lights in a stone
Labradorite looks fairly plain until the light hits it just right, and then it flashes blue, green, gold and sometimes even violet. That flash is called labradorescence, and it’s one of my favorite things to watch.
The stone is named after Labrador, Canada, where it was described in the 1700s. Like moonstone, it’s a feldspar, with a hardness of about 6 to 6.5, so it’s happiest in pendants and earrings where it won’t get knocked around. The flash shows best when the stone can move and catch the light, which is why I love it in drop earrings and pendants. Its gray base color makes it easy to wear with both silver and gold.
The Three Teardrop Labradorite Necklace has a geometric labradorite centerpiece with two teardrops on either side, all hanging from a shiny gold chain. If you’d rather start small, my Labradorite and Silver Earrings pair a faceted teardrop with a brushed silver oval.
Amethyst: February’s purple stone
Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz, and it can range from a soft lavender to a deep grape color. It’s the birthstone for February.
The name comes from the Greek word amethystos. At about 7 on the Mohs scale, amethyst is one of the more durable stones I use, so it holds up well to everyday wear. The one thing to watch is strong sunlight: the purple can fade if a piece sits in direct sun for long stretches, so store it in a drawer or pouch. Purple looks lovely against silver, and it’s a pretty contrast with green and gold too.
I love amethyst raw, because you can see the natural crystal shape. The Raw Amethyst and Silver Necklace is a simple, natural piece with a raw amethyst hanging from a sparkling silver chain.
Agate: banded and full of surprises
Agate is a type of chalcedony that forms in layers, which is why so many agates have those beautiful bands and stripes. People have been carving and wearing agate for thousands of years. It’s a hard stone (around 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale), so it wears well. Blue lace agate is one of my favorites, with soft pale blue and white lines that really do look like lace. Its gentle color goes with almost everything, from denim to a summer dress, and it looks especially fresh with silver.
The Blue Lace Agate Drop Necklace uses flat stones of different sizes along with small faceted beads, all finished on a delicate silver chain.
Larimar: a little piece of the Caribbean sea
Larimar is a rare blue stone found in only one place in the world, the Dominican Republic. Its name dates back to the 1970s and is often said to combine the name Larissa with mar, the Spanish word for sea. With its swirls of sky blue and white, it’s easy to see why people connect it with the ocean.
Larimar is on the softer side (about 4.5 to 5 on the Mohs scale), and its blue can fade with a lot of sun and heat, so take it off for the beach or pool and store it out of direct light. A simple silver setting suits it best because it lets those sea-blue patterns stand out.
My Teardrop Larimar Ring keeps things simple with a clean silver setting so the larimar’s patterns can take center stage.
Choosing a stone that feels like you
My best advice? Don’t overthink it. Pick the stone you keep coming back to, the color that makes you smile, or the one tied to a birthday or memory that matters to you. If it’s going to be worn every day, a harder stone like amethyst or agate is a great choice, and softer stones like turquoise and larimar shine in necklaces and earrings. That’s what makes a piece of jewelry special.
Every piece I make is one of a kind, so once a stone is gone, it’s gone. You can browse all of my necklaces and rings to see which stones are in the shop right now, and I’m always adding new pieces. If you have a question about a stone, send me a message and I’ll be happy to help.
