1. Dom Pedro Aquamarine This marvelous slab of beryl was found in Pedra Azul, Gerais, Brazil, and weighed nearly sixty pounds and was two feet long. It was studied for four months, and endured six more months of cutting, faceting, and polishing that made it the 13.75 inch tall treasure it is today. The gem was first put on display the gem fair in Basel, Switzerland in 1993. Later, after much debate about where it belonged by various people, the gem was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 2011. If anyone has the time, they ought to go see it. The slanted pattern of the crystal is a breath taking beauty. Light seems to glow from within those perfect lines. It could be the source of inspiration for fabled crystal kingdoms, or mineral powered items or lasers in a distant future. It is a masterful work of nature and man, memorable and breath taking.
2. Opal fossils

Opal is a remarkable stone. It comes in various colors. Some are solid, while others possess the familiar mark of the adored stone: the blazing rainbow that sparkles under light. I’ve recently discovered something else incredible about this stone that I think opal lovers will adore. Ancient life forms can become fossilized opal. Curious gem isn’t it? Fossils can form this way because opal forms in cavities inside of rocks, and under the right conditions, opal forms a replica of the original object buried. There are two kinds of opal fossils, one that preserves details, and one that doesn’t. As long as the organic material hasn’t rotted away when the silica solution, which is how opal begins its beautiful life, soaks it, the silica hardens and replicates the internal and external structure. Some of the most exquisite forms are remains of crayfish, plants, turtles, snails, shark teeth, and dinosaur limbs.

1. Geodes

Geodes seem to be the source of inspiration for the Pokemon geodude, the name that is, but what’s more interesting is that these rocks can have human features. Some look like mouths studded with hundreds of sharp teeth. These impressive and sometimes outright creepy rocks are birthed from bubbles in volcanic rock, animal burrows, tree roots, or mud balls in sedimentary rock. As time passes, the outer shell hardens while water mixed with silica molds the inside of the empty cavity. Silica can have a variety of minerals, but it is mostly quartz. Some have exquisite pieces, like amethyst inside of them. Google it, you’ll find a couple of interesting fanged purple crystal smiles. One of the best things about rocks like these is that they can be found just about anywhere, but of course the best places to look are in desserts, volcanic ash beds, or places with limestone.

1. Pallasite

Terrestrial stones aren’t the only wonders of the world, or in this instance, the universe. Pallasite is a meteorite. These celestial stones are named for Simon Peter Pallas, the German doctor and naturalist who encountered the rock. They contain olivine that is inside of a nickel-iron matrix. After they have been cut and polished, and subjected to earth elements, the green gems turn yellow, gold, or brown. The purest olivine crystals are known as peridot. Pallasite is thought to have formed inside of differentiated asteroids. These are basically asteroids that are “altered by thermal processes and have separated into core and mantel”. It doesn’t seem surprising to find olivine in space. It took the death of stars and various other objects from space to form our planet. It wouldn’t be surprising if in fifty years, humans began mining asteroids or other rocky planets for material wealth, machinery, or private collections.

1. LabradoriteThese stones capture the color of the twilight sky after the golds, oranges, and reds, have been chased to the horizon. It has a beautiful, deep aquatic blue color, sometimes coupled with a pale green or orange, red, or gold. Or these colors may exist independently without each other. A common look of Labradorite is the cracked pattern. Labradorite is a mineral from the plagioclase family. They are prized for their beautiful luminosity, something termed labradorescence. This glorious effect is caused by light entering the stone and touching its twinning surface. It is an unusual mineral in this way, as light is typically reflected from the surface of mineral on the outside. This is that makes Labradorite seem as if it glows. Unfortunately, these aren’t commonly found in jewelry stores, perhaps due to prejudice, but designers and jewelers who do custom work have no qualms about using these precious stones.
2. Ant Hill GarnetsYes, garnet can be found in ant hills. They were discovered by the Native Americans of Arizona who were smitten by their incredible beauty. How could they not be? Garnet is stunning! These stones are tiny, and are always less than a carat. The ants that collect them take them to the surface, probably because they have no use for them in their colony. They are incredibly popular where they are found. Their tiny size works in their favor, because their red color can be seen perfectly. If they were bigger, their red hue would look almost black. Another quality that makes these petite gems popular is that they’re used as indicators to find other gems. Geologists use minerals like these to find the location of kimberlite pipes, which contains diamond deposits. It helps save time as opposed to looking for individual locations. Just look for the nearest ant hill.
3. Star GarnetGarnet makes the list again! What makes garnet so interesting? Perhaps it’s its birth, as it best known as a metamorphic rock, found in places with magma chambers, and where lava flows. Or it could be the type of garnet that charms people, like the radiant Star garnet. In the U.S., Idaho has been geologically blessed with them. In fact, the stone is the state’s official gem. Star garnet contains “fine rutile needles that produce four-ray stars or six-ray stars when the rough is properly oriented and cut into cabochons”. Star garnet is far rarer than its siblings, the alluring twins, Star sapphire and Star ruby. In fact, Idaho and India are the most well-known places that contains them. Other places that contain them, although in smaller amounts, are Russia, Brazil, and North Carolina. Also, save for Idaho, most jewelry stores don’t sell Star garnet on account of its rarity.
4. Blue AmberAmber is better known by its honey hue, but this rare azure shade is just as adored. What gives Blue amber its color are its hydrocarbons. They morph the sun’s ultraviolet light into blue light particles, which gives the gem its ocean like color. It has actually been around for a long time, as long as it’s golden cousin, but on account of its rarity, and its contact with the changing face of the population in the early part of its history (The Taino people of the land gave the precious gem to Columbus as a gift on first contact), not many people knew about it. Moreover, not much is able to be found. Despite its value, trade didn’t take off until recently, sixty to seventy years ago. This is probably on account of its raw form. Blue amber looks like any other stone before it is cut and polished.
5. ObsidianObsidian is formed when molten rock material cools too fast for its atoms to rearrange themselves into a crystalline structure. Black is a typical color, but others include brown, green, red, and yellow. It’s hardness of 5.5 makes it difficult to use as gems. However, they are sought out as an aid for modern medical surgery equipment by some doctors. The reason for this is because obsidian can be used to create a cutting edge sharper and thinner than the most efficient steel used by doctors. It helps make delicate work easier, without fear of making mistakes while creating incisions. Why don’t more surgeons don’t use it? There is a fear of these tools breaking apart inside of a person during surgery on account of its softness. Nonetheless, it still could make advancements in surgery, if reinforced, or it could lay the foundation for more sophisticated tools as a model.
6. Opal Contra LuzLast, but not the least at all, is the Opal Contra Luz. It is an exquisite wonder of earth that was found in Oregon. Something that resembles a smoky cloud rises from the bottom of this stone, a precious stone known as jasper. Scientists call this an inclusion. With the fiery lights of the opal, and the fume of the jasper inclusion, it resembles a formation of a planet, or even a universe, thick dust, stars, and all. Think back to the pillars of creation. If you haven’t seen it, please do! Who knew the earth could have spawned such a brilliant and intricate mirror of the heavens? It seems as if parts of space will always be with us and in the land around or beneath us, and the earth will forever reflect this. The divine opal weights about 119.0 carats and measures 1.81 x 1.73 x 0.39 inches.