Description
Amazonite, Natural, Smooth Round
This price is for one strand 15 to 16 inches long
4mm strands have 90 to 95 pieces
6mm strands have 60 to 65 pieces
8mm strands have 43 to 48 pieces
10mm strands have 33 to 38 pieces
Amazonite is a striking green to blue-green variety of microcline, which belongs to the feldspar mineral group. While it is named after the Amazon River, amazonite is not actually found there. It's likely that early travelers confused it with another green gemstone from the region, or named it simply to evoke the lush, tropical greens of the rainforest.
Amazonite's color comes from trace amounts of lead and water trapped inside the feldspar crystals. But there is a catch: the lead alone doesn't turn it green. The stone actually requires natural gamma radiation from surrounding rocks over millions of years to alter the lead ions and trigger that beautiful teal hue. If you heat amazonite up too high, it will actually lose its color because the heat reverses this radiation effect!
Mixed Amazonite beads offer a wider color range, displaying not just shades of pale sea-mist blue green, but also gray, brown, yellow, and rust. Sometimes the stones contain visible bits of sparkly pyrite, providing even more visual interest.
Hardness 6-6.5
This is a natural stone that has had no treatment other than cutting, drilling, and polishing in China
