Chrysoprase Jewellery – Australia's Answer to Jade
By Gary HockingWhen the mineral Serpentine weathers down we end up with one of the rarest of the chalcedony gemstones Chrysoprase.
It is rare, valuable and a gorgeous green! It is so close to Jade that it has been marketed as Australian Jade.
The colours vary from an apple green to a very deep rich green. It has a bright an even colour a lot like Jade does.
Chrysoprase has a long history and goes well back to the days of the Romans and Greeks. The Romans would make lovely cameos from this stone.
Chrysoprase was very popular in Europe over the centuries and mined in Silesia, which is now part of Poland, where the supplies were finally exhausted in the twentieth century.
Frederick the Great of Prussia is said to have had a walking stick with a solid Chrysoprase handle. It was certainly one of his favourite gems and when you can have anything that you like then what you choose certainly must have interesting qualities.
The name is a little complicated as it derives from two Greek words chrysos meaning golden and the word for leek prason.
Today the gem is almost entirely an Australian gemstone mined mostly in Queensland but there are some deposits in the Ural Mountains, Brazil and the USA.
As a stone for jewellery it is excellent coming in on the Mohs’ scale with a hardness of between 6 and 7 which allows it to be easily cleaned in ultrasonic cleaning devices used by jewellers.
Like in Roman and Greek times it is suitable for carving even though the source of the stone has changed the wonderful jewellery making properties remain. It is well suited for earrings, pendants and rings. It looks fantastic in white or yellow gold and set with diamond accents. Most will probably prefer it in a white gold or platinum setting. But don’t forget Palladium as an alternative to these two white metals.
The stone will lose its water content and the colour may fade a little so it is okay to put it in water to revive it at times.
Gary Hocking makes custom made jewellery in Australia specializing in Australian opals. He has his own website http://www.jewelleryexpress.com.au Article Source:
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