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December's Birthstone: Zealous Zircon

11/29/2017

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Zircon in Jewelry: Zircon comes in a large variety of colors, which makes this gem perfect for jewelry making. Yellow-brown to orange and red zircon are the most common. Blue is the most popular, but its color is obtained through the heating of brown zircon. Zircon is commonly confused for being a diamond.
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​Legend and Lore: Zircon’s name is derived from Persian word “zargun” meaning golden-colored. Throughout the years, many have wondered if Zircon is a dangerous crystal due to its radioactivity. It has since been proven that there is very little to no danger when it comes to these crystals. Especially when Zircon is in jewelry or on a small scale, there is truly no need to worry about health risks.

Revealed by Man: Zircon is the oldest known mineral on the planet, dating back 4.5 billion years. The oldest piece of Zircon was found in Australia, but Cambodia, Brazil, Korea, and Madagascar are also large sources for the beautiful gem. 
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Alluring Topaz

11/7/2017

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Topaz in Jewelry: Topaz is Novembers beautiful birth stone! Topaz can be a range of colors such as London (dark) blue to Swiss blue, burnt orange, clear (white topaz), and mystic topaz (a collage of color). Touchstone Gallery currently has a wide variety of alluring Topaz.
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​Legend and Lore: The ancient Hebrew High Priests, mentioned in the Book of Exodus, had a breastplate filled with 12 stones to protect the gate to heaven. Topaz was one of these stones.  As a healing stone, Topaz is said to help with blood disorders, promotes rejuvenation, and helps in curing endocrine problems, thrombosis and asthma along with several other diseases. The Greeks believed that Topaz also had the power to increase strength.

Science of Mineral Formation: Topaz occurs in pegmatites. It is also found in high temperature quartz veins and sometimes in granite and rhyolites. The element chromium causes natural pink, red, and violet-to-purple colors in topaz. Imperfections at the atomic level in topaz crystal structure can cause yellow, brown, and blue color. Brown is a common topaz color. Topaz is commonly mislabeled as “smokey quartz”.
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Happy Thanksgiving from Touchstone!

11/2/2017

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Thanksgiving is a perfect time to say thank you. We at Touchstone would love to say thank you to all our customers, and followers, and we would like to make it easy to say thank you to your loved ones as well! Touchstone is currently offering a wide variety of gifts perfect for the autumn season. These gems and fine pieces of jewelry present beautiful fall tones.
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The pieces featured above include two amazing petrified wood bowls, petrified wood book ends, a petrified wood sample in an egg shape, and a petrified wood slab. These amazing pieces will warm up your area with their gorgeous natural colors!
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​12022 N. State Highway 14
Cedar Crest, NM 87008
Main office: (505) 407-2186
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