Happy New Year! Now that the holiday season is behind us, you will be seeing more frequent blog spots once again. Looking in the not too distant future, Valentine's Day is around the corner. While this holiday can make some of us groan, I like to think of Valentine's Day as a day for not only romantic love, but also love between friends, family and most importantly, ourselves.

Stones have certain meanings, and below I will highlight the three major "love" stones. All of these stones help open our heart chakras and allow us to freely give and receive love on all levels:
Rose Quartz: Found world-wide, rose quartz is a common stone and a member of the quartz family. Relatively inexpensive, one can purchase a small tumbled stone or rose quartz jewelry as shown in the picture.
Rhodochrosite: The Colorado state mineral, rhodochrosite is most commonly mined in Colorado and South America. Because of the closing of mines in Colorado, rhodochrosite is becoming increasingly rare. The more pink in color, (and less white/gray striations), the more rare (and expensive) the stone. This picture is a rhodochrosite and freshwater pearl necklace I made; this rhodochrosite is from S. America, either from Chile or Argentina.
Sugilite: A personal favorite, Sugilite is the rarest of the love stones, being mined only out of South Africa. Because of the hardness of the stone, it requires a lot of labor to form this stone into beads. Sugilite can vary in purple hues and even blue! The picture is a sugilite and moonstone necklace, of which I purchased these sugilite beads from the 2011 Denver Gem and Mineral Show. I hope to find more sugilite in at the Tucson show, as I believe its color, texture and energy is one-of-a-kind!
In closing, these stones have strong yet gentle energies of love. One can purchase a jewelry piece or carry a small tumbled stone in a purse or pocket. Next post: Tucson 2012 Gem and Mineral Show preview.