Bali Dog Rescue

My friend, Wendy Drake, is going to be embarking to Bali for a month long house exchange.  Her trip has a personal mission, to help support the Bali Dog Refuge.  While Wendy is busy collecting medical supplies and creating community dog-treat cooking parties, you can learn more about this refuge by clicking Bali Dog Refuge. 

A Bali Dog, Bali Dog Refuge

To learn more about Wendy and her personal mission, check out the group Facebook Page: Injured Ultra Runner Project: Help Bali Dogs.

I will be participating in a small group doggie treat cooking party later this week, update and pics to follow!

- Jen, Owner, The Healing Pet

Aquamarine, the Birthstone of March

Aquamarine is a mineral of the Beryl family and is derived from the Latin meaning "water of the sea."  With its pale blue color, it certainly can remind one of water, of the sea, of a flowing stream, and connect one to a calm energy.  Additionally, it is a useful stone to use in meditation as it can help ease one into a feeling of inner peace. 

In ancient times, aquamarine was a talisman for sailors to help avoid drowning.  Furthermore, aquamarine has been known to be a stone of courage. 

Our aquamarine pet charms seem to be one of our most popular items, as the meaning for a pet is to help ease hyperactivity.  This pet charm has a sterling silver clasp and a nickel- and lead- free pewter bead in the center. 

For "human" jewelry, I like to design aquamarine with smoky quartz, playing on the popular baby blue-brown color combination.  Aquamarine can go with a number of different outfits, and can easily be dressed up or down.  I purchased a large supply of aquamarine this year at the Tucson Gem and mineral show, so expect to see many new items, for both pets and humans!

Yours in health, Jen

New from the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show

February seems to be flying by, with the first part of me enjoying the warm, sunny weather and buying for the year at the Tucson for the Gem and Mineral show, and not soon after, slipping on a icy sidewalk and spraining my wrist.  Its not until now that I am able to type without too much pain.  

Pink tourmaline

My third trip to Tucson for the Gem and Mineral Show, which by the way, is the largest trade-show in the world, with over 40 trade-shows going on throughout the city over a 2 1/2 week period.  Its impossible to visit all the shows, but I was lucky to spend extra time and visit a few shows for the first time! 

I was on the hunt for unique, high quality precious and semi-precious beads for both human and pet jewelry.  While citrine was harder to find compared to years past, I was happy to see many varieties of jasper, amethyst and aquamarine.  My special finds are as follows:

  

Emerald beads

1. Emeralds.  I always have loved emeralds, but to find ones that are not dyed is difficult.  I was lucky to find a faceted, non-dyed strand.  
2. Pink Tourmaline.  Ah, combined with the facets and color, this will make one special and unique necklace 
3. Atlantisite.  Yes, I splurged on a strand of atlantisite beads, straight from Australia. Not sure what to do with them yet, but when I do, it will be a power piece!
4. Opals.  I purchase these from Opex Opals, a mine owner in Brazil and Australia.  Opals can range from $20 to $30,000 for a 16-inch strand!  My favorite are the "mosaic" opal beads, which are slivers of Australian opal pressed into a 12 mm round bead. On the first day of the show, there were only 6 left so I got them all :)

Atlantisite

 As I create, I will list on my Anosia and The Healing Pet Etsy stores.
Here's to happy creating, I'm ready for Spring!
Best, Jen

Stones of Love and Valentine's Day

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.

Cyber Monday SALE! Starts November 28

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a peaceful weekend.  Both The Healing Pet and Anosia Custom Jewelry will be having a cyber Monday sale, starting at 7 a.m. MST on Monday, November 28.

To receive 20% off on your total order, upon checkout, use coupon codes: "cybermon" for Anosia and "thpcyber" for The Healing Pet.

To receive additional discounts, follow us on Facebook (Anosia and The Healing Pet) and special coupon codes are listed on those pages.

There are over 70 items on The Healing Pet website, and many new items on the Anosia website as well (I will be adding at least 30 new items today!).  Thank you for supporting handmade!

Kind regards, Jen

Stones That Provide Love and Support in Times of Grief

While the holidays can bring much joy into our lives as we get together with friends and family, it can also be a time when we feel sadness for those that we have lost.  In light of a personal recent tragedy of the passing of my brother-in-law at the young age of 39, I thought I would list a few stones that have been known to help to energetically provide love and support in times of grief:

• Amethyst:  known to he a powerful healer and protector, also known to specifically help on process grief due to loss.

• Rose Quartz: a stone with a gentle energy, helps to provide love and support to the person who is feeling lost

• Dioptase: a rare stone, and can be mistaken for an emerald.  This stone is a stronger heart chakra stone and can help dissolve grief and sorrow.

• Sugilite:  One of the major "love stones" this rare stone, which is mined only in Japan and south Africa, helps alleviate sorrow, grief, and promotes self-forgiveness. 

Stone of the Month, November: Moss Agate

Moss Agate and Sterling Silver Necklace and Bracelet. Created by: Anosia

Oftentimes, I find myself gravitating towards one kind of stone over others.  Last night I could not get enough of Moss Agate.  If it wasn't because of the late hour, I probably could have made 10 jewelry pieces of moss agate alone.  In the end, I made a simple moss agate and sterling silver necklace and matching bracelet.  Somehow, those pieces immediately ended up on me vs. putting them in the box for my upcoming show this weekend.  It got me thinking...what is so special about this simple, common green stone?  Is it the inner texture of the round beads, to where the green interlaces through milky white like moss (hence the name)? Is it because the green color can be worn with pretty much any outfit? 

Its more than the color and texture, although these qualities lend them to be unique.  Its the energy and the meaning behind moss agate.  When I am working with this stone, it makes me feel connected to Mother Earth, similar to that feeling of one who spends time gardening.  Since I live in an apartment, it is rare that I garden, digging my hands in the ground; feeling the cool, moist soil in my hands. I believe this feeling is important to reach in other ways, and last night, I found it with this stone.

Additionally, moss agate is associated with the 4th (heart) chakra, and is known to be a stone of love.  Sure, love is a good thing: we want to attract love in every aspect of our life (especially during these times), but there is something different with moss agate vs. other "love" stones like rose quartz.  This is a bit esoteric, but moss agate helps me feel connected to a universal source of love, a nurturing feeling that we are watched after and are all loved.  I felt my doubts and insecurities melt away after I put on the necklace.

There is some information* as well that moss agate attracts abundance.  Abundance can be money, but I like to believe that it is more than material things. It is feeling fulfilled in all aspects of life.  We can be abundant with good relationships, be it family, a partner and/or friends. It can be feeling fulfilled in the daily work that we do. Most importantly, it is feeling fulfilled with ourselves.

Moss agate: grounding, love, nurturing and abundance.  A cool stone if you ask me.  I think I will have a hard time selling these pieces!

Peace, Jen

*Source:  "The Crystal Bible" by Judy Hall