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Pure quartz is beautiful. Sleek clear quartz has a world-renowned aesthetic. Yet alongside pure quartz there exists the equally, if not more, beautiful varieties of quartz which also contain mineral inclusions. Included quartz is the name for quartz pieces which in addition to the usual quartz crystalline structure, are also composed from various other minerals or crystals, for example epidote or tourmaline (the aforementioned ‘inclusions’). …

Recently, the fossil world has been taken by storm via a series of fascinating discoveries, particularly of rare dinosaur fossils that have shed light on important evolutionary processes. A landmark discovery has taken place recently: within the jaw of a duck-billed dwarf dinosaur (hadrosaur), the first ever facial tumour in a fossil has been found. This 69 million years old …

We have just received the fruits from the trip I took to Madagascar in early March 2016 to fill a 20 foot container full of fossils and crystals. I arrived just after the rainy season and the days were baking hot with cool evenings often interrupted by violent thunder storms which set the skies alight with the dancing lightning and the deep and ominous bellows of thunder reverberating around the capital of Madagascar Antananarivo which is generally affectionately called Tana.…

Iridescent ammonites are reputed worldwide for their beautiful rainbow-like glow. A special gemstone, ammolite, is formed from fossilised ammonite shells, and also displays this terrific iridescent effect. When the ammonite was alive, nacre was the main component of the shell: after the organism’s death, the shell fossilised over time to form aragonite. The ammolite can also contain many other minerals such as calcite and pyrite. …

Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean, near Africa, that is filled with unparalleled riches of fossils and crystals. The island is famous for its unique flora and fauna, particular the lemur species; one of the beautiful smaller islands that envelop the main island, Nosy Komba, is even referred to as the Island of Lemurs. Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot, for most of its wildlife cannot be found anywhere else on Earth due to the evolution of its populations in isolation from the rest of the world.…

Quartz is one of the most common minerals in the world. It can be found in many locations across the globe, andphantom quartz in either sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic rock. It owes its name to the German language, however the ancient Greeks referred to quartz with their word for ‘ice cold’ because prominent thinkers of the time believed the mineral to have been created from ice. …

Throughout history, fossils have been a prized material in the art of jewellery making. From trilobites and ammonites, to dinosaur bones and prehistoric Megalodon shark teeth, the prospect of wearing the remains of creatures that lived millions of years ago has intrigued people for generations. …

Due to its calming rosy pink colour, rose quartz has enjoyed enduring popularity throughout the centuries. Often referred to as a ‘love stone’, rose quartz is said to bring unconditional love, in any form, to those who own it; whether that be through family, friends or romance. Similarly, it is a centrepiece of feng shui as a healing stone for rocky romances or bad breakups.…

Carnelian, a beautiful orange-red crystal, derives its name from the cornel cherry due to the similarities between their alluring red shades. A form of chalcedony (a silica crystal composed from quartz), carnelian differs from this mineral because of its famed reddish tints, which are the result of iron oxide impurities within the chalcedony structure. Vibrant and vivid, the flame-like colours have influenced its place in the practice of feng shui;…

Copal, a resin derived often from the tree family Burseraceae and the species Protium copal, is a cultural landmark in Mesoamerica. Its name is sourced from the Nahuatl (an Aztec language) word ‘Copalli’, which means incense. Copal has been ceremonially used by the Maya and other Mesoamerican indigenous people…