Handcrafted Antique Sunstone Ancient Heliolite Viking Essence of the Sun 14ktGF

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Handcrafted Antique Sunstone Ancient Heliolite Viking Essence of the Sun 14ktGF:
$34.99

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Ten Antique (Vintage) Genuine, Natural, Handcrafted Sparkling Sunstone (“Heliolite”) Semi-Precious Gemstones on 14kt Gold Fill French Hooks.

Ten antique hand crafted gemstones, five on each hook, each about 4mm in diameter, mounted onto high quality 14kt gold fill french hooks (not cheap gold electroplate). Total gemstone weight about 4 carats.

NOTE: 14kt solid gold settings and other setting styles (studs, lever backs, euro clicks, kidney wires, ball/stud dangles, fancy dangles, etc., are available upon request, as are sterling silver settings.

NOTE: If you would like only the gemstones, and not the settings, we can dismount the gemstones and offer you the gemstones without the settings. Just let us know, and yes, we’ll discount the price by the cost of the settings.

DETAILS: Sunstone is an ancient gem, often discovered in Viking Burial mounds. The ancient classical world knew sunstone as “heliolite”, “helio” in Greek of course, meant “sun”. The metallic shimmer led ancients to believe that the gemstone contained the essence of the sun. For thousands of years it was regarded a very rare and valuable gemstones. The ancient source of sunstone to the ancient Scandinavian world was most likely a deposit at Tvedestrand in Norway, and it’s likely that sunstone was provided to the classical world from a deposit in Russia. Sunstone was also high valued in the ancient America, ancient sources included Canada and the state of Oregon in the USA. Caandian Indians used sunstone in their Medicine Wheel Ceremonies.

Celebrating this cultural legacy here are ten very nice, spherical handcrafted sparkling, coppery orange sunstone gemstones. They were handcrafted in the 1950’s in Yekaterinburg, Russia, handcrafted into these cute little spheres for use in indigenous jewelry. Sunstone is so named for the sparkling little bits of copper and iron pyrite, giving the gemstone a metallic shimmer which to the ancients seemed like the gemstone somehow contained the essence of the sun. It has historically been considered a very rare gemstone, however in the early nineteenth century a large quantity of the gemstone was discovered in Siberia. Sunstone has been very popular in Russia ever since, and these handcrafted spherical gemstones were used in jewelry throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Additional deposits of the gemstone were ultimately also discovered in India, and the gemstone became quite popular in Indian beaded jewelry as well. Sunstone is closely related to moonstone, another popular gemstone found both in India as well as Siberia. These antique gemstones have been mounted onto contemporary high quality settings manufactured by one of the USA’s leading semi-custom mount producers. They are constructed of 14kt gold fill. They are not cheap, gold electroplated earrings. They are of genuine 14kt gold fill, designed to last a lifetime. It\'s a first-class piece of jewelry throughout. We can reset into 14kt solid gold (or sterling silver) upon request, and there are also many other setting styles available upon request including euro clicks, lever backs, fancy stud dangles, kidney wires, ball/stud dangles, etc.

As might be expected under magnification the gemstones show the unmistakable characteristics of having been hand crafted. The coarseness of the handcrafted finish is considered appealing to most gemstone collectors, and is not considered a detriment, or to detract from the value of a gemstone. These characteristics are not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, most serious collectors consider such gemstones more desirable, possessed of greater character and uniqueness when compared to today\'s cookie-cutter mass-produced machine-cut and finished gemstones. Unlike today’s computer controlled machine produced gemstones that approach flawlessness in a perfect finish, the cut and finish of a handcrafted gemstone such as these are the cultural legacy passed onwards by artisans who lived centuries ago. Such hand-crafted gemstones possess much greater character and appeal than today\'s mass-produced machined gemstones.

HISTORY OF SUNSTONE: Sunstone was known in the ancient world as is also known as “heliolite”, “Helio” of course Greek for “Sun”. Ancient Greeks used it in goblets to prevent poisoning. Sunstone is a member of the feldspar group of minerals and is closely related to moonstone. It is formed and crystalized in a lava flow. The color is caused by tiny crystals of copper within the stones which often results in \"schiller\" or shimmer that is usually a peach color. Sunstone was well known in the ancient world, and have been discovered in Viking burial mounds. Among the Vikings it was thought to be an aid to navigation. The original source of the stone for the Vikings was probably a deposit in Norway at Tvedestrand, rediscovered in the 1950’s.

Ancient American sources of sunstone were also eventually rediscovered in Oregon and Canada, where the discovery was made that sunstone was used by ancient North American natives for barter. Sunstone has also been well known in Russia for many centuries. Russian sunstone varies from golden to orange to red-brown, and can be transparent or translucent. Sunstone has a distinctly metallic look, due to sparkling mineral inclusions (usually hematite or goethite crystals) of red, orange or green. Many sunstones also contain copper or pyrite inclusions, giving an extra flash of light. Until the early 1800’s, sunstone was very rare and quite expensive. Then in 1831 a massive deposit was discovered along the Selenga River in Siberia, near Lake Baikal, Russia.

Before the Russian discovery near Lake Baikal, sunstone was found in only one location, on Sattel Island in Russia’s White Sea. Since sunstone had been so rare in the ancient world, its use as a jewelry stone in our ancient past was limited. However, sunstone has a long history of association with the sun’s powers. Magicians would set the stone in gold to attract the sun’s influence. An ancient healing tradition used a circle of sunstones set out under the sun. Individuals with rheumatism could then sit in the middle of the circle and be relieved of their symptoms. Native American tribes from Canada often used sunstone in Medicine Wheel ceremonies to help establish a connection with the healing light of the sun.

Throughout history, gemstones were believed capable of curing illness to providing protection. Found in Egypt dated 1500 B. C., the \"Papyrus Ebers\" offered one of most complete therapeutic manuscripts containing prescriptions using gemstones and minerals. In the Eastern civilizations of China, India, and Tibet, gemstones were not only valued for their medicinal and protective properties, but also for educational and spiritual enhancement. In the ancient past sunstone, in addition to it’s connection with the power of the sun, was also believed to strengthen the life force, bring luck, instill optimism and increase strength and vitality, assist in contemplative processes, and bolster the energy level. It was also believed to bring luck and romance to the wearer.

Domestic shipping (insured first class mail) is included in the price shown. Domestic shipping also includes USPS Delivery Confirmation (you might be able to update the status of your shipment on-line at the USPS Web Site). Canadian shipments are an extra $14.99 for Insured Air Mail; International shipments are an extra $18.99 for Air Mail (and generally are NOT tracked; trackable shipments are EXTRA). ADDITIONAL PURCHASES do receive a VERY LARGE discount, typically about $5 per item so as to reward you for the economies of combined shipping/insurance costs. Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers.

We do NOT recommend uninsured shipments, and expressly disclaim any responsibility for the loss of an uninsured shipment. Unfortunately the contents of parcels are easily “lost” or misdelivered by postal employees – even in the USA. If you intend to pay via PayPal, please be aware that PayPal Protection Policies REQUIRE insured, trackable shipments, which is INCLUDED in our price. International tracking is at additional cost. We do offer U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, Registered Mail, and Express Mail for both international and domestic shipments, as well United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fed-Ex). Please ask for a rate quotation. We will accept whatever payment method you are most comfortable with. If upon receipt of the item you are disappointed for any reason whatever, I offer a no questions asked return policy. Send it back, I will give you a complete refund of the purchase price (less our original shipping costs).

We travel to Russia each year seeking antique gemstones and jewelry from one of the globe’s most prolific gemstone producing and cutting centers, the area between Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg, Russia. From all corners of Siberia, as well as from India, Ceylon, Burma and Siam, gemstones have for centuries gone to Yekaterinburg where they have been cut and incorporated into the fabulous jewelry for which the Czars and the royal families of Europe were famous for. My wife grew up and received a university education in the Southern Urals of Russia, just a few hours away from the mountains of Siberia, where alexandrite, diamond, emerald, sapphire, chrysoberyl, topaz, demantoid garnet, and many other rare and precious gemstones are produced. Though perhaps difficult to find in the USA, antique gemstones are commonly unmounted from old, broken settings – the gold reused – the gemstones recut and reset.

Before these gorgeous antique gemstones are recut, we try to acquire the best of them in their original, antique, hand-finished state – most of them centuries old. We believe that the work created by these long-gone master artisans is worth protecting and preserving rather than destroying this heritage of antique gemstones by recutting the original work out of existence. That by preserving their work, in a sense, we are preserving their lives and the legacy they left for modern times. Far better to appreciate their craft than to destroy it with modern cutting. Not everyone agrees – fully 95% or more of the antique gemstones which come into these marketplaces are recut, and the heritage of the past lost. But if you agree with us that the past is worth protecting, and that past lives and the produce of those lives still matters today, consider buying an antique, hand cut, natural gemstone rather than one of the mass-produced machine cut (often synthetic or “lab produced”) gemstones which dominate the market today.

Our interest in the fabulous history of Russian gemstones and the fabulous jewelry of the Czar’s led to further education and contacts in India, Ceylon, and Siam, other ancient centers of gemstone production and finishing. We have a number of “helpers” (family members, friends, and colleagues) in Russia and in India who act as eyes and ears for us year-round, and in reciprocity we donate a portion of our revenues to support educational institutions in Russia and India. Occasionally while in Russia, India, Siam, and Ceylon we will also find such good buys on unique contemporary gemstones and jewelry that we will purchase a few pieces to offer to our customers here in America. These are always offered clearly labeled as contemporary, and not antiques – just to avoid confusion. We can set most any antique gemstone you purchase from us in your choice of styles and metals ranging from rings to pendants to earrings and bracelets; in sterling silver, 14kt solid gold, and 14kt gold fill. When you purchase from us, you can count on quick shipping and careful, secure packaging. We would be happy to provide you with a certificate/guarantee of authenticity for any item you purchase from me. There is a $2 fee for mailing under separate cover. Please see our \"ADDITIONAL TERMS OF