We were bowled over recently when we were able to purchase a strand of natural, rare, Ceruleite beads.

Always on the lookout for something unusual, we were struck by the gemstone’s awesome rich Colour, as well as the name. According to shopic.com, ceruleite is ‘a rarity not often seed outside museum collections’ and – whilst we have seen a number of cut cabochons for sale before, this was the first time we had ever seen bead strands for sale.

Turquoise always sells well for us and the colour of ceruleite is similar (although somewhat richer), so it came as no surprise when our first ceruleite & chocolate opal bracelet sold within 24 hours!

But what is ceruleite exactly? Well, it is is a gemstone whose name seems to come from the colour cerulean that it matches. The main source for the gem is the Emma Louise Mine in Guanaco, Chile. Unsurprisingly, it’s colour is the result of copper deposits within the gem, similar to turquoise and malachite. It ranks 5-6 on the Mohs (hardness) scale, just like turquoise too – so cleaning with mild washing up liquid only and care should be taken to avoid scratches.

Ceruleite is also said to have lots of beneficial & healing properties, including:

• Relief from throat ailments
• Ease of movement to stiff limbs & weak muscles
• The ability to decrease dehydration
• Luck to those seeking employment
• Empowerment for public speaking & voicing one’s own opinions

If you like ceruleite’s stunningly blue colour, then we are pleased to still be offering a limited number of items (a few more to follow shortly).

Better than turquoise? Let us know your thoughts or what your favourite gemstone is – we’re always happy for feedback: [email protected].