Behind the Jewelry

Happy Birthday Gemini

Gemini - the Twins

5/21 - 6/21

Basic Traits:

Flexibility, balance and adaptability are the keywords for the Gemini. They are quick to grasp the meaning of a situation and act on it, often with positive effects. They tend to have a duality to their nature, and can sometimes be tough to predict how they will react. They can turn from hot to cold and may be prone to noticeable mood swings. However, they are generous signs with tendencies of being affectionate, and imaginative. They also inspire others easily as they seem to naturally motivate themselves - their charisma and accomplishments are infectious. Geminis are very supportive, and are especially good at promotions, sales, and driving hard bargains.

The Deeper Meaning:

The purpose of Gemini is to be one who gathers and conveys information. Gemini is to the human race as a whole what the nervous system (which Gemini rules) is to the body. If the body is in touch with a dangerous object, the nervous system carries a message to another part of the body which results in an impulse being generated which has the necessary effect of withdrawing that part of the body from the dangerous object. Or your senses may detect a pleasant fragrance coming from somewhere, a message signals that it might enhance your enjoyment of life if you move towards the source of the fragrance, and you might move towards it (especially if you have planets in Taurus in your birth chart - Taurus enjoys the physical pleasures of life!)

In order for the nervous system to be effective, it must be sensitive to many different types of stimuli, and this says something about the Gemini inclination. Gemini often takes an interest in many different things, in all sorts of information, so much so that it can fail to get an in depth knowledge of anything. Sometimes this is what is wanted - you can feed the information to others, and then they may be able to fit it into a pattern which is useful, even though it appears useless to you. You may be reading a book, and before you have finished it, be distracted by another book that takes your interest, and so never get to the bottom of what the first book was about. This can lead to criticism from others who value the virtues of persistence, but ultimately it may work toward the Gemini aim of providing as much information as possible to the collective in the hope that some of it may be of use somewhere.

Gemini is an air sign, and as such puts great value on the mind and its thinking function, to the extent that emotional experiences may be regarded as complications that are best avoided. Psychologically, air is attracted to water, but air finds the emotions difficult to deal with as they don't fit in with its concept of an ideal world. But emotions must be dealt with for the mind to be effective. Have you noticed how an emotional catharsis can clear the mind and help you think more effectively? This conflict may be apparent time and time again if you have significant planets (e.g. the Moon) in water signs in your birth chart. Compatibility issues may abound in love relationships. For instance, if the Moon is in Scorpio in your chart you will find yourself drawn towards emotionally complex situations, perhaps entanglements in relationships, which you have to live with at the same time as the Gemini in you is trying to be rational about them. Not an easy task, but the combination of emotional complexity and the ability to examine rationally what is going on can be a very fruitful one, can make you a deeper person, one who is sought out because of the experience you have.

May Birthstone

Traditionally, a birthstone is associated with each month of the year. For example, the birthstone for January is a garnet, while lucky babies born in April get a diamond as their birthstone.

The origin of birthstones is believed to date back to the breastplate of Aaron which contained twelve gemstones representing the twelve tribes of Israel. The current list dates back to 1912 with only one addition since then – the tanzanite was added to December.

There are numerous legends and myths about birthstone healing powers and their therapeutic influence. According to these legends, wearing a gemstone during its assigned month heightened its healing powers. For the full effect, individuals needed to own all twelve and alternate them monthly.

Emerald

As the birthstone for May, the emerald, a symbol of rebirth, is believed to grant the owner foresight, good fortune, and youth. Emerald, derived from the word smaragdus, meaning green in Greek, was mined in Egypt as early as 330 B.C.

Today, most of the world’s emeralds are mined in Colombia, Brazil, Afghanistan, and Zambia. The availability of high-quality emerald is limited; consequently, treatments to improve clarity are performed regularly.

Featured Jewelry - Week 17

All designs are currently available at BlueCopperJewelry.com.

To see more details on any of these pieces, just click on the link directly below the photo.

Inspired by nature, these crystal bracelets evokes feelings of lazing on tropical beaches, running through lavender fields, sitting by burbling streams, and watching the leaves change in Fall.

Happy Birthday Taurus

Taurus - the Bull

4/20 - 5/20

Basic Traits:

Taurus zodiac signs and meanings, like the animal that represents them, is all about strength, stamina and will. Stubborn by nature, the Taurus will stand his/her ground to the bitter end (sometimes even irrationally so). But that's okay because the Taurus is also a loving, sympathetic and appreciative sign. The Taurus is very understanding and when we need someone to unburden ourselves to, we often share our deepest fears with the Taurians of the zodiac. Taurians are very patient, practical and efficient, they are excellent in matters of business and are also wonderful instructors/teachers. Although initially they may have their own best interest at heart, they are ultimately & endlessly generous with their time, possessions and love.

The Deeper Meaning:

The function of Taurus, more than any other sign, is to witness to the value of the senses in human life. We are material beings with physical bodies which have needs and desires, and Taurus says, in effect, these needs are valid, the body's desires are to be valued and appreciated for their own sake. Good food, good wine, good sex, a beautifully furnished home and tastefully chosen clothing are all to be enjoyed, and can make Taureans feel good about themselves, and so make them more lively and satisfying contributors to human life as a whole.

After the exuberance, imagination and activity of the first sign of the zodiac, Aries, Taurus may seem to some rather slow and inert by comparison. But the spark which Aries provides would never take effect, would never be grounded in the physical world, unless there were people who could work out the practical implications and bring them to fruition.

Many who are sympathetic to astrology espouse deep spiritual values, and are seeking what is beyond the physical world, to put their lives into a framework of some form of ultimate divine meaning. Perhaps you know some of them, or may even be one yourself. Maybe you are often criticised by your more 'spiritual' or 'evolved' friends for being too earthbound and failing to seek a higher meaning to life. According to the law of opposites you are likely to attract such people into your sphere of influence! Listen to them, but do not be distracted from your enjoyment of the physical pleasures of life. For you, the path to the spiritual lies through the physical, as in some parts of Christianity the divine is approached through physical means called sacraments.

I mentioned that you may attract fiery spiritual people into your life whose values seem at odds with your own. This raises compatibility issues. Another energy you may attract is that represented by the sign opposite yours - Scorpio. For you, enjoyment of the physical world is a straightforward affair - why complicate it? Scorpio, however, says that you must get beneath the superficial appearance of things to the deeper significance, in particular the significance at the level of gut feeling. For Scorpio life must be intense at the feeling level, and they may get themselves involved in deeply complex situations just so that they can feel intensely engaged. Why? you might ask, especially if you love such a person with whom you strongly desire compatibility. Doesn't the sensual world provide pleasure enough by itself? No, not for some, and maybe not even for you in the long term, as we all have Scorpio energy in our birth charts somewhere.

Featured Jewelry - Week 16

All designs are currently available at BlueCopperJewelry.com.

To see more details on any of these pieces, just click on the link directly below the photo.

Even though it's been Spring for awhile now, it looks like the entire country is finally starting to see it. No more snow... just beautiful blooms sprouting and waving around in heavenly scented air. And so I bring you Spring, in bloom, with these colorful flower charms.

Spring Blooms in Red Wine

Spring Flowers in Aqua Blue

Spring Blooms in Blue Swirls

Spring Flowers in Neon Yellow

Spring Blooms in Lime Green

Featured Jewelry - Week 15

All designs are currently available at BlueCopperJewelry.com.

To see more details on any of these pieces, just click on the link directly below the photo.

I love color! So this week I'm showing that off with a bit of a rainbow of colorful designs. Enjoy!

Red Suede Bracelet

Yellow Glass Earrings

Green Agate Necklace

Blue Agate Bracelet

Violet Amethyst Earrings

April Birthstone

Diamond

As the April birthstone, diamonds are the ideal gift for a loved one. And now you have more choices than ever. Get creative and give the ultimate gift of beauty: a fancy-color diamond. Fancy-color diamonds are natural, rare and truly exotic gem of the earth. Diamonds in hues of yellow, red, pink, blue, and green range in intensity from faint to vivid and generally the more saturated the color, the higher the value. In fact, diamonds sparkling with intense color are rare and may be priced higher than a colorless diamond of equal size. Because fancy-color diamonds are very desirable, color is sometimes introduced in a laboratory. These are correctly called color-treated diamonds. When purchasing a fancy-color diamond, the shopper should ask if any enhancements or treatments were used to improve its color and/or clarity.