It is amazing to live here in Namibia's Erongo region and see every day what Mother Nature can do.
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| Amethyst |
Amethyst is the rarest of the quartz crystals. Ancient Greeks believed it protected against drunkeness; that's how it got its name - 'mythestos' means 'intoxicated', and the 'a' negates that, so 'not intoxicated'! The crystals form as six-sided prisms like the one above. However, since they often form in clusters, you don't often see the prism this clearly.
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| Garnets |
Garnets are named from the Latin word 'granum' (seed), which is also the root for the word 'pomegranate.' In English, the word 'garnet' has come to mean both the crystal you see above and the deep red color of a pomegranate seed. Garnet crystals can come in every hue in the color spectrum, including black and clear, but are most often some shade of red. An antique-jewelry dealer in Paris once told this writer that they help to promote solitude. Healers who work with crystals may tell you they help provide comfort or inspiration in times of solitude.
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| Aquamarines surrounded by black tourmaline |
Aquamarines are the rarest of the semi-precious crystals we mine in the Erongo region, and therefore the highest-priced. They are a form of beryl, which means they are cousins of emeralds. Their color, the source of their name, ranges from almost colorless to a quite deep blue, with the most frequent being the beautiful pale blue-green of the sea for which they are named.
