2 amazonite tumble stones

**Amazonite** is a beautiful blue-green variety of microcline feldspar, prized for its soothing color and metaphysical properties. Here’s everything you need to know:
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### **1. Overview**
- **Composition**: Potassium aluminum silicate (KAlSi₃O₈), with traces of lead giving it its color.
- **Color**: Ranges from **pale green to turquoise-blue**, often with white streaks or mottling.
- **Luster**: Vitreous to pearly.
- **Transparency**: Opaque to translucent.
- **Hardness**: 6–6.5 on the Mohs scale (fairly durable for jewelry).
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### **2. Key Features**
- **Distinctive Hue**: Its seafoam green to sky-blue color comes from trace amounts of **lead and water** in its structure.
- **Perthitic Texture**: Often shows white streaks (exsolved albite), creating a marbled effect.
- **Historical Names**: Called "Amazon Stone" due to (debated) links to the Amazon River, though major deposits aren’t found there.
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### **3. Sources**
- **Primary Locations**: Brazil, Russia (Ural Mountains), the U.S. (Colorado, Virginia), Madagascar, and Canada.
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### **4. Metaphysical & Healing Properties**
- **Emotional**: Known as the "Stone of Courage and Truth," believed to:
  - Soothe stress and balance emotions.
  - Encourage honest communication (linked to the **throat and heart chakras**).
- **Spiritual**: Said to enhance intuition and creativity.
- **Physical**: Some associate it with supporting metabolism and calcium absorption.
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### **5. Uses**
- **Jewelry**: Cut into cabochons, beads, or carved into pendants (ideal for earrings, necklaces).
- **Decor**: Used for bookends, spheres, and inlaid art.
- **Feng Shui**: Placed in workspaces for calming energy.
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### **6. Care Tips**
- **Avoid**: Harsh chemicals, ultrasonic cleaners, and prolonged sunlight (may fade).
- **Clean**: Mild soap, water, and a soft cloth.
- **Store**: Separately to prevent scratches from harder gems.
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### **Fun Fact**
Ancient Egyptians used amazonite in scarabs and jewelry, associating it with protection and harmony.