Stone Massage Guide

There are several varieties of basalt. Most contain olivine and iron-magnesium silicate; those containing notable quantities of this mineral are known as olivine basalt. This olivine basalt is a fine-grained stone that is very dense and forms fine crystalline masses. The stones begin to form when gabbroic magma erupts as lava flows or intrudes at shallow depths to form dikes and sills. Vesicular structure is prominent at the top of the lava flow. Gasses trapped in the cooling lava form vesicles; after solidification, secondary minerals like quartz and zeolites fill these cavities. The density of the stones is 2.5 times the weight per volume of water.

The hardness is 7 on the Mohs' Scale of 1-10, a diamond being a ten. The basalt that I use has been formed downwind of the volcano and then cooled slowly. Their composition has changed as metamorphosis has taken place and they have crystallized again and again, causing their great density. Then they have been broken and eroded by steam or water activity. The stones then washed along a river bottom or ocean shore and were given their smooth potato-like shape and size.

The long understood healing properties of basalt stones are stability and strength, clarity in difficult times, easing anger and promoting understanding in such situations. It has been said to enhance the reproductive system and increases fertility.

Jade - the stone of Heaven. Jade is the name used to describe either of Jadeite or Nephrite. Both jadestones take a high polish. Both have been carved into jewelry, ornaments, small sculptures and tools from the earliest recorded times.

Jadeite and nephrite differ in both crystalline structure and chemical composition. In both minerals, the microscopic crystals are tightly interlocked to form a compact aggregate. Jadeite is a silicate of sodium and aluminum and is classed as a pyroxene. Nephrite is a silicate of calcium and magnesium belonging to the amphibole group of minerals; it is usually called a form of Tremolite. Both jadestone types may be white or colorless, but may occur as red, green, brown, purple, yellow or gray due to the presence of iron, chromium or manganese. There are also wide variations of translucency in both minerals. Minerals associated with nephrite jade are talc, soapstone, tremolite, actinolite, and bowenite. The Moh hardness: 6.5 - 7

Nephrite is a tremolitic amphibole with the formula calcium iron magnesium silicate.

Jadeite is a mineral belonging to the pyroxene group and is a sodium aluminum silicate

The nephrite type of jade has an ancient, romantic, oriental history. Known to the Chinese as the Stone of Heaven, jade is predominantly associated with the Chinese, who, from the Neolithic period, were carving jade into tools and simple cult objects in the form of flat donut-shaped disks. Jade, revered and worshipped as the center of Chinese civilization for over 5000 years, was considered "the bridge to heaven" and was an important part of their burial rites with six intricately carved ritual pieces incorporated into the ceremony.

Jade is sometimes called "the dream stone" for its ability to help one access the non-physical spirit realms. It is a protective stone, and acts as a ward against negative energies. Jade facilitates peace and harmony between the mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional aspects of your life. This stone can help you attain your goals, installing resourcefulness, and allowing you to see past your limitations and manifest your ideas in the physical world. Jade encourages confidence, self-reliance and self-sufficiency. It is considered to be a lucky stone. Jade is said to promote courage, justice, compassion, humility, generosity, wealth, and longevity. Its use can lead to a richer, more fulfilling life. Jade vibrates to the number 2.

Petoskey Stones are fossilized colony corals (Hexagonaria percarinata). Approximately 350 million years ago warm salt water covered Michigan. In the depths of this sea, the members of the coral colony lived. It is a compound coral in that many animals lived together in a colony. The soft living tissue of corals is called the polyp. The polyp hardens into corallites, a skeletal base that secretes a limey substance, supports the polyp and keeps it from being buried alive by bottom debris. The limey skeletons were replaced by calcite or silica in a cell-by-cell process called petrification.

When glaciers scraped the bedrock surface, fragments of this rock were carried and deposited elsewhere, primarily in the north half of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Similar fossils of the Hexagonaria genus occur in many parts of the world such as Emmet, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Presque Isle, and Alpina countries, but the "percarinata" is limited to the Traverse Group in Petoskey, Michigan. In each hexagonal chamber of the coral lived a small saltwater marine life organism. The hexagonal chambers are sometimes referred to as 'eyes'. These 'eyes' are actually the coral's mouth. When the coral was living, tentacles radiated from its mouth and brought in food. These tentacles are the lines coming out from the edge of the eyes of the stone. The small flecks seen in the eyes of the stone are the coral's food, which became petrified along with the coral.

Marble - Organic rock, such as Marble and Sardonyx, come from living organisms. They are formed directly or indirectly from materials that were once living and are made up of mostly calcite and limestone. Calcite is colorless or white when pure, but may be of almost any color with varying shades of red, pink, yellow, green, blue, lavender, black or brown, owing to the presence of diverse impurities or sugar veins. It may be transparent, translucent, or opaque. Its luster ranges from vitreous to dull. Many crystals, especially the colorless ones, are vitreous, whereas sugar veins are properly referred to as granular masses, especially those that are fine-grained, and tend to be dull. Calcite is number 3 on the Mohs hardness scale; it can be scratched readily by a knife. Most fresh water and seawater contain dissolved calcium carbonate. All limestone is formed when the calcium carbonate crystallizes out of solution or from the skeletons of small sea urchins and coral. Limestone is a rock made of calcite.

Most limestone is gray, but all colors of limestone, from white to black, have been found. Deposits of limestone are typically formed from the shells of creatures such as clams and certain microorganisms. The shells collect on the ocean floor, accumulate and compress into rock over time. Some sedimentary rocks are formed when a sea or lake dries up, leaving large amounts of dissolved minerals that then concentrate and form solid rock. Marble is formed by the alteration of limestone by heat and pressure. The calcite in the limestone changes and fossils and layering in the original limestone disappear as interlocking grains grow. If the limestone is pure, a white marble is formed. Limestone may include layers of clay or sand, which may form the attractive sugar veins (colors) found in marble.

Marble is used for protection; many altars are made of marble for this purpose. It is also said to aid in personal success and body fitness. It is common knowledge that marble is the stone of choice to adorn castles, churches or any building that is a place of honor and authority. Marble will assist in recalling your dreams and promotes mediation. In relationships, it supports common sense and matters of the heart.

Sardonyx (chalcedony microcrystalline quartz) is a blend of sard and onyx, with red bands of sard and white bands of onyx. Onyx, Sard and Sardonyx all have a hardness rating of 7. It is incorrect to name this rock onyx without the word marble. Onyx marble, Sardonyx or Marble stone is formed from water containing lime in layered deposits, and always banded, near springs or as stalactites or stalagmites in caves. Unlike marble, Sardonyx or Onyx marble are formed when cold water carrying dissolved calcite drips into underground caves. As the water evaporates, a thin film of limestone is left behind. Over many years, these deposits build up to form pillars, spikes and other shapes. Limestone, marble, sardonyx, and travertine are all in the family of organic rock.

The stone sardonyx is millions of years old! The natural processes of heating/ cooling and pressure create a crystalline stone rich in color and pattern that reaches well below the surface to reveal a truly unparalleled depth of opalescent hues that dazzle the mind. Sardonyx is quartz crystals fused together by nature into translucent layers of stone, revealing a rainbow of colors ranging from creamy whites, shades of gold and ambers, orange, reds, browns, deep greens, and grays. To appear completely black it must be dyed; this stone is then called Onyx. True Sardonyx is a form of calcite; beware of calcite being passed off as Onyx. Sardonyx is quite hard, whereas Calcite can easily be scratched with a fingernail. Ironically, in the Greek language the name onyx means fingernail because of its translucent appearance.