John, I DO like aquamarine and I own some . But in general , for me , the darker the blue the better ( royal blue being my most favourite colour ever) , and I also have in my collection .... Tanzania, iolite , sapphire, lapis lazuli , peacock pre , diamond , tourmaline ..
All in blue , among others ( lot of them set in jewellery )

Yesterday, I 'found' a few 'geodes' I had bought at the tucson shows a few years ago. The name is TSCHERMIGITE.

The properties for the 'geode' are unbelievable. It is referenced as the "Stone of the Spirits".

TO BE CONTINUED

TSCHERMIGITE is an interesting crystalized substance. I got it from a Polish vendor. He had been coming to the shows for a long time and would always bring a large collection of strange and beautiful specimens. A few years ago, he had a heart attack and I believed he passed away.

His specimens were the best 'nature' could produce even though they had a 'little help'. They were man made using techniques that mimic nature. How he was able to do it, pack and ship to Tucson and make some money was a mystery to me. But then, he might have lived in Western Poland where things are a lot cheaper. Who knows.

Since then, the Chinese have been coming up with more varieties they make. From what I have seen, there is at least one USA company that makes Quartz Crystals. Those are unique with tell tale signs of being man made because of the abundance of small, fragile Crystal points.

Hello

Back in 2014 I was in Glastonbury England (a village for crystal shops) and I was pulled to the Ying/Yang shop. I was like "why" tacky tourist looking shop not what I was looking for. Yet I was called to go look in the window. So I did as I know well listen to that inner voice.

This crystal carving had just some in from the Crystal show, just been un wrapped and put into the window. It was of a raven in Obsidian with a smokey quartz in the end. Its a wand. It was very expensive ! Yet I had to have it. The owner was like I have has such buyers remorse over this one.....as it was so much for this shop and cliental. I said I will take it ! LOL goes OMG it came from The USA and now its heading to Canada.

It was like it had to make that journey for me to find it there and bring it home to North America again. In that same shop we had the most amazing reading done by a very elderly reader that "never" does couple readings. The owner went upstairs to ask her knowing he said she would say "no" to come down and go she will see you both ! She was truly gifted and amazing !

I would get lost in such a show.....and go well broke. We have one that comes here and one not far from where I live that I will attend.

Never will I find such a piece again, I know that its truly one of a kind.

Lynn

Beautiful story and glad the raven found his way home.
As for Glastonbury... did you know it's about the magic, the leylines, the Goddess, the power places there? Like the Tor, Wearyall Hill, the Abbey, the Lady Chapel, the Chalice Well Garden, the White Well and so on?

It's not a town for crystal shops but a place of pilgrimage. It's called Avalon by many as that realm used to be there or very close to it.

Joseph of Arimathea has been there with Jesus. The Holy Thorn that used to stand on top of Wearyall Hill is said to have come from Joseph's staff that he planted in the ground before taking a rest there.

Joseph brought with him the Holy Grail and buried it in Glastonbury, allegedly under the Tor, through the entrance it has to the Fairy World.
That's where the Arthurian legend comes in too as Arthur and his knights were looking for the Holy Grail.

Arthur is said to be buried in the Glastonbury Abbey grounds.

I'm assuming you know this, or at least some of this, if you went all the way there from Canada?

I recall there being only one proper crystal shop, but cannot remember its name. I bought my larger tumbled carnelian there. I'd been looking for the right one for ages, found it there! Darker variety from Madagascar.

On a side note, apart from the mentioned places of importance, I didn't like Glastonbury town much. One big tourist attraction with wannabe Pagans and witches and whatnot that felt fake as bleep.
All the energies from too many do-gooders that were going to heal the place (what the heck from I don't know) messed it up so much that my then partner and I got horribly affected by it.

But I did like those power places and I was lucky to still see the Holy Thorn and hang my wish on the metal 'cage' around it's trunk. A few months later it was destroyed by vandals.

Hello

Did the Tor (did not realize the other side had an easy walk up) the wind was howling and I have never been so scared in all my life. The only thing that got me down was watching the sheep in the field below getting bigger!

Did the Abby and Lady Chamber while we were there, magical place and sad place so could "Feel" she was not happy with the renovations being attempted there.

There are a lot of Crystal Show and shops now re bounding post Covid which is nice. I would not want to go to a huge one as the energy I find at some clashes when they mix a show with "arts and crafts" or Psychics Fairs.

The one thing I so wanted to bring home was not legal to do so was a real human skull. It was in a "Dark" shop there in a part of it that not all get to access. I did LOL.

There is a big show coming in June I will be going to. Starting to save for it NOW lol.

Lynn

I guess a lot has changed then over the years!
And you did do and see most everything!
I haven't nearly seen everything there is to see there as when we got there I was ill. First time in donkey years. Bad sinus infection and my head was filled with fog, I didn't feel too good, no energy and tired.
We came from ex's family in Wales and on the way back went to Glastonbury. But on the way back I began to get ill :'(
The plan had been to only spend 1 night there, but due to my slow pace we stayed an extra night.

The most important thing to me was the Holy Thorn that was still there at the time, and 2nd place The Tor. It took me quite some time to get up there, hihi. Danged sinus infection!!

I think I bought my carnelian from "Elestial" shop, which if I've seen correctly on Google maps is in the same street as "Yin Yang" crystal shop.

I too hope to get back there at some point but I must say I dread all the tourist and woo-woo shizzel there.
I live in a tourist 'infested' area in my country which I dislike a helluva lot! I wasn't born and raised here and I never seem to get used to the annual invasion, hihi.
If they now have crystal shows there I sure as heck will try to go another time, lol.
But Scotland is top of my list!!

Anywho, thought I'd share a few photos :)

This was me with the Holy Thorn:



Me in the Michael's Tower on The Tor.

Very nice to 'meet' you Fairy.

I like looking at places like Glastonbury.

To me, it resonates in 'magic' and is something I have experienced in other places, especially at the Tucson shows.

Back in the 90's, I wrote some articles about the show. I claimed the shows were such a success is that items from all over the World are brought to Tucson before the shows. This was an ideal place, being that Tucson has over 300 days of bright, blue skies and is surrounded by mountain ranges in every direction.

To me, this was the perfect place to clean and clear rocks, crystals, minerals, fossils, etc. and being surrounded by mountains, allowed Gaia to work her magic upon that which was brought in for the shows. After the shows, Gaia's enriched items would be dispersed throughout the World.

Hihi, thank you, AngelBlue!
:hug3: