Image credit: NMT, SumOfThree Gemstones

Uploader comment: My mother and I went to a "trunk show" for gemstones yesterday and mom (bless her heart) found these three pieces for me to make into jewelry for myself! Wow! I usually sell what I make! The first piece is a pink Peruvian Opal. Several years ago this material was fairly inexpensive, but the deposites in Peru are drying up and it's becoming very rare and quite expensive. The second is a REAL piece of Nevada Turquoise. It's got outstanding copper veining and I'm so excited to have a solid real piece to work with. Most turquoise thse days is powdered material that's been reconstituted, OR is a type of jasper that's been dyed or real tuquoise that has been treated with resin that breaks down over time. The third piece comes from Arizona, it's called Variscite... Variscite is almost identical to Turquoise except that it contains no copper but other minerals (this one has graphite I believe) that gives it it's GORGEOUS greyish/purple veining. I can't want to get started on these pieces!