Gilalite in Quartz Wide Band Ring – Size 9

There is something almost otherworldly about the color in this stone. Soft, translucent quartz holds a wash of pale watery blue from gilalite inclusions, with a creamy white band running through one side like a streak of cloud through a blue sky. The color shifts with the light and what surrounds it, sometimes appearing icy and ethereal and at other times becoming a more noticeable blue. It's an unusual stone with a very subtle kind of beauty, the sort that makes you want to keep turning it in your hand to see what it does next.

Gilalite is a rare copper silicate mineral, and when it occurs as inclusions inside quartz it can create beautiful blue to blue-green coloration. This material is also commonly sold under the trade name Paraíba Quartz because its copper-derived color can be reminiscent of the famous blue-green Paraíba tourmalines, although the two gemstones are completely different minerals. Gilalite-bearing quartz is prized particularly for those distinctive inclusions and its unusual combination of clear to milky quartz and cool aquatic color.

I gave this stone a substantial setting with my double bezel, surrounding the soft blue with a darkened, hand-hammered border that adds contrast without overpowering it. The wide sterling silver band is heavily textured and covered with individually applied silver details, then oxidized before the raised metal is polished back to brightness. The rugged, dimensional silver makes an especially good counterpoint to the soft, almost misty appearance of the quartz.

Metaphysically, gilalite is sometimes associated with emotional clarity, intuition and calm, while quartz is traditionally associated with clarity and amplification.

✧ Gemstone: Gilalite in Quartz, also known commercially as Paraíba Quartz
✧ Ring Size: 9; due to the wide band, best suited for approximately a size 8.5–8.75 finger
✧ Band Width: Approximately 17 mm at the front, tapering to 8 mm at the back
✧ Ring Face: Approximately 22 x 17.5 mm
✧ Setting: Double bezel with hand-hammered border
✧ Metal: Sterling silver with an oxidized patina

One-of-a-kind and made with care in my studio.