Mohs 8—hard enough to scratch quartz and most common gemstones

or a quiet period of renewal

Chalcedony is cryptocrystalline quartz—silicon dioxide built up in microscopic fibers rather than visible crystals

In metaphysical tradition it is linked to the throat and heart chakras and to balance and honest communication

and many Eastern traditions

Selenite Angel Yellow Tiger Eye Mohs 8—hard enough to scratchAn angel figure carved from a single block of translucent gypsum, the wings and form emerging from the stone. Selenite is gypsum calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4;2H2; O) formed in evaporite basins where ancient seas concentrated their mineral content and slowly crystallized over millions of years. Its softness (Mohs 2) is what allows carvers to work the detail of wings and drapery into a compact form. The stones translucency means the finished figure