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History of Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day!

 Ancient Artifacts & Treasures, Inc.

 

While we should honor our mothers every day, this is the day set aside to officially honor our mothers. It is the day we honor our mothers including those who are no longer with us.

Mother’s Day,  a holiday honoring motherhood, is observed in different forms throughout the world

The History of Mother’s Day

The celebration of Mother’s Day began in the US in the early 20th century. It is not related to the many celebrations of mothers and motherhood that have occurred throughout the world over thousands of years, such as the Greek cult to Cybele, the Roman festival of Hilaria, or the Christian Mothering Sunday celebration (originally a celebration of the mother church, not motherhood).

The modern American holiday of Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother in Grafton West Virginia. Her campaign to make Mother’s Day a recognized holiday in the United States began in 1905. It was that year her beloved mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died. Due to her efforts, in 1914 Woodrow Wilson signed the proclamation creating Mother’s Day, the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honor mothers.

Other early Mother’s Day pioneers include Juliet Calhoun Blakely, a temperance  activist who inspired a local Mother’s Day in Albion, Michigan, in the 1870s. Slightly later, Mary Towles Sasseen and Frank Hering both worked to organize a Mothers’ Day in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some have even called Hering “the father of Mothers Day”.

 

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Aquamarine – March’s Birthstone

 

 

aquamarine crystalThe March Birthstone

AQUAMARINE      

aquamarine

Aquamarine’s name comes from the Latin for seawater and it was said to calm waves and keep sailors safe at sea. March’s birthstone was also thought to enhance the happiness of marriages which is why it is the gem for the 19th wedding anniversary. The best gems combine high clarity with nice transparency and blue to slightly greenish blue hues. Like many beryls, aquamarine forms large crystals suitable for sizable fashioned gems and carvings.

The hardness and durability of Aquamarine make it a fine gemstone and its light blue or aqua color makes it a fine choice when the harsher colors of some other gemstones would overwhelm or distract from an outfit.

In addition to being a fine gemstone, aquamarine is also the name of a color that is a bluish green toned toward cyan.  The first recorded use of aquamarine as a color name in English was in 1598

Aquamarine’s Properties

If you are fortunate enough to have this gemstone as your March birthstone you will wearing jewelry that is associated with beauty, honesty, loyalty and happiness. It is a “Stone of Courage and Protection”.

Aquamarine resonates to the energy of the ocean, helping the holder to connect with the nature spirits of the sea. Seamen carried this stone in ancient times to promote safe travel on the water and to protect against drowning. Aquamarine’s  soothing energy makes it a perfect companion to calm fears and phobias.

Used often with the Throat Chakra, it can be used to promote verbal self-expression, to enhance spiritual communication and clear communication blocks. Aquamarine is also used to align all of the chakras and enhance the aura. The metaphysical properties of Aquamarine make it an excellent stone for the spiritual initiate.

Ancient Artifacts & Treasures carries beautiful mineral in rough stones and polished gems in many shapes, weights and sizes.

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Garnet the January Birthstone

 

pyrope garnet

Garnet the January Birthstone

Garnet species are found in a rainbow of colors including red (almandine, pyrope and hessonite), orange (spessartine), yellow, green (tsavorite, uvarovite and andradite), purple, brown, blue, black, pink, and colorless, with reddish shades most common. One variety of pyrope from Macon County, North Carolina  is a violet-red shade and has been called rhodolite, often confused with ruby.

It is considered a great gift to symbolize friendship and trust. Garnet also symbolizes a light heart, loyalty and enduring affections.

As with many precious and semi-precious stones, these semi-precious gems were once believed to hold medicinal powers. In Medieval times, it protected its wearer against poisons, wounds and bad dreams, and cured depression. Red garnets relieved fever, hemorrhages and inflammatory diseases.

In the former Czechoslovakia, evidence of garnet jewelry dating to the Bronze age was found in ancient graves. Garnet jewelry has also been discovered dating back to 3100 B.C. in Egypt, 2300 B.C. in Sumeria, and 2000-1000 B.C. in Sweden. They were treasured in 3rd and 4th century Greece. They continued in popularity during Roman times as both jewelry and abrasives. Across the Atlantic, Pre-Columbian Aztec and Native Americans also used these gems in their jewelry and ornaments and as abrasives.

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December Birthstones: Turquoise and Lapis Lazuli

December birthstones

December Birthstones

 Ancient Artifacts & Treasures, Inc.

Turquoise and Lapis Lazuli

December has two birthstones: Turquoise and Lapis Lazuli. Turquoise is the traditional birthstone, but in recent times many of the birthstones have had a second or third birthstone added due to the increasing cost of many birthstones.

Turquoise:

Turquoise is perhaps the oldest stone in man’s history, the talisman of kings, shamans, and warriors. It is a stone of protection, strong and opaque, yet soothing to the touch, healing to the eye. The delicate veining or mottled webbing in cream or brown is inherent to the stone and serves to enhance its character.

It dispels negative energy and can be worn to protect against outside influences or pollutants in the atmosphere.  Turquoise balances and aligns all the chakras, stabilizing mood swings and instilling inner calm.  It is excellent for depression and exhaustion. It also has the power to prevent panic attacks.  Turquoise promotes self-realization and assists creative problem solving.  It is a symbol of friendship, and stimulates romantic love.

Turquoise aids in the absorption of nutrients, enhances the immune system, stimulates the regeneration of tissue, and heals the whole body.  It contains anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effects, and alleviates cramps and pain.  Turquoise purifies lungs, soothes and clears sore throats, and heals the eyes, including cataracts.  It neutralizes over-acidity, benefits rheumatism, gout, stomach problems, and viral infections.

 

Lapis Lazuli:

Lapis Lazuli is a useful stone to wear as it is said to relieve anger and negative thoughts, as well as easing frustrations causing the anger.

They resonate with the energy of the inner king or queen, and are historically stones of royalty, and this crystal also helps to balance the male and female aspects of your personality.

The energy of these blue crystals may intensify the growth of psychic abilities, intuition and channeling and aid you to contact your guardian angels. The capacity of this crystals energy to stimulate the development of psychic gifts makes it a stone that is in demand.

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