September Newsletter - Enjoying Labor Day come rain or shine

Labor Day traditionally happens on the first Monday of September in the US and generally means the end of summer and the return to school. It is usually celebrated with one last picnic or barbecue full of fried chicken, hamburgers and corn on the cob. It also marks the end of the ‘hot dog season’ - between Memorial Day and Labor Day Americans eat 7 billion hot dogs!

So Happy Labor Day, America.

Garnet is the ideal Labor Day gemstone, it can stimulate the entire Chakra system and is known to help success in work and business - in ancient times it was worn by warriors as protection.

See our article on Garnet Meaning and Healing Powers here

Or you could go for the ‘Merchant’s Stone’, Citrine, the gemstone of success in business which can attract prosperity, wealth and happiness.

See our article on Citrine Meaning and Healing Powers here

Someone who is very successful at his job is Tanzanian miner, Saniniu Laizer. A couple of months ago I wrote about him finding two giant tanzanite gemstones worth $3m - well he has done it again! This time he dug up a 14lb crystal which he sold to the government for a further $2m.

He is going to use the money to build a school and a hospital and his find suggests that this gorgeous rare, blue-violet gemstone, will be around a little longer yet.

I have tried to emulate Mr Laizer’s exploits in the muddy minefields around Chanthaburi here in Thailand but so far no luck but I understand there are a number of places to have a go at digging for gemstones in the US.

Check your own neighborhood for gem mines that allow you to come along and dig, chip, sort, pan and prospect your way to riches. Here are just a few I have been able to locate, I have not been to any of these places but if you do, let us know how you fared.

• Cherokee Ruby and Sapphire Mine in North Carolina
• Emerald Hollow Mine in North Carolina
• Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas
• Gem Mountain in Montana
• Herkimer Diamond Mines in New York
• Royal Peacock Opal Mine in Nevada

When times are tough, some people will try almost anything to get ahead. Last week a Chinese smuggler tried to get past customs in China after flying in from Bangkok with a suitcase containing 10,000 gemstones, including rubies, sapphires and garnets.

Still in Asia, a French woman tried to promote her gemstone jewelry business by posing half naked on a bridge crossing the Ganges River. This upset the locals as the bridge is considered a sacred landmark and the police soon became involved. For everyone’s sake, I think I will stick to writing articles and selling good quality gems.

I saw a website recently offer a gemstone and water elixir at nearly $100 a bottle! It will bring mind, body and spirit into harmony but so it should at that price! In our series of articles on the Meaning and Healing Powers of gemstones we discus and tell you how to make elixirs. Very simple and a lot less expensive.

September and October Birthstones

Just time to mention September’s birthstone - the magnificent and historic Sapphire and next month, October, has a couple of fantastic choices, Opal and Tourmaline, two of the most colorful gemstones in the world.

See our new article on the Meaning and Healing Powers of Sapphire.

From all of us at GemSelect,

Have a great September

Customer Questions

Every month we answer questions of general interest from our customers. Please feel free to send your questions or suggestions to our support team at help@gemselect.com

To ensure you can receive our emails, please be sure to add help@gemselect.com to your list of safe contacts, or add us into your email address book! Please feel free to contact us with any questions, comments, and queries! We respond to every email we receive.

Happy Gemstone Hunting!

Team GemSelect