#gemuary 2024

[chocolatechipkraken]

Gemuary 2024 Day 31: Fordite

This last one isn't even actually a stone at all! Back in the day, the way cars used to be painted in factories left mounds of multilayered dried paint on the walls. This paint, cut and polished, is sometimes used in jewelry under "Detroit Agate" or "Fordite"!

I hope you've enjoyed this year's Gemuary challenge! Which one was your favorite?

[chocolatechipkraken]

Some Gemuary extras! Some ideas I had for certain prompts I either turned down or only thought of after the fact.

I was also thinking of a lepidolite "bookworm" (since lepidolite forms in flaky formations called "books"), but couldn't make it look good.

[chocolatechipkraken]

Gemuary 2024 Day 26: Gold-Sheen Obsidian

Gold sheen obsidian gets its sheen effect from gas bubbles inside the stone.

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Gemuary 2024 Day 24: Onyx

Onyx is a kind of chalcedony with parallel bands, usually black and white. In the old days, onyx was used to make cameo jewelry.

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Gemuary 2024 Day 30: Bloodstone

Bloodstone is a type of chalcedony with red hematite inclusions.

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Gemuary 2024 Day 16: Chrysoberyl

Sometimes chrysoberyl comes in a "cat's eye" variety called cymophane! Sometimes it even produces a 2-colored "milk-and-honey" effect!

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Gemuary 2024 Day 23: Larimar

Larimar is a unique blue variety of pectolite found in the Dominican Republic.

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Gemuary 2024 Day 15: Padparadscha

Padparadscha is considered to be the rarest of all sapphire. Its name means "lotus-colored" and it comes from Sri Lanka!

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Gemuary 2024 Day 12: Pumice

Pumice is a volcanic rock that forms from lava foam that has been spewed into the air and cooled down. It has the unique ability among rocks to float on water, so I thought a "rubber duck" shape was fitting!

[chocolatechipkraken]

Gemuary 2024 Day 11: Peridot

Fun fact: Peridot often contains tiny inclusions that look like lilypads! They're caused by stress within the gem when mineral inclusions melt, since it forms deeper in the earth than some other gems.

[chocolatechipkraken]

Everybody get ready for the second year of Gemuary! Here's this year's prompt list, but you can also use the old one.

Make anything you want! Monsters, humanoids, fakemon, fan characters, just have fun!

Here are all the creatures I made last year!

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Gemuary 2024 Day 4: Orpiment

Orpiment used to be used in paints. Unfortunately, it contains dangerous amounts of arsenic!

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Gemuary 2024 Day 5: Okenite

Okenite forms as "puffballs" made of thousands of small, needle-shaped crystals. Try not to pet them.

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Gemuary 2024 Day 29: Anthill Garnet

Sometimes, ants will bring up tiny pieces of pyrope when they are building tunnels!

These three critters like to mimic ants, but their lack of pheromones means nobody is fooled.

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Gemuary 2024 Day 21: Grape Agate

Grape agate is a unique variety of chalcedony made in the voids between pillow-shaped mounds of lava. Its microscopic crystals are arranged radially.

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Gemuary 2024 Day 20: Pyritized Fossil

Sometimes fossils can turn into pyrite! This helps preserve soft tissues and small details.