Thanks to the popular tv show Gold Rush, plenty of people know there’s gold in Colorado, but did you know the mountains are also full of crystals?
My home is in a neighborhood named “Crystal Park” and it’s not just an idyllic moniker. There are crystals EVERYWHERE here. And I don’t mean buried deep in the earth, either… my husband found this finger-sized piece of smoky quartz in our yard one day while we were outside gathering kindling for our fireplace:
Colorado is home to many stones and minerals, and I love incorporating many of them into my jewelry designs. (To be perfectly clear, the stones I use are NOT from Colorado, but they are the same types of stones that can be found here!)
Some of my favorite "Colorado" stones to design with are:
Aquamarine
Aquamarine was named the Colorado state gemstone in 1971. Mined at high altitudes in the Mt. Antero area of the Rockies. It is also the traditional March birthstone.
Rhodocrosite
Rhodocrosite was named the Colorado state mineral in 2002 thanks to students in a high school Earth Science class. After learning that Colorado did not have a official state mineral, the students wrote a letter to their state representative suggesting that rhodocrosite be designated as the state mineral. Rhodocrosite was chosen because the reddish color was a link to "Colorado" meaning "reddish" in Spanish. Rhodocrosite has been found in 18 counties in Colorado.
Amazonite
Amazonite is found abundantly in the Pikes Peak region. (This is another one that I have found on the ground while walking in my neighborhood!)
Smoky Quartz
Smoky quartz is often found in association with Amazonite formations... which makes sense why I've found them both near my house!
Turquoise
Turquoise is often found in the Teller County region as a byproduct of gold mining.
