A is for Ametrine

Fun Facts about Stones

Ametrine is a naturally occurring variety of quartz; a mixture of Amethyst and Citrine and is really quite beautiful.  Ametrine is found in colors of purple, yellow, and orange and tumbled stones are usually a mixture of those colors.  Most Ametrine is mined in Bolivia with some deposits having been located recently in Brazil and India.

There are some great legends associated with Ametrine.  It is believed that this gemstone was first discovered by native Indians in Bolivia in the 17th Century.  Legends tell a story about a Spanish Conquistador giving the Spanish Queen a fabulous gift of this beautiful gem.  The Conquistador had acquired an Ametrine mine in his bride's dowry.  The Conquistador's bride was a princess from a native tribe. 

Ametrine has been considered a power stone since that time and is a favorite healing crystal of Crystal Healers.  It is believed to combine the powers of both Amethyst and Citrine and can be used to attain a higher consciousness.  It is also believed to instill a sense of calm and peace to an unpleasant or stressful situation, whether at work or home.

Use it in a bowl in the living room to add beauty and calm.  It would also be perfect in a Reiki room, meditation area, or placed at a home altar.  In my Reiki practice, I have used it on the third eye to open that chakra for a person who had problems seeing the "big picture" or who was blocked emotionally regarding love and relationships.  Try it yourself and see what avenues it opens for you!

www.ciscotraders.net

September is Cooling Down!

We are starting September with a slight cool down here in Arizona - in the balmy 90's instead of at the scorchingly over 100 degree mark that is normal for this time of year.

We MISSED the Tucson Fall Rock and Gem Show AGAIN!  I couldn't believe it - the excuse being a terrible head cold (me) but probably better for everyone that I stayed home.  Looking forward to the February shows and just hope one of us don't go down with a cold or flu.

Cisco Traders Online Store has new merchandise - a whole slew of pendulums and healing crystals.  We are slowly but surely adding to the online site at www.ciscotraders.net but it has been SLOW, I won't kid you.  Regular customers can still buy on Ebay at www.shopciscotraders.com - that URL goes straight to the Ebay store.

As for our travels, the last trip was to Death Valley in the summer - yikes - so hot there.  Mostly we just hung out in Shoshone and Tecopah Hot Springs.   Here's a photo of Mike hiking in.  Imagine being early settlers trying to cross this!  Hard to believe they ever made it to California.

Mike and I went to Walla Walla, Washington in July to visit our daughter and have some great photos of that fun trip.  More later on the Walla Walla Onion Festival - a not to be missed event!  A trip to Jubilee Lake in Oregon was fabulous - so cool, so piney, so mountainy - a great break for desert rats like us.

We also made it to the ASD Las Vegas  and got some great leads on cool merchandise.  It is a one-of-a-kind event and every online retailer needs to go and check it out for merchandising ideas.

Whew - a busy summer but glad to be settling in to buying, listing, selling.  Hope the new website is everything you all have asked for - let us know what you would like to see us sell!  We want it to be more than healing stones but aren't sure what direction to take.  Jewelry?  Imported free trade goodies?  Food?  Beads?  There are so many things we are interested in - I am like a kid in a candy store!  But need to focus, focus, focus.....

Connect with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ciscotraders or on Twitter @ciscotraders and let us know what YOU are looking for.  We are always on the lookout for the unique and obscure. 

Til next time - J