For Matters of the Heart

Rose Quartz, a lovely pale pink crystal, very pretty, very feminine. Rose quartz is a semiprecious gemstone that is associated with matters of the heart...the heart chakra...not just love and romantic heart matters but heart health also...that is if one believes in the healing and influential aspects of stones and crystals.
Though very pretty and highly sought after in jewelry designs, rose quartz must be treated tenderly, much like a fine lady. Many stones are sensitive to sunlight and can fade if exposed for long periods of time, in other words don’t lay that beautiful rose quartz pendant on a sunny window sill or over time you’ll end up will a milk quartz stone. When I attend outdoor arts and crafts shows I make sure that all my rose quartz jewelry is kept out of the sun's direct rays, which means that I am constantly moving the jewelry displays around and keeping a constant eye on just where the sunlight is falling on my displays...a maddening version of musical chairs!

As I mentioned in a past post, many people think that natural gemstones are hard and durable, mainly because we call them stones, but many of them are neither extremely hard nor durable. Rose Quartz is one of those more delicate crystals and should never be cleaned with caustic chemicals such as ammonia, Tarn-X, or other strong jewelry cleaners, silver cleaners and metal polish. Most professional jewelers recommend cleaning delicate pieces with tepid water and (only if necessary) a very mild soap or bringing them to a jeweler for professional cleaning.
Many of today's jewelry fashions feature silver plate, sterling silver and even pewter that can darken and tarnish with exposure to air, the very act of trying to clean these metals can place delicate rose quartz into harms way. For myself I use my forever trusted "Sunshine cloth", it polishes silver beautifully without damage to surrounding gemstones and I’ve never notice the slightest fading or abrasion on any of my more delicate stones and pearls.