Crystal Creek Gems: Fairy Stone Cross Pendants - Yellow Gold

What are fairy stones?

Fairy Stones are Staurolite crystals (especially Staurolite pseudomorph) are found in only a few places around the world. Besides Virginia, which has the most abundance of them, they can also be found in Georgia, New Mexico, Brazil, and Switzerland. 

                  “Originally, this stuff was formed about seven miles underground.  As the mountains began to rise up, it brought the fairy stones to the surface.” She’s referring to the Blue Ridge Mountains that run along Virginia’s western border.

The crystals form into little tiny “bricks” that, under pressure, twist in 60 degree or 90 degree angles, forming crosses. Technically, geologists describe it like this (in an article for Geology.com) “The mineral commonly occurs as twinned, six-sided crystals that sometimes intersect at 90 degrees to form a cross. (An intersection angle of 60 degrees is more common.)”

Once above ground the action of wind and rain dissolved the softer surrounding stone called schist to reveal the precious cross-shaped minerals within."