Your cart is currently empty!
Author: Wren
The Maze and the Flame
To dabble in the unknown—this is our oldest hunger. To poke the sleeping beast with a stick. To skip stones into the abyss and pretend we aren’t waiting for an echo. Why? Because the alternative is to sit still, to accept the script handed to us at birth: Wake. Work. Sleep. Repeat. But humans are terrible actors. We ad-lib. We burn the script.
We invented reversible time because we are children who cannot bear to let go of broken toys. What if we could glue the vase back before it shattered? Erase the wound before the knife fell? But the past is a fossil—touch it, and it crumbles. Our longing isn’t for correction. It’s for dominion. To be authors, not scribbles.
What if the stars wrote our story first? If every breath is pre-choreographed, why do we still choke on guilt? Why claw at the walls of a maze whose center we’ll never reach? Is the maze itself the answer? The act of wandering? Or is the question just another turn in the path?
We build civilizations like sandcastles—grand, temporary, doomed to be washed smooth. Globalization is a funhouse mirror: the “monkeys” see their reflection stretched into grotesque parodies of “civilized” selves. Climb the ladder? What ladder? The rungs dissolve as we grasp them.
Do we matter? Ask Sisyphus. Ask the ant carrying a crumb in a hurricane. The cosmos doesn’t care. It hums its old song, indifferent to our choirs and screams. But here’s the joke: we’re the ones who invented “mattering.” We conjured justice from the void, then wept when the void didn’t applaud.
The strong eat the weak. Yes. And termites eat empires. And stars eat themselves. What’s “fair” in an ecosystem built on digestion? Yet we keep planting gardens in the warzone. Why? Because the alternative is to lie down in the dirt and call it a bed.
Maybe questions are our only compass. No—flares shot into the dark. They don’t light the way; they prove we still want to see. Even if the answer is a shadow. Even if the shadow laughs.
Galene: Calmness Amidst The Ocean’s Storms
GALENE: CALMNESS AMIDST THE OCEAN’S STORMS
The ocean, vast and boundless, symbolizes freedom, opportunity, and the unpredictable nature of life.
It offers an equal playing field where fortunes are made, battles are fought, and dreams are chased. In this expansive sea of life, Galene, the calmness of the ocean, becomes a beacon—a moment of rest and clarity amidst the chaos.
Commerce thrives like fleets on this ocean. Some vessels are vast corporations with countless hands aboard, while others are lone galleons of dreams. Storms, like challenges, are inevitable.
Yet, calm seas teach us to pause, reflect, and prepare. They remind us that in every seeming loss lies an opening for new possibilities, a chance to sail again with greater wisdom.
The Struggles of the Sailor’s Spirit
Storms test us. They whisper despair and invite surrender.
Mistakes linger, regrets gnaw, and despair convinces us to stay down. But Galene tells a different story: the importance of picking ourselves up, not tomorrow, but now. The past is a sunken ship, irrelevant to the choices we make today.
To embrace despair is to lose sight of calm seas, to forfeit the joy of exploring new horizons.
Preparation Amid Calmness
Like diligent birds and industrious insects, the calm seas are moments to prepare, to rebuild, and to dream. They call us to move forward—not for survival alone but for discovery, for legacy. Sail with the wisdom of past defeats and the courage to face future adversities.
The sea’s vastness promises not only challenges but also friendships, opportunities, and boundless adventures.
Leave a Legacy, Not Chains
Let Galene inspire you to stop punishing yourself for past missteps. Sail boldly, not burdened by generational trauma but driven by the desire to leave a foundation others can build upon.
Life’s storms may rage, but with every storm comes the potential for new adventures, for growth, and for joy.
Check out our Galene collection—symbols of resilience, calmness, and the spirit of endless exploration. Let these tokens remind you to keep moving forward, no matter the odds. The ocean is vast, its adventures endless. The horizon awaits.
Promethea: The Mischief of Foresight and the Fire of Progress
Promethea, like her mythological counterpart Prometheus, represents the audacity to rebel against limits and illuminate paths forward. Prometheus stole fire from the heavens, gifting humanity the light of knowledge and the power to create. For this act of foresight, he suffered divine wrath, bound to a rock as punishment for defying Zeus. Promethea carries this legacy, embodying both the mischievous spark of creativity and the enduring struggle for enlightenment in the face of adversity.
Prometheus’ gift was more than fire—it was the ignition of human progress. He taught humanity to observe the stars, harness memory, and craft tools, ships, and language. Yet, his rebellion wasn’t without consequence. Zeus, angered by his defiance, created Pandora—a cunning gift who unleashed suffering upon the world. Through these stories, we see the interplay of knowledge and consequence, curiosity and chaos, innovation and resistance.
Promethea is not merely a feminine counterpart to Prometheus but a reminder that struggle is the seed of progress. Mischief, when born of foresight and curiosity, disrupts stagnation and propels humanity forward. Yet, the path of rebellion is fraught with challenges: heartbreak, loneliness, and rejection. These trials mirror Prometheus’ crucifixion for daring to defy the gods—a war between knowledge and superstition, genius and dogma.
To be Promethea is to embrace this paradox. It’s about playful yet profound engagement with life—turning heartbreak into art, challenges into triumphs, and mischief into meaningful creation. It’s not about indulgent distractions but the joy of intellectual curiosity, the courage to dream wildly, and the relentless pursuit of growth. Promethea reminds us that even in suffering, there is beauty in striving, in never yielding to complacency, and in daring to light a fire that others might fear.
Our Promethea Collection celebrates this indomitable spirit—a tribute to the rebels, creators, and dreamers. Each piece serves as a beacon, reminding you to stay curious, keep growing, and bring light into even the darkest corners.
Ignite your fire with Promethea.
Dryas: A Journey Through Life, Death, and Liberation
Dryas: A Journey Through Life, Death, and Liberation
Dryas, both a figure of mythology and a name tied to ecological cycles, encapsulates profound truths about existence, transformation, and the human experience. The story of Dryas the Calydonian hunter—a son of Ares whose life was tragically cut short—reflects the inexorability of death, but also its role as a transformative force. Death is not an end but a friend, a last companion that gives way to renewal, reshaping the old into fertile ground for the new.
This idea mirrors the forest’s perpetual cycle: a tree struck by lightning becomes a source of life for generations to come, its remains nourishing the soil and fostering fresh growth. By embracing this harmony, humans can transcend their fears, understanding that each ending carries within it the seeds of new beginnings.
The Cycle of Nature and the Art of Permaculture
In permaculture, the beauty of this cycle is not just acknowledged but actively celebrated. The practice turns decay into productivity, harmonizing human systems with the natural rhythms of the earth. Permaculture demonstrates that art and science are inseparable, merging creativity with practical solutions to reflect nature’s regenerative power. Here lies a profound lesson: by aligning ourselves with the cycles of life and death, we find not limitation but liberation—a chance to grow and contribute beyond our fleeting individual existence.
The Mystery of Dryas
Yet, Dryas also symbolizes the allure of the unknown. Much about his story, like the term itself, remains shrouded in mystery. The anticipation of discovering deeper meanings is both thrilling and humbling. Will answers ever be found, or is the search itself the essence of fulfillment? Perhaps it is the pursuit of knowledge—the exploration of the ocean’s vastness—that truly matters, not the finality of understanding.
Breaking Free: A Call to Authenticity
In human life, societal molds often restrict growth, shaping individuals into roles that feel inescapable. But the forest teaches us to strive for authenticity—to grow despite adversity. To break free of the common man’s constraints is to embrace the challenges of becoming one’s fullest self, even if it invites sleepless nights, adversaries, and hardships. It is a worthy endeavor to face destruction at every turn for the chance to create something magnificent.
Embracing the Unknown
Dryas, whether as a hunter, an ecological epoch, or a metaphorical idea, invites us to accept the inevitability of death and the beauty of mystery. The vastness of the ocean—the uncharted territories of knowledge and experience—may never be fully understood. Yet, there is joy in exploration, and in the hope that future generations will continue the journey with deeper love and understanding.
The legacy of Dryas challenges us to embrace life, death, and the endless pursuit of growth with courage and humility. Like the forest, let us nourish what comes after, lighting the way for those who follow.
Principles of Priceless Gemstones
Combination of words such as scarcity, demand and supply creates an effect on our everyday word ‘PRICE’
When a gem is to be purchased one must consider factors which includes color, intensity, tone, transparency, clarity or flawlessness, proportions, cutting standards, polishing and of course the weight.
Color
[more text needed here…]
Let us bring in the treasures of Ceylon , the blue sapphires, ranging from the best cornflower blue to light blue. The term ‘cornflower blue’ is the most desirable and the most finest color of the blue sapphires similar to the shades of cornflower.
Furthermore this cornflower blue can be divided into a high type, medium and a low type.
Hence the price of a high type cornflower blue is almost incomparable with the low type lighter shades.
Cornflower Blue sapphires, considered to be a pride of the Corundum family, are Sri Lanka’s best buy
The valuation Star sapphires and star rubies found in innumerable grades and qualities depending on two factors; the appearance of the star and the background color.
Amongst these types stars visible under ordinary light and the background color being deep blue or deep red ,in the case of blue sapphires and rubies respectively, command the highest price and are considered to be the best.
Clarity
Chrysoberyl Cat’s Eye which comes in exquisite shades of honey, apple green, dark grey and brownish grey,
Chrysoberyl cats eye showcasing its chatoyant effect. It’s the clearness of its streak which decides its fate.
Rarity, proportions and weight
Unraveling the gem gravels of Sri Lanka, amidst the various gemstones found here, Alexandrite is quite rare.
The scarcity of this variety together with its fascinating color change are factors destining its value
These stones have fetched much higher prices than paid for blue sapphires and rubies in some cases
Poor type stones showing only a faint color change also fetch higher prices.the middle stone has a better color change than the other two nevertheless the price difference between low quality stones are quite insignificant.
Alexandrite are often available in mix cuts , its rarity contributes to its cutting minimizing weight losses
These are cut in various shapes to minimize the loss of weight.
The round cuts seen in the first category have at most a 60 percent weight loss whereas the cushion cuts have relatively lower losses.
There you have it! some of the principles behind what makes gemstones valuable.
Be Your True Self
In love, you feel liberated to be your true self with someone who knows you completely.
You,
Appreciate & Cherish
the ones you love & what they’ve got
It sets you apart. That’s how you love yourself.
Having great/good things, having things others don’t have, exclusivity, becoming more powerful, gaining dominance, self-love, invincible, unstoppable,
Give the utmost content to yourself. Then the rest falls into place …
Perseverance
To increase abundance. You’ve got to have your own way to preserve, conserve and grow. This will unleash your full potential. Only through perseverance true strength is obtained.
Passion
Is embodied by persistence, creativity, endurance in hard work. professional, unopening, stoic,
Vigor
Characterized by the expression of your deepest passions and eccentricities. It’s about being genuine, generous, and fully committed to your endeavors, while also relishing life’s pleasures, whether it’s savoring fine wine or indulging in a cup of coffee.
Admiration
https://www.sadaffaraz.com/shop/p/admiration
Emphasizing the importance of moral standards and personal growth. It’s about fostering admiration for others, learning from their journeys, and channeling that inspiration into your own path of development.
This entails development of a moral code for yourself as well.
Do the Right Thing
You
are their Hero
Nothing can stop you from protecting them.
Harness your power constructively seeking justice.
Freedom
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/tree-of-life–419397784025714917/
The ultimate liberation of the soul. It’s about embracing a carefree attitude, promoting efficiency, and inspiring relaxation, all while reveling in the diverse flavors of human nature. You can’t have this without intelligence.
Each path adds its own unique melody, creating a harmonious blend that resonates with the essence of who you are.
So, embrace your authenticity,
dance to the rhythm of your heart,
and celebrate the beauty of being true to yourself.
Ancient Egypt and the influence of gemstones
In Ancient Egypt gems were used as a symbol of health, luck and protection.
These stones reflect joy and delight.
Turquoise is one such adorned by Egyptians thousands of years ago this is believed to be associated with sky and the bringing of sky energy to the earth
Turquoise
This precious stone is said to advocate honest and clear communication. Also known as a healing stone and also known to bring in abundance.
The Lapis Lazuli,
is an ancient gemstone. In fact the oldest of all gems clad by Sumerians and Egyptians.
Lapis Lazuli
With its deep blue opaque appearance succeeded in alluring the ancient Pharaohs, this gemstone was a favorite in amulets and scarabs.This stone combines the blue of the sky and the glitter of the sun
Powdered Lapis was used by Cleopatra as an eye shadow
Cleopatra who was said to be fanatical about gemstones using the stones for lavish jewelries and to color the which is believed to treat eye diseases. Cleopatra wore these gemstones claiming that is displays a good luck charm
Sapphires,
the stone of wisdom and serenity,known to release mental tensions and dispel depression were used as eye washes amongst the Egyptians.
The sapphires were known amongst the people to ward off the evil spirits and a glimpse of this stone was believed to bring in good luck
Midgets of Adam’s peak
Ever been fascinated by the dwarves of the lonely mountain?
With their crafty ways. And their skill at crafting…
Dwarves have been associated with mining since the most ancient of times. But we never expected to come across remnants of this ancient tale in Sri Lanka.
There we were sitting around tea, at a local shop, when the topic of holes drilled into gemstones turning up at the river bed came up. I was intrigued. Modern technology achieves this feat with great pride. Then how did they do it back then?
At first the story was unintelligible and it just went past me. Upon repeatedly inquiring of the tale, I grasped its gist.
The story centers around Adam’s peak, a site still famous to this day for attracting the pious and adventurers alike.
Under the influence of a local divinity named Saman, gemstones were spread around the mountain. Literally sprinkled around the mountain!
A Midget race, wandering the face of the earth at the time, caught wind of these gemstones and arrived at Ceylon, to try their luck. They offered their services to the king at the time, and he agreed.
And their work was phenomenal. They diverted the flow of the rivers to mine for gemstones underneath at the rock bed. They had the skills of gem cutting, polishing, & faceting.
They were probably craftsmen as well.
They brought prosperity upon the nation and themselves. And so the days passed by. They intermarried with the folks of Ceylon and passed down their knowledge to them. And so the days passed by. To bring about the end of their stay in Ceylon.
A new king who had had enough of their crafty ways and cunning, banished them from the Land. and they left, taking away most of their precious knowledge.
The little knowledge they left behind, was instrumental in giving Ceylon a reputable name in the ancient world for its gemstones and craftsmanship.
Where did they leave to? Are they still wandering about? Did they even exist, or were they just a creation of the mind? That does keep me wondering….
Would that keep you wondering as well?
What are Gemstones?
Silent in the glance.. yet empowering…
Providing the wielder, that desired touch of magic….
“You are your own unique brand indeed…
risk taking… overcoming the fear of failure….
To dive into the deep unknown…”
The words above are a glance of some of the feelings which a gem in your possession can inspire…
“ dumb jeans in their silent kind, more than quick words do move a woman’s mind”
William ShakespeareSymbolified as tokens of love, royalty, wealth from Tutenkhamen to Queen Victoria, the history of gemstones extends to the Neanderthals who used hematite to decorate their shells. All ancient cultures had some references to gemstones in their society.
So do you ever wonder, of the journey undertaken by a gemstone to end up in jewelry?
It all begins in the dirt, where a miner has identified the presence of a previously untouched entity, in the midst of all the mud and other stones. And you would not recognize the stone in this initial state.
^ this is a licensable photo. We should sell our own somewhere. Good looking miners can be posed.
Some stones do appear colorful and as shiny as they look in jewelry… but this is rare…
A majority appear darker with multiple inclusions in them. If you are lost at inclusions then don’t worry. We’ve written an article discussing this.
Here are examples of rough stones found in Kalu ganga, a river in Sri Lanka, famous since ancient Times for its sapphires.
The rough stones are then cut to form the basic shape, such as square, oval, round…
This depends on the original shape of the gemstone. Some stones can be cut into two, to make perfect pairs for earrings. It is cut in such a manner, so as to preserve weight, color and to slough off the inclusions.
It is definitively a topic of its own to discuss the procedure which help you get the best possible cut for a gemstone.
Once the basic shapes are formed, the stone is then faceted and polished. This is the sparkly stone in your jewelry.
In the midst of this process since stones undergo treatment, in order to improve color or clarity.
As gemstones exchange hands, they maybe recut, to adjust shape as the owner sees fit.
Finally the gemstone ends up in the hands of a jeweler who has seen it to be the perfect match for an accessory they had in mind.
And with the stone set up in the jewelry item, and held firmly it is put up for sale awaiting its rightful owner…. To claim it for their own.And there you have it! This was just a brief overview in gemstones.
We are hoping to expand on this, so it can prove as a valuable resource for those interested in purchasing jewelry, those running jewelry stores, gem businessmen hobbyists out there.
Engineering your Cut & Polishing for Rough Gemstones
A pink sapphire. All those indents at the surface must be sloughed off. Notice how the outline shape is irregular. We’ve got to even it out and aim for a rectangle
Notice how small it has become.This depends on how much meat there is to the stone. That is how much base, you can obtain without making the stone go flat.
I wish I could have taken a picture of this before heating it. Imagine a very pale blue stone.
This rough stone weighed about 3 carats. And notice the white inclusions protruding inwards from the lower end. The goal is to slough these off, and make them less noticeable in the faceted gemstone.
Here is the same stone, after cutting. Its now got a lighter shade of blue compared to the rough stone. Why is this?
The parts of the stone responsible for the darker shade of blue were superficially located and were thus sloughed off.
Now here’s the final product. It wasn’t perfect. Not the shade of blue we wanted. And much smaller than expected.
Beautiful, nevertheless.Another pink sapphire. As the size of this rough stone is already small, we had to go for the shape most closest to its outline. That is a pear/ drop shape. Sadly this shape isn’t common and the market for it is less.
This is an example of a stone in which we didn’t succeed. We opted to heat it, resulting in it being blasted to smithereens. That happens, occasionally.
Some of the key pointers we have to consider are
The basic shape of the rough stone
The types of inclusions in them
Size…
Possible changes in color
Mining Town
I wrote a part of this while I was at the bus stop in this mining town.
Hope of a Miner
Is the dynamic nature of this science in the mind of the people here? They spend their time rock hunting, mining, knowing that that one particular stone, whatever that is, when found, is going to make their lives better. And so they continue to mine. Some their whole life, some just a portion of it.
Gem Rush
Some just try it for the gold rush in their veins and after their hard work is met with great failure, pack up and leave. It is definitely not for the faint of heart. What’s even sadder is when they don’t know the value of some of the stones they find only to end up back into the river.
Friendly Town
Upon entering the town, the general atmosphere feels friendly, with people laughing about, buses moving about, children going to the temple on Sunday, with their mothers behind them. It does feel safe.
Fertility
Vegetables, paddy is a specialty of this region…The soil is perfect with the alluvial deposits brought down. How do you get alluvial deposits here? You need dead organic matter of some sort to make soil fertile right? How is mountain soil fertile? Or hills for that matter
[link out of here]
Disease
There is a high prevalence of diabetes and its related complications in this region. I was listening into the conversation between the bus-conductors, and they remarked at the incompetence of the neighboring state hospitals in facilitating transfers, starting antibiotics and how they relied on local common knowledge.
Remote & Rural
They complained about the exorbitant prices kept by the local businesses, as there was a scarcity of shops in the town. And to overcome this, they purchase bulk items from the main market whenever they get the time.
I had to wait for an hour at the bus stop, for my friend from the town to pick me up. This gave me a chance to talk to the locals. It was a bike ride through the town. I avoided filming it and taking photographs just so that I could take the best out of it. The morning air was cold, fresh and promising.
Wage Work
There were numerous small shops sparsely located in between large estates of trees. Estates included rubber, tea and woods. The river runs along the main road at most separated from it by 100m. It is evident that almost everyone here tries their luck when the water levels go down. I could hear the general complaint by local investors that the women were keeping their men away from searching for gemstones in the river, thinking it would be better to send them to work in a construction site or estate as it gives them a daily wage. If they spent their time mining they would only get paid if they find something.
The Mysterious Black River
I had glanced upon the Kalu-Ganga a multiple number of times.. each time I thought to myself why the water appeared so yellow and murky. I tried searching for historical references to the river. Starting from Adam’s peak in the mountains. Known as Kaanha Nadi in the past. Ancient past. Kaanha is an ancient Paali word for darkness.
[I will expand on this later]
The Rock Cycle and Gemstones
It all starts with magma. The red hot liquid stuff inside the earth. Hotter and hotter as you go inside. Why, I wonder? As magma cools, rock is formed.
What’s a rock in the first place? Hard substance? Nope…
It’s a solid substance with certain molecular arrangements, keeping the particles bound together.
You’ve probably heard of this before! Igneous, Metamorphic & Sedimentary rocks.
But where do we begin? We can start from the weakest and follow its way to the strongest of the three. Sedimentary rock. Delicate. Used in construction. Sandstone. Wears down over time. Like the pyramids! 💀☠️
This sediment is washed down by water.
Water!
Another driver of this natural cycle. Sediment builds up in the rivers as they take them into the deep sea.
Sediment builds over time, then descends downwards.
Closer and closer to the magma. Increasing in temperatures & pressures to form metamorphic rocks.
Marbles is the word for metamorphic rock.
As one Raja said to the other:
Oi! Have you lost your marbles?
Spending all this on your Rani’s Tomb?
Some of this can descend to become magma again. All this descending stuff. [improve this transition] Did they find marbles in the deep sea? How are we mining it here on land? (intro music plays) bring in the tectonic plates…
Nature’s got it. [!] Nature’s trains. Powered by convection currents. Now keeping that in mind let’s get back to our magma.
Magma rising cools down to form igneous rock. Cooling magma causes crystallization of rock. The speed of crystallization determines the size of the crystals. Fast cooling makes smaller crystals, while slow cooling makes larger crystals!
Where exactly do gemstones fit into this picture? Igneous rock.
Pockets of magma, containing special compositions of ions cool down to form gemstones within the veins of the rock. Corundum, topaz, garnets, quartz. A slight change in composition, just a tiny bit. And it brings about all the change in its value.
These are some families of gemstones [move out to another article with link]
- Corundum (Al, O)
- Beryl (Be, Al, Si, O)
- Quartz (Si, O)
- Spinel (Al, Mg. O)
- Topaz (Al, Si, O, F)
- Garnet (Si,O)
- Tourmaline (Al, Si,O, Boron, other metal ions)
We’ve made a fun chart here trying to point out the elements responsible for forming some of those gemstones out there. Have fun figuring it out!
And here’s a picture from John Farndon’s book Rocks, minerals and gems.
