Aventurine is the Star Sign for Libra and the Planetary stone of Taurus.
Aventurine is a translucent to opaque variety of microcrystalline quartz. It contains small inclusions of shiny minerals which give the stone a sparkling effect known as aventurescence. Inclusions of mica will give a silverish sheen, while inclusions of hematite give a reddish or grayish sparkle.
Aventurine ranges in color from green, peach, brown, blue and a creamy green. Besides its uses in jewelry, aventurine is also used for ornamental purposes like vases, bowls, and figurines.
Aventurine is found in India, Chile, Spain, Russia, Brazil, Austria, and Tanzania. It is a 6.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness. This mineral is often mistaken for amazonite or jade.
It is interesting that the name for the stone is derived from an accident. Sometime during the 18th century, Venetian glass workers were preparing molten glass when copper filings accidentally fell into the batch producing a glass with sparkles. The name aventurine comes from the Italian "a ventura," which means"by chance".
Deposits are found in Brazil, India, Austria, Russia, and Tanzania.
Aventurine has been used as a lucky talisman and is a popular stone for gamblers.
Legends say that it is an all-purpose healer, used to reduce stress, develop confidence, imagination and improve prosperity. A legend from ancient Tibet says that aventurine was used to improve nearsightedness and to increase the wearer's creativity.
Many believe that aventurine has the capacity to calm a troubled spirit and bring about inner peace.