Memento Mori Skull Carving

Named after the Tremola Valley in Switzerland, where it was first identified. A calcium-magnesium mineral of the amphibole group, most commonly found within metamorphosed limestone—marble.

Mineralogically, tremolite can occur as a form of asbestos. But the material used as a gemstone is the dense, massive variety, structurally distinct from the fibrous form. Same mineral name, entirely different character depending on crystal habit.

Little known as a gemstone, yet significant as an index mineral. Its presence reveals what temperature and pressure shaped the surrounding rock. Inconspicuous, but far from silent.

Subtlety — Gentleness — Refinement

Works by fine vibration, not force. The opposite of pushing through — closer to seeping in. Delicate, but it reaches where blunter instruments don't.

• Hardness 5–6 — moderate durability
• Avoid rough handling and store separately from harder stones

When lava meets water and cools too rapidly to crystallise, the result is this natural glass. Mineralogically, it is not a stone—classified as an amorphous solid.

The Aztecs fashioned obsidian into blades and mirrors. Fractured, it breaks conchoidally, producing an edge thinner than a steel scalpel. Some surgical blades still use obsidian today.

In Japan, obsidian has been in use since the Jōmon period, with Shirataki in Hokkaido and Kirigamine in Nagano as key sources. Trace the trade routes of the Stone Age, and they map onto the distribution of obsidian. One stone, outlining an ancient network.

Severance — Exposure — Confrontation

Cuts clean. Ambiguity doesn't survive contact. It will show you what you'd rather not see — your own weak points, rendered in high contrast. Not a gentle material. Wear it with intent.

• Volcanic glass — chips and fractures on impact
• Avoid drops onto hard surfaces
• Handle more carefully than its appearance suggests

From the Greek "pyropos"—"fire-eyed." A magnesium aluminium silicate, showing the deepest red in the garnet family.

Bohemia, in the Czech Republic, thrived as a major pyrope source from the eighteenth to nineteenth centuries. Known as Bohemian garnet, it was prized in the Habsburg court.

Also found in South African kimberlite. The presence of pyrope in diamond-bearing volcanic rock is a significant indicator in diamond exploration. To find diamond, first look for this stone.

Passion — Endurance — Sustain

Deep red that recalls arterial flow. Not the explosive kind of energy — the long-burning kind. Passion that persists always has a supply line. This keeps it fed.

• Durable in daily wear — no special precautions required