 Good News! The November Birthstone Collection will have a preview online for everyone to enjoy. View the new collection in person by booking an appointment at Studio 12. November 1st will mark the official release date of our Birthstone Collection featuring Primarily Citrine. There will be a couple jewels made with Topaz as well in celebration of November Birthdays! This collections Citrine is sourced from Moyo Gems - an offshoot of Anza Gems as well as from our friend Treefort Bazaar. Both source their Citrine from different localities in Africa, both have unique ways of supplying gemstones to the market. Moyo Gems Citrine are mined by women and support women's opportunities mining in East Africa. Treefort Bazaar is an independent miner in the USA and supplies some of the most interesting specimen from all over the world. The Topaz is supplied by one of our favorite crystal shops - On The Rocks Chicago - but are sourced from Thomas Range, Utah! We just love the network of gemstones, where they come from, and how we acquire them! So many wonderful people along the way. Lets talk about the gemstone Citrine for a moment. It's my favorite gemstone and my connection to Citrine began when I was younger. My family had to evacuate from South Carolina to North Carolina because of a hurricane. During that time, we stopped by a little mining shop in the mountains to pan for gems. This event left a pretty big impression on me. It reminds me of summers in northern Michigan where I'd use a beach sand sifter to sort through rocks on the shores of Higgins Lake. Citrine is a quartz variety. There are many quartz varieties and quartz can be found in localities around the world. Citrine is a yellow and orange toned stone. Its color derives from iron. Some 'Citrine' on the market is heat treated Amethyst. It's pretty fascinating how a purple stone can turn can turn yellow and orange in hue! Amethyst is different than Citrine on a mineral level because it features Aluminum. Natural Citrine and Heated Citrine have very different energetic properties. To my knowledge, all the Citrine in this collection are Natural Citrine and not heated treated or processed in any way. Natural Citrine is a powerful ally because it energetically covers our base chakras. It grounds us in creativity, utilizes the power of our will, and rooting our manifestation abilities. Citrine is uplifting to our spirit. A stone of joy and positivity. Our own rays of sunshine that we can adorn ourselves with or carry around in our pockets and hands. Reminders of our intentions so our actions are progressive towards our goals. Citrine emanates optimism. This is why I love to have Citrine around my home and adorning my being. It's inherently uplifting, inspiring, and in my experience Citrine will protect your inner peace. Our beads come from all over! Some strands are from local bead shops in Metro Detroit. Other strands come from independent suppliers online. The raw gemstone beads featured in the collection are custom made for us from India. Other strands, in particular the vibrant orange glass beads, are upcycled from thrifted necklaces. Giving the materials a totally new life and new look! This collection features copper and brass metals. The copper jewels have electroformed pedants. 
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Imagine that you are a full spectrum beam of astral light. From your hips down into the ground then up through your body to your head and above. Red being between your hips where your legs meet and we experience sexual pleasure. Moving up to your belly button area glows orange then below your ribs shining yellow. Each region has a different connection with our life and well being. These colors symbolically represent the energies and auras of these areas. The colors/regions are referred to as Chakras. The idea of Chakras come from Indian spiritual practices and philosophies. I've never studied deeply into the origins of Chakras but when visually represented, the colors radiating from different energy centers in the body just made sense to me, it still does. I felt it so deeply that I wanted to explore the ideas myself because spirituality is very personal. What is felt by the individual is unique to them and in my experience our inherent spirituality should be trusted. Looking within gives us a lot of wisdom and opens our 'eyes' to our inherent knowing of the truth. That being said I want to be clear that I did not invent these ideas but they are deeply felt. My experience is validated by my life and the energies I've cultivated through out my life. Focusing on my being as a colorful aura has assisted my personal healing process immensely. I am open to more information about the Indian practices and philosophies associated with chakras, but waiting for the right time and the right person/ people/books to learn from.  The base chakras are so important for our over all health, spirituality, and well being. If we aren't rooted in our base energies, how do we expect to properly care for any other layer of energy beyond that? The energies that emit from our base chakras, Red, Orange, and Yellow, are the very foundation of our lives. These are dealing with our physical body, our pleasure, our foundation, our self esteem, our self love, our personalities. It's super easy to leave these base energies in the background. (It's also quite simple to regularly maintain these aspects of our lives too!) If our visual sense is on over load then it could be a reflection of neglect of our core! The Chakras are about our physical environment and our lifestyle. What are aspects of a well cared for set of base chakras? Being grounded, present, aware. We feel whole and centered in our health with physical activities. We appreciate our individuality by expressing ourselves with style, singing, creating. Our confidence is radiant. Our physical beings are well cared for, we are getting our bodies moving regularly.  In my experience it's not hard to align our base chakras but they need regular maintenance. Self care / Self Love is a fantastic way to keep your base chakras free of auric debris. We have to eat and bathe, which are two regular actions of base chakra care that we can use to boost our lives and refresh our energy. When you shower or bathe, this can also serve as an energetic cleanse. Bathe in an essential oil, flower, and herb mixture so you can worship the body that holds you through out your days. When showering exfoliate your skin and ponder on your bounty, your beauty. When eating, take a moment to affirm and acknowledge that your food is nourishing you. Make sure you're eating nourishing food. There are bounties of processed foods available that are not healthy for our bodies. Being mindful of the nutrients we intake is very important for our over all health. In conjunction with eating, working out or being active, going for walks, connecting with nature, are other great ways to give your base chakras added glow. We give our body nutrients for energy and that energy wants to be used! Cleaning our homes, cars, offices, any space where we spend time, elevates our energy. Our spaces are a reflection of our minds. Washing clothing, towels, rugs, are a great way to rejuvenate the home, get our bodies moving, and maintain a peaceful home. Many of the everyday or regular activities are acts of appreciation for your life that will keep your base chakras, their auras and your energies cleared of any 'debris'. It's the appreciation and intention, especially behind small actions and tasks, that keep our lives balanced. That way we can move into the next level of energy, the Heart Chakra, with a solid foundation!  Base Chakra Activities:
Grounding with Gratitude - This is one of my favorite and most to the point activities. You can practice this as a meditation, journal prompt, or a conversation with yourself. Take a few minutes to think, write, or speak about what you're grateful for. If you're speaking aloud, try using a mirror. You might just find that you have so much to be grateful for. I like to do this activity with Smokey Quartz. Remember to Play - Do you remember the last time you genuinely played for a few moments? Between work, maintaining your body & space, and caring for others, life can be so serious! Give yourself 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour of time to play. Print a coloring page, make a collage, bounce a ball, try a new recipe, sing your favorite songs, dance around the house, do something simple that brings you joy with no serious strings attached. Literally anything, just remember to have fun! Physical Pleasure - Connections with our body are so important. We experience pleasure and we can give that pleasure to ourselves. This is an incredible feature of our human bodies. Have you ever touched yourself while meditating or listing affirming statements aloud? This is a potent and empowering thing to do! Maybe try it next time you're masturbating or getting playful with your partner. Seriously, it's fun! Another layer to this very freeing activity is to bring your favorite crystals! Please yourself with a crystal wand or adorn yourself with crystals up the center of your body. I recommend using Red, Orange, and Yellow crystals like Ruby, Hematoid Quartz, Carnelian, Tangerine Quartz, or Citrine. - Thank me later! <3 |
About the Author & Artist
Megan LaCroix also known as Citrine is the daughter of a Navy Veteran. She’s lived all over the US but has roots in Michigan where her family is from. Spending summers in Northern Michigan exploring nature inspired her to create art work starting with jewelry and photography. She’d spend hours looking for rocks and creating assorted beaded jewelry with her sisters. In 2014 She graduated from University of Michigan School of Art & Design with a BFA then moved to Detroit where she is currently living and working. She is a multi-media artist with ever expanding skills but is best known for her jewelry, screen printing, photography, and paintings. Detroit Graffiti has a significant influence on her painting and drawing style. She’s participated in ArtPrize 2015 & 2021 and currently has a studio in the Village Arts Factory of Canton, MI. Archives
April 2023
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