A parrot from the New World, Macaws are known for their colorful appearance, long tail feathers, and ability to mimic human speech. These large birds have long lifespans, able to live between 60-100 years old, and also mate for life as humans do.  

Calcite is common and abundant throughout the world.  However, calcite is one of the most difficult of all minerals to be cut because of perfect cleavage in 3 directions. Calcite is quite soft and fragile compared to other gem types. The difficultly of carving from this stone increases its value.

The second most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust, Quartz is often praised for its clarity and the many colors it can form as. These variations (Amethyst, Citrine, Rose Quartz, etc.) form due to impurities in the Quartz crystal when Iron, Manganese, and other ions are present while the crystal is forming. The pure form of Quartz is white or clear, depending on the conditions of the crystals environment during formation- trapped gas and liquid in the crystal can keep the Quartz from appearing clear and instead have a white appearance.