After a long gestation and labor, I have finally produced my first website. But it is not just any website - it is a Squidoo lens.

Squidoo for those of you new to the concept, is a modular based website builder to get out lots of information in a unique and fun way.

My idea for my first lens came from my own name. My parents must have thought me beautiful (one can hope) and valuable to have named me Pearl which explains the Beading Gem bit. You could say I was born to bead. There are also women and girls named Rubies, Jades and even Emeralds out there. So what about places? Evidently, discovers and founders often do get their naming inspiration from gorgeous gemstones.

Researching took many, many hours. But very early on, I realised there were just far too many gemstone lakes, rivers, bays, mountains and other geographical features to be easily digestible so I chose to limit the selection to just settlements. Like hand made jewelry, these gemstone place names were crafted by people not nature, with the hopes that each creation will turn out beautifully.

I found to my surprise, many places, small and big which were named after gemstones, sometimes several in a single country. Did you know that settlements called Diamond can be found all over the world in countries as diverse as Canada, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago and the USA (13 states)? And Sapphire in Australia, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea and the US? I don't claim the list to be exclusive for I am sure I have missed more than a few. So I am hoping people will add to the list via feedback.

So go travel the world on Gemstone Place Names, and travel through time with some fascinating past blog stories on gemstones and jewelry.

If you are a fellow lensmaster, be sure to drop by and say hello.
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The Beading Gem's Journal
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