Retaking my comments January 28, 2009
Posted by Ulymar Rocha in Generic.1 comment so far
Hello Friends and Customers,
It has really been a long time I don’t post anything on this blog. You know, everything in life has its own “momentum” as this blog is called. If you don’t feel like writing or doing something, you just don’t, right? Of course not everything in life is like that. Many of us have to do things we don’t feel like doing but we have to do in order to have life moving on, such as leaving things we like to raise our kids, business with tasks we don’t like or those that have a job they hate, etc.
Any ways… when I first started this blog was with a serious purpose of taking it to the next level of business communication – another bridge of communication between Stonebridge Imports ltd. and its customers and friends -, but it just happened I left it behind for a while. Right now though, a strong feeling to retake it has come up and here I am again to chat to everybody that enjoy rocks, gems, minerals, jewellery and the like.
Today I am Tucson setting up to debut as vendor in this Meca of the minerals and gemstones. Many stories I have to tell and will be sharing with you. I also would like this blog to be a reference for those for the gemstone and mineral markets, and I’ll be posting relevant information to those who want to come and visit Tucson. As every Muslin have once in life to go to Meca, I believe that stone lovers have got to know Tucson, and I am going to disclose as much information as I can to guide you that wish one day to come over here.
Tomorrow I’ll be telling a bit of my experience here in Tucson so far and will post valuable info about the city and the shows that take place around.
Peace and love,
Ulymar.
News from the Mineral Kingdom September 24, 2007
Posted by Ulymar Rocha in Stones & Minerals.add a comment
New Mineral Discovery
Look out, Superman, “Kryptonite” is Unearthed
Serbia turns out to be the earthly source for Superman’s elusive mineral nemesis. Geologists have discovered a white powdery substance that was tested by the Natural History Museum in London and Canada’s National Research Council. This mysterious mineral was found to have a chemical formula of sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide, which seems to be a near match for the fictional mineral kryptonite as depicted in the film Superman Returns. (The fictional material also contains fluorine.) The new mineral is to be called jadarite, after the location of the Serbian mine (Jadar), and will be on display in London’s Natural History Museum. The large green crystals from Krypton that render Superman powerless now have a white counter part here on Earth; who could have imagined?
Various June 25, 2007
Posted by Ulymar Rocha in Personal.add a comment
I am in the expectation of the shipment arrival. I was told it would be in Toronto by this weekend. Tomorrow I’ll know. This is going to be a hard work, as usual, to get prepared for the Toronto show, on July the second and the others. Any ways, it is hard by I enjoy it.
I don’t want to forget about Dianne Stix, my competent assistant. I was very luck to have Dianne back helping me out. Diane, as many of you may know, is who handles my show schedule and customer calls. Dianne was dismissed when I went to that venture in Toronto last year, and now I need her assistance more than ever. So, thank you very much Dianne, for taking your time.
I also want to register a note about our website. We were very unfortunate with the hosting company, that for several times made us to loose files on the web site. Besides, its customer service is horrible. The name: ipowerweb. We had a bug due to a bad service, and now the website is running with some broken links. We apologize for that. Please, don’t hesitate to call us if you ever need assistance.
On the other hand the great news is that the new web site work is in a very advanced stage, and we’ll be publishing it very soon. We’ll keep you posted.
Bye now,
Ulymar.
Many thanks. June 20, 2007
Posted by Ulymar Rocha in Uncategorized.add a comment
Dear customers and friends,
I’ve been overwhelmed on reconstructing my business. The moving out in October on that venture with Quanta, and then moving back in again was very, very hard, actually, it has been tough. During the time working from the warehouse in Toronto, we had to dismiss many customers from our door in Waterloo, for the sake of our loyalty and in accordance with what was being agreed upon. We lost a considerable amount of year end sales for making that move out in October and work on a new set up, system administration, softwares and so on.
Well, leaving the crying behind, I am writing to thank our customers for being supportive. I am very pleased and grateful, and I think I am fortunate in having such a loyal clientele.
On the other hand I am also glad that I am back. Not everything in life is regarding of thinking big. And that was the reason, besides the wish of a professional growth, that made me to perform that mistaken move. Now I am back to my original place and spending more time with my family, instead of traveling back and forth to Toronto every single day. If my company has to grow, it will grow naturally like it has since the start of it, and that is the nature of it: naturally, because our business is natural, we deal with natural stuff, isn’t it?
So, once more, thank you very much for you all that have demonstrated your support and to all that will continue to do business with us. We promise to do our utmost to serving and exceeding your expectations.
My best,
Ulymar.
Rutile (Dioxide of Titanium) May 28, 2007
Posted by Ulymar Rocha in Stones & Minerals.1 comment so far
As planned, and as I have started below writing about Amber, I will continue now talking about other minerals. This time our approach is Rutile, this wonderful mineral that Mother Nature made available to us. Thanks God it comes included in Quartz and other gems, to enhance their beauty. I am suspected to say, but I would be endlessly telling wonders about Rutile, one of my favorite minerals. Then, let’s go right on to the technical and metaphysical information:
THE MINERAL RUTILE
- Chemistry: TiO2, Titanium Oxide
- Class: Oxides and Hydroxides
- Group: Rutile
- Uses: Ore of titanium, pigment and as an ornamental stone when in clear quartz
- Specimens
Rutilated Quartz cabochons now available: check web photo gallery by clicking here.
Rutile is a mineral composed primarily of titanium dioxide, TiO2.
Rutile is the most common natural form of TiO2, with two rarer polymorphs anatase (sometimes known by the obsolete name ‘octahedrite’), a tetragonal mineral of pseudo-octahedral habit; and brookite, an orthorhombic mineral.
Rutile derives its name from the Latin rutilus, red, in reference to the deep red color observed in some specimens when viewed by transmitted light
Rutile is an interesting, varied and important mineral. Rutile is a major ore of titanium, a metal used for high tech alloys because of its light weight, high strength and resistance to corrosion. Rutile is also unwittingly of major importance to the gemstone markets. It also forms its own interesting and beautiful mineral specimens.
Epitaxy: Rutile upon Hematite: now available from Stonebridge: check it out by clicking here!
Radiating golden fibrous aggregates, epitaxially overgrown on hematite crystal.
One, two or more crystals of Hematite, as well as some other smaller ones, form the base for the growth of fine epitaxial prisms of Rutile, which are perfect defined and terminated and have angles between them that are dictated by the Hematite.
The crystals of Rutile, which are brilliant yellow, gold, black or silver, have sparkling reflections when growing epitaxially on tabular Hematite. The terminations of the Rutile have very well defined faces.
LORE:
Crystal healers say Hematite has the ability to bring about a calm mental state, improving memory, mental focus and concentration, increasing self-confidence, and improving the logical processes of the brain.
New Age followers believe it to be an excellent stone for treating mental stress; it has a reputation for helping people bring order to mentally chaotic situations by easing tension out of the body, counteracting negativity and releasing anger.
It is also thought to be an aid in meditation, recognized by healers for calming the mental state, tuning the consciousness and increasing the pathways that lead to inner knowledge.
Next time we’ll talk about Epidot. Stay tunned. thank you.
End of the trip. Not the end of the blog! May 19, 2007
Posted by Ulymar Rocha in Uncategorized.3 comments
Hello friends,
I am already back home. The trip was extremely exhausting but was also rewarded. Good deals were made and wonderful treasures were acquired that I can’t even wait to pass it along to you all. Photo gallery for the last stage of the trip can be seen by clicking on the link below:
Web photo gallery (click here)
The container full of crystals is schedule to leave the port in Brazil on Monday, May the 21st. We expect it arriving here in 30 days or less, and due to the packaging work performed over there, we’ll be able to make it available to you in a few days after arrival.
Meanwhile we still have a large inventory in stock, which we want to move as much and faster as we can, so please don’t hesitate in calling me for ordering or coming over the show room, now that everything is only in one place at 25 Bridgeport Road East in Waterloo. Call 519-579-1747 or e-mail me at sales@stonebridgeimports.com. We are providing very good deals on everything in stock: check it out. We’ll be informing you about upcoming shows as well. In case you can’t come to the show room or one of our hosted trade shows, you can request a sale visit. Please, call to book an appointment.
The end of the trip is definitely not the end of the blog. The blog is the place where we will be communicating with each other, interacting, and where I’ll be showing new products and everything new we happen to come across. It is also a place for surveying and mainly to feature the mineral realm and its treasures. I hope you continue checking it out and I invite you to interact more by posting comments, so we can share our experiences and knowledge. That is actually what blog is all about. I’ll be always available, here at the blog or at any other means.
Thank you,
Ulymar.
Day 5th. to day 15th. May 13, 2007
Posted by Ulymar Rocha in Uncategorized.add a comment
Dear friends,
I am back again with my posts. I’ve been traveling through the country side where most of the places don’t even have a telephone. Besides, time has also been an issue.
This is what has happened: after the last mining tour, I got back to town and continued my buying tasks, visiting dealers from May 4th to May 5th. There was also a stone show where I took some pictures, but unfortunately most of them were accidentally lost, deleted from the camera. The remaining ones follow below (still it’s worth a look):
By Saturday the 5th I flew from the South of the country to the Southeast, 2,500 km away. I went to the state called “Minas Gerais”, which in English means “General Mines” and that is the state where I was born and raised. This is, in fact, the richest mineral area in the world. The state is all populated and has similar area size of Ontario. You can see mines everywhere, from all kind of ores, such as iron, bauxite, copper, manganese, etc, to granite, slate, soapstone and last but not least, all kind of gemstones and crystals.
I arrived at the capital, the city of Belo Horizonte (in English is “Beautiful Horizon”), where most of my relatives currently live, including my mom. I stayed with my mother during the weekend, and on Monday I headed up to the country side, in search of crystals and gemstones. I started visiting one of my tumbled stones’ supplier and afterwards I went deeper the country side for the Crystal mines and dealers. In total we drove more than 2,000 km on very raw and dangerous roads, all the way around, from Monday to Thursday.
The result of all of this is on the pictures, which web photo galleries are found by clicking on the links below:
Web photo gallery (Trip to the Crystal mine)
Web photo gallery (Crystal Specimens)
Web photo gallery (Dealers and Lapidary)
Coming back to the city, I stayed at my mom’s house on Friday, to get a little rest, and on Saturday (today) I flew to the shore (Atlantic Ocean) – the place where I used to live and developed my civil engineer career for 18 years before going to Canada. I went there in order to see my daughters, mainly, and also to take care some businesses I still have in town. Of course I’ll be going to the beach. Temperature here now is around 300 Celsius, and many people are wearing sweaters. As a new Canadian, this is summer for me, of course.
I am now in the state of Espírito Santo (Whole Spirit), also called “The granite state” and where 80% of the Brazilian Granite (30% to 50% of the world) is produced. I will be looking for some deals, once I want to offer one of a kind special granite slabs and decorative architectural natural stone elements to my customers in a near future. Everything will be documented, photographed and published for you all.
Thank you for listening to me,
Ulymar.
P.S.: You can preorder any piece shown on this blog at discounted prices.
Trip to Brazil – 4th day: Mines’ visit May 3, 2007
Posted by Ulymar Rocha in Buying Trips.add a comment
Hello,
Introduction
I am late with my posts again, but I am learning. This if the first time I blog, and I’ve been too busy, so… My apologies. But I’ll catch up, I always do. This post has taken up to 10 hours to be prepared, and I would like to have made it even better. It’s my pleasure. Web photo galleries containing amazing pictures were created for you, and links will follow below each paragraph.
The trip
Above you can see some of the pictures on my tour to the mines. The trip started at 6:00 in the morning and we drove 700 km, down the country side. Most of the roads are unpaved and very raw. Some are funny because it has just one lane, fitting just one car, and if another car comes in an opposite way… well, we’ll have to agree who will back up until a large portion is found, so one can maneuver around. We got back around 10:00pm.
To get to the mining area we had to pass trough an Indian reserve and through an amazing rain forest. We also had to take a ferry boat in order to cross over a river on the way. What a stunning day!
Click here to see web photo gallery
Geologic formation
The mining area – the region, is a huge outcrop of basalt. Mountains and mountains of basalt, with some of the tops reaching more than 1,000 metres above the ocean surface. Deep inside the basalt is where the Amethyst is formed. The formation occurs due to air bubbles created millions of years ago. This bubbles then held amounts of water, which by flowing through left the silica to crystallize inside, forming the “shells”. You’ll be able to clearly see it on the web photo galleries.
Click here to see web photo gallery
Mining
The mining process is still very rudimentary, as you can see on the pictures. Everything is made manually. The mines can be of two ways: open sky or tunnels. Most of the Amethyst geodes are found on mining tunnels. Amethyst flowers, Selenite and Calcite specimens are found on open sky mines, usually. In both cases, the process of mining is the same. Little explosions to remove the excess of basalt are made, and then, when the geode is found a manual work takes place almost like a carving around the piece. For extracting the Amethyst flowers, the work is simply an artist job. It is really amazing.
Click here for web photo gallery
Conclusion
Three of four small towns compound the belt of the mining area. In one of the towns, called South Amethyst, a pyramid was built in the main city square in order to add a mystical touch to it. There is also a beautiful park and museum built around and inside a deactivated mine. Last but not least, not to mention a church with the inner walls all covered in Amethyst.
This was one of the most fantastic trip I’ve have ever had. Long ago I have an idea that is actually in my business plan, that is to make excursion to the mining area, a geologic tour in Brazil. This trip now have reinforced the idea, and in case someone shows interest, please let me know.
Trip to Brazil: 3rd. day – Technical May 1, 2007
Posted by Ulymar Rocha in Uncategorized.add a comment
Dear friends,
I apologize to you all for the delay in posting. I’ve been so tired and have worked so hard these days, that it has been quite impossible to relax and write some good stuff. This doesn’t mean that I’m not glad. I am very excited and it has been so rewarded that I can not wait to show you all the recent acquisitions I’ve got.
Friday the 27th was a technical day, since I worked with some of the suppliers on packaging material. The results have been fantastic! We’ll be able to offer you most of our lines in flats of 3 sizes suitable for self displaying at the stores. Besides, we have got new product lines, such as the Pagan/Celtic Agate candle holder, the new innovative tumbled stones display, and much more. We’ll now offer the Rune Stones set in two different packages: a wood box (will serve as a storage), and other on a stock card box.
Many, many improvements have been made. Please, click the link below to see some of the under development new products and packaging. Be aware that this is just a little taste of what is coming.
http://www.stonebridgeimports.com/customer/newproduct/
Please, be tuned that much yet has to be told. I’ll soon catch up with the happenings and will certainly keep you posted.
Thank you,
Ulymar.
Trip to Brazil: 2nd. day. Woww… April 27, 2007
Posted by Ulymar Rocha in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
Hello,
Very tiring day, since I stayed running around at my main supplier’s warehouse all day long. Warehouse size is around 40,000 sq.ft. full of Amethyst and Citrine cathedrals, clusters, etc. I prepared a web photo gallery of part of the displayed inventory. Check it out. You’ll be amazed. Please, click on the link below and a new window will open. If not, copy the link and paste it onto your browser navigation bar:
http://www.stonebridgeimports.com/customer/brazil2ndday/index.html
Tomorrow I’ll post comments.
Thank you,
Ulymar.
