I love stones, rocks, and crystals. I always have. I wouldn't say that I am a student of geology, but nevertheless, that subject does fascinate me. Perhaps one day, when I have more time, I will learn about geology. I have a few rocks and crystals around the house that I have gathered over the years. Some are just smooth river rocks that caught my eye, and others are geodes which I bought for my children. The geodes look like plain, round, light brown rocks. However, if you break them open, inside you'll find a pocket of white crystals that sparkle. My mother knows all about precious and semi-precious stones, as she makes jewelry. She sells most of what she makes, but some things are just too pretty to give away. Recently, as she and I were looking around some shops, we came across a jewelry stand that was full of stones of different kinds. I was immediately drawn to(1) three smooth, dark ones. They were multi-colored: black, brown, tan, and white. They appeared to have circles and spirals all over them. The combination of colors and patterns(2) fascinated me. So, because I didn't have my glasses on, I asked the owner if I could have a closer look. She took them out of the box and let me hold them. "That's turritella. It's a fossil, do you see?" she said. As I looked closely, I realized that the stone was indeed made of hundreds of fossilized see creatures. All that was left of them were their homes: tiny, spiraled(3) shells which were full of holes. The many shells formed the lightest patches of the stones, creating a beautiful contrast with the dark background. Gosh! I couldn't look at them long enough. I imagined how many tens of thousands of years these shells had been lying in an ocean, slowly becoming rock. It was something so old, that with a bit of craft had been made new. And, of course, they had been ground and polished into a very smooth shape, so they were super comfortable to hold. A pendant made from one if these would be really beautiful, and above all, a real conversation starter.

1. 'Drawn to' I know I have covered this phrase before, but it is just so delicious, and useful in English. It means to be attracted to something.

a. I am drawn to art museums. I love to walk around surrounded by art, talent, and quiet.

b. I was drawn to him; there was a special magnetism about him.

2. 'Pattern' is a repeated design which can be used figuratively.

a. Mandalas are full of geometric and circular patterns.

b. I see a pattern in his behavior that we should not ignore.

3. 'Spiral' is a noun, an adjective, and also a verb describing a long, twisted shape. Again, it can be used figuratively.

a. Pasta comes in all different shapes; one is a spiral.

b. Let's calm down and not spiral down into negativity.