The branches of this tree carry 200 small polished green aventurine stones in light, olive and deep green shades. Its frame is twisted gold-coloured wire, with warm LED lights threaded among the branches. Green stone chips cover the foot, a glass dome covers the whole tree, and below sits a round dark brown base. Made in India.
A green stone with a sparkle
Aventurine is a kind of quartz with tiny flakes of mica inside, so it glints softly when light falls on it. Under the LEDs in the evening, the sparkle shows even more. Green is its best-known colour, but blue and orange aventurine exist too.
The name comes from the Italian “a ventura”, meaning “by chance”. In the 18th century Venetian glassmakers made a glittering glass by accident, and the stone with the same sparkle was named after it.
A fortune tree in feng shui
Green aventurine is said to be the stone of luck and good opportunities, which is why it is often used for gemstone trees. In feng shui, a fortune tree traditionally goes in the south-east corner of the home, the area linked with abundance. If you would like to follow this, the green tree will glow in that corner in the evening too.
About the lights and the size
For the lights, plug a USB cable into the socket on the front of the base. There is no cable in the box, so you will need your own. The tree is 24.5 cm tall and 16 cm wide and weighs about 1.2 kg with the dome, so carry it by the base.
Under the dome the stones do not gather dust, and the glass only needs an occasional wipe with a soft cloth. With hand-shaped branches and greens that vary, every tree is a little different from the photo.