Researchers were astonished to find that some of the oldest jewelry discovered was made from eagle talons. In 2013, Davorka Radovcic, one of Croatia's Natural History Museum's curators, came up with this revelation while studying the Krapina Neanderthal collection.

These fossils were not a new discovery, however. As a matter of fact, they had been sitting for 115 years before they were analyzed by Radovcic, having been discovered in 1899 by Dragutin Gorjanovic-Kramberger, a Croatian Palaeontoligst.

Even though decades upon decades of scientists and researchers had studied the fossil collection, Radovcic was quite humble when she said that her "fresh eye" was the reason for her putting two and two together.

Radovcic was teamed up with three other researchers, Jakov Radovcic and Ankica Oros Srsen from Croatia and U.S. Professor David Frayer from the University of Kansas. Together, they worked for months studying the facets, marks and abrasions on the fossils and concluded that they were used for jewelry.

What the researchers could not conclude was exactly how these fossils were worn (whether they were used for bracelets or necklaces), nor could they determine the symbolism of the fossils to Neanderthals. But, they were able to determine that the fossils came from eagle talons.

We've talked about garnets before, like the grossular, which is a subclass of the garnet. Another subclass of garnet is the Andradite, which is an extremely lustrous gemstone.

While the vivid green gemstone above is just one of the many colors that Andradite offers. This gem can be transparent to opaque and also offers a rainbow of colors ranging from orange, brown, yellow, green, red, black, pink, gray and multicolored.

While Andradite is actually a common and opaque mineral, the gem is rarely suitable for use as a gemstone. The forms of this mineral that are fit for gemstone use are transparent and quite valued because of their rarity. Therefore, when you hear the term Andradite, it is referring to the mineral only, and the terms Melanite, Demantoid and Topazolite are the gemstone forms of the Andradite mineral.

We talked about what we've been seeing celebs wearing in the past six months in our Saturday post, and we kept those picks specifically "normal" because we wanted you to be able to mimic them with your own styles. But, as summer starts heating up, you may want to switch up to some more "off-the-wall" trends. Something a little different to make heads turn.

Here are the latest celeb jewelry trends that are sure to turn heads - as well as heat things up - this summer!

1) Do you remember that one-earring jewelry trend? Well, that trend has made way for the mismatched earring trend. Yes, that means that you can wear two totally different earrings, whether they are mismatched in length, color or shape does not matter.

2) Talk about bling! bling! Brass that shows off in rich hues and bold statements is also a must-do this summer. Some are necklaces that are more dainty, yet yield rich brassy colors, while others are huge and eye-catching.

3) While some of these off-the-wall styles may not suit you at all, chokers are coming back, and most people can find a suitable choker to match their taste. Look for chokers that offer a new appeal. Like the belt buckle or the puzzle piece choker.

Which of these style will you be wearing this summer?

1) Chunky Jewelry - From necklaces to bracelets to earrings, "the chunkier, the better", some say! Take the basic sexy black dress from ordinary to stunning with that statement piece appeal.

2) Ever heard of statement stud earrings? These Kate Spade New York "garden bed gems" are statement stud earring must-have's!

Intricate detailing paired with the cluster effect  makes these earrings Best of Show for 2015!

3) Bib necklaces showed up to the 2015 Oscars on Cate Blanchett and Viola Davis.

And, as you can see, they wore their necklaces in two totally different ways. Cate let hers sit atop her black dress while Viola paired hers with a white dress and let it lay on her bare neckline.

4) Reptilian Jewelry can be found snaking  its way onto celebrity skin like Naomi Watts:

Angelina Jolie:

And we're still waiting for the celebrity snake earring break-through.

5) Scripted and bar jewelry may have once been for teeny boppers, but now celebs are starting to wear them as statement pieces. Words ranging from Princess to Queen or personalized stamps are boasting their motto.

Like Jennifer Lopez:

And Kim Kardashian:

And while we happen to like the scripted jewelry a bit more, it seems that the bar jewelry is taking the win for most celebrities wearing it.

What's your favorite 2015 celeb jewelry trend?

Andesine is probably one of many gemstones that you have never heard of. And, while many have not heard of it, you may have seen it on a ring or a necklace without even knowing it, however it is a fairly new gem on the market, since about 2003, from the red feldspar gemstone.

It's easy to love this gemstone because it has such a soft and attractive presence.

Additionally, like most other gemstones, the range of colors that it offers is expansive, across the hues of yellow, green, orange, red, pink and multicolored.

Here is a great show of the spectrum of colors that andesine offers:

The origin of the Andesine is unknown, but it is believed to have come from the Congo. However, the Andesine that we see today is mostly artificially enhanced in China, where they use copper infusion treatment with Labradorite.

There is a difference between a bangle and a bracelet. While bracelets can be made of any type of material and can be flexible, bangles are normally made from hard materials that keep their shape in a perfect circle when worn. They are often studded with semi-precious and even precious stones, including pearls, gems and diamonds.

Traditionally, South Asian women in the countries of Bangledesh, Pakistan and India adorned themselves with bangle bracelets. Additionally, women who get married will wear glass bangle bracelets that, once they all have broken, signals the "end of the honeymoon". When a Punjabi woman wears a bangle bracelet, is it called a Chooda. Also, in Hinduism, it is considered to be unfavorable for a wedded woman to have bare arms.

Bangle bracelets go back far into history; many archaeological sites in India have produced relics of many different types of bangles, including agate, gold, chalcedony, bronze, sea shell and copper bangles.

So, while the Bangles back in the 80's sang "Walk Like an Egyptian", they actually should have been wearing their bangles on their arms singing something about Indian traditions to honor the symbolism of the name of their group.

Jewelry making can be fun, and it can also help to improve children's fine motor skills. Why not sit down for a rainy (or snowy) afternoon and make charm bracelets that your children will not only enjoy making, but will also love to wear and show off?

Before you start, you have to do some shopping. You will need something for the bracelet part and then you will need the charms. Obviously, the materials you choose are going to depend on the age of the child. For example, you can purchase sterling silver bracelets to add charms to, but does a 4 year old need a sterling silver charm bracelet?

For the bracelet, you can easily use black polyester macrame cord and a box of assorted charms. In order to keep the charms from bunching up together, you may want to purchase some beads to place in between each one. And your end result could come out like this:

Or like this:

When you shop for the charms, think about the age group that you are shopping for. You may want to buy different sets of charms for you and your children so that you can both have age appropriate jewelry. Most of all, though, have fun with it!

When you first see a bloodstone, the stone itself is intriguing, but you may not immediately think about the potential for jewelry that this Chalcedony variety offers.

The dark stones are certainly alluring, a dark bluish or greenish stone that appears to be smeared or spattered with blood stains. (Hence the name bloodstone.) The "blood stains" can range from almost non-existent and sparse to thickly covering the opaque green or blue background.

As you can see above, the bloodstone that is set in a necklace pendant carries the same allure and intrigue as the bloodstone as a stone does as a solitary stone. The mixture of the deep green and dark red catches the eye just as any glittery, sparkly gemstone would, but in a more mysterious and fascinating fashion.

The bloodstone also carries Christian symbolism, as it has been said that when Jesus Christ was crucified, his blood stained the green jasper below his feet. It has even been called "the martyr's stone".

What do you think about the bloodstone? Is it something that you would wear as jewelry?

On Monday, we talked about different types of beads that people who like making their own jewelry can start hobbying with. If you missed it, you may want to start there to see the types of beads we've already talked about. This post continues the discussion about the different kinds of beads that you can use to make a variety of jewelry that appeals to the eye.

Rhinestone beads are dazzling little charmers that add a little bling to your jewelry making fun.

You are going to find that, just like other beads, the prices of rhinestone beads will range from very inexpensive to somewhat expensive, and the price will depend on the quality of the gems that are used to make the rhinestones. If you are just making costume jewelry for fun, though, you can purchase a set of assorted rhinestone beads to play with.

Seed and Bugle beads are what you would expect to purchase for children for their hobby time. If you are a teacher who wants to help work on fine motor skills, jewelry making with seed and bugle beads is a perfect idea! But, the jewelry making can get more intricate than child's play, as you can see in the pictures below.

You've seen seed beads before:

And you've probably even seen bugle beads before:

But, have you thought of making jewelry like this?

If you like to make your own jewelry and have been thinking about expanding your horizons, you might want to understand the different types of jewelry that can be made. Obviously, almost everyone knows about gemstones, but if you are a newbie, you've probably played with beads.  But, there is a plethora of beads to toy around with.

Have you ever heard of polymer clay beads?

Aren't they pretty? The come in all shapes, colors and forms for your jewelry making pleasure. Many are made by hand and some even come in shapes like flowers and leaves, for example.

Porcelain beads are just as pretty, but made from porcelain rather than clay.

As you can see in the picture above, porcelain beads can be purchased in assortment boxes or containers so that you have plenty to work with as you create different types of jewelry.

Indonesian glass beads are just what the name suggests: glass beads that yield from Indonesia.

Once again, there are so many varieties to choose from under the Indonesia glass beads classification that you are bound to find something that you love as you continue to pursue your jewelry making craft.

Join us Wednesday as we continue to talk about beads for jewelry.