nope, it was not lighter in the center earlier this year. I have this vague sense that it had a lighter center earlier in its life, but I definitely did lose track of its tag. Its been kicking around here several years.

Except for the spheres, most of the stone cuts are "cabochons". This collection is typical of what a lapidary hobbyist might assemble. He/she would shape and polish the stones and then mount those in commercial findings. To do that, the stones are ground to standard sizes. The medium green, rectangular stone with 2 small spherical side stones. Carefully look at these two small spherical stones. Those appear to be opals. If these are opals, treat them with care. Opals are soft, but highly desirable due to their exquisite iridescent color. Read up on the care of opals because these can 'dry out' and become brittle. However, the better opals are stable. Opals thrive on oil absorbed from the wearer's skin. The purple rectangular stone may be amethyst. A couple of other pieces may also be amethyst. Amethyst can vary widely in color. The very dark, red-purple may be garnet. Garnet is much harder than glass and is considered a durable stone. Glass easily scratches and dulls whereas garnet will hold its polish. There are 2 small spherical, translucent pink stones. These could be in the corundum family; Pink to red ones are called rubies. Conundrums are very hard and durable. There is a pale red/pink oval cabochon and it is translucent. I'd call this one carnelian. Again, glass and carnelian can be differentiated by hardness. Glass has Mohs harness of 5 whereas carnelian is 7. The findings with a loop on each end were probably intended to be chained/linked to form a bracelet or necklace. The findings with a single loop were made to hang from a bracelet (think charm bracelet) or from a necklace chain. On a hunch, these could have been birthstones. A mother would have worn a birthstone for each of her children and herself. Below is a list of birthstones. Note that a month may be represented by more than one stone. This came about due to preference changes in different time periods, but one strong driver was cost. Not every one could afford or wish to wear expensive stones for all occasions, thereby other stones were selected as stand-ins. Amethyst was considered a common stone in the 1950s, but in recent years, the supply of gem quality amethyst has dwindled and its price has escalated accordingly. January Garnet February Amethyst March Aquamarine April Diamond May Emerald June Pearl Alexandrite July Ruby August Peridot September Sapphire October Tourmaline Opal November Topaz Citrine December Tanzanite Zircon Turquoise - See more at: http://www.americangemsociety.org/birthstones#sthash.N5U7f0l1.dpuf

It is Mammilaria, but O forgot it's last name Harry

#1 not sure #2 Looks like ice-plant had it CA #3 Is a flower related to a carnation known as "pinks"