Carnelian

Carnelian the WARMTH, VITALITY, FERTILITY beautiful red-orange hue carries the spiritual.

Carnelian, the modern spelling of the older “cornelian,” was im- immensely popular in ancient Egypt and among Mohammedans. The color, ranging from light brownish-red to deep, clear red, is due to the presence of iron. Wax does not easily adhere to polished carnelian, which makes this material useful for seals. Natural carnelian comes from Brazil, Uruguay, India, and California – Gems and Jewelry by Joel Arem p.68

Chalcedony receives its beautiful red tints from iron oxides, such as HEMATITE, embedded in the colorless silica. It may have either an unbroken color or be faintly banded. Its name comes from the Latin word carnets, which means fleshy, a reference to its color. The ancient Greeks and Romans particularly valued carnelian, which they mostly used for intaglios. It has also long been popular for signet rings. The Romans said that dark carnelian represented the male, while the light color symbolized the female. People also once believed that carnelian could calm bad tempers or still the blood. Napoleon returned from his campaign in Egypt with an impressive octagonal carnelian stone – Gems of the World by Cally Oldershaw p.196