Carnelian - the Happy, Protective Gemstone in Today's Fashion Jewelry

Carnelian is a translucent, orangey-red chalcedony sometimes found in yellowish tones and white, frequently with two combined. Sunlight can sometimes make these colors more vivid. However, the effect of artificial light is distinctly lesser. It has a specific gravity of about 2.7 and a hardness of about 7. It is closely related to sard, differing only in the shade of red. Carnelian is composed of Silicon Dioxide, SiO2, and gets its red color from Hematite (Iron-Oxide, FeO2) impurities. Brazil, Uruguay, India and Japan have reported some of the largest finds of carnelian. Finds of lesser importance have been identified in Texas, Colorado, and Florida.

The color and relatively low cost of carnelian makes it a popular gemstone for fashion jewelry such as silver pendants and necklaces. There are an infinite number of colors, shades, and patterns of this stone found in nature. This variety means that carnelian can be incorporated into a wide range of fashion jewelry, combining different focal stones in numerous precious and base metal settings. This fascination with carnelian in jewelry is not new. Carnelian has held a strong presence in the history of the world. It has been found in some of the oldest known jewelry, inlaid into the robes of Pu-Abi, a Sumerian Queen from the third millennium, B.C, among Egyptian tombs, in the breastplate of High Priest Aaron and in many other ancient cultures. One of its most popular uses was by the Romans. They used the stone for cameos, intaglios and as seal rings for imprinting seals with wax on correspondence and documents. Today, stone beads made with carnelian are found in a beautiful mix of natural exquisiteness and fine handcrafting, and continue to be quite popular. As these beads are carved, extreme care is crucial to ensure that its beauty would be intact. It is typically prepared with a cabochon cut (a smooth rounded cut) in order to bring out the natural elegance and color patterns of the stone. In some cases, beads are subjected to a facet-cut in order to promote sparkle in the gemstone. Carnelian is sometimes heat-treated or dyed in order to enhance its color.

Carnelian is considered to be the perfect stone for stimulating the circulatory system, kidneys, appetite, emotions, and sexuality. It bestows confidence, assertiveness, and an unstoppable drive to succeed, and is believed to promote happiness, creativity, steadfastness, confidence, courage, analytical power and assertiveness, and helps one to achieve greater success in career and personal matters. This stone has been mentioned in Arabic, Hebrew, and Roman folklore. These civilizations believed that it protected the wearer in the after-life, and from evil spirits. This stone has also been popular with European and Asian civilizations.

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