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Carnelian –
is a translucent,
semiprecious variety of the silica mineral chalcedony that owes its red to
reddish brown color to colloidally dispersed hematite (iron oxide).
When it grades
into brown it is known as Sard. When it contains bands of white, it is
known as Sardonyx. What a lot of people call "true carnelian"
is the fiery red/orange color. Carnelian is a 7 on the Mohs scale and has
been used for centuries to carve beautiful cameos. Deposits of this
gemstone are found in Brazil, India, Australia, Russia, Madagascar, South
Africa, Uruguay and the U.S.A.
Ancient
Egyptian tombs are full of carnelian jewelry, as they believed the gemstone
had great power in the afterlife. According to their system, carnelian
amulets could help ensure the Ka's (the soul's) passage into the next world.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, carnelian represents the Hebrew tribe of
Reuben and the apostle Phillip, and in Hebrew literature, carnelian appears
as a gemstone in Aaron's breastplate.
Some
Muslims call it "the Mecca stone," Islamic doctrine holds that engraving the
name of Allah on carnelian stones boosts courage; some even believed that
Allah would grant all the desires of wearers of the stone
Ancient
Greeks and Romans called it sardius and used the gemstone for signet rings,
cameos and intaglios.
Tibetans created amulets of silver with generous applications of carnelian,
and in India, Hindu astrology names carnelian as the secondary stone of
Scorpios.
Carnelian is one
of the birthstones listed in the ancient Arabic, Hebrew, Italian and Roman
tables and is a Zodiac birthstone for the signs of Leo and Virgo
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