Carnelian: The Healing Gemstone

Carnelian is a red variety of chalcedony – a cryptocrystalline quartz. Its reddish color is due to the presence of iron impurities in the form of iron oxide or hematite. You'll usually find the stone cut en cabochon, or into beads, and it is also used for intaglios and cameos. Sometimes imitations of carnelian are made by the staining of agate.

Originally Carnelian was found in the deserts of Arabia and Egypt, it has also been found in the Rio Grande area, India, China, Colombia, Saxony, Scotland, West Germany and USA.
Carnelian has been featured in nearly every great civilization in the history of the world. From the royalty of Ur (the Mesopotamian or Sumerian capital of pre-biblical times) to the days of Napoleon, carnelian has been revered for its healing, spiritual and also creative qualities.

A deeply religious stone, carnelian was used by the Egyptian goddess Isis to protect the dead on their journey to the afterworld; it was one of the stones on Aaron's breast plate when the Israelites were in the wilderness; it is the symbol of the Apostle Philip; and also Muhammad's seal was an engraved carnelian set in a silver ring.
Today Buddhists in China, India and Tibet believe in the protective powers of carnelian and often follow the Egyptian practice of setting the stone with turquoise and lapis lazuli for enhanced spiritual power.

The word carnelian or cornelian is derived from the Latin caro, carnis meaning flesh, in reference to the flesh color which it sometimes exhibits.
The bow drill was used to drill holes into carnelian in Mehrgarh between 4th-5th millennium BCE. The stone was recovered from Bronze Age Minoan layers at Knossos on Crete in a form which well demonstrated its use in decorative arts; this use dates to approximately 1800 BC. Today it is used frequently in creative fashion jewelry designs.

Aside from Carnelian Jewelry, the gemstone was used widely during Roman times to make engraved gems for signet or seal rings for imprinting a seal with wax on correspondence and other important documents. It should be noted for artists that hot wax will not stick to Carnelian.

Carnelian is a 7 on the Mohs scale and has always been used to carve beautiful cameos. It 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.