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CORNELIAN

Also known as Sadoine or Mecca Stone and sometimes spelt Carnelian, the name is derived from the Latin world for flesh, “carne”, due to its orangey red colour.

Legends and lore

Cornelian has been an important gem in nearly every great civilization. From the royalty of Ur (the Mesopotamian capital of pre-biblical times), to Napoleon (he returned from his Egyptian campaign with a huge octagonal Cornelian) and Tibetan Buddhists, Cornelian has been revered for its healing, spiritual and creative qualities.

A deeply religious gem, Cornelian was used by the Egyptian goddess Isis to protect the dead on their journey through the afterlife.

Cornelian is mentioned in the Bible as being one of the “stones of fire” (Ezekiel 28:13-16) given to Moses for the breastplate of Aaron (Exodus 28:15-30) and is also one of the twelve gemstones set in the foundations of the city walls of Jerusalem (Revelations 21:19). It is the symbol of the Apostle Philip.

Popular in ancient Greece and Rome for intaglio (a gem carved in negative relief) signet rings, the Romans symbolically associated dark coloured Cornelian with men and light coloured Cornelian with women.

Muhammad’s seal was an engraved Cornelian set in a silver ring.

To this day, Buddhists in China, India and Tibet believe in the protective powers of Cornelian and often follow the Egyptian practice of setting the gem with Turquoise and Lapis Lazuli for enhanced power.

Just the facts

Cornelian is a translucent orange to red variety of Chalcedony. Uniformly coloured cryptocrystalline Quartz, its red tints are caused by iron oxide trace elements.