In addition to personal adornment, gems have always been regarded as somewhat mysterious. They have been used as primitive medicines and have been quite important as amulets and talismans. Paintings in Egyptian tombs some 5,000 years ago depict the smelting of ores from metals, weighing gems, and fashioning lapis and malachite. Crushed malachite was used as a pigment for painting, as well as eye make-up for ancient Egyptians, which is created by mixing ground malachite with ants! More than 4,000 years ago, Egyptians created jewelry by stringing cylindrical beads together into a wide fan-shaped necklace called bead collars. The beads were blue faience (pron. fay aunts; and it is glazed clay), turquoise, gold, lapis lazuli, and carnelian. The beads would eventually be polished and inscribed with symbolic markings, used to ward off evil spirits. Carving gems developed over the years and beetle images, called scarabs, were common in the 9th Egyptian dynasty, around 2050 B.C.

Read an excerpt, Chapter 2: Preciousness Redefined: The Modern Concept of a Gem, http://www.secretsofthegemtrade.com/chapter_2.htm, from a book by Richard Wise entitled, Secrets of the Gem Trade, http://www.secretsofthegemtrade.com/, to understand more about gemstone lure.

Even earlier Greek and Roman civilizations were using minerals as gems and the art of carving rocks and minerals was perfected. The early gems were used for personal adornment, the same as today; but, usually the importance to the wearer was greater than today because ancients believed the gems held magical powers, lucky talisman, amulet, or fetish.

Virtues were assigned to gems. Reddish brown carnelian was one of the luckiest jewels to wear. "No man who wore a carnelian was ever found in a collapsed house or beneath a fallen wall" and thus it was a talisman of good luck and joy for ancient Babylonians and Greeks (Kunz, 1971, p. 65).

Early Christian theologians believed gazing at blue sapphire would elevate one's thoughts from earthly to heavenly matters and in the 6th century it became a ruling that every cardinal wear a sapphire ring on his right hand. Sapphire is a variety of the mineral corundum. The red version of corundum, ruby, according to Burmese legend was hatched from eggs laid deep in Earth, and has always been prized for it's red color which could shine through the thickest of layers of clothing (Harvey, 1981, p. 9). Ruby was believed to protect your house and land from storms and lightning and a woman wishing to prove her virtue should wear the ruby on her left hand as there it would control amorous desire (Harvey, 1981, p. 9).

Garnets endow the wearer the ability to make deep and lasting friendships. They were used as bullets by some tribes, some 400 years ago, because ..."the blood-red stones would inflict a far more grievous wound on their enemies than the common lead bullet" (Harvey, 1981, p. 11).

The green emerald was often associated with Venus, the earth-goddess, and was thought to be a sacred symbol of fertility and growth. Although some believed it to be a symbol of fertility, it may have been one of the earliest forms of birth control as it was also said a woman should not wear an emerald until she was fifty!

Chrysolite, or better known today as peridot or olivine, was first mined by Egyptians on the island of Zeberged in the Red Sea area. A favorite of the Pharaohs, peridot had the power to dispel dark forces. (Wasn't that the color of the light saber for Jedi knights in the Star Wars saga?!).

Ancient Babylonians carved symbols in bloodstone, or heliotrope (turn to the sun), which allowed the future to be foretold. Later it would become a Christian symbol, the red spots representing the blood of Christ diffusing in the green stone. In the sixteenth century it had the ability to cure nosebleeds or when placed on any wound, stop the bleeding.

Agates, a gem frequently formed in the vugs of volcanic rocks, sometimes have a circular, wavy or zigzag pattern that can resemble the shape of an eye; when in this shape, it was used as a amulet to guard against the evil eye or as an eye of an idol (Harvey, 1981, p. 19).

From ancient times, purple has always been a color associated with nobility. At times, amethyst, the purple variety of quartz, has been held in the same value as diamond. It can be found among crown jewels and in the rings of religious leaders. Amethyst actually means "not drunken" and of course, would protect the wearer from drunkenness.

Beryl was the gem connected to the biblical tribe of Gad, the tribe of good fortune. It was associated with fortune telling and many women in ancient times gazed into a bluish-green beryl sphere to foretell the future.

Not all gems were lucky though. Onyx, the stone of sadness, was dreaded by ancient Chinese. It was believed that even entering a mine where it could be found would lead to terrifying dreams, doubts, and disputes (Harvey, 1981, p. 7). Topaz is believed to be influenced by the Moon and therefore it shines most brightly at night. Topaz has special powers transmitted to the wearer; long life, beauty and intelligence will wax and wane with the phases of the Moon.

Even gem dreams had great significance. Carnelian dreams could bring misfortune; moonstone dreams could mean danger; dreaming of jet predicted sorrow. For friendship, safety, hope and prosperity, one should dream of pearls (a symbol of purity), amethysts, emeralds, and turquoise. Now there's something to think about before bed tonite!

The material for this section came primarily from:

• Harvey, Anne (1981). Jewels. London: Bellew & Higton Publishers Limited.
• Kunz, G. F. (1971). The curious lore of precious stones. NY: Dover.

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This page originates from the Earth Science department for the use and benefit of students enrolled at Emporia State University. For more information contact the course instructor, S. W. Aber, e-mail: saber@emporia.edu Thanks for visiting! Webpage created: 1999; last update: January 14, 2008.