Spotlight on | Carnelian
courage | confidence | power
CHAKRA: solar plexus, sacral, root
SIGNS: taurus, gemini, virgo, leo
ELEMENT: fire
PLANET: mars, sun
MINERAL FAMILY: chalcedony
CRYSTAL SYSTEM: hexagonal
COLOUR: light yellow to orange and red
AFFIRMATION: “I live with passion and purpose.”
BEST FOR: encourages action and confidence, boosts energy + motivation, sexual energy, enhances stamina + optimism
ORIGINS: Madagascar, Brazil, USA, South Africa, India
CRYSTAL COMPANIONS: for creativity – citrine, for protection - amethyst, for self love + confidence - rose quartz, for inspiration - red tigers eye, for energy - orange calcite, for sexual passion - garnet, for happiness - sunstone, for focus + discipline - fluorite
RARITY: abundant
Known as the singer's stone, the Carnelian crystal is a warm, vibrant stone that boosts confidence and the power of true expression. It is a stone of creativity, individuality and courage. Just ask Grammy Award winner, Adele, who reportedly can’t perform without Carnelian by her side.
Whenever you're called on to perform (whether it's on stage or *ahem* between the sheets), be the star of your own show by accessing the healing properties of Carnelian, the fiery companion guiding you in facing your fears.
The History of Carnelian
Carnelian has a long and storied history, dating back at least 4500 years to the ancient Sumerians and Egyptians, who made jewellery set with the stone. Ancient Romans and Greeks also favoured Carnelian for intaglios, which they used in signet rings. Carnelian symbolism and lore came to encompass health, luck, and royalty.
The Arab peoples consider Carnelian one of the stones of kings. The stone’s rich, warm hue often links it to projective, proactive energies associated with lions and fire. Traditionally, the stone has been used to foster courage, both in battle as well as during performances.
Perhaps due to the stone’s blood-like colour, healers since time immemorial have often prescribed wearing Carnelian as a general invigorator for the blood. Some people wore it for problems such as nosebleeds, skin diseases, and PMS. Others carried it to stimulate sexual impulses.
Given its long history, the beautiful reddish-brown stone often appears in antique jewellery.
Geologists believe that Carnelian first surfaced in the Bengal region of India, where the brownish stone was placed in the sun to transform it into a rich red colour. Later, miners discovered deposits in South Africa, Madagascar, Brazil, Uruguay, and the United States. These remain to date the most important sources of the reddish-brown stone.
Recognising Carnelian
As a member of the quartz chalcedony family, Carnelian primarily consists of silicon dioxide. However, how how these elements form varies widely within this large family of gemstones.
Vibrant Carnelian can be easily differentiated from its siblings by its colour. Ranging from red-orange to brownish-orange, it owes its deep hue to iron oxide. True specimens demonstrate a uniformity in colour.
Carnelian rates a 7 on the Mohs hardness scale.
What is Carnelian used for?
Have you lost your life’s sense of excitement and passion? Are you lacking a creative drive in your professional life? Or have you been searching for a boost of self-esteem and self-confidence to go after what you truly desire?
Carnelian is the perfect antidote to a bad case of the “can’ts”, like all agates, it has protective energies, and is a powerful wingman when negativity and self-disbelief strike. The vibrant colour of this stone is often associated with fire, and it lives up to this association by reigniting your inner fire when you need it most. By bringing a sense of passion and vitality back into your life, your Carnelian crystal acts as an energetic spark to ignite your wildest dreams and propel you into action to make sure those dreams come true. When you’re caught up in your own thoughts, the Carnelian crystal can take you out of your head and connect you with your heart centre, where your passion resides.
Besides its eye-catching aesthetic, Carnelian can aid memory (including past-life recall), assist in finding the right mate better than OKCupid ever could, and protect from anger, jealousy and fear. It can also help with the manifestation of your deepest desires and bring luck. Maybe try resisting the urge to bet it all on black though.
Physically, Carnelian has been used in crystal healing to aid in healing open sores, rejuvenate tissues and cells and provide relief from rheumatism, kidney problems, gall stones, colds, pollen allergies and neuralgia.
Who needs Zyrtec when you’ve got Carnelian, right?
