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Carnelian
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Carnelian is a red or burnt orange stone in the agate family. There seems to be two arguments for the origin of this stones name, though both reference the color and appearance of the stone. The most common concerns carnelian’s current spelling which is said to derive from Latin meaning "as bloody flesh”. Some earlier accounts spelt it phonetically and substituted an o for the a, thus carnelian become cornelian. This could be the result of a misreading of an a for an o during subsequent transcriptions. The argument for this this version is that the name did not reference raw flesh but the rich red of the Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas). The spelling of the name of this stone with an o is very much regionally specific, and even then, not widespread. This suggests that this difference may be a localized linguistic shift. Brown carnelians are called sards, and when a carnelian displays bands black or white it is known as sardonyx.
The carnelian was a popular stone for use in signet rings and cylinder seals in the Aegean and across the Middle East. This stone was held in high regard in Islamic regions due to the legend that Mohammad wore an engraved carnelian set into a silver ring. A carnelian ring or amulet engraved with holy names or excepts from the Qur'an was believed to ward off evil, cast out demons, and protect from sorcery and avert the evil eye.
Many of these attributes were transferred to carnelian jewelry in general by later European lapidaries, and the benefits of the stone was expanded to include making the wearer bold, eloquent, and rich. It is very possible that these benefits were transferred to the Aegean along with along with the beliefs normally attached to the engraved stones from the Middle East, as red is often considered the color of prosperity and authority in many Eastern regions.
Like many red stones carnelian was said to stop bleeding and prevent hemorrhaging. It was prized for the belief that it could mend all manners of maladies and diseases of the flesh.
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Colors
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Red to burnt orange
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Locations
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Carnelian is found worldwide.
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Compisition
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SiO2, semipellucid crystallized quartz silicate with ferrous impurities
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Hardness
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6 - 7
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