The History of The Enchanting Moonstone
Moonstone Pendant
The ever-captivating moonstone has been the subject of lore and fantasy across time and cultures—and it’s no wonder. The natural structure of moonstone beautifully scatters light, recalling the soft and luminous elegance of the moon itself (an effect known as adularescence that looks like a full moon shining through a thin veil of clouds—or moonlight glowing in water). In fact, according to Hindu mythology, moonstones are made of solidified moon beams. Furthermore, the Romans and Greeks associated moonstone with their lunar deities.
Moonstone used to be called “adularia,” a name that originated with a city in Switzerland, Mt. Adular (now St. Gotthard), one of the first sources of fine moonstone.
Like the moon, moonstone is often associated with feminine energy, sensitivity, and intuition. Moonstone has been so deeply associated with femininity that some beliefs connect it to pregnancy and childbirth.
Legends also say that moonstone helps you see the future (especially if the stone is placed in your mouth during a full moon). Other beliefs hold moonstone as a travel talisman, especially for those traveling at sea, a place ruled by the moon itself.
Moonstone Necklace Featuring Assorted Gems
In the tradition of crystal healing, moonstone is believed to aid the pituitary gland and the digestive system while reducing water retention and obesity. It’s also used to calm responses to stress and help its users avoid over-reacting to stressful moments.
Teardrop Moonstone Necklace
Moonstone has also been featured in art throughout the ages. Artisans of the late nineteenth-century Arts and Crafts movement featured moonstone in handcrafted silver items, and later, René Lalique and Louis Comfort Tiffany of the Art Nouveau era used moonstone in their jewelry. Moonstone found contemporary appeal with the “flower children” of the 1960s who sought an ethereal look. New Age artists of the 1990s also turned to moonstone inspiration.
Pocket watch by Rene Lalique (1860-1945), Ca. 1899-1900. Gold, enamel, moonstone.
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What Are the Different Types of Opals?
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Photo: Max Pixels, Amelia Isa via Flickr, Siam Gem Palace
May Birthstone: Emerald
A stone with one of the richest histories in all of gem lore, the emerald continues to captivate and enchant jewelry lovers with its incomparable green hue. Because deep green emeralds with high clarity are quite rare (and incredibly valuable), the stone is often heat treated to enhance its natural color and improve its clarity. Emeralds are a variety of beryl—a mineral that grows with six sides and may grow up to a foot tall.
Gemologists consider emerald to be one of the oldest mined stones with evidence indicating that it was mined in Egypt as early as 330 B.C.E.—yet some estimates suggest that the oldest emerald stones may be up to 2.97 billion years old!
The name “emerald” comes from the Greek “smaragdus,” meaning green. Emeralds have been found in Columbia, Brazil, AfghanColombiaambia, and Egypt. The Egyptians featured emerald in their jewelry and burial rituals. Believed to be a symbol of protection, emeralds were often buried with monarchs. The stone was so greatly valued by Egyptians that Cleopatra claimed ownership of all emerald mines during her reign.
Roman scholar Pliny the Elder is credited with the following statement about the beautiful green stone: "Indeed, no stone has a color that is more delightful to the eye, for, whereas the sight fixes itself with avidity upon the green grass and the foliage of the trees, we have all the more pleasure in looking upon the emerald, there being no gem in existence more intense than this.” Meanwhile, it’s believed that Roman emperor Nero would watch the gladiator games through thin, flat emeralds.
The Muzo tribe of Columbia had such well-hidden emerald mines that it took the Spanish conquistadors nearly twenty years to discover them. Indeed, the violent conflicts between natives of present-day South America and European colonists shadow the history of emerald acquisition (usually on behalf of royalty) in Western European countries.
Gold, set with table-cut emeralds, and hung with an emerald drop from Colombia, currently exhibited at Victoria and Albert Museum.
In addition to being seen as a protective force, over the centuries, emeralds have also been credited with the ability to cure stomach problems, control epilepsy, stop bleeding, and ward off panic and anxiety. Some cultures even believed that emeralds granted the owner foresight—when the emerald was placed under the tongue!
Emerald is still celebrated as a symbol of rebirth, new beginnings, loyalty, and security—making it a perfect birthstone for the lush month of May. This lovely stone also serves as a gift for 20th and 35th wedding anniversaries.
Hooker Emerald Brooch, 1950. A beveled square-cut emerald in a platinum setting, surrounded by 109 round and 20 baguette-cut diamonds.
Are you a fan of emeralds?
See also:
November Birthstones: Topaz and Citrine
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Photos: Wikimedia Commons
February Birthstone: Amethyst
The February birthstone amethyst is a variety of quartz with a beautiful violet hue. Its name comes from the ancient Greek for "intoxicated" (the stone was believed to protect its wearer from drunkenness). The purple hue can vary from a light, pinkish violet to a deep purple; the color is created by irradiation, iron impurities, and trace elements. Amethysts occur in the cavities of granite rocks and are found all over the world.
Roman intaglio portrait of Caracalla in amethyst
The ancient Egyptians used amethysts to create intaglio engraved gems. Later, medieval European soldiers carried amethyst amulets into battle, believing that the stone would help heal wounds and keep one cool-headed. Western Christian bishops wear an episcopal ring that often includes an amethyst, an allusion Acts 2:15, in which the apostles are not intoxicated at Pentecost.
Amethysts have also been associated with royalty and have appeared in scepters, crowns, and other items of regal jewelry. Amethyst is also said to have been the ninth stone in the breastplate of the high priest of Israel, Aaron, and one of the stones upon which the names of the tribes of Israel were engraved.
Modern Amethyst Lore
In the crystal healing tradition, amethyst is associated with peace, courage, stability, and clarity of mind. Wearing amethyst jewelry against your skin is believed to reduce stress and heighten the wearer’s intuition. Advocates of crystal healing recommend using them in meditation to more deeply connect with yourself.
Amethysts can also be used throughout the home to bring peace to any space. Placing an amethyst cluster near the entryway of your business is believed to attract abundance and new financial opportunities.
Try this self-reflection exercise using amethysts.
Amethysts at Barbara Michelle Jacobs Jewelry
Amethysts are featured in the Royal Ruby and Amethyst Twig Ring. This statement ring is designed to elevate everyday experiences—whether that’s just a trip to the store or a fine and fancy dinner—and remind you that you’re every bit as special as a royal lady!
Do you love amethysts?
You may also be interested in: The Meaning of Pearls
The Tradition of Healing Stones
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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, Energy Muse, Barbara Michelle Jacobs Jewelry
The Origins of Crystal Healing
Crystal lore and the belief in crystal healing is likely as old as the human race. Although beliefs about particular stones and the power attributed to them have evolved over time and between cultures, crystal mysticism seems to be here to stay. Indeed, crystals are becoming increasingly mainstream and may even crop up at your favorite spa or natural beauty shop if they haven’t already!
Many modern proponents of crystal therapy believe that crystals are conduits of healing, allowing positive energy to reach the user while relieving the user of negative energy that may contribute to anything ranging from a passing malaise to serious illness. Most medical professionals deem crystal therapy a pseudoscience, citing that at best, crystal healing serves as a placebo to make the user feel better and at worst, a distraction from scientifically-verified medical treatment. Nonetheless, crystals continue to grow in popularity despite the skepticism of the medical community—a theme that’s repeated in the history.
From the Dawn of Time…
Although we may never have proof that the lost city of Atlantis operated machines powered by crystals (or so the myth goes), we do know that talismans and amulets have been treasured by various cultures for millennia. Beads of mammoth ivory dating back 60,000 years (circa the Upper Paleolithic Period) were discovered in present-day Russia. Some 30,000 years later, jet beads used in bracelets were left in Paleolithic gravesite.
Much later in the course of human history, the ancient Egyptians used lapis lazuli, turquoise, carnelian, emerald, and clear quartz in jewelry and grave amulets. These stones were believed to bestow protection and health to the wearer. Meanwhile, topaz and peridot were used to purge evil spirits and ward off night terrors, and green stones served to represent the heart of a deceased individual and were included in burial ceremonies. It's rumored that Cleopatra surrounding herself with rose quartz and even bathed with them as an anti-aging measure.
Crystals were also valued by the ancient Greeks. In fact, “crystal” is the Greek word for “ice.” The ancient Greeks believed that clear quartz was indefinitely frozen. “Amethyst” meant “not drunken” and was used to prevent drunkenness and hangovers. The Greeks also relied on crystals during war times. Soldiers would rub hematite on their bodies before battle as a way of connecting with Aries, the god of war.
Jade was the stone of choice in ancient China. Jade was believed to heal kidneys. Chinese emperors were sometimes even buried in jade armor. Jade was also valued by the Maoris in 18th-century New Zealand. There, jade pendants were used to represent the spirits of ancestors.
The Middle Ages and the Renaissance
Even though the Christian church had banned amulets in 355 AD, by the time the 11th century rolled around, certain gems played important roles in church services. Sapphires, for example, were featured in ecclesiastical rings while agate was believed to make the wear more agreeable to others and more favorable in the eyes of God.
During the Renaissance, various medical treatises promoted the belief that particular precious and semi-precious stones could cure certain ailments. In medical settings, crystal therapy was often accompanied by herbal remedies.
Despite the popularity of crystal healing, skeptics were concerned that some gems were corrupted by the original sin and could be possessed by demons. In 1609, Anselmus de Boot, court physician to Rudolf II of Germany, asserted that angels (both good and bad) were present in stones. Good angels in stones would grace the possessor with well-being while bad angels in stones would persuade the wearer to believe in the stone rather than God. This spiritual concern coupled with the lack scientific proof in the healing power of stones caused crystal therapy to fall out of favor during the Enlightenment. But crystals would make a come back.
The New-Age 1980s and Beyond
In the advent of New Age spiritual practices in the 1980s, crystals emerged as an alternative healing method thanks to books by Katrina Raphaell and Melody and Michael Gienger. Presently, even though crystal healing is continually met with skepticism from the medical community, it continues to have a presence in alternative and increasingly mainstream therapies. Current crystal therapy methods include both ancient practices as well as new ones that have been “divined” or intuited by healers.
Photos: BijaMalas via Etsy, Wikimedia Commons, Catching Wildflowers via Etsy
What Are the Different Types of Opals?
Opals consist of hydrated silica and occur in rock fissures. Due to their structure, opals are considered mineraloids rather than minerals. Opals are the national gemstone of Australia but are also found in Ethiopia and Virgin Valley, Nevada.
Opal Lore
Opals have been the subject of various lore. During the Middle Ages, opals were associated with great luck and believed to carry the properties of every gem whose color matched one of the many colors reflected in the opal. Opals were also believed to bestow the power of invisibility. By wrapping an opal in a bay leaf and holding it in your hand, you could avoid being seen—or so the story goes.
Love of opals and belief in their inherent goodness dramatically changed with the publication of Sir Walter Scott’s Anne of Geierstein in 1829. The book describes a character who dies shortly after her opal comes into contact with a drop of holy water and turns black. Shortly after the book's publication, opal sales dropped by 50% in Europe and remained low for the next 20 years.
The Different Types of Opals
Natural
Black Opal
Black/Dark Opals are the rarest and most valuable opals. Found in the Lighting Ridge in New South Wales, black or dark opals have a naturally dark background, which allows their colors and rainbow tones to appear more vibrant. This natural layer of potch (colorless opal) on the back of the stone varies in darkness; the darker the potch, the more vibrant the colors in the stone. The more vibrant the stone, the greater its value. Most black/dark opals are cut into ovals or teardrops.
White Opal
White Opals or “milk opals” are light with a white body tone (as opposed to the black/dark body tone of the black/dark opals). Mined in southern Australia in the opal fields of Coober, Pedy, Mintabie, and Andamooka, white opals are the most common opals and therefore the least valuable--but they can still be quite pretty.
Crystal Opals can be light or dark and are partially transparent. Partial transparency may enhance the color (and value) of a stone. An opal with transparency may be referred to as a “white crystal opal” or “black crystal opal” depending on its body tone.
Boulder Opal
Boulder Opals form in ironstone cavities in Queensland. They’re typically cut with some solid brown ironstone remaining on the back; the ironstone backing functions like the dark potch on black/dark opals, allowing the colors in the opal to stand out vibrantly. Found in Quilpie and Winton, boulder opals vary greatly in size and may be found as small as a pea or as large as a car. These are the second most valuable opals and are distinct for their thin, colorful veins. Boulder opals tend to have a flat or undulating surface and are almost always cut in a freedom shape, which maximizes the size the of the stone.
Matrix Opals occur as a network of veins between crevices in the host rock (usually claystone or ironstone). An andamooka matrix opal is a kind of matrix opal that has been enhanced by soaking in a sugar solution and boiled in acid, a process that deposits carbon in the stone’s pores, creating a darker background. A natural oulder opal matrix is a matrix opal in its natural state; it consists of brown ironstone with small deposits of opal.
Polished Yowan Nut Opal
Yowan Nuts are found in Yowan in Queensland. These ironstone concretions resemble nuts, which can be cracked open to reveal a valuable opal in the center.
Synthetic/Manmade
Synthetic Opals are made in a lab with opaline silica, whose structure is similar to that of natural opal. Gilson Opals are the most well-known lab-created opals. Synthetic opals generally show brighter colors, are larger, and have a more ordered array of colors. Numerous subgrains in synthetic opals produce a delicate snakeskin pattern.
Imitation Opals are made with colored tinsel set in clear plastic or epoxy. They’re generally not convincing to the untrained eye.
Doublet Opal
Doublets and Triplets are partially man-made stones that imitate black opals. Doublets and triplets consist of a slice of opal attached to a dark backing. In addition to being attached to a dark backing, triplets have a clear quartz or glass capping to magnify and protect the stone while giving it a rounded appearance.
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Photos: James St. John via Flickr, Pixabay, Biro Opal, Wikimedia Commons
September Birthstone: The Rich History of the Sapphire
Cross-culturally, sapphires have been associated with insight, truth, heavenly grace, and even clairvoyance.
December Birthstone: Zircon
Zircon is one of the birthstones associated with December (the others are turquoise and Tanzanite). “Zircon” may be derived from the Persian word “zargun,” meaning “gold-colored.” The word may also be derived from the Arabic word “zarkun,” meaning “cinnabar” or “vermillion.”
