How to distinguish carnelian from quartz?

Carnelian belongs to the quartz group of minerals, the second most common mineral on earth. Although all quartz stones have the same chemical composition, silica, they are classified into two ways based on their crystal formation: macrocrystalline quartz and cryptocrystalline quartz. Carnelian belongs to the cryptocrystalline type of quartz. Cryptocrystalline, also referred to as chalcedony quartz, includes many other gemstones including agate, onyx and jasper. Carnelian is classified by its distinctive color and is defined as a red-orange to brownish-red variety of chalcedony quartz. Carnelian gets its color through the agents of iron impurities, which form as a colorless quartz crystal. Carnelian, also referred to as “Carnelian,” was thought to be named after the color of the Cornelian cherry. Often, Carnelian can be confused with Sard stone, a darker, brownish variety of chalcedony quartz. There is no clear distinction between Sard and Carnelian; many specimens can be correctly identified as both Sard and Carnelian. Carnelian is also one of the many gemstones classified as “Carbuncle”. Carbuncle is a term that was originally used to refer only to red garnet, but nowadays, the name can be used to refer to any red cabochon-cut gemstone. Lately, natural Carnelian has become extremely rare and in order to keep up with demand, many stones called Carnelian are actually Agate stones that have been heated to produce the Carnelian color. History of Carnelian Carnelian is one of the oldest known gemstones, being mentioned in writings dating back approximately 4000 years. It was highly prized and worn by many of the world’s noblest people for many centuries. Carnelian occupies a special place in the Christian religion. According to biblical scripture, Carnelian was one of the twelve stones that were part of the armor of Aaron, the first High Priest, an Israelite and Prophet of God. Carnelian also played a significant role in ancient Greek, Roman and Babylonian cultures. In fact, it was very popular and was worn in amulets and talismans, and was widely used for making rings and insignia. Definition of Carnelian Top Carnelian is easily recognized by its excellent color and hardness. Carnelian can often be confused with Jasper, another type of quartz, but Jasper is opaque while Carnelian almost always has some degree of transparency when held up to the light. Jasper gemstones also tend to exhibit multi-colored, mottled patterns, while carnelian gemstones are single-colored. Fire Opal and Amber can also be confused with Carnelian as they have a similar color and luster, but Carnelian has superior hardness and strength, making it quite easy to distinguish. Carnelian – Origin and sources Top Carnelian can be found in many places in the world. The most significant sources include Brazil, Uruguay, India, Madagascar and the United States (New Jersey and Oregon). Most Carnelian gemstones available today come from India and South America. Buying Carnelian and determining its jewelry value Up

Carnelian color

The color of Carnelian can vary from yellowish-orange to orange and from dark red to brownish red. Its distinctive color is a result of iron impurities and when heated, its color can be intensified. Dark red and red-orange colors are considered the most desirable. Carnelian often exhibits light and dark color zones within a single specimen.

Purity and brightness of Carnelian

The purity range of Carnelian varies from translucent to opaque. When viewed against the light, carnelian stones may exhibit unevenly distributed transparency, often appearing dark. Carnelian has an attractive glassy to waxy luster when cut and polished.

Cuts and shapes of Carnelian

Carnelian is almost always cut as a cabochon. Carnelian is often used in stone carvings, sculptures and intaglio seals. The most popular shapes include round, oval and pillow shapes, but there are many fancy shapes, including heart and marquise.

Carnelian Processing

Carnelian is generally not processed, but its color can be enhanced by heating. Most Carnelian stones available today are colored and heated agates. Carnelians that have been dyed will show an alternating pattern when viewed against the light, while untreated Carnelians exhibit a dark appearance. Gemological properties of Carnelian: Top

Chemical formula:	Carnelian: SiO2 – Silicon Dioxide
Crystal structure:	Cryptocrystalline – microcrystalline Cumulative (Trigonal)
Color:	Brown-red, Red, Red-orange, Yellow-orange
Hardness:	6.5 – 7 on the Mohs scale
Refractive Index:	1.530 – 1.540
Density:	2.60 – 2.64
Layering:	No
Transparency:	From transparent to opaque
Double refraction / Birefringence:	Until 0.004
Shine:	Wax-matte
Fluorescence:	No

Please refer to our Glossary for a detailed explanation of gemological terms. Carnelian: Types and other similar gemstones: Top Carnelian is a type of cryptocrystalline quartz and there are many related and similar gemstones available today. Most varieties of quartz are classified by optical properties such as color, but others may derive their trade names from their mining origins or the name of the region where the stone was found. Most trade names based on regional names are used only by gem dealers or collectors. Other types of gemstones that may be confused with Carnelian are: amber, fire opal and red garnet.

The most popular gemstones related to Carnelian are:

Rose Quartz, Chalcedony, Aventurine, Agate, Lamellar Agate, Rutile Quartz, Amethyst, Ametrine, Citrine, Jasper, Bloodstone, Gold Quartz and Onyx are the most popular related gemstones.

Lesser known gemstones related to Carnelian:

Sardonyx, Sard, Mystic Quartz, Strawberry Quartz, Rock Crystal Quartz, Blue Quartz, Hawk’s Eye, Prasiolite, Chrysocolla Chalcedony (Silicon Dioxide), Tree Agate, Moss Agate, Star Quartz, Cat’s Eye Quartz, Fire Agate, Geode Agate, Chrysoprase and Brecciated Agate are rare and lesser known related gemstones. Mythology of Carnelian, metaphysical and medicinal properties Top Carnelian is believed to bring good luck to its owner. Muslim legend says that Muhammad once wore a ring with a Carnelian seal that was known to bring him good luck. In Europe, Napoleon also had a Carnelian seal, which he often wore as an amulet. Carnelian is known to protect against bad energy as well as poverty. It can enhance your sense of humor and help with self-control. Physically, Carnelian can help with digestive problems and relieve stomach-related pain. In fact, it is considered extremely beneficial and beneficial for childbirth. Carnelian can also help heal open wounds and relieve symptoms of rheumatism and other kidney diseases. It is said that carnelian can disinfect and purify the blood, thereby giving its owner more physical energy. Carnelian is associated with the element of fire and is the stone of Taurus. It can also be useful for those who fall under the zodiac signs of Aries, Gemini and Virgo. Carnelian is great for the second navel chakra and has projective energy that balances all forces.

Please do not consider the metaphysical and alternative healing properties of crystals given in the text as advice for use. See the license of a practitioner in this alternative medicine. Also, the information provided does not replace consultation with a doctor. GemSelect does not guarantee the results of lithotherapy and cannot be held liable under any circumstances.

Carnelian gemstones and jewelry design ideas Carnelian is ideal for any type of jewelry design imaginable due to its excellent hardness and durability. It can be worn as pins, pendants, bracelets, necklaces and everyday rings. Carnelian stones are also very affordable and come in large sizes that can be purchased at very reasonable prices, making them a favorite among many jewelers and jewelry lovers. With different shades, Carnelian stones are very popular among both men and women. For men, Carnelian is an excellent cabochon-cut gemstone in ring designs, and for women, Carnelian is very popular for small earrings and other fashion jewelry accessories. Carnelian is also very popular in making religious jewelry and ornaments, especially among Christians. Note: Buy colored gemstones by size, not by carat weight. Unlike diamonds, colored stones of the same weight can have different sizes because the relative density of different types of stones differs. Caring for your Carnelian and jewelry made from it Top Carnelian does not require much when it comes to care and care. It is considered to be quite hard and durable, but nevertheless, one should still be very careful when wearing and storing Carnelian with other hard types of gemstones such as topaz and sapphire, as hard materials can easily scratch Carnelian. Carnelian gemstones can be easily cleaned with warm soapy water and a soft cloth or brush. Be sure to rinse the product thoroughly to remove any remaining soap residue. As with most things when handling gemstones, you should avoid using harsh household chemicals as they can damage the color of your stones. You should also avoid prolonged exposure to high temperatures, as heat can damage or change the color of your gemstones. Although Carnelian is very durable, you should always remove any jewelry before playing sports, exercising, or doing any housework. Always store Carnelian gemstones and jewelry separately from other gemstones and wrap them in soft cloth or place them in a box with a fabric lining. This page in other languages

• Arabic | Carnelian Information
• 中文 | 红玉髓信息 – 幸运的橙色宝石
• English | Carnelian Information – An orange gemstone with luck on its side
• French | Informations sur la cornaline – Une pierre précieuse orange avec l.
• German | Karneol-Informationen – Ein orangefarbener Edelstein mit Glück auf.
• Italian | Informazioni sulla corniola – Una pietra preziosa arancione con la.
• Japanese | カーネリアン情報-運がよければオレンジ色のジェムストーンストーン
• Korean | Carnelian 정보 – 행운을 가져다 주는 주황색 원석
• Portuguese | Carnelian Information – Uma pedra preciosa laranja com sorte ao se.
• Spanish | Información sobre la cornalina: una piedra preciosa de color naran.

Carnelian (or carnelian) – orange, red-orange chalcedony. Chalcedony consists of thin quartz crystals and has a fibrous structure. Orange-red and orange-yellow-pink chalcedony is called carnelian. Dark brown-red carnelian specimens are called carnelians.

The name “carnelian” comes from the Old Russian “shape like a heart.” Another version is from the Greek word sardolith – stone from Sardis. Other names for the mineral and its varieties: blood agate, lincurium, carnelian, sarder.

Carnelian is a stone with weak radioactive properties, which requires a gold frame. It is often called the July gem. It gives its owners love, marital happiness, health, and courage.

How and where is it formed

Carnelian was formed by ancient volcanic processes in the bubbles (almonds) of lava flows and volcanic vents, where it occurs along with agate and other colored varieties of chalcedony. But, as many geologists believe, it acquires its rich color already on the surface, after the destruction of the volcanic rocks bearing it, including under the influence of sunlight.

Physicochemical characteristics

Chemical formula – SiO₂

Shine – wax

Color – pink, brown-red

Transparency – translucent in thin sections

Hardness – 6,5 – 7 on the Mohs scale

Density – 2,58 – 2,64 g/cm3

Kink – uneven, less often shell-like

Varieties

Color varieties of carnelian

Sarder – a densely colored variety with a predominant brown or chestnut-brown tint.

Actually carnelian – chalcedony of brownish-yellow, pink and red shades.

carnelian – deep red carnelian.

Varieties of carnelian by texture

Carnelians, like agates, can have either a clear or unclear pattern. Less common are stones of uniform color without texture.

Sardonyx – carnelians with clearly defined banding, in which there are non-translucent, contrast-colored, often white, zones.

Concentrically zonal carnelians. They are most common and are characterized by a multi-striped pattern. The width of the stripes is proportional to the size of the tonsil: the larger the tonsil, the more wide zones there are in the stone. Banding is most clearly distinguished where light-colored zones are separated by narrow, more densely colored red or brown zones. In pale-colored yellow carnelians, banding is less noticeable. The width of the strips can vary from 1 to 20 mm.

Uniform carnelians, are quite widespread, but evenly colored, homogeneous stones are rare among them. Usually they are characterized by uneven coloring, most intense in the near-surface parts and along cracks. According to the predominant color, they are divided into 3 color groups (see color varieties above).

Place of Birth

The deposit of the best carnelians in Russia is Eastern Siberia: the Zeya River basin (Amur region), Yakutia, Chukotka, Buryatia, southeast of the Chita region; Among foreign deposits, it is worth mentioning India (Deccan Plateau, Gujarat), Mongolia, USA (Montana), the island of Madagascar, Uruguay and Brazil.

Application and Use

Carnelian is an excellent material for jewelry and glyptics. It is easy to process, does not chip, and is perfectly polished, acquiring a mirror surface and a bright shine.

In the IV century. AD Carnelian took fifth place among the most precious stones. The order was as follows: diamond, pearl, emerald, opal, cornelian, cuts, sapphire, topaz.

In Rus’, carnelian was often used in the manufacture of religious objects (panagias, mitres, crosses, icon frames); the cross of Archimandrite of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra Innocent (Gisel) decorated with amethyst, garnet, rock crystal and four large carnelians is known.

How to distinguish real from fake

1. Pay attention to the hardness of the stone – it is 7. This is a fairly high indicator. Natural carnelian will not be scratched as easily as regular plastic. Even if you can do this, if you have plastic in front of you, thread-like shavings will separate from the stone when scratched. Natural carnelian either cannot be scratched at all, or the scratch will be very thin, without separation of chips;

2. Based on the description of carnelian, it follows that almost all of them have a pattern – stripes. This applies even to homogeneous carnelians, the stripes of which are unclear, but they are there and can be seen upon careful examination. When examining a stone and trying to determine whether the carnelian in front of you is real or a fake carnelian, look at its stripes. They should be clear and even. At the same time, their combination and connection with the rest of the stone mass must be organic and harmonious, that is, it must not have cracks, chips, or any inclusions;

3. When figuring out how to distinguish natural carnelian, many are faced with the question of how to distinguish carnelian from agate. Agate and carnelian belong to the same group of minerals – chalcedony, therefore, in many ways, their properties and appearance are similar. For this reason, it can be difficult to distinguish carnelian from agate. In this matter, you should focus on the pattern of the stones – agate can have any pattern, but carnelian can only have stripes as a pattern;

4. It is also worth saying that glass is used extremely rarely to make fake carnelian – it is much easier to disguise plastic as natural carnelian. With glass, everything is much more complicated, which means it’s more labor-intensive, and therefore practically impractical. But if you still have doubts and assume that the carnelian in front of you is a fake made of glass, pay attention to the shine of the stone. Natural carnelian has a matte shine;

5. And one more tip on how to distinguish carnelian from a fake – take a closer look at the stone. Natural carnelian is opaque.

Medicinal properties

Carnelian has been known as a medicinal product since ancient times. It was used by Egyptian healers for diseases of the nervous system. In European countries, carnelian, ground into powder, was diluted with wine and taken as a medicine for diseases such as arrhythmia, hearing impairment, hypertension, and headache. It is believed that powder from this stone can improve blood circulation, stop internal bleeding, and cure kidney diseases. Modern lithotherapists suggest that this stone should be worn on the body to get rid of ulcers and tumors, and for migraines, small polished pieces should be placed on closed eyelids.

Magical properties

In many countries of the world, carnelian represents love, faith, and family happiness. In Ancient Rus’, this stone was considered a love talisman, and in Ancient Greece, wedding gems were cut out of it. In Eastern countries, carnelian was used to make amulets that could protect their owners from evil spells, envy, the evil eye and dashing people. Carnelian is the stone of people born under the signs of Virgo and Gemini. It helps Virgos cope with uncontrollable anger, and gives Geminis the opportunity to discover hidden talents in themselves and develop them.

Talismans and amulets

As a talisman, carnelian is used to attract wealth, develop talents, and feeds its owner with additional cosmic energy. Carnelian is a talisman for creative people, businessmen and artisans. Modern practicing magicians use carnelian to make amulets that protect owners from dangers, evil spells, human envy and the machinations of ill-wishers.

Carnelian, as a talisman, amulet and therapeutic and prophylactic agent, has, according to most ancient and modern authors, an exceptionally wide range of beneficial qualities and properties, of which we will give only the most common:
– first of all, carnelian is a traditional love talisman, it promotes the emergence of love in those who wear it and at the same time protects from imposed love spells, protects from infidelity in love, relieves the wearer from debauchery and unbridled passions; – for those born in August, carnelian predicts a happy and long family life;
– carnelian has a pronounced calming and pacifying effect, prevents quarrels and disputes, improves mood, promotes success in business (including financial), relieves attacks of melancholy, black envy, strengthens courage in difficult moments of life, provides protection from other people’s lies and hatred;
– carnelian strengthens memory, promotes eloquence, enhances the anticipation and insight of the wearer;
– this stone contributes to the administration of justice and the establishment of justice, helps
speedy resolution of litigation, prevents red tape in business;
— a carnelian amulet protects against accidents and natural disasters, premature death, and provides protection from lightning strikes.

Additional Information

Energy – projective Yang (releases, activates energy). Yellow carnelian harmoniously combines the energies of Yin and Yang.

Element – Earth, Fire, Water

Horoscope — Gemini, Virgo

Effect on chakras – frontal chakra

Planets – Sun, Mercury

Connection with names – Vasily, Vladimir, Ilya, Oleg, Peter, Eduard, Alexandra, Anna, Valentina, Varvara, Zhanna, Maria

History and legends

The first products made of carnelian (the most ancient tools) were found during excavations of sites of Paleolithic man (800-60 thousand years BC). Carnelian has been used as a material for the manufacture of jewelry, amulets, talismans and religious objects since the early Neolithic period (18 thousand years BC).

In the 20s of our century, American and English archaeologists carried out extensive excavations on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates. They discovered one of the oldest cities on Earth – Ur, which flourished forty centuries before the birth of Christ. In numerous burials, jewelry made of precious metals and stones was found on male and female skeletons. Moreover, next to the oldest gem, lapis lazuli, there was always carnelian. A large number of beads made of carnelian, agate and chalcedony were found in the tomb of Queen Shub-Ad. The queen’s diadem was decorated with gold and carnelian.

Various products made of carnelian were found on the mummy of Pharaoh Tutankhamun (3500th century BC): the head of a snake (for protection from snakes in the afterlife), heart-shaped pendants (representing an ever-living soul), an image of the mythical bird Ment (Phoenix) with a solar disk on the back and many others. In the so-called “Ebers Papyrus” (“Book for the preparation of medicines for all parts of the human body”), compiled in Ancient Egypt more than XNUMX BC, there is a special section devoted to stone treatment, where carnelian is also mentioned.

In Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt and later – during the existence of the Aegean civilization (2800-1100 BC) in ancient Greece, the art of stone carving (glyptics) reached its highest peak. Then wonderful examples of cameos and intaglios were created, the material for which in most cases was sardonyx. The Hermitage has the best collection of these items in the world – more than 20 thousand (more than in the museums of Paris, London, Rome, and Florence combined). “All the collections of Europe, in comparison with ours, are just child’s play. ” wrote Catherine II in 1795 about the cabinet of antiquities that she created and laid the foundation for the Hermitage collection.

The following sayings are attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, who wore a ring with carnelian on the little finger of his right hand: “whoever wears a carnelian in a ring is constantly in prosperity and joy” and “wear a ring with a carnelian, for truly it drives out poverty.” Which, however, did not prevent the viceroy of Allah on Earth, according to Biruni, after the capture of Mecca in the 7th century. order to break the statue of the pagan deity – the idol of Hubal, carved from a whole piece of carnelian, and apparently, which was the largest known historical carnelian product.

In 1929, while laying a railway quarry near the city of Mozdok, workers discovered a Scythian necropolis of the XNUMXth-XNUMXth centuries. BC e. In one of the graves a young woman rested along with toiletries that she apparently used during her life. There were necklaces of carnelian beads, a ring and a bronze mirror. The same beads made of carnelian and jet were discovered in a Scythian burial of the Karagodeuashkh mound (Kuban River basin).

Best regards, Katerina (Napoleonka)