Archives for carnelian

Carnelian, the orange gemstone

Carnelian (also called cornelian) is a form of chalcedony that takes on various shades of orange or red, from brownish-red to orange-pink. It is always an opaque stone, sometimes with slight translucency, and occurs as masses. Being a member of the chalcedony family, carnelian is considered a form of quartz with a hardness of 7, and its orange color is derived from iron oxides. A lot of carnelian you see today has had artificial dye applied to enhance their coloring. It was highly popular in past ancient civilizations and often used in amulets, heirlooms, or jewelry (as engraved or carved
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