Carnelian Properties, Facts and Photos

What is Carnelian?

Carnelian is a variety of quartz, or more specifically, a reddish-orange variety of chalcedony. It's cryptocrystalline, meaning its crystals are too small to be seen with the naked eye.

Carnelian is generally translucent, although some stones may only be translucent around the edges. It can be a solid colour or exhibit banding.

Carnelian with a deeper reddish-brown colour is known as sard. The two names are often used interchangeably, although sard tends to be less well known. 

Apart from the difference in colour and carnelian being slightly softer, there are few other significant differences.

Different coloured agates are often treated to enhance or alter their colour to mimic natural carnelian, as agate is more readily available and less expensive.

To achieve the deep reddish-orange colour, agate can be soaked in a sugar solution and then heated in sulphuric acid. Heat and acid cause the sugar to carbonise, creating a colour similar to natural carnelian.

Alternatively, agate can be heated, which causes iron oxide impurities to oxidise, producing a reddish-orange hue.

It can be tricky to tell whether carnelian is natural because treated agate can look almost identical.

Visible bands of different colours are a good indication that a stone has been treated. Natural carnelian typically has a more uniform colour with less noticeable banding.

Another indicator is that carnelian is generally more translucent, especially at the edges, while treated agate may appear more opaque with a more solid colour.
Although commonly known as 'carnelian,' the names 'cornelian' and 'carnelian agate' are also widely used. In fact, 'cornelian' was the stone’s original name.

The name, first recorded in the 14th century, comes from the Medieval Latin corneolus, derived from cornum, referring to the cornel cherry because the stone's colour was believed to resemble that of the berry.

The cornel cherry grows on a plant of the same name (Latin: Cornus mas), a type of dogwood also known as the Cornelian cherry, European cornel or Cornelian cherry dogwood.

Over time, carnelian became the dominant spelling of this stone, possibly influenced by the Latin carnis, meaning 'flesh' because of its colour. The colour comes primarily from impurities of hematite.

The name 'cornelian' is now far less common.

The finest grade carnelian comes mainly from India but can also be found in Brazil, Australia, Russia, Madagascar, South Africa, Uruguay and the U.S.A.

Carnelian is a relatively hard mineral, making it easy to work with. On the Mohs scale of hardness, it grades 6.5 to 7.

On the Traditional Birthstone Chart, carnelian is the birthstone for August. It's also associated with the zodiac sign for Virgo.
 

The History of Carnelian

Carnelian's history can be traced back thousands of years. Its origins go back to ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) and Egypt.

In ancient Egypt, carnelian was readily available and easily mined. It was widely used for jewellery, amulets and seals. Extensive evidence suggests it was associated with the Sun God Ra.  

In the Book of the Dead in spell 108, carnelian is associated with the rising sun. The Book of the Dead is a series of ancient Egyptian funerary texts intended to guide and assist the deceased in the afterlife. It included spells, prayers, hymns and instructions written on papyrus scrolls placed in the tombs of the deceased.

Carnelian was abundant in ancient Egyptian tombs because it was believed to assist the deceased's soul on its journey to the afterlife and offer protection.

In the book of Exodus in the Old Testament, red carnelian is believed (in one interpretation) to have been the first stone in the first row of the high priest breastplate. This religious garment was worn by Aaron, the first Jewish High Priest.

Carnelian is also revered in the Islamic faith. The prophet Muhammad is said to have worn a ring featuring a carnelian gemstone facing inwards towards his palm. It's referred to as an 'Abyssinian stone' (Abyssinia being modern-day Ethiopia), which has led to considerable confusion over its exact identification.

Article Pictures

The carnelian in the photo at the top of our article is courtesy of Steve Blyskal. This image is clickable.

The tumbled stones and rough carnelian are from our collection.

Pop-up images: Sard, housed in the Natural History Museum, London. Photo by Stone Mania. Hematite - Courtesy of Stan Celestian.