In the footsteps of Little Thumb... La Cornaline.

CORNALINA: HISTORY AND LEGEND

• The name of this gem still seems to be debated. For some, the name comes from the Latin "corneus", which means "horny": according to some, it refers to the nail and its pink color, for others, it would be a reference to the blood dogwood, cornus mas, to the wood “hard as horn”… the cause is probably the blood red color of its leaves and its wood, and above all, that of the fruit of the male dogwood (unlike the toxic fruit of the female dogwood, which is black) and for others, from the medieval Latin "corneolus", derived from the Latin "cornum", or "cherry dogwood".

• This name would have been given to it for its resemblance to the translucent fruit of the tree. For others, the name comes from the Latin "caro" or "carnis", Flesh, recalls its color. At the time of Pliny the Elder, it was called "Sard", which takes its name from the city of Sardis in Libya, or from the Persian word "sered" which means "yellowish-red". Carnelian is also known under the name of Mecca stone for its color. We sometimes find the term Sardonyx stone, even if in reality this stone is different, the distinction of the darker color is very subtle.

• Carnelian is a translucent orange to red variety of chalcedony. Red tints are caused by iron oxide impurities. It can vary from yellow-orange to orange, and from dark red to brownish red. Its color can be changed by working with its iron impurities by heating them.
• You must be careful when acquiring carnelian since it is one of the most falsified stones. Very often, it is agate whose color is modified by a bath of iron nitrate to resemble carnelian. Dyed agate often has multi-colored lines instead of the uniformity of carnelian. But sometimes it's very subtle to recognize.

• Carnelian has been known and used for millennia, and is mentioned in many legends. Among the Egyptians, it was supposed to accompany the dead on their journey to the afterlife. It is mentioned in Genesis: “the gold of this land is pure and there are bdellium and carnelian stone”. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, this 6,000-year-old story composed in Mesopotamia, the king of Uruk meditates near his inanimate younger brother Enkidu, making offerings to the Sun: honey in a carnelian cup, butter in a cup lapis lazuli…

• Muhammad, prophet of Allah in Islam, wore a carnelian ring. Closer to us, George Sand tells the story of a carnelian in one of his Grandmother's Tales: “The Red Hammer”. She describes it in a style as scientific as it is literary: “Detached from a carnelian rock, it was carnelian itself, not the color of these common oxblood flints which litter our paths, but of a flesh pink veined with amber parts, and transparent like a crystal. Splendid vitrification, produced by the action of Plutonian fires on the siliceous crust of the earth..."

• Carnelian has been an important gemstone in all civilizations around the world, at least in the places where it is found.
• On the Neolithic site of Mehrgarh in Pakistan (between the 4th and 5th millennium BC), we already find perforated carnelian which must have been used as jewelry.
• Carnelian was also found as early as the Minoan Bronze Age in the palace of Knossos in Crete.
• It was equally important to the Sumerians as evidenced by the tomb of the queen of Ur, Puabi, whose treasure featured jewelry with carnelian which dates to around 2600 BC

• Carnelian is a deeply religious stone since the Egyptian goddess Isis used it to protect the dead during their journey. This is how the Egyptians engraved parts of the Book of the Dead on carnelian amulets, supposed to facilitate their access to the afterlife. It was also worn by architects to indicate their social rank. The Egyptians called it "setting sun". It is because of its red color, a symbol of blood, that this stone is so present in Egyptian beliefs.

• The Romans widely used carnelian for making seals, as hot wax does not stick to this stone, and for jewelry. In particular, we find rings with carnelian engraved with a wild animal, which were supposed to give protection and luck.
• Greeks and Romans also regularly wore signet rings with a carnelian. Some were engraved with figures representing the god Sarapis or the goddess Isis, both linked to time and death.

• The Hebrews believed that carnelian protected against the plague.
• It is also the symbol of the apostle Philip and it was one of the stones of the coat of arms of Aaron described in the exodus. According to the Archbishop of Mainz (1st century) it represented the blood of martyrs.
• The seal of Mohammed was an engraved carnelian, set in a silver ring.
• In Arab tradition, carnelian was considered to have the power to stop bleeding.

• Medieval alchemists considered it a hot stone, meaning that it would have had the ability to activate the properties of other stones.
• Currently, Buddhists from China, India and Tibet believe in the protective powers of carnelian and take up the Egyptian tradition of mounting it with turquoise and Lapis lazuli to intensify its power.
• Deposits: Saudi Arabia, Australia, Brazil, India, Uruguay and United States.

Nb: Do not hesitate to share with us in the comments below your feelings and impressions regarding this stone and share with us your experiences around this mineral, in order to make this group a group of exchange and sharing :)

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