Throughout history, mankind has valued gemstones and minerals for practical, mythical, and aesthetic reasons. The practical uses of minerals probably dominated in the past, just as they do today.  Archeological evidence from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania suggests that man's tool-making ability may date back more than 2 million years, starting with primitively chipped pebble tools.  Chalcedony arrow and spear heads (dating back as much as forty thousand years) have been found at later sites all over North America, as well as in France, Egypt, and other north African countries. These tools allowed our ancient ancestors to hunt and kill much larger mammals, such as the mastodon.  Today, minerals rich in silica and rare earth elements are mined to make silicon chips and superconducting materials that enable man to explore space and surf web sites half-way around the world.  Mankind may be more sophisticated in the use of minerals, but the desire to improve life through minerals and earth materials remains the same.

Minerals and rocks have been used  to produce artwork from early times. The pigments used to draw animals in the caves of Lacroux in southern France were made of powdered iron and manganese oxide minerals and mineraloids.  Ancient stone and mineral carvings dating to more than 20,000 years before present were fashioned by primitive men  the world over.  The minerals that were ground for paints through the Middle Ages continued to be used until the introduction of acrylic paints in the latter half of the 1900's.

The use of minerals as gemstones also dates back to ancient times.  The ancient Egyptians mined emeralds (beryl) more than 3000 years ago.  Other minerals found in their jewelry and the walls of their tombs and pyramids include native copper, gold and silver, several varieties of quartz and chalcedony, turquoise, gem quality olivine (peridot), feldspar, jade, fluorite, and malachite.  Many of these same minerals have been found in the ruins of Sumerian and Babylonian cities and tombs. 

Diamonds were mined from alluvial sands in India and traded to the Romans, who also valued precious opals above all other gemstones.  Diamonds are still mined for use in jewelry, and for a variety of industrial uses.  The first recorded diamond engagement ring was given by the Hapsburg Emperor Maximillian I to Mary of Burgundy in 1477.  Louis IX of France (1214-1270) had previously issued an edict limiting the wearing of diamonds to kings, and forbidding all women (including queens and princesses) to wear them! 

The quality of the Columbian beryl that became available in the 1500's far exceeded the beryl available to the ancient Egyptians, and a large emerald, ruby or sapphire with precisely the right color and few flaws is worth far more than a comparably-sized diamond.  Jade has been treasured and finely worked in South America and China long before Columbus landed in the West Indies.

Another longstanding use for minerals has been as coloring agents in cosmetics; for example, the ancient Egyptians used powdered malachite or lazurite as eye paint (similar to today's eye shadow).  The sparkle in some Cover Girl™ eye shadows is light reflected from tiny flakes of the mineral muscovite, and until recently blusher contained ground hematite, the same mineral that was used to impart a reddish tint to skin tones in past millennia.  Talcum powder and most face powders are still primarily composed of ground talc.

The tombs, temples, and palaces of the Egyptians and other ancient cultures were carved into cliff or mountain faces (most often limestone), or constructed from large dressed stones.  The military might of the Romans was enhanced by their well constructed roads, which were composed of bricks and rocks over a substratum of smaller pieces of broken rock, and their aqueducts.  The beauty of Stonehenge, the Egyptian and South American pyramids, the Parthenon, Cambodian temples, Hagia Sophia, the Taj Mahal, and the Great Cathedrals of Europe have captivated people from all cultures and backgrounds.

The mythical importance of minerals has waned since ancient times.  Although some "New Agers" attribute healing and energy channeling powers to gemstones, minerals, and even faceted glass, most people do not attribute any more power or energy to a well-formed quartz crystal than to the rounded quartz pebbles contained in concrete or on a beach.  However, this was not the case in earlier times.  Numerous treatises were written between the eleventh and seventeenth centuries on the mystical and supernatural powers of minerals.  These include five volumes of the Natural History of Albertus Magnus's dedicated to the "valuable" stones and minerals that imparted supernatural powers to their owners.  The only factual analysis of minerals written during this period was  De Re Metallica, written by Georgius Agricola, a physician working in a German mining district .

The minerals with the most interesting pasts are those that were easily identifiable from ancient times, including emerald, topaz, ruby and sapphire corundum, and opal.  Although diamond was probably known in India from 800 B.C., only the most wealthy Romans could afford the few poor quality brownish diamonds exported from India starting around 100 B.C..  These diamonds were valued for their extreme hardness, and were not cut or faceted.  The Roman philosopher Theophrastus believed that dark colored diamonds were male and light colored diamonds were female.  Indeed most mineral were believed to have gender at one time.  For instance, arsenic, the native element composed of the toxic element arsenic (As), is derived from the Greek word for male. 

Emerald (green gemstone-quality beryl) has the longest history of the precious gemstones.  The Romans associated emerald with sexual passion and reproduction, and dedicated emeralds to Venus.  In thirteenth century Europe, emeralds were considered to deplete or destroy sexual passion. Marbode, an 11 century writer, suggested that emerald improved memory and eliminated depression.  Abselmus de Boot, an early 17 century philosopher, recommended the wearing of emerald to prevent epilepsy, bleeding, and panic.  

Topaz was thought to be able to prevent sudden death, cure madness, and improve vision.  Rubies were thought to lend invulnerability when inserted into the owner's flesh.  Sapphire protects kings from harm and envy, prevents terror and poverty in all men, makes stupid men wise and irritable men good-tempered.

Few gemstones have had as diverse a reputation as opal. The Romans considered opal to be the gemstone of love and hope.  According to Marbode, opal made its wearer invisible.  The Australian aborigines believed that opal was a devil waiting to lure men to their destruction through magic.  Shakespeare called opal "the queen of gems" in Twelfth Night.  According to Dr. George Harlow, opal got a reputation for being unlucky after Sir Walter Scott wrote about an evil character dying after a drop of holy water came into contact with her enchanted opal.

The beautifully illustrated book, Gems and Crystals, by Anna Sofianides and Dr. George Harlow of the American Museum of Natural History, is an excellent resource for those interested in the beauty, mythology and geology of gemstones.

Birthstones

The Romans and other ancient cultures believed that certain minerals had the power to protect when worn as talismans.  Each mineral was considered to have maximum power during one of the twelve months of the year.  Individuals who could not afford twelve minerals, one for each month of the year, economized by purchasing only the mineral that provided protection for the month of their birth.  This is the origin of the birthstone.  

The gemstones now associated with each month have only slight relationship to the ancient beliefs.  When it came to the ability to heal, protect or bring good luck, the actual gemstone and similar minerals were regarded as being equally effective even if they could be distinguished.  Since ancient peoples identified minerals primarily by color, little distinction was made between similar looking pairs of minerals, such as emerald and chrysoprase (green), ruby and garnet (red), or citrine and topaz (yellow), and gemstone names typically were applied to several different minerals of similar color.  The sapphire of the Bible is much more likely to have been lapis lazuli than blue corundum, and adamas (diamond) was probably white sapphire or white topaz.  The gemstones in the contemporary birthstone table shown below are approximations of the twelve gemstones that decorated the breastplate of Aaron, brother of Moses and high priest of Israel.  Each of the twelve gemstones was engraved with the name of one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

January	Garnet or Rose Quartz
February	Amethyst (purple Quartz) or Onyx (banded black and white Chalcedony)
March	Aquamarine (Beryl) or Bloodstone (red Chalcedony due to included Hematite)
April	Diamond or Rock Crystal (colorless, transparent Quartz)
May	Emerald (green Beryl) or Chrysoprase (translucent apple-green Chalcedony due to inclusion of Serpentine Group Minerals)
June	Alexandrite (Chrysoberyl), Moonstone (iridescent Alkali Feldspar), or Pearl
July	Ruby or Carnelian (translucent red brown to brick red Chalcedony due to included Hematite)
August	Peridot (Olivine) or Sardonyx (banded brown to ochre and white Chalcedony)
September	Sapphire (blue Corundum) or Lazurite (lapis lazuli)
October	Opal or Tourmaline
November	Topaz or Citrine (yellow Quartz)
December	Zircon or Turquoise

  Amber

Organics

Minerals by definition are inorganic, and crystals are formed by inorganic chemical reactions. However there are organic materials which are like minerals and which can be encountered in similar circumstances, particularly where organic material has become fossilized.

Moh’s Scale Hardness 2.5 Secific Gravity 1.08

Amber is a fossil resin thought to have come from pine trees. The Greek name for amber was electron, because rubbing it produces a negative charge which attracts small particles. Amber is transparent to translucent and has a greasy luster. Its color is typically yellow or brown but it may have a red or white tinge. Amber is often cloudy, due to air spaces. Heating cloudy material in oil fills the air spaces and clears the amber. Insects, for example flies, pieces of moss, lichens, and pine needles can be found trapped in amber, which was once a soft sticky resin. Pyrite crystals and calcite have also been seen as inclusions in amber. The main localities for amber are along the Samland Coast near Klaliningrad, Russia. Pit amber is obtained by open-pit mining. The amber is separated from the soft sandy deposits using strong jets of water. Sea Amber, which has been washed out from the seabed, floats on water and is carried by the tides and currents to the shorelines of the Baltic, Norway, Denmark, and England. The variety from the Baltic is called Succinite. The Burmese variety (burmite), found in clayey soil, is much redder than the Baltic variety, and is harder and denser. Sicilian Amber is called simetite for the name of the river along which it is found. Amber is also found in the Dominican Republic, Romania, The Czech Republic, Germany, Canada, and the Usa.

Once upon a time, between 140 and 65 million years ago, somewhere on the coast of what we now known as the Baltic Sea, a small drop of tree resin rolled down the trunk of a gigantic, prehistoric tree. The immense rainfall washed it down to the river. With its waters, the resin tear traveled to the shore and settled at the bottom of an ancient lagoon.
 

As time progressed, the resin fossilized. Although hardened, in fact, its structure survived until present times in almost unchanged form as a warm golden gem known as amber. Although translucent deep yellow form is most common, amber can be found in many colors, from almost black, green, to rare opaque white and ivory.

                                          

 

 

Occasionally seeds, leaves, feathers, insects, and fish scales embedded in the resin for millions of years are visible. Amber jewelry has been crafted for at least 13,000 years. Around 1600 BC amber became treasured in Greece.

 

 Homer in the Odyssey wrote about amber as of the most precious material. Greeks called amber “electron” meaning derived from the Sun and believed that amber was made from tears of a nymph.  Greeks first observed and recorded the electrostatic properties of amber, centuries later, the Greek name of amber-electron became a root word for electricity. In antiquity, amber spread over the Mediterranean. Baltic amber artifacts were found in the tomb of King Tutankhamon, in Mesopotamia, and in Rome.

Amber very slowly oxidizes when exposed to air, it is preserved only under special conditions. Most of amber deposits deteriorated throughout history and only about twenty sites in the world hold amber sufficient for mining. Because of its price and rarity only the richest Romans could enjoy amber jewelry and other amber objects. A miniature amber sculpture of a man was more expensive than a real person-a slave.  Although amber looks like a stone, when held, it gives a deep sensation of warmth.   Heated, amber emits a soothing resin scent.  These sensations made people believe in amber’s therapeutic qualities.  Amber was used to massage aching muscles, when powdered and mixed with honey it was believed to cure asthma.  Some still believe that an amber bracelet will ease rheumatic pain.  Many believe that the aura of amber purifies the endocrine and digestive systems of the wearer while its magnetic properties (rubbed against wool, amber attracts paper), are beneficial against fatigue and depression.  Worn as a necklace or pendant, amber warms the heath of the owner helping to fight colds and flues.

In the book “Love is in the Earth” By Melody, she states amber is the astrological signs of Leo & Aquarius.

Amber allows the body to heal itself by absorbing and transmuting negative energy into positive energy.  It emits a sunny and bright soothing energy which helps to calm nerves and to enliven the disposition.  The different colors of amber may be used on the appropriate chakras to facilitate opening and cleansing.   It is a stone dedicated to the connection of the conscious self to universal perfection.  It helps one in the art of manifestation to bring that which is desired to the state of reality.  It stimulates the intellect and opens the crown chakra.  It also transmutes the energy of physical vitality toward the activation of unconditional love.

 Amber provides an energy to kindle the realization and subsequent response of choice, helping one to choose and to be chosen.  It has been used as a symbol for renewal of marriage vows and to assure promises.  It has been said to bring good luck to warriors.  It is a sacred stone to both the Native American and Eastern Indians.  It has also been used in the fire ceremonies of ancient tribal healers.  It was burned, beginning in the medieval days, as a fumigant and as an incense to clear the environment of negativity.  It is said to have been one of the stones used in the breastplate of the high priest.    It aligns the ethereal energies to the physical, mental, and emotional bodies, providing for an even flow of perfect order to the requirements of the Earth plane while balancing the electro-magnetics of the physical body.   It cleanses the environment in which it rests and is an excellent mineral for use in purifying birthing and re-birthing rooms.   It also acts to purify ones body, mind, and spirit when worn, carried, or used as an elixir.  It has been used in the treatment of goiter and other diseases of the throat.    It has also been successful in the treatment of disorders of  the of the kidneys and bladder.  In ancient times it was used as a penicillin-type remedy, ground and ingested or soaked (as in an elixir) and subsequently drunk.  Vibrates to the number 3.

Care of Amber

Amber is an organic substance and it needs more careful treatment and attention than many other gems. Nevertheless, it has retained its beauty for millions of years and the polished luster can be retained indefinitely, if few precautions are observed.

Please do not put your amber jewelry before applying hairspray or perfume.

Avoid putting amber in contact with strong solutions, strong soaps, detergents, and commercial jewelry cleaning solutions. These chemicals can dull the finish and/ or give an ashy coating. Some common kitchen substances, such as lard, salad oil, butter, or excessive heat of oven and burners can harm amber. Avoid exposure to abrupt temperature changes. Do not place amber objects near heating ducts or in direct sunshine for prolonged periods. Amber jewelry should not be stored where it can rub against metal or other jewelry, and storage in a soft cloth is best. Never put amber jewelry in an ultrasonic or steam cleaner.

To clean, use tepid water and a soft cloth. To restore the polish, please rub with a soft cloth and olive oil and wipe clean. In the event of surface damage, hand rubbing on a pant weight material will eventually restore luster.