Judging quality
Hold to the light: fine carnelian glows evenly with a soft internal fire. Much commercial material is dyed and heated agate, betrayed by uneven color along banding.
Chalcedony
Carnelian
Translucent orange to deep red chalcedony colored by iron oxide. Warm, glowing and tough, it has been one of the world's favourite carving stones for millennia.
Care
Very durable; soap and water is fine. Deep color is stable.
History & lore
Carnelian signet rings were the standard seal stone of the Roman world because hot wax does not stick to it.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Carnelian
- What is Carnelian?
- Translucent orange to deep red chalcedony colored by iron oxide. Warm, glowing and tough, it has been one of the world's favourite carving stones for millennia.
- How hard is Carnelian and what is it made of?
- Carnelian is a Chalcedony-family mineral with the composition SiO2. It crystallizes in the trigonal system and rates 6.5-7 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in orange, red, amber.
- Where does Carnelian come from?
- Notable localities for Carnelian include India, Brazil, Uruguay, Madagascar.
- How do you tell good Carnelian from filler?
- Hold to the light: fine carnelian glows evenly with a soft internal fire. Much commercial material is dyed and heated agate, betrayed by uneven color along banding.
- How do you care for Carnelian?
- Very durable; soap and water is fine. Deep color is stable.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.