When uncut and natural, the Carnelian has a raw beauty that has long attracted our attention. It is easily shaped and cut to look both gorgeous and delicate. With a history dating back millennia, the stone has come to have many meanings and uses across different civilizations.

With a distinctive reddish-orange hue that catches the eye, this stone has long been used in jewelry, décor, and architecture because of its beauty. However, it has also been ascribed health benefits and various promises for the future. For example, the Romans saw it as a symbol of courage and strength, while the Egyptians viewed it as a way of helping their dead as they traversed the afterlife. People who practiced magic and alchemy believed that Carnelian could become more powerful with the right engravings.

Today, both the Carnelian crystal and carnelian gemstone remain a beautiful addition to jewelry that has a rich meaning behind it.

Carnelian is considered a semi-precious gemstone. There actually isn’t a hard definition for precious and semi-precious stones, but in general, semi-precious stones are more common than precious ones. Ironically, that doesn’t always mean they are worth less. For example, pearls are largely considered semi-precious stones, but they can be worth much more than any lower-quality precious stone. Considering the long history of Carnelian, people often seek it for the many potential meanings behind it, not for it being a more costly stone.

The stone is classified as a Chalcedony, which was an important class of stone dating back as far as 7000 BCE. It has importance in numerous religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, indicating just how accessible this type of stone has been throughout human history. Along with Carnelian, other stones in this classification are Agate, Bloodstone, and Onyx.

With such a wide variety of colors, one of the ways to identify stones in this family is to look for mottling, spotting, and banding. While not all Chalcedony stones have these features, most do, including the Carnelian stone.

Carnelian and Lapis Lazuli were often paired together because they were seen as representing the body and the spirit. The red color of the Carnelian represented the body, and the blue of Lapis Lazuli was seen as representing the human spirit. These two stones became increasingly important over time, and they gained a close association with different societal classes. Carnelian gems came to be favored by royalty and people in power as they represented the physical aspect of humans. Priests and different clergy favored Lapis Lazuli because they represented the spiritual aspect of life.

The Carnelian gem’s close association with the body also made it popular among healers. Since healers viewed it as representing blood and vitality, it was recommended as a way of invigorating patients and people who were ill. People who suffered from blood disorders and skin problems were told to wear red Carnelian jewelry or carry a red Carnelian gem to help heal the problem.

Although people moved away from believing that stones and jewelry could stop disease or heal serious health problems, Carnelian crystals are said to have many healing properties. The primary difference is that its healing properties are based around energy and mindset, instead of being a type of medication for blood diseases. In some ways, some of the beliefs are still largely relevant, just the nature of the healing has shifted.

There are many ways to use the stone to get the desired results, but keep in mind that it is not meant to be a tool for curing disease. Its uses are centered more around mind and energy.

• While they are not a cure to any ailment, Carnelian gems are still said to stimulate the healing process. This includes helping improve metabolism and a person’s circulation. It is often used as a way to either improve or enhance a person’s physical health.

• Perhaps its best use is as a mental health enhancement tool. From helping improve a person's ability to focus and problem solving to stimulating critical thinking and more logical rationale, Carnelian stones are seen as providing mental reinforcement.

• Emotionally, the stone is still considered a tool for boosting confidence and self-esteem. By enhancing a person’s energy levels, it can help them be more outgoing, even if they are more inclined toward being introverts. For people who are going through an emotionally rough time, such as being overlooked for a promotion or being rejected romantically, Carnelian can help to restore lost confidence and rebuild their self-esteem.

Many of the Carnelian properties associated with healing do have their roots in the gemstone’s history. By thinking of it as an improvement to the mind and body, it is easy to remember how it can help you recover and improve different areas of your health and well-being.

Lapis Lazuli may have been the gem associated with the spiritual world, Carnelian gemstones do have spiritual significance. With the connection to blood, Carnelian has a close association to the life cycle. The use of Carnelian can help people to reduce the fear of mortality and to accept death as a part of life. The Carnelian gemstone was associated with the Ancient Egyptian goddess Isis. As the Goddess of Life, Isis had a vital role in the lives of humans.

With the Carnelian gem’s long association with blood and confidence, it is thought to help unlock the warrior spirit within a person. When used in cameos, it has been thought to help ward off insanity and other mental health issues, in part because it helps to keep energy flowing through three critical chakras.

Given its close association with blood, it makes sense that Carnelian crystals are associated with the sacral chakra. However it does have some attributes that work within the solar plexus and root chakras. By focusing on developing a better connection between them, a person can open up the flow of energy through their body. Similar to how it can reduce or eliminate creative blocks, when applied to these three chakras, it can help remove energy blocks within the body.

• The sacral chakra is what helps a person with their creativity and helps them better understand their sense. This is how it can help boost passion in your life, both physically and creatively.

• The solar plexus chakra is what helps boost a person’s confidence and resilience.

• The root chakra is as the name suggests – it is what grounds a person and provides stability.

With Carnelian crystals helping to enhance areas that can distract a person, it is important to open the channels between the root chakra and the other two. This will keep a person from getting too carried away with ideas so that they can use their enhanced energy levels to achieve their long-term goals. It is also thought that keeping the energy properly flowing through the body helps to combat insomnia.

This is a gemstone that is associated with several Zodiac signs, largely because there are several signs that are known for being passionate and creative. Given the Carnelian health properties, it can greatly benefit the different aspects of some of the most outspoken Zodiac signs.

• Leos are known for their courage and being more domineering. The red gemstone can help to keep that courage, while keeping emotions such as anger and passion in check so that the Leo can focus on following their determined path.

• Virgos are known for being passionate and loving, so the Carnelian can benefit them through safeguarding them from some of the impulses that could lead them astray. It can also help enhance their creative juices so that they can design and create the kinds of art associated with the sign.

• People born under the sign of Taurus are known for being a lot of fun because they have a tendency to over-indulge. This particular red stone can help to keep a Taurus more grounded so that those pleasure-seeking tendencies do not become a driver.

All of these signs are considered part of summer and fall, which is a large reason for their personalities. While not as critical to Cancer (the sign that covers much of summer), the Carnelian stone can help to break some of their daydreaming tendencies.

While no longer the official gemstone of August, it has long been associated with the hot summer month. It is a popular stone used in making birthstone jewelry for August, even though Peridot is the official gemstone. It is also frequently used for September birthstone jewelry.

Carnelian jewelry remains among the most popular ways of carrying the gemstone for its health benefits. However, there are numerous ways to use the stone to improve various aspects of a person’s life.

Carnelian crystals are considered a highly versatile stone in terms of what it can do to help people.

• As with ancient humans, this particular gem is still seen as an invigorator, meaning it is an energizing crystal. This can apply to helping you feel more invigorated to more inspired so that you can achieve your goals.

• Similarly, Carnelian stones are still seen as being empowering. Hit is said to help instill or build confidence.

• Carnelian is considered to inspire desire, similar to aphrodisiacs.

• It can also stimulate creative juices so that people If someone finds that they are experiencing a creative block, this gemstone can help them get through the block.

• Carnelian today remains a stone closely tied to courage. It is said to help provide protection through helping people to get over their fear.

Selecting the right piece of jewelry can help to inspire the right emotions or to improve energy flows.

• Jewelry worn on the arms and hands, such as Carnelian bracelets and Carnelian rings, can help to keep energy flows going. For creative projects, these pieces can be inspirational, especially for projects where dexterity and the use of a person’s hands are critical for the final product. For example, most visual arts are as much muscle memory and keeping the hands moving in a way that flows with the thoughts.

• Jewelry that is closer to the brain, such as a Carnelian necklace or earrings, can enhance mental and emotional health, with improving critical thinking and confidence. It can also work to facilitate creative thinking and problem solving.

The gemstone does not need to be worn to be effective. If you do not like wearing stones or jewelry, you can still incorporate the stone into other areas of your life.

• You can keep large pieces of the gemstone on your desk or other type of workspace. This provides the same benefits as you work.

• Hold a piece of Carnelian crystal while meditating or exercising.

• Use it to help decorate rooms of your house, such as having it on picture frames, bookends, clocks, or knick-knacks.

• With the protective nature of the gemstone, you can also add it as a protective ward to your home, such as using it on outdoor décor. This can act to help generate more positivity while blocking negativity.

It is important to properly care for any gemstone. As you are more likely to use Carnelian, whether for jewelry or exercise, it is important to keep the stones clear and clean. Fortunately, this is an easy task as long as you keep up with it.

• Regularly wash the stone with soapy water and either a soft cloth or brush. Once you have completely cleaned it, rinse the soap off of it. Never use harsh chemicals. Even if there is dust on it, soapy water and a gentle implement will remove the dust.

• To charge the gem, make sure that it is exposed to sunlight or expose it to other energy enhancing gemstones, such as Clear Quartz. You can also bury it in soil, but it will then need to be cleaned.

Carnelian is a versatile gemstone that has long offered people numerous benefits. While some of the thinking around the stone has changed overtime, much of the benefits remain the same today as they were millennia ago.