| Carnelian is a very attractive orange-brown gemstone | | | | items made of this stone should be buried along with |
| that is quite popular in the design and preparation of | | | | the corpse in order to protect the corpse in the |
| fashion jewelry. It is typically prepared with a cabochon | | | | afterlife. Carved carnelian necklaces were found with |
| cut (a smooth rounded cut) in order to bring out the | | | | several mummies in Egypt. This stone has also been |
| natural elegance and color patterns of the stone. In | | | | popular with European and Asian civilizations. As with |
| some cases, beads are subjected to a facet-cut in | | | | most gemstones, there is some belief that it provides |
| order to promote sparkle in the gemstone. Cabochons | | | | relief against some medical conditions including bleeding |
| in oval and pear shapes are quite common. The | | | | and back pain. |
| gemstones are cut, ground, polished and drilled if | | | | Carnelian is a chalcedony and is a form of quartz. The |
| necessary, and used to make a wide range of jewelry | | | | orange-brown color is due to iron impurities within the |
| including earrings, necklaces, and pendants. The stone | | | | quartz matrix. It is translucent or semi-opaque, and |
| is sometimes heat-treated in order to enhance its color. | | | | lacks a distinct crystalline texture. It has a specific |
| In some cases, the beads are also dyed in order to | | | | gravity of about 2.7 and a hardness of about 7. As a |
| modify the stone color. | | | | form of quartz, this gemstone is found almost |
| This stone has been mentioned in Arabic, Hebrew, and | | | | world-wide. Some of the largest finds have been |
| Roman folklore. These civilizations believed that it | | | | reported in Brazil, Uruguay, India and Japan. Smaller |
| protected the wearer in the after-life, and from evil | | | | finds have been reported on Texas, Colorado, and |
| spirits. Ancient Egyptians in particular believed that | | | | Florida. |