Aquarius Horoscope Gemstones

Agate is one of the most varied stones in the mineral world. It is a banded form of chalcedony, and it turns up in shades of red, grey, white, blue, brown and green, usually arranged in the concentric rings that give the stone its signature look. The bands can be opaque in one layer and almost see-through in the next, so a single polished slice often reads like a cross-section of a small landscape.

The name is traditionally traced to the Achates, a river in Sicily where the Greeks were said to have gathered the first pieces. Agate has been cut and carved for at least four thousand years. Craftsmen in Mesopotamia and Rome used it for seal rings and cameos, and the German town of Idar-Oberstein built an entire cutting industry around it. Because agate is tough as well as attractive, pieces were passed down through families rather than worn out.

In the tradition of healing stones, agate is treated as one of the steadier, quieter companions rather than a dramatic one. Different varieties, each with its own colour and pattern, were once matched to different purposes. Old handbooks advised wearing it against the skin, on the theory that the warmth and light of the natural world reached the body more easily through the stone.

Properties of agate

• It was believed to shield the wearer from harm and to help them find their footing in unfriendly circumstances.

• Folk tradition recommended it to people who slept badly, and linked it with a steady, regular metabolism.

• According to old sources, it encourages a clear-eyed view of facts and helps a person see a situation as it actually is.

• Lapidaries describe it as carrying a warm, assertive energy that was long associated with vitality and physical strength.

• It is believed to bring a sense of warmth to tense areas of the body and to help accumulated strain loosen its grip.

• In stone lore it is said to draw off surplus energy, which is why it was reached for during demanding periods.

• Popular belief holds that it makes company easier and helps a newcomer settle into unfamiliar surroundings.

• It has a long reputation as a courage stone, thought to support anyone working through a fear.

• Older writers claimed it sharpens clarity of thought and the ability to reason through a problem step by step.

• Folk medicine connected it with a well-toned body and with the smooth circulation of lymph.

• Traditional belief associates it with balanced blood pressure, particularly when the reading tends to run low.

• It has been carried for centuries as protection against the evil eye, since its bold banding catches the eye first and was thought to absorb ill will.

• Its warm, lively character is said to make the good side of an event easier to notice on a difficult day.

• Custom held that a child with an agate in a pocket stays calmer and quarrels less.

• It is traditionally counted among the stones of cheerfulness and inner quiet.

Agate stands for worldly success: tradition says it turns away unwelcome energy and restores courage that has worn thin. People in business customarily carried it below the waist, in a pocket for instance, and a ring set with agate was said to strengthen self-assurance in particular. It appeals most to those who want steadiness, calm and a sense of security in ordinary daily life. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 6.5 - 7

Composition: SiO₂

Specific gravity: 2.60 - 2.64

Chakras: Root, Sacral, Heart

Care: Clean with lukewarm water and a soft brush, then dry well. Sunlight does not harm it.

Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz, coloured by traces of iron combined with natural irradiation deep in the rock. The shade ranges from a faint lilac to the deep reddish purple that dealers call Siberian, and a single crystal often carries several tones in bands or patches. It grows in geodes, hollow pockets lined with pointed crystals, and a cracked-open amethyst geode is one of the most recognisable objects in any mineral shop.

The name comes from the Greek amethystos, meaning not intoxicated. Greeks and Romans believed a cup carved from the stone, or an amethyst worn while drinking, kept a person clear-headed through a long evening. In the Christian church it became the stone of bishops, set in rings as a sign of sober judgement, and it stayed among the most valuable gems in Europe until vast deposits were found in Brazil and Uruguay in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which brought the price within everyone's reach.

One practical detail matters for anyone who owns a piece: the purple is not permanent under strong light. Amethyst left on a sunny windowsill slowly loses colour and can turn pale grey or brownish, so it is kept in the shade when it is not being worn.

Properties of amethyst

• It is traditionally regarded as a stone of sobriety and self-command, in keeping with the meaning of its name.

• Folk belief holds that it quiets a restless mind at the end of the day and is placed near the bed for that reason.

• According to old sources, it supports anyone trying to break a habit they have grown tired of.

• It is said to take the edge off tension headaches brought on by a long, noisy day.

• Traditional accounts link it with vivid, memorable dreams and with the ability to recall them.

• It has long been treated as a stone of intuition, thought to sharpen a person's first instinct about others.

• In stone lore it is believed to cool anger and to slow down a reaction one might regret.

• Older writers recommended it for meditation and for any practice that asks for stillness.

• Popular belief associates it with grief, and it was given to those sitting with a loss.

• It is said to help a person keep their own counsel in an argument rather than be swept along.

• Folk tradition connects it with modest, unshowy dignity, which is why it suited clerical rings.

• It was carried by travellers as a guard against exhaustion on long journeys.

• Traditional belief holds that it clears heavy, stagnant atmospheres in a room.

• It is thought to encourage honest self-assessment without cruelty towards oneself.

• Old handbooks describe it as a stone that helps a decision settle overnight.

Amethyst stands for clarity, restraint and quiet inner authority. It appeals to people who think for a living, who are trying to steady a habit, or who want a stone that calms without making them sleepy. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 7

Composition: SiO₂

Specific gravity: 2.65

Chakras: Third eye, Crown

Care: Clean with lukewarm water and a soft brush. Keep out of prolonged direct sunlight, as the colour fades.

Smoky quartz is the brown to near-black variety of quartz. Its colour is not caused by an added element in the usual sense but by natural radiation acting on traces of aluminium in the crystal over geological time. The result ranges from a faint tea-coloured tint to a dense, almost opaque brown, and the very darkest material was once known as morion. Well-formed crystals are often large, glassy and sharply pointed, which makes them favourites among collectors.

Scotland has the deepest attachment to this stone. Smoky quartz from the Cairngorm mountains, called cairngorm, was set into the hilts of dirks and into the brooches that fastened plaid, and it is still the closest thing Scotland has to a national gem. Switzerland, Brazil, Madagascar and the Alps produce fine material too. Victorian mourning jewellery used it widely, since its sober colour suited the dress codes of the period.

In stone lore, smoky quartz has a reputation quite different from the bright, uplifting stones. It is described as the grounding member of the quartz family, a stone for coming back down rather than rising up, and this is the character that runs through everything written about it.

Properties of smoky quartz

• It is traditionally regarded as a grounding stone that brings a scattered person back to the present.

• Folk belief holds that it draws off gloom and leaves the mood a shade lighter.

• According to old sources, it steadies anyone who has been running on nerves for too long.

• It is said to help a person face an unpleasant task instead of circling around it.

• Traditional accounts link it with the base of the body and with a solid, planted stance.

• In stone lore it is believed to absorb tension from a room where there has been friction.

• It has a reputation for supporting practical thinking over anxious speculation.

• Popular belief connects it with letting go of resentment that has outlived its cause.

• Older writers recommended it to those who tire easily and find mornings hard.

• It is thought to make sleep less broken for people whose thoughts race at night.

• Folk tradition treats it as a shield against the drain of demanding company.

• Scottish custom set it into weapons and clasps as a stone of endurance and protection.

• It is said to steady the hand and the temper during physical work.

• Traditional belief holds that it helps a person finish what they have started.

Smoky quartz symbolises endurance, groundedness and the quiet strength to keep going. It suits people under sustained pressure, anyone who lives too much in their own head, and those who prefer sober, understated stones. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 7

Composition: SiO₂

Specific gravity: 2.65

Chakras: Root

Care: Clean with lukewarm water and a soft brush. Keep out of prolonged direct sunlight, as the colour fades.

Garnet is not one mineral but a whole family of related silicates that share a crystal structure while differing in composition. The deep red almandine and pyrope are the best known, but the group also includes the orange spessartine, the vivid green tsavorite and demantoid, and the honey-toned hessonite. The name comes from the Latin granatum, the pomegranate, because a cluster of small red crystals in their host rock looks strikingly like the seeds of that fruit.

Garnet has one of the longest continuous histories of any gem. Egyptian jewellery used it five thousand years ago, Roman signet rings were carved from it, and the Anglo-Saxon goldsmiths who made the Sutton Hoo treasures set thin slices of it over gold foil. Bohemia, in today's Czech Republic, gave its name to the small bright pyropes that filled nineteenth-century European jewellery boxes. India, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Madagascar and several African countries supply the modern market.

It is a practical stone as well as a handsome one. Garnet is hard enough for daily wear, it takes a fine polish, and its darker varieties are so tough that crushed garnet is used industrially as an abrasive and in waterjet cutting.

Properties of garnet

• It is traditionally described as a stone of vitality that answers a period of flatness with energy.

• Folk belief holds that it warms the body and the spirits in cold, dark months.

• According to old sources, it was carried by travellers as a light in the dark and a guard on the road.

• It is said to strengthen loyalty between partners and between old friends.

• Traditional accounts link it with courage and with the will to defend what matters.

• In stone lore it is believed to support the circulation and a healthy colour in the face.

• It has long been associated with passion and with the return of desire after a dull spell.

• Popular belief connects it with commitment, which is why it appeared so often in betrothal rings.

• Older writers recommended it to those recovering their strength after a demanding stretch.

• It is thought to help a person hold a boundary without losing their temper.

• Folk tradition treats it as a charm against the exhaustion of long, thankless work.

• It was worn by merchants as a stone of steady, hard-won prosperity.

• Traditional belief holds that it turns gratitude into a habit rather than a gesture.

• It is said to make a person more generous with praise and less sparing with warmth.

Garnet symbolises devotion, warmth and staying power. It appeals to people who give a great deal to others, to those who want a hard-wearing stone with real depth of colour, and to anyone drawn to a gem with five thousand years of history behind it. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 7 - 7.5

Composition: Fe₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃

Specific gravity: 3.4 - 4.3

Chakras: Root, Sacral

Care: Clean with lukewarm water and a soft brush, then dry well. Sunlight does not harm it.

Jasper is an opaque, fine-grained variety of chalcedony packed with enough iron oxides, clay and other inclusions to make it completely solid to the eye. What it loses in transparency it gains in pattern. Jasper comes in reds, ochres, greens, browns and creams, often swirled, spotted, striped or broken and healed again, and collectors have given the varieties names like picture jasper, ocean jasper, ribbon jasper and brecciated jasper. A cut slab can look uncannily like a landscape painting.

The name reaches English through Latin and Greek iaspis, from a Semitic root meaning spotted stone, and the word appears in ancient texts across the Near East. Jasper was a favourite material for seals and signet rings in Mesopotamia, Egypt and Rome, precisely because it is hard, opaque and takes a crisp carved line. It is found on every continent, with notable material from Oregon, Idaho, Madagascar, India and Australia.

In stone lore jasper is called the supreme nurturer, a phrase that captures its reputation for slow, unglamorous support rather than sudden change. It is a stone of endurance in the tradition, matched to its own physical toughness.

Properties of jasper

• It is traditionally regarded as a stone of endurance that helps a person last through a long effort.

• Folk belief holds that it steadies someone carrying responsibility for others.

• According to old sources, it was set into seal rings as a guarantee of a promise kept.

• It is said to support the digestion and a settled, unhurried appetite.

• Traditional accounts link it with the base of the body and with physical steadiness.

• In stone lore it is believed to absorb tension picked up from a difficult environment.

• It has a reputation for encouraging honesty and plain dealing in negotiations.

• Popular belief connects it with protection on the road, especially for those working outdoors.

• Older writers recommended it to people whose confidence dips before a public task.

• It is thought to help a person recover their footing after a shock.

• Folk tradition treats it as a stone of practical courage rather than dramatic bravery.

• It is said to make routine work feel less like a burden and more like a rhythm.

• Traditional belief holds that it strengthens the bond between a person and the place they live.

• It was carried by healers and carers as a charm against being worn down by others' needs.

Jasper symbolises endurance, groundedness and quiet reliability. It appeals to people who carry a lot for others, to anyone who likes a stone with a strong pattern and no fuss, and to those who prefer support that builds slowly. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 6.5 - 7

Composition: SiO₂

Specific gravity: 2.58 - 2.91

Chakras: Root, Sacral, Solar plexus

Care: Clean with lukewarm water and a soft brush, then dry well. Sunlight does not harm it.

Jade is not one mineral but two, and the distinction was only established in 1863. Jadeite is a pyroxene, rarer, harder and capable of the translucent emerald green known as imperial jade. Nephrite is an amphibole, more common, slightly softer, and typically a creamy white to spinach green. Both are made of densely interlocked fibres, and that felted structure makes jade extraordinarily tough: it resists breaking better than almost any other gem material, even though it is not the hardest.

China has revered nephrite for more than seven thousand years, carving it into ritual discs, burial suits and seals long before bronze was worked there. Jadeite reached China from Myanmar only in the eighteenth century and quickly became the more valuable of the two. On the other side of the world, Maori carvers in New Zealand shaped nephrite into hei-tiki pendants and adzes that passed down through families as taonga, treasures. The European name is a curiosity: Spanish colonists in Mesoamerica called it piedra de ijada, the stone of the flank, from a local belief about its use, and jade is a shortening of that.

Jade takes a soft, waxy polish rather than a glassy one, and it warms quickly in the hand. Both varieties wear well, though dyed and impregnated material is common in the trade and needs gentler treatment than natural stone.

Properties of jade

• It is traditionally the stone of good fortune above all others in Chinese custom.

• Folk belief holds that it protects the wearer and that a bangle breaking has taken a blow on their behalf.

• According to old sources, it encourages moderation and a balanced way of living.

• It is said to support a long life and a calm approach to ageing.

• Traditional accounts link it with the heart and with generosity that does not draw attention to itself.

• In stone lore it is believed to steady a household through a period of difficulty.

• It has a reputation for encouraging wisdom of the practical rather than theoretical kind.

• Popular belief connects it with harmony between family members.

• Older writers recommended it to those making a decision that will affect many people.

• It is thought to soothe irritability at the end of a long day.

• Folk tradition treats it as a stone passed between generations, gathering meaning as it goes.

• It was carved into pendants for children as a lifelong guardian.

• Traditional belief holds that it supports the kidneys, an idea preserved in its Spanish name.

• It is said to make prosperity feel like enough rather than never quite enough.

Jade symbolises good fortune, moderation and quiet continuity between generations. It appeals to people who value tradition, to anyone who wants an exceptionally tough stone for constant wear, and to those drawn to a soft green that never looks loud. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 6 - 7

Composition: NaAlSi₂O₆ / Ca₂(Mg,Fe)₅Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂

Specific gravity: 2.90 - 3.38

Chakras: Heart

Care: Clean with lukewarm water and a soft brush, then dry well. Sunlight does not harm it.