Aries 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.

Aquamarine is the blue to blue-green member of the beryl family, the same mineral group that produces emerald. Its colour runs from the palest wash of sky to a deep sea-blue, and good crystals are famously clean, with far fewer inclusions than emerald. The name comes straight from the Latin aqua marina, meaning sea water, which describes both the colour and the transparency.

The stone forms in long six-sided crystals inside granite pegmatites, and some of them are enormous. Brazil has produced the most celebrated material, including a crystal weighing over a hundred kilograms found in Minas Gerais in 1910. Pakistan, Nigeria, Madagascar and Russia also supply the market. Because the rough is often large and clean, cutters can shape generous emerald cuts and long rectangles that show the colour off at its best.

Sailors carried aquamarine long before it appeared in fashionable jewellery. Roman and later Mediterranean seafarers kept it as a charm for a safe crossing, and the stone was associated with Neptune. That link to water and to safe passage still shapes the way it is described in stone lore today, where it is treated as a calming, cooling companion rather than a stimulating one.

Properties of aquamarine

• Sailors traditionally carried it as a talisman for a safe voyage and a calm sea.

• It is believed to cool a heated temper and to make an angry moment easier to step back from.

• According to old sources, it helps a person say difficult things plainly and without harshness.

• Folk belief connects it with the throat and with anyone who has to speak in front of others.

• It is said to encourage patience, and was recommended to people who tire quickly of waiting.

• Traditional accounts describe it as a stone that clears mental fog and restores a sense of order.

• It has long been linked with fairness, and was carried by those settling disputes between neighbours.

• In stone lore it is thought to ease homesickness and the unease of being far from familiar places.

• Older writers associated it with a steady breathing rhythm and a relaxed chest.

• It is traditionally given to couples as a symbol of a long and even-tempered partnership.

• Popular belief holds that it softens the fear of open water and of travel in general.

• It was worn during study, on the belief that it helps a person hold a thread of thought.

• Folk tradition treats it as a stone of honesty that makes hiding one's feelings feel pointless.

• It is said to bring relief in stifling heat and in stuffy, crowded rooms.

Aquamarine symbolises calm courage, clear speech and safe passage. It suits people who work with words, who travel often, or who simply want a stone that settles the nerves without dulling the mind. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 7.5 - 8

Composition: Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈

Specific gravity: 2.68 - 2.74

Chakras: Throat, Heart

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

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.

Hematite is iron oxide, and it is the world's most important source of iron. In its polished form it is a dense, mirror-bright silver-grey stone with a metallic shine unlike anything else in a jewellery case. Its most surprising property is the streak: rub hematite across unglazed porcelain and it leaves a rust-red line. That red is where the name comes from, the Greek haima, meaning blood, and it is how the stone is identified in the field.

Hematite is remarkably heavy for its size, noticeably denser than quartz or jade, and that weight is part of its appeal in the hand. Ancient Egyptians carved it into amulets, Roman soldiers are said to have rubbed it on their bodies before battle, and ground hematite has served as a red pigment since prehistory, colouring cave paintings and burial ochre alike. Large deposits are worked in Brazil, Australia, Ukraine and around Lake Superior.

One point of care is essential. Hematite is iron, and iron rusts. Bracelets left in the shower or the sea develop dull orange spots that cannot be polished out, so the stone is wiped dry after wearing and kept out of water.

Properties of hematite

• It is traditionally treated as the grounding stone above all others, thanks to its weight and its iron content.

• Folk belief holds that it anchors a person who feels scattered or unable to settle.

• According to old sources, warriors carried it for courage before a confrontation.

• It is said to support the blood and to be linked with a healthy iron balance in the body.

• Traditional accounts describe it as a mirror stone that turns unwelcome attention back on its source.

• In stone lore it is believed to help a person stay composed under provocation.

• It has a reputation for sharpening concentration during long, detailed work.

• Popular belief connects it with physical stamina and with recovery after exertion.

• Older writers recommended it to those who find crowds and noise draining.

• It is thought to cool an overheated argument by weighting it back towards facts.

• Folk tradition treats it as a protective stone worn at the wrist or ankle.

• It is said to help a person keep a promise they have made to themselves.

• Traditional belief holds that it reduces the pull of worry about things not yet happened.

• It was carried by those doing dangerous or heavy work as a charm for a safe day.

Hematite symbolises grounding, resilience and self-possession. It suits people who live at high speed, anyone who wants a stone with real physical presence, and those drawn to jewellery with a cool metallic character. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 5.5 - 6.5

Composition: Fe₂O₃

Specific gravity: 5.12 - 5.28

Chakras: Root

Care: Do not soak in water. Wipe dry after wearing and keep away from heat.

Citrine is the yellow to golden-brown variety of quartz, coloured by traces of iron. The name comes from the French citron, the lemon, though the stone's range runs well past lemon into honey, amber and a warm madeira brown. Natural citrine is genuinely uncommon; most of what is sold under the name is amethyst or smoky quartz that has been heated, either in the earth or in a workshop, until the iron changes state and the purple turns to gold. Heated material tends towards a reddish orange, while natural citrine is usually a paler, cooler yellow.

Brazil is the principal source, with Bolivia producing the striking ametrine, a single crystal half amethyst and half citrine divided by a sharp line. Spanish and Scottish jewellers used citrine heavily in the nineteenth century, and Art Deco designers loved it for large, boldly cut cocktail rings, where its clarity and warm colour carried a big stone without looking heavy.

Citrine is hard and durable, easy to wear daily, but like all coloured quartz it loses tone in strong sunlight. Kept out of a bright window it holds its colour indefinitely.

Properties of citrine

• It is traditionally called the merchant's stone and was kept in the cash drawer for steady trade.

• Folk belief holds that it encourages a generous rather than an anxious attitude to money.

• According to old sources, it lifts the spirits on a grey day the way its colour suggests.

• It is said to support the digestion and a comfortable, regular appetite.

• Traditional accounts link it with the solar plexus and with a warm sense of personal confidence.

• In stone lore it is believed to be one of the few stones that never needs clearing.

• It has a reputation for supporting creative work that has stalled.

• Popular belief connects it with fresh starts in business and in study.

• Older writers recommended it to people who undervalue what they do.

• It is thought to help someone ask for what they are worth without apology.

• Folk tradition treats it as a stone of good humour that makes a difficult day bearable.

• It was carried by speakers and performers as a charm for warmth in front of a crowd.

• Traditional belief holds that it dispels the flatness that follows a long grey season.

• It is said to encourage practical optimism, the kind that leads to action.

Citrine symbolises abundance, warmth and cheerful self-belief. It appeals to people in business, to anyone who wants a bright stone in a dark month, and to those who prefer a gem that is hard-wearing as well as sunny. 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: Sacral, Solar plexus

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

Ruby is red corundum, the same mineral as sapphire, distinguished only by the chromium that produces its colour. That single element does two things: it makes the stone red, and it makes it fluoresce, so a fine ruby seems to glow from within under sunlight. Corundum is the hardest gemstone after diamond, which is why rubies survive generations of daily wear in rings with barely a mark.

The most celebrated material comes from the Mogok valley in Myanmar, where the finest colour is described in the trade as pigeon's blood, a pure red with the faintest hint of blue. Mozambique has become a major modern source, alongside Thailand, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and Tanzania. Almost all rubies contain inclusions, and needles of rutile arranged in three directions can produce a six-rayed star when the stone is cut as a dome.

Ruby has carried extraordinary prestige for as long as records exist. Sanskrit texts called it ratnaraj, the king of gems. Burmese warriors were said to embed one under the skin before battle. In medieval Europe it was believed to darken as a warning of approaching danger, and it was worn by kings, bishops and generals alike as the stone of power.

Properties of ruby

• It is traditionally called the king of stones and was worn as a mark of rank and resolve.

• Folk belief holds that it stirs courage in a person facing something they would rather avoid.

• According to old sources, it was thought to darken when danger was near.

• It is said to strengthen passion in a partnership that has grown quiet.

• Traditional accounts link it with the blood, the circulation and physical vigour.

• In stone lore it is believed to restore drive to someone who has lost their appetite for a project.

• It has a long reputation as a stone of leadership and confident decision-making.

• Popular belief connects it with loyalty and with promises meant to last.

• Older writers recommended it to those who work hardest in the face of opposition.

• It is thought to help a person hold their nerve when the outcome is uncertain.

• Folk tradition treats it as a charm for wealth and standing.

• It was worn as protection in battle across several cultures.

• Traditional belief holds that it makes joy easier to feel and easier to show.

• It is said to warm a temperament that has turned cool and self-protective.

Ruby symbolises passion, courage and authority. It suits people in demanding roles, anyone marking an occasion that deserves the most durable of coloured stones, and those drawn to a red with genuine fire behind it. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 9

Composition: Al₂O₃

Specific gravity: 3.97 - 4.05

Chakras: Root, Heart

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

Emerald is the green variety of beryl, coloured by chromium or vanadium, and it is one of the four stones traditionally counted as precious alongside diamond, ruby and sapphire. Its green is unlike any other: deep, slightly bluish and saturated, and a stone that is too pale is simply called green beryl rather than emerald. Almost every emerald contains inclusions, fissures and mineral crystals that jewellers call the jardin, the garden, and these are accepted as part of the stone's character rather than treated as faults.

Colombia has produced the finest emeralds for five centuries, from the mines of Muzo, Chivor and Coscuez. Before that, Egypt worked deposits near the Red Sea that are still known as Cleopatra's mines, and today Zambia, Brazil, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan all contribute. The stepped rectangular cut known as the emerald cut was designed specifically for this gem, because its many internal fractures make it vulnerable to the pressure of pointed corners.

Care is a real consideration. Nearly all emeralds on the market are treated with oil or resin to reduce the visibility of surface-reaching fissures, and heat, hot water, steam and ultrasonic cleaners will drive that filler out and leave the stone looking cloudy. Emerald is cleaned only with a barely damp soft cloth and kept away from heat.

Properties of emerald

• It is traditionally described as a stone of the heart, associated with love that has settled into loyalty.

• Folk belief holds that it reveals a lie told by someone the wearer trusted.

• According to old sources, looking into its green rested tired eyes after close work.

• It is said to encourage patience in a person who wants results too quickly.

• Traditional accounts link it with renewal, in the way spring green suggests it.

• In stone lore it is believed to strengthen memory and the recall of names and faces.

• It has a long reputation as a stone of eloquence, worn by those who must persuade.

• Popular belief connects it with faithfulness and with a marriage that lasts.

• Older writers recommended it to those recovering their balance after a period of excess.

• It is thought to support compassion that does not exhaust the person feeling it.

• Folk tradition treats it as a charm for safe travel, especially at sea.

• It was worn by rulers as a sign of a fair rather than a fearsome reign.

• Traditional belief holds that it makes forgiveness feel possible sooner than expected.

• It is said to bring a sense of growth back to a life that has felt static.

Emerald symbolises renewal, faithfulness and generous intelligence. It suits people marking something they intend to last, anyone drawn to the richest green in the mineral world, and those willing to give a beautiful but delicate stone the care it needs. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 7.5 - 8

Composition: Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈

Specific gravity: 2.67 - 2.78

Chakras: Heart

Care: Do not soak in water. Wipe dry after wearing and keep away from heat.