Capricorn 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.

Tiger's eye is quartz with a silky, moving band of light running across it. The effect, called chatoyancy, comes from parallel fibres of an older mineral that were gradually replaced by silica while keeping their fibrous alignment. Light reflecting off those fibres gathers into a bright stripe that slides as the stone is turned, exactly like the slit pupil of a cat. The classic colour is golden brown with darker bands, though heat and natural oxidation also produce red tiger's eye, and the blue-grey form is known as hawk's eye.

The great source is the Northern Cape of South Africa, where the stone occurs in ancient banded ironstone. Western Australia, India, Brazil, Namibia and Myanmar supply material too. Because it cuts and polishes well and costs little, tiger's eye became a staple of men's jewellery in the twentieth century, particularly in cufflinks, signet rings and cabochon-set bracelets.

The stone must be cut as a domed cabochon with the fibres running the right way, otherwise the eye does not appear at all. A well-cut piece shows a single sharp line down the centre of the dome, and that craftsmanship is most of what separates a good specimen from an ordinary one.

Properties of tiger's eye

• It is traditionally worn as a stone of courage, taking its reputation from the animal it is named after.

• Folk belief holds that it protects the wearer from ill will, since the eye is said to watch back.

• According to old sources, Roman soldiers carried it into battle for boldness and safe return.

• It is said to sharpen practical judgement when money is involved.

• Traditional accounts link it with willpower and with resisting a tempting shortcut.

• In stone lore it is believed to help a person see through flattery to what is really being asked.

• It has a reputation for balancing extremes of mood, neither over-excited nor flat.

• Popular belief connects it with confidence in front of an audience.

• Older writers recommended it to those beginning a business or taking a calculated risk.

• It is thought to steady the nerves before a decision that cannot be undone.

• Folk tradition treats it as a charm for good luck in trade and negotiation.

• It is said to help a person keep their aim in view during a long project.

• Traditional belief holds that it eases self-doubt in someone with real ability.

• It was carried by travellers as protection on unfamiliar roads.

Tiger's eye symbolises courage, clear judgement and self-reliance. It suits people making decisions under pressure, anyone starting out in business, and those who want a striking stone that wears well every day. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 7

Composition: SiO₂

Specific gravity: 2.58 - 2.64

Chakras: Sacral, Solar plexus

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

Amber is not a mineral at all. It is fossilised tree resin, hardened over tens of millions of years, and that organic origin explains everything about it. It is warm to the touch rather than cool, extraordinarily light, and soft enough to scratch with a fingernail's edge on a bad day. Colours run from pale honey through orange and cognac to a rare deep red, and some pieces are cloudy with countless microscopic bubbles.

The famous Baltic deposits formed from the resin of conifer forests that grew where the Baltic Sea now lies, and storms still wash pieces onto the beaches of Poland, Lithuania and the Kaliningrad coast. Amber from Myanmar and the Dominican Republic is older or younger respectively, and both are prized for inclusions: insects, seeds, feathers and spiders trapped in the sticky resin and preserved in astonishing detail. The Amber Road carried Baltic material to the Mediterranean thousands of years ago, and the Greeks called the stone elektron because rubbing it attracts light objects, which is the origin of the word electricity.

Amber needs careful handling. It burns, it dissolves in solvents, perfume and hairspray dull it, prolonged sunlight darkens and crazes the surface, and hot water is best avoided entirely. A soft cloth and a drawer away from the radiator are all it asks.

Properties of amber

• It is traditionally described as a stone of warmth, in keeping with its resin origin and its colour.

• Folk belief across northern Europe held that a strand worn at the neck comforts a teething child.

• According to old sources, it was burned as incense to freshen a sickroom.

• It is said to lift low spirits during the short days of winter.

• Traditional accounts link it with vitality and with the return of appetite after a dull spell.

• In stone lore it is believed to draw discomfort away from the body when worn against the skin.

• It has a long reputation as a protective charm for travellers and for sailors on the Baltic.

• Popular belief connects it with the memory of ancestors, since it preserves the distant past inside itself.

• Older writers recommended it to those who feel the cold more than most.

• It is thought to encourage patience with slow, unglamorous progress.

• Folk tradition treats it as a stone of good humour that makes company easier.

• It was given to newborns in many cultures as a first protective gift.

• Traditional belief holds that it helps a person forgive an old grievance.

• It is said to bring a settled feeling to a home when kept in a shared room.

Amber symbolises warmth, memory and the patience of very long time. It appeals to people drawn to organic materials, to anyone who finds cold stones unfriendly, and to those who like an object with a story stretching back millions of years. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 2 - 2.5

Composition: C₁₀H₁₆O

Specific gravity: 1.05 - 1.09

Chakras: Sacral, Solar plexus

Care: Do not soak in water, as the stone is porous. Wipe with a soft dry cloth and keep out of direct sunlight.

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.