Capricorn Birthstones & Lucky Stones

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, according to Pliny, the stone was first found. Agate has been cut and carved for at least four thousand years. Craftsmen in Mesopotamia used it for seals and jewellery, Roman carvers made cameos from it, and the German town of Idar-Oberstein built an entire cutting industry around it. Because agate is tough as well as attractive, old pieces often survive in fine condition.

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. Pliny lists many named kinds, and a sixteenth-century book of secrets credited to Albertus Magnus singles out agates that are black with white veins or entirely white.

Properties of agate

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

• Old European lore linked agate with pleasant dreams and a peaceful night.

• In modern crystal lore, it encourages a clear-eyed view of facts and helps a person see a situation as it actually is.

• The Renaissance lapidary Camillo Leonardi said agates give their owners victory and strength.

• It is believed to bring a sense of warmth and ease at the end of a tiring day and to help accumulated strain loosen its grip.

• In modern crystal lore it is said to draw off surplus energy, which is why people reach for it 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.

• Modern crystal guides credit it with sharpening clarity of thought and the ability to reason through a problem step by step.

• The eleventh-century bishop Marbode wrote that agates make their wearers agreeable and persuasive.

• Leonardi added that agates turn away tempests and lightning, a power Pliny had already reported from the magicians of Persia.

• 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.

• Ancient Egyptians gathered banded agates from the shore and used them as talismans.

• In modern stone lore it is counted among the stones of cheerfulness and inner quiet.

Agate stands for worldly success: old lore says it guards its wearer from danger and gives a bold heart, and modern crystal lore adds that it turns away unwelcome energy. The sixteenth-century scholar Girolamo Cardano held that agates make their wearers temperate and cautious and are therefore useful for acquiring riches. 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. Undyed agate is light-stable; dyed agate can fade in strong sun and lose colour to solvents.

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: some amethyst can fade with prolonged exposure to strong light. Left on a sunny windowsill, a stone can slowly lose colour and turn paler, so it is best kept out of strong sun 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.

• Modern crystal lore holds that it quiets a restless mind at the end of the day, which is why it is often kept near the bed.

• Building on its old reputation for sobriety, crystal lore says it supports anyone trying to break a habit they have grown tired of.

• It is said to take the edge off the strain of a long, noisy day.

• Its Hebrew name suggests an old belief that it induces dreams and visions, and crystal lore adds the ability to recall them.

• Modern crystal lore treats it 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.

• Tibetan prayer beads are sometimes strung from amethyst, and crystal lore keeps it close for meditation and any practice that asks for stillness.

• Popular belief associates it with comfort in grief and with sitting quietly through a loss.

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

• Church tradition connects it with sobriety and humble piety, which is why it suited clerical rings.

• Camillo Leonardi wrote in 1502 that it keeps soldiers from harm and helps hunters take their quarry.

• Modern crystal lore holds that it clears heavy, stagnant atmospheres in a room.

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

• Crystal lore describes 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 soapy water and a soft brush. Some amethyst fades in prolonged strong light, so keep it out of direct sun; avoid heat, steam and sudden temperature changes.

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 everyday jewellery with sensible care, it takes a fine polish, and its darker varieties are hard and break into sharp grains, so 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 brings warmth to the spirits in cold, dark months.

• A thirteenth-century treatise credited to Ragiel says a lion engraved on a garnet guards its wearer from the perils of travel.

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

• Kunz records a belief that red stones such as garnet guarded the wearer from wounds, which fits its long link with courage.

• Medieval clergy valued garnet as a symbol of the blood and sacrifice of Christ.

• It has long been considered a symbol of love and passion.

• Popular belief connects it with commitment and fidelity.

• Crystal healers today call it a stone of restoration, a fit for anyone catching their breath after a demanding stretch.

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

• In Jewish tradition a gem that shone by night lit Noah's ark, and some accounts name it a carbuncle, a name once given to red garnets.

• Crystal healers today tie it to persistence and steady, hard-won prosperity.

• A birthstone verse quoted by Kunz promises constancy, true friendship and fidelity to those born in January who wear garnet.

• 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: 6.5 - 7.5

Composition: (Ca,Mg,Fe,Mn)3(Al,Fe,Cr)2(SiO4)3

Specific gravity: 3.4 - 4.3

Chakras: Root, Sacral

Care: Clean with warm, soapy water and a soft brush, then dry well. Avoid steam cleaners and hard knocks. Garnet is stable in light and most chemicals.

Tiger's eye is quartz with a silky, moving band of light running across it. The effect, called chatoyancy, comes from parallel fibres of crocidolite, a blue asbestos-type mineral, that grew together with the quartz in cracks of ancient rock. As iron in the fibres oxidised, the blue turned to gold, and light reflecting off those fibres gathers into a bright stripe that slides as the stone is turned, like the slit pupil of a cat. The classic colour is golden brown with darker bands, though gentle heating also produces red tiger's eye, and the unaltered 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 is a popular choice for beads, cabochons and carved ornaments.

The stone is usually cut as a domed cabochon or a bead with the fibres running the right way, because faceting does not show the effect well. A well-cut piece shows a bright band of light gliding across the dome, and that craftsmanship is most of what separates a good specimen from an ordinary one.

Properties of tiger's eye

• In modern crystal lore it is 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, and in some places it is believed to ward off the evil eye.

• In the East, stones with a moving line of light, such as the cat's-eye, were thought to bring good fortune, and tiger's eye shows the same effect.

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

• In modern crystal lore it is linked with willpower and with resisting a tempting shortcut.

• In stone lore it is believed to give a clear head and to help a person see 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.

• Modern crystal lore recommends 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.

• In modern crystal lore it is carried as a grounding stone for unfamiliar situations.

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: 6.5 - 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. Avoid strong heat, which can change the colour, and long strong sun, which can fade dyed pieces.

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 some 40 million years ago from the resin of conifer forests that grew in northern Europe, 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 Greek word for amber, elektron, gave us the word electricity, because rubbed amber attracts light objects.

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.

• In Greek myth, amber began as the tears of the Heliades, who wept for their brother Phaethon until they turned into poplar trees.

• Pliny noted that amber gives off a pine-like scent when rubbed or lit, and the resin has long been burned as incense.

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

• In modern crystal lore it is linked with vitality and with a renewed zest after a dull spell.

• Pliny cites Nicias, who held that amber was formed by the setting sun's rays and carried by the tides to the shore.

• Amber is thought to have been kept as a talisman since the Stone Age, and carved amber animals have been found in Norwegian burial mounds.

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

• In an old planetary list of stones, amber belongs to the Sun, in keeping with its warm golden glow.

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

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

• Homer's Odyssey describes a golden necklace set with amber beads that glowed like the sun.

• 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 - 1.10

Chakras: Sacral, Solar plexus

Care: Wipe gently with a soft cloth and mild, lukewarm soapy water, then dry it right away. It is very soft and burns at low temperatures, so keep it away from perfume, alcohol, cleaning products, ultrasonic cleaners, heat and long spells in strong light.

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 untreated and heat-treated rubies can survive generations of daily wear in rings.

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 many centuries. Sanskrit texts called it ratnaraj, the king of gems. Burmese warriors were said to embed one under the skin to become invulnerable. In early modern Europe it was believed to darken as a warning of approaching misfortune, and in India and China it adorned the armour and scabbards of noblemen as a stone of rank and 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.

• Early modern gem books reported that a true ruby grows dark to warn its wearer of coming misfortune.

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

• A fourteenth-century lapidary credited to Sir John Mandeville promised the owner of a fine ruby peace and concord with all men.

• 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.

• Modern stone lore ties it to devotion and to promises meant to last.

• Indian tradition held that a fine ruby let its owner live without fear among enemies and kept bad fortune away.

• 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.

• Crystal lore 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 one of the most durable 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 soapy water and a soft brush. Ruby is stable in light and heat, but glass-filled or dyed stones need only a damp cloth and no acids.