Libra 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.

Lapis lazuli is a rock rather than a single mineral, and that is the key to its appearance. The deep blue comes from lazurite; the white streaks and clouds are calcite; and the golden flecks scattered through the best material are crystals of pyrite, not gold, though they have been mistaken for it since antiquity. The name is half Latin and half Persian: lapis, a stone, and lazhuward, a place that gave its name to the colour azure.

Almost all the finest lapis has come from one place for six thousand years. The mines of Sar-e-Sang in the Badakhshan mountains of northeastern Afghanistan supplied the Sumerians, the Egyptians who inlaid it into Tutankhamun's funerary mask, and the medieval European painters who ground it into ultramarine, the most expensive pigment ever used. Renaissance contracts specified how much ultramarine a painter could use, because it cost more than gold and was reserved for the Virgin's robe.

Lapis is soft, porous and often stabilised or dyed, so it needs restraint in cleaning. Water works its way into the rock and can loosen the calcite or rust the pyrite, and strong light dulls the blue. A dry cloth and a shaded box are the whole routine.

Properties of lapis lazuli

• It is traditionally regarded as a stone of truth, worn by those who must speak honestly for a living.

• Folk belief holds that it helps a person say what they actually mean rather than what is expected.

• According to old sources, Egyptian officials wore it as a sign of sound judgement.

• It is said to support the throat and anyone who uses their voice all day.

• Traditional accounts link it with wisdom gathered from experience rather than books alone.

• In stone lore it is believed to calm the mind before difficult news must be delivered.

• It has a long reputation as a stone of royalty and of dignified authority.

• Popular belief connects it with self-knowledge and with facing an uncomfortable truth about oneself.

• Older writers recommended it to teachers, writers and anyone explaining complicated things simply.

• It is thought to relieve the tension of a long day spent among many people.

• Folk tradition treats it as a charm against being deceived in a bargain.

• It is said to encourage friendship built on candour rather than convenience.

• Traditional belief holds that it steadies the nerves before a performance.

• It was placed in tombs and shrines as a stone of the night sky and of what lies beyond it.

Lapis lazuli symbolises truth, dignity and hard-won wisdom. It appeals to people who speak or write for a living, to anyone drawn to a colour with six thousand years of prestige behind it, and to those who value depth over sparkle. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 5 - 6

Composition: (Na,Ca)₈(AlSiO₄)₆(SO₄,S,Cl)₂

Specific gravity: 2.50 - 3.00

Chakras: Throat, Third eye

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

Coral is an organic gem, built by living animals rather than formed in rock. Colonies of tiny polyps deposit a hard skeleton of calcium carbonate branch by branch, and it is that skeleton, once cleaned and polished, that becomes jewellery. Precious coral is a deep red to soft pink, and the pale variety known as angel skin is the most valued of all. Because it is a biological structure, coral is soft, light and shows a fine grain along the branch when it is examined closely.

Mediterranean red coral has been fished since prehistory, and the town of Torre del Greco near Naples has been the centre of the craft since the eighteenth century, employing whole generations of carvers. Coral cameos, beads and branch necklaces reached every corner of Europe from there. Japanese and Taiwanese waters supply the pink and white varieties. Coral populations are now under real pressure, and responsibly sourced or antique material has become the sensible choice.

Care matters more with coral than with almost any other gem. It is calcium carbonate, so acid attacks it directly: lemon juice, vinegar, perfume and even perspiration will etch the polish. It should never be soaked, and a soft dry cloth after wearing is the correct treatment.

Properties of coral

• It is traditionally given to children as a first protective charm, a custom recorded across the Mediterranean.

• Folk belief holds that a red coral branch turns away the evil eye.

• According to old sources, it was worn by mothers as a stone of nurture and family bonds.

• It is said to warm a cautious temperament and make affection easier to show.

• Traditional accounts link it with the blood and with a healthy, lively colour.

• In stone lore it is believed to protect travellers crossing water.

• It has a reputation for steadying emotions that swing too quickly.

• Popular belief connects it with fertility and with the wish for a growing household.

• Older writers recommended it to those recovering their strength slowly.

• It is thought to encourage a sense of belonging in someone new to a community.

• Folk tradition treats it as a stone of quiet endurance, since the colony builds over centuries.

• It was hung above a cradle in Italian custom to keep bad dreams away.

• Traditional belief holds that it softens grief without hurrying it.

• It is said to strengthen the tie between a person and the sea.

Coral symbolises protection, family and the patient work of building something living. It suits people who look after others, anyone drawn to warm organic materials, and those who like jewellery with a Mediterranean history. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 3 - 4

Composition: CaCO₃

Specific gravity: 2.60 - 2.70

Chakras: Root, Sacral

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

Rose quartz is the pink variety of quartz, and its colour is unusually gentle: a hazy, milky blush rather than a sharp tone. Traces of titanium, iron or manganese are responsible, and microscopic mineral fibres running through the stone scatter light, which is why rose quartz is nearly always cloudy rather than transparent. Occasionally those fibres line up well enough to produce a soft six-rayed star when the stone is cut as a dome.

Most of the world's rose quartz comes from Brazil and Madagascar, with important material from South Dakota and Namibia. It occurs in massive form inside pegmatites, in blocks large enough to carve into bowls, spheres and figures, and it has been shaped since antiquity. Assyrian and Roman jewellers used it, and it never entirely went out of fashion, though it became especially popular in the twentieth century as an affordable and instantly recognisable stone.

Like amethyst, rose quartz fades. A piece kept in a sunny window loses its blush over months and cannot recover it, so it is displayed away from direct light. Otherwise it is hard-wearing and easy to look after.

Properties of rose quartz

• It is traditionally known above all as the stone of love in its broadest sense, not only romance.

• Folk belief holds that it softens a heart that has grown guarded after disappointment.

• According to old sources, it was given between friends as a token of lasting affection.

• It is said to encourage kindness towards oneself, which the tradition treats as the first step.

• Traditional accounts link it with the heart and with an even, unforced warmth.

• In stone lore it is believed to ease the sharpness of a recent loss.

• It has a reputation for calming a household where tempers have been short.

• Popular belief connects it with reconciliation after a falling-out.

• Older writers recommended it to those who find it hard to accept help.

• It is thought to support restful sleep when kept near the bed.

• Folk tradition treats it as a charm for a peaceful home rather than a passionate one.

• It was placed in a child's room as a stone of comfort.

• Traditional belief holds that it helps a person forgive without pretending nothing happened.

• It is said to make an apology easier to accept as well as easier to give.

Rose quartz symbolises tenderness, forgiveness and gentle recovery. It suits people healing from a difficult period, anyone who wants a soft and unintimidating stone, and those who like a gem whose meaning is entirely unambiguous. 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: Heart

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

Turquoise is an opaque copper aluminium phosphate, and it is the copper that gives it the sky blue that no other stone quite matches. The colour shifts towards green as iron replaces some of the aluminium, and many specimens are crossed by a web of veins in gold, brown or black, the remains of the host rock. That webbing, called matrix, means no two pieces look alike. The name reached English through French, pierre turquoise, the Turkish stone, because the earliest supplies arrived in Europe by way of Turkey rather than from Turkey itself.

Turquoise has been mined for at least six thousand years. Egyptian expeditions worked the Sinai for it, the mines of Nishapur in Iran produced the intense blue that became the standard of quality, and Tibetan and Central Asian craftsmen set it into ritual objects. In the American Southwest, Pueblo, Navajo and Zuni silversmiths built an entire jewellery tradition around it, and their silver-and-turquoise work is now recognised worldwide.

Two things must be understood about this stone. It is soft, softer than window glass, so it scratches and chips more readily than most gems. And it is genuinely porous: it absorbs water, oil, perfume and perspiration, which can turn the blue green or crack the surface as the stone dries out. Much commercial turquoise is stabilised with resin for this reason, and untreated material is never soaked or worn in the shower. A dry cloth and shade from strong sunlight keep it as it should be.

Properties of turquoise

• It is traditionally regarded as a stone of calm that takes the edge off restlessness.

• Folk belief holds that it comforts those in mourning and makes the days easier to get through.

• According to old sources, it steadies a person after a sudden shock or upheaval.

• It is said to restore the vitality of a wearer who has been running on empty.

• Traditional accounts describe it as a stone of wisdom that favours unhurried, considered thinking.

• In many cultures it was worn as an amulet against the evil eye.

• It has a long association with the throat and with saying what one actually needs.

• Popular belief connects it with a steady, unstrained heart rhythm.

• Older writers recommended it to riders and travellers as a guard against accidents on the road.

• It is thought to smooth over friction between people living or working closely together.

• Folk tradition treats it as a stone of reconciliation and easy agreement.

• It was set in silver, which old sources claimed suited it better than any other metal.

• Traditional belief holds that a stone changing colour was warning its owner of something.

• It is said to help a person recover their footing after a period of overload.

Turquoise symbolises peace, inner balance and protection. It appeals to people looking for quiet after a hard stretch, to anyone drawn to a colour with six thousand years of history, and to those who like a soft, warm stone that sits comfortably against the skin. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 5 - 6

Composition: CuAl₆(PO₄)₄(OH)₈·5H₂O

Specific gravity: 2.31 - 2.84

Chakras: Throat, Heart, Third eye

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

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.