Virgo 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.

Obsidian is volcanic glass. When lava rich in silica cools so fast that its atoms have no time to arrange themselves into crystals, the result is a natural glass with no crystal structure at all. It is usually jet black and glossy, but there are beautiful variants: snowflake obsidian with white sprays of cristobalite, mahogany obsidian streaked with iron-stained brown, and the rare rainbow and sheen varieties that flash gold or violet where microscopic bubbles lie in layers.

Because glass breaks along smooth curved surfaces, obsidian can be flaked to an edge only a few molecules thick, sharper than a surgical scalpel. That property made it one of the most important materials in the ancient world. Anatolian obsidian from around Çatalhöyük was traded across the Near East nine thousand years ago and polished into the earliest mirrors; the Aztecs set it into the blades of the macuahuitl and into the divining mirrors of the god Tezcatlipoca. Mexico, Iceland, Turkey, Italy and the western United States all have significant deposits.

The same sharpness means broken pieces need respect. Obsidian is not very hard and chips easily if knocked against a hard surface, so a polished piece is best stored on its own.

Properties of obsidian

• It is traditionally treated as a mirror stone that shows a person what they have been avoiding.

• Folk belief holds that it forms a shield against ill will directed at the wearer.

• According to old sources, polished obsidian discs were used for scrying and quiet reflection.

• It is said to cut through self-deception the way its edge cuts through anything else.

• Traditional accounts link it with the base of the body and with a firm sense of one's own limits.

• In stone lore it is believed to absorb the residue of a tense encounter.

• It has a reputation for supporting someone working through an old and difficult memory.

• Popular belief connects it with clean endings, and it was carried when a chapter had to close.

• Older writers recommended it to those who take on other people's moods too readily.

• It is thought to help a person say no without a long explanation.

• Folk tradition treats it as a stone of truth-telling, however unwelcome.

• It was set at thresholds and doorways as a guard for the household.

• Traditional belief holds that it grounds a person after an emotional shock.

• It is said to make solitude feel restorative rather than lonely.

Obsidian symbolises protection, honesty and the courage to look directly at things. It appeals to people doing inner work, to anyone who prefers a dramatic black stone, and to those drawn to a material that shaped human history long before metal did. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 5 - 5.5

Composition: SiO₂ (volcanic glass)

Specific gravity: 2.35 - 2.60

Chakras: Root

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

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.

Topaz is an aluminium silicate containing fluorine, and it is one of the hardest of the commonly worn gemstones. It grows in tall, well-shaped prismatic crystals, sometimes to remarkable size, and it has a perfect cleavage in one direction that cutters must respect. Colourless topaz is the most abundant form, but the stone also occurs in sherry brown, pale blue, pink and, most prized of all, the golden orange with a pink flash called imperial topaz.

The name may come from Topazios, an island in the Red Sea now called Zabargad, or from the Sanskrit tapas, meaning fire. Ouro Preto in Brazil has been the great source of imperial topaz for three centuries, and the Ural mountains, Pakistan, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Myanmar contribute other colours. Most bright blue topaz on the market is colourless material that has been irradiated and heated, a treatment developed in the twentieth century that made a once-rare colour widely available.

Its hardness makes topaz excellent for rings, but the cleavage means a sharp knock in the wrong direction can split it cleanly. Ultrasonic cleaners are avoided for the same reason, and coloured varieties are kept out of prolonged strong light.

Properties of topaz

• It is traditionally described as a stone of clarity and honest intention.

• Folk belief holds that it strengthens the will of someone who has been drifting.

• According to old sources, it was worn as a guard against deceit in business.

• It is said to warm the disposition and to make a reserved person more approachable.

• Traditional accounts link it with the solar plexus and with a well-founded confidence.

• In stone lore it is believed to sharpen the ability to set a goal and name it plainly.

• It has a long reputation as a stone of good fortune, particularly the golden variety.

• Popular belief connects it with generosity and with pleasure taken in giving.

• Older writers recommended it to those beginning to teach or to lead others.

• It is thought to steady the nerves of someone under public scrutiny.

• Folk tradition treats it as a charm against night fears, kept beside the bed.

• It was given as a token of friendship renewed after a long absence.

• Traditional belief holds that it supports recovery of appetite and good spirits together.

• It is said to help a person forgive themselves for an old error of judgement.

Topaz symbolises clear purpose, warmth and good fortune earned rather than stumbled upon. It appeals to people who want a hard, brilliant stone for daily wear, to anyone drawn to golden or sky-blue tones, and to those who like a gem with an unusually clean look. The uses described here belong to tradition and folk belief and are not a substitute for medical advice.

Hardness: 8

Composition: Al₂SiO₄(F,OH)₂

Specific gravity: 3.49 - 3.57

Chakras: Solar plexus, Throat

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.