Lapis lazuli was being mined in the Sar-i Sang mines and in other mines in the Badakhshan province in northeast Afghanistan as early as the 7th millennium BC, Lapis beads have been found at neolithic burials in Mehrgarh, the Caucasus, and even as far from Afghanistan as Mauritania. It was used for the eyebrows on the funeral mask of King Tutankhamun (1341–1323 BC).

At the end of the Middle Ages, lapis lazuli began to be exported to Europe, where it was ground into powder and made into ultramarine, the finest and most expensive of all blue pigments. It was used by the most important artists of the Renaissance and Baroque, including Masaccio, Perugino, Titian and Vermeer, and was often reserved for the clothing of the central figure of the painting, especially the Virgin Mary.

The stone was given its name by Theophrastus, a Greek philosopher and naturalist, who discovered the stone along the shore line of the river Achates sometime between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. Colorful agates and other chalcedonies were obtained over 3,000 years ago from the Achates River, now called Dirillo, in Sicily.

Agate is one of the most common materials used in the art of hardstone carving, and has been recovered at a number of ancient sites, indicating its widespread use in the ancient world; for example, archaeological recovery at the Knossos site on Crete illustrates its role in Bronze Age Minoan culture.

Malachite was used as a mineral pigment in green paints from antiquity until about 1800. The pigment is moderately lightfast, very sensitive to acids, and varying in color. The natural form was being replaced by its synthetic form, verditer, among other synthetic greens. It is also used for decorative purposes, such as in the Malachite Room in the Hermitage, which features a huge malachite vase, and the Malachite Room in Castillo de Chapultepec in Mexico City. “The Tazza”, a large malachite vase, one of the largest pieces of malachite in North America and a gift from Tsar Nicholas II, stands as the focal point in the center of the room of Linda Hall Library.

Archeological evidence indicates that the mineral has been mined and smelted at Timna Valley in Israel for over 3,000 years. Since then, malachite has been used as both an ornamental stone and as a gemstone.

The mineral was given this name due to its resemblance to the leaves of the Mallow plant. Malachite personifies the deep healing green of nature and represents the innate beauty of flowers, trees, roots and plants. It manifests a deep Devic green which rules the material plane. It is a Stone of Transformation, assisting one in changing situations and providing for spiritual growth. It heals on physical and emotional levels, drawing out impurities and stimulating the Life Force throughout the aura and body.

A planetary record keeper. with the markings on it that look like trees or shrubs. Is said to enhance the achievement of personal goals, the acquisition of prosperity, the healing of wounds from past lives, the ability to communicate with nature spirits and the grounding of one’s spiritual energies within the physical body. Promotes growth spiritually and physically, aligns physical and etheric bodies.

Red corals grow on rocky seabottom with low sedimentation, typically in dark environments—either in the depths or in dark caverns or crevices. The original species, C. rubrum (formerly Gorgonia nobilis), is found mainly in the Mediterranean Sea. It grows at depths from 10 to 300 meters below sea level. In the underwater caves of Alghero, Sardinia (the “Coral Riviera”) it grows at depth from 4 to 35 meters. The same species is also found at Atlantic sites near the Strait of Gibraltar, at the Cape Verde Islands and off the coast of Southern Portugal. Other Corallium species are native to the western Pacific, notably around Japan (Corallium japonicum) and Taiwan; these occur at depths of 350 to 1500 meters below sea level in areas with strong currents.

Records dating back thousands of years confirm that coral was used in decorative art objects. It was believed to prevent ill fortune and offer protection from skin disease when worn as a necklace. Dreams about coral are believed to foretell recovery from a long illness. Ancients believed that Mars was composed of red coral. Coral symbolizes life and blood force energy. Dark red coral is used for heating and stimulating the bloodstream. Pink shades restore harmony to the heart. It is used as an aid to depression, lethargy or deficient nutrition.

In antiquity, as well as today, Carnelian is believed to help timid speakers become both eloquent and bold. [Simmons, 92] Ancient Warriors wore Carnelian around their neck for courage and physical power to conquer their enemies. In Egypt it was worn by master architects to show their rank of builder, and alchemists of the Middle Ages used it as a boiling stone to activate the energy of other Chalcedonies. As the first stone in the breastplate of the High Priest, it signified the blood of the martyrs [Kunz, 303, 305], and was once believed to prevent illness and the Plague.

Carnelian clarifies the voice. It is the Singer’s Stone. [Megemont, 46] It also promotes confidence for performances on stage or in live media.

The gems are usually cut en cabochon in order to best display their chatoyancy. Red stones are brought about through gentle heat treatment. Dark stones have had their colors improved and been artificially lightened using nitric acid treatments.

Honey-colored stones have been used to imitate the much higher valued cat’s eye chrysoberyl (cymophane), but the overall effect is unconvincing. Artificial fiberoptic glass is a common imitation of tiger’s eye, and is produced in a wide range of colors.

A feel better, get up and go stone, Tiger’s Eye is also an excellent protective stone against any kind of negativity. It diverts unwanted energy away from you, sending it back to its source. Tigers Eye will also confuse your opposition. In addition to this, it is also a good grounding stone and a very balancing stone.

The name means “spotted or speckled stone”.

Green jasper was used to make bow drills in Mehrgarh between 4th and 5th millennium BC. Jasper is known to have been a favorite gem in the ancient world; its name can be traced back in Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Assyrian, Greek and Latin. On Minoan Crete, jasper was carved to produce seals circa 1800 BC, as evidenced by archaeological recoveries at the palace of Knossos.

Although the term jasper is now restricted to opaque quartz, the ancient iaspis was a stone of considerable translucency including nephrite. The jasper of antiquity was in many cases distinctly green, for it is often compared to the emerald and other green objects. Jasper is referred to in the Niebelungenlied as being clear and green. Probably the jasper of the ancients included stones which would now be classed as chalcedony, and the emerald-like jasper may have been akin to the modern chrysoprase. The Hebrew word yushphah may have designated a green jasper. Flinders Petrie suggested that the odem, the first stone on the High Priest’s breastplate, was a red jasper, whilst tarshish, the tenth stone, may have been a yellow jasper.

Jaspers have been revered by ancient peoples and civilizations throughout the world as sacred and powerful stones of protection, for both the physical and spiritual realm. They were known as the “rain bringers” and nurturers, healers of the spirit and stones of courage and wisdom. The name can be traced back in Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Assyrian, Greek and Latin, and the virtues of Jaspers have been extolled throughout the ages by the most noted physicians, magicians, poets, scientists, lapidaries and scholars.