Description

A glassy, translucent stone, Carnelian is an orange-colored variety of Chalcedony, a mineral of the Quartz family. Its color varies from pale pinkish-orange to a deep rusty brown, though it is most known for its brilliant orange and red-orange crystals. Its name comes from a Latin word meaning “flesh.”Carnelian stone, also sometimes called cornelian stone, is an orange chalcedony quartz. The orange color, which comes from iron impurities, varies from a light, pink-orange to deep red-orange or even a dark, brown-red. This range of colors inspired the ancient Egyptians to call the orange mineral rock “the setting sun.” Much of carnelian meaning is directly related to carnelian color. Due to the ever-growing rarity of carnelian rock, one must beware of imposters. Agate stones, which are also a type of chalcedony quartz, are sometimes dyed or heated to make them look like carnelian and sold as carnelian gemstones. Norway and Sweden claim this orange mineral rock as their national gemstone.