Chalcedones are a significant group of minerals (varieties of quartz), among which carnelian (or as it is otherwise known “carneol”) stands out for its bright colouring and beauty. Carnelian is an orange, red, blood-red, coral-red, scarlet or bright yellow chalcedony. Large deposits of carnelian are found in Russia, India, Brazil and Uruguay.

The main version of the word ‘carnelian’ origin is from the name of the city of Sarda (modern Turkey), the capital of ancient Lydia; sardolith means ‘stone from Sarda’ in Greek. In international catalogues there is another name – ‘corneol’ (from Latin cornis, which means ‘flesh’, i.e. ‘red like flesh’). Carnelian owes its colour to the iron compounds present in its composition. Carnelian with white interlayer occurs, and this type of stone is valued more than others. The hardness of the mineral reaches 6.5-7 on the Mohs scale, and its density is 2.6 g/cm³. Due to its high hardness and relative ease of processing, carnelian is widely used in jewellery and is valued as an ornamental stone.

Carnelian is associated with many legends, tales and stories. The ancient Egyptians, those great connoisseurs and admirers of semi-precious stones, considered it a sacred stone. They called carnelian ‘the sunset frozen in stone’. Many carnelian necklaces and rings were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. The inhabitants of Eastern countries carved quotations from the Koran on flat carnelians and carried these talismans with them as amulets against evil forces. On the day of adulthood, a young man was given a ring with a carnelian engraved with his name: from that moment on, the jewellery became a personal talisman. Many centuries later, an ancient ring of this kind became the main talisman of Napoleon Bonaparte. In Ancient Greece wedding gems were carved on carnelian and given to newlyweds as a pledge of a long and happy life, in Ancient Rome these minerals were used to make magnificent cameos. In the times of Medieval Europe, namely the Inquisition, carnelian was used to protect against black magic, witchcraft and bewitchment. In the Ancient Rus, carnelian became popular already in the 4^th century AD. In those times, it was considered almost the most valuable of stones and was honoured no less than pearls and diamonds. The Izbornik of Svyatoslav , the first book in Russia to contain information about the special properties of stones, mentions carnelian. The medieval ‘ABC Book’ said: ‘...carnelian is as red as blood and represents the flame of faith’. Carnelian was one of the most popular semi-precious stones, it was gladly used in the decoration of outfits and rings, earrings and necklaces were made with this mineral, and later carnelian was used to frame icons. Turkmens used this mineral to make jewellery for headdresses – the main part of ancient women's costume. Carnelian was also common in the Balkans, Poland and Hungary, where it was used to decorate saddles and weapons. China and Japan have their own deposits of carneols, from which bottles, snuff-boxes and beads were once made; in the 17th and 18^th centuries these articles were exported by the Dutch to Europe.

In the 18^th – 19^th centuries, the art of stone carving was flourishing throughout Europe. During the long Victorian period, the craftsmanship of pendant seals flourished. The seals were worn in a gold setting on a chain that was attached to a waistcoat.

By coincidence, carnelian can be called a stone – symbol of Russian poetry of the Silver Age. It is associated with the Crimean town of Koktebel, where the dacha of the poet Maximilian Voloshin was located. A deposit of stone – ‘carnelian bay’ was near it. All visitors traditionally looked for beautiful pebbles there. Andrei Bely and Osip Mandelstam, Alexei Tolstoy and Mikhail Bulgakov, Marina and Anastasia Tsvetaev, Nikolai Gumilev and many other visited Voloshin.

Carnelian jewellery is usually made of silver or non-precious metals such as nickel silver or nickel bronze. Orange-red translucent carnelian is considered the most valuable.

The stone is believed to protect the wearer from troubles and hardships. It is believed that the stone protects the owner from troubles and hardships. Johann Wolfgang Goethe was a great lover and collector of semi-precious stones. A prominent place in his collection was occupied by carnelian. Goethe considered this stone as his talisman. It is known that Alexander Pushkin, George Byron, Marina Tsvetaeva and Sergei Parajanov had signet rings-amulets with this stone.

Carnelian has been attributed the properties of protecting against death, disease and lightning, warding off evil spirits, protecting against sorcery and witchcraft, improving mood and vision, having a calming effect, protecting against the intrigues of enemies and the dangers of earthquakes.
In lithotherapy, carnelian is used to treat infections. As it turned out, ‘carnelian therapy’ is based on the natural radioactivity of the stone. Its intensity in carnelian is negligible and completely harmless to human health, but this weak source of radiation when applied to the sore place has a therapeutic effect.

As a generalisation, we can say that this stone boosts spirits, since you can admire it without end. We suggest you to examine the items from the section ‘Decorative Arts and Jewellery’ of the museum Collection Repository, which were created using carnelian.