Carnelian Beaded Bracelet

Carnelian is non-toxic and safe to handle. Prolonged direct sunlight can fade its color, so cleanse briefly rather than leaving it in strong sun.

Carnelian forms as a variety of chalcedony, a compact microcrystalline quartz that fills cavities and seams in volcanic and sedimentary rock. Iron-bearing solutions percolate through the silica and leave behind fine oxide inclusions; over time and gentle heating from the earth these oxides deepen into the warm orange-to-red glow the stone is known for.

Carnelian is a translucent variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz composed of silicon dioxide. Its color comes from iron oxide impurities, chiefly hematite, distributed through the silica matrix. It shares quartz's trigonal crystal structure at the microscopic level and takes a smooth, waxy to vitreous polish.

• In ancient Egypt, carnelian was placed with the dead to protect and empower the soul on its passage to the afterlife, and the tjet amulet known as the Knot of Isis was often carved from it to invoke the goddess's protection.
• Roman soldiers and orators wore carnelian signet rings because hot sealing wax would not cling to the stone, making it prized for pressing an unbroken seal and, by association, for courage and clear speech.
• In Islamic tradition the reddish carnelian, or aqiq, was esteemed as a stone of protection and good fortune, and worn as a seal ring said to guard the wearer and steady the heart.