The Folklore of Pearls

Pearls, cultured or freshwater, are considered to hold the power of love, money, protection, and luck. Pearls are thought to give wisdom through experience, to hasten karma and to bond engagements and love relationships.  The Greeks believed that wearing pearls would promote marital bliss and prevent newlywed women from crying.
Early Chinese myths told of pearls falling from the sky when dragons fought against each other.  Other ancient legends say that pearls are the tears of the gods.

Black Orlov Diamond

The Black Orlov diamond also known as “the Eye of Brahma,” was discovered in India in the early 1800’s. According to legend the 195-carat black diamond was allegedly found in a Hindu idol at a shrine near Pondicherry, India, where it was stolen by a Hindu monk. The theft of the diamond supposedly summoned a malicious spirit to embrace the Eye and the Eye’s owners.

The “cursed” jewel took its name from Princess Nadia Vyegin-Orlov in the late 1800’s. Coincidentally, the diamond was named the Black Orlov because of its “natural fancy black color but also to differentiate it from the Orlov Diamond, a 189.6 carat white diamond with its own storied past.

According to an Associated Press article, Princess Nadia Orlov leapt from a building in an apparent suicide in Rome, Italy, on Dec. 2, 1947, after fleeing during the Russian Revolution and selling her family jewels.

Russian Princess Leonila Galitsine-Bariatinsky also previously owned the Black Orlov. In a disturbing coincidence in November 1947, Galitsine-Bariatinsky also committed suicide by leaping from a building.

Some fifteen years earlier, J.W. Paris imported the Black Orlov into the United States and after securing the sale of the diamond also leapt to his death on April 7, 1932. After the two Russian princesses committed suicide, supposedly the curse was broken when Charles S. Winson, another jeweler in New York, purchased the Black Orlov on Friday, May 13, 1949.

Just another “cursed” gemstone.  If I were a treasure hunter, I would leave the gemstones.

Gemstone Classification

What makes a gemstone precious or semi-precious?  Mostly the classification between the two are for convience and in the past they were loosely based on the hardness of the stone although this system has many errors.  Now classification is more determined by fashion and rarity.  This is also inconsistent as rarity can also fluctuate with the finding of new mines or deposits.  Opal by definition of rarity could be labeled as precious even though by most it is considered semi-precious.  Other than the obvious diamond, rubies, emeralds and sapphires are considered precious.  Rubies are of the most rare and hold world wide acclaim.  Curiously though emeralds are priced about three times higher due to the naturally occurring chemical color-changing factors.  

Semi-precious stones are considered everything else that someone might deem to be pretty.  The precious stones seem to be a pretty elite group.

Origins of the Cameo

Cameos are precious or semi-precious gemstones on which a relief has been carved.  The cameo has no other function than being purely decorative, therefore, these beautiful pieces did not arrive on the jewelry scene until the Hellenistic period (about the third century BC).  The emergence of the cameo in Greek society followed the vast conquest of Alexander the Great which suggests to scholars the cameo, in part, was influenced by treasure sent back from various parts of the conquered Persian Empire.  At this time the Greeks started to follow the Oriental fashion of mounting precious stones in their jewelry.  Onyx and Sardonyx were already widely used and these stones were well suited for cameo treatment since both stones have stratified layers of dark and light.  The opportunity to create ornamentation in miniture would have well suited the Greek’s tastes in fashion, thereby, accounting for the blossoming of the cameo as an art form in the Hellenistic Age.

A History of Charm Bracelets, Part 5

The beautiful bracelets of Queen Victoria ignited the next big wave of charm wearing in the early 20th century. It was at this stage that charms had a dramatic change of purpose. They went from being practical tools of protection and power and symbols of status to become decorative fashion jewelry. Small lockets, glass beads and family crests that hung on bracelets and necklaces were all the rage.

A History of Charm Bracelets, Part 2

In Grecian times bracelets were popular with men and soldiers wore defensive bands of leather, often decorated with gold, silver and or gemstones, on their forearms. They were known as ‘Bracels,’ from the Latin Brachium, meaning, ‘arm.’ When women caught on that these Bracels would look great on them, Not to be out done by the men they started wearing smaller versions, called little Bracels…or ‘Bracel-ets.’ 

Moonstone Folklore

Moonstone was used in jewelry by the Romans who believed that the stone was formed from the light of the moon. In India moonstone is considered a sacred stone. It is believed to bring good fortune, to enhance passion, and balance the yin and yang and is said to protect women and children. In early times, it was believed that one could see the future if the stone was held in the mouth during a full moon. According to legend, moonstone will ensure abundant crops

Moonstone is also thought to have healing properties.  Moonstone is said to promote healthy digestion, to protect against epilepsy, to calm emotions, cure headaches and nose bleeds, and protect against sun stroke.

Hematite in the Ancient World

Hematite is one of the oldest of valued gemstones in the ancient world. The Egyptians used Hematite in the creation of magic amulets. Hematite was considered a curative mineral for madness. Babylonians wore Hematite amulets to gain favor with kings. The word for Hematite comes from the Greek word for blood.  Hematite was associated with the God of War, whom the Greeks considered evil. The Romans, however, revered war and used Hematite as a protection against battle. Powdered Hematite has been mixed with water and used as a blood substitute in some religious rituals. 

The Legend of Amethyst

The origin of amethyst is told to us by Greek myths. Dionysius, the god of intoxication, was angered one day by an insult from a mortal. He swore revenge on the next mortal that crossed his path.  To carry out his rash oath he created some fierce tigers. Along came Amethyst, an beautiful unsuspecting young maiden on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Diana. Diana saw what was about to happen and turned Amethyst into a stature of pure crystalline quartz to protect her from the brutal claws. Seeing the error of his anger Dionysus wept tears of wine in remorse for his action at the sight of the beautiful statue. The god’s tears stained the quartz purple, creating the gemstone we know today as Amethyst. 

In the far off land Egypt, the often seemingly mythical civilization of the ancient Egyptians enchants us today in this modern world.  As it still holds true world wide, jewelry played an important part of the ancient Egyptian’s everyday life.  For the pharaoh and his courtiers jewelry was an essential part of their apparel.  The bright colors of the jewels augmented their fine white linen garments and heavy wigs worn by the nobility and the members of the ruling classes.  But for the Egyptians jewelry was not merely decorative it also held powerful meaning that went way beyond the physical realm.  Symbols such as  the ankh life sign, the djed pillar of stability, the protecting udjat eye, the scarab of rebirth and the images of gods gave all sorts of benefits to the wearer of the beautifully crafted pieces we see today in museums.


The materials and colors they used in their jewelry were not put together because they looked good together, every element of a piece had special meaning.  Gold was seen as a divine metal, regarded as the flesh of Ra, symbolizing eternity.  Lapis lazuli, which came from Afghanistan, represented the heavens and was thought to be superior to all other metals except gold and silver.  Green turquoise was associated with the green of the earth and was the symbol of youth and rebirth.