Here are a few definitions of the various gemstones and their properties (collected from many sources).
Agate (Moss): Get in touch with nature. Plant knowledge.
Agate (Tree): Introspection. Helps one view themselves with more clarity and see the world through a broader viewpoint.
Agate: The darker stones were believed to inspire courage, boldness, victory in games, and bring prosperity. The lighter stones were believed to bring peace, protection against lightening, and immunity from snake bites.
Alexandrite: This stone got it's name when it was discovered on the 12th birthday of Czar Alexander II in the Ural mountains of Russia in 1830.
Amazonite: Said to improve self worth.
Amber: Lift heaviness. Amber is great at lifting the heaviness of burdens -- allowing happiness to come through.
Amethyst (Cape): Inner alignment.
Amethyst: Once believed to be able to prevent drunkenness and protect people from contagious diseases. Also believed to give courage, bring victories to soldiers in battle, and attract favors from those in high places. This is also the present carrier of the purple color ray.
Apatite: Communication.
Aquamarine: Said to assure love, affection, youth, and health to the wearer of this stone.
Aventurine (blue): Circulation.
Aventurine (green): For Physical healing. Believed to reinforce a person's decisiveness, amplify a person's leadership qualities, and make a person a willing participant in instinctive action. Also believed to help bring a person emotional tranquility, have a positive attitude towards life, and bring them into alignment with their center.
Aventurine (red/orange): This color of aventurine has been said to provide reflective qualities so that a person can recognize the flaws of humanity and can remain in the heart space to continue to love this same humanity.
Aventurine (transparent) is extremely powerful - however, it needs washing daily (dry flat). Immature transparent aventurine will fade.
Bloodstone (Heliotrope): Used to be prescribed as a cure for all types of bleeding. It was given to the injured or sick person to wear or place it over the affected area so the bleeding would stop. Scientifically it was probably the stone's cold touch which caused the bleeding to stop. Also said to bring the owner strength, justice, and success in court and legal affairs, and allegedly make the owner prosperous in all financial dealings.
Carnelian: Balance creativity and mental processes. Best with natural carnelian. Wash carnelian under water after wearing it. Carnelian is the carrier of the orange ray.
Cat's-Eye: Said to bring success in business speculations, gambling, and games of chance, bring wealth, and prevent all financial losses. It was thought that if you carried a cat's-eye you would be assured mental stability and general attractiveness.
Chalcedony: Gives the owner a calm disposition.
Chrysoprase: Protection. .
Citrine: Upliftment.
Coral: Emotional Foundation. Not truly a stone, but a hard calcium-like substance formed from the fossilized skeletons of marine life. Comes in many different varieties and colors.
Crystal (Rock): Known fact, when squeezed this stone becomes electrically charged. Synthetic quartz crystals are used to regulate watch movements and the electronic frequency of radios because they vibrate at a single constant frequency when an electric current is run through them.
Diamond: Increase personal clarity.
Emerald: Physical and emotional healing.
Garnet: This stone represents friendship.
Green Fluorite: Hormone Balance. This stone has been helpful with hormonal changes such as PMS and menopause.
Moonstone (orange): Helps one accept other stone's help by comforting you. This is less powerful than white - but helpful when one really needs a certain stone.
Moonstone: In India a very long time ago, people once thought moonstone was actually moonlight that had solidified.
Mother of Pearl: Protection; Know mother's love. This stone is a great protective stone.
Obsidian (black): Grounding stone.
Obsidian (mahogany): Decision making.
Onyx (black): Helps one to change bad habits. Also believed to keep nightmares away and bring a peaceful rest.
Onyx (Mexican): Helps one sleep better.
Opal: Enables you to see possibilities; discover a broader view. Since they are very sensitive to the atmospheric conditions, their brilliancy varies and is determined by the temperature and moisture in the a ir.
Pearl (freshwater): Enables one to accept love. See the good parts of oneself so you can love yourself and others.
Pearl: Known to many as a symbol of wisdom, wealth, faith, knowledge, and innocence.
Purple Rainbow Fluorite: Change. Helps one get out of ruts.
Peridot: Brings the energies from in the aura to the physical body. This is useful after energy work -- however, one needs to be certain that they are bringing in the new energy -- not the stuff they are trying to purge. Use with caution. According to ancient legend, people who wear peridot will be protected from evil spirits. Once considered more valuable than diamonds, the Romans wore them as protection from enchantment, melancholy, and nightmares.
Iolite: Has been known to be referred to as the "Viking's Compass." The Vikings were able to locate the position of the sun by looking through thin colorless slices of Iolite on cloudy days. Most likely because the stone acted like a light polarizer and canceled out haze and mist.
Quartz (Frosted): Balance.
Quartz (Rose): Emotional balance. Very good for expressing and soothing emotions. Try to find undyed rose quartz. Carried by people to insure peace, fidelity, and happiness. People believed rose quartz could emit a calm and cool energy which would enable it to gently remove all negativity and allow a person to feel the loving, gentle forces of self love. People felt this stone was good to wear in a chaotic or crisis situation, and they refered to it as "the stone of gentle love" because they believed it to be able to bring peace and calm to all relationships. It was also thought to be an excellent energy for healing emotional "wounds".
Quartz (Smokey): Many people have carried smokey quartz because they thought it was able to gently dissolve negative energies and clear up all emotional blockages. It was also thought to emit a powerful force field which could absorb many forms of negativity... not only from within the person that carried this stone, but from outside forces as well. It was believed to be able to make a person feel personal pride and to create an overall joy in living. And has also been used by people to help regulate their creative abilities in business aspects, as well as being able to bring about the ability to make smart purchases. Some people believe that smokey quartz can solve communication problems between one another, and may have the ability to get rid of all mental and emotional blockages... which in turn opens up a person's creativity, mental perception, and learning abilities.
Red Agate: Believed to soothe the nerves and quiet the mind of the person who carried this stone.
Rhodocrosite: Change. Gives one confidence while making desired changes. Very supportive. One can make large changes very quickly with this stone.
Sunstone: Enhances contemplations. Meditations can be clear when wearing this stone. Many people carried sunstone to bring themselves success and good fortune.
Rhodonite: Emotional support. Helps one take the next step emotionally. This stone has been dubbed "the stone of love" because it is supposed to be able to help a person achieve everything to their greatest potential. It is said to allow a person to feel unconditional love on a physical level. It was believed to be able to dispel anxiety and promote coherence, and enable the user to possess an observant nature which allowed them to focus all of their attention to details and interrelationships.
Ruby: Love; Open the heart. It allows me to overcome fear. Carrier of the red ray. Considered regal and sacred, in ancient India the ruby was called the "king of gems." In England, it was once used for coronation rings. Ancient Hindus once thought that if they offered them to the god Krishna, they would be reborn as an emperor. It was said that if you dreamed of a ruby, it indicated success in business and good fortune in money matters. Long ago it was believed that a ruby could protect you from all kinds of witchcraft, plague, and famine if it was worn on the left side. It has also been said to be able to attract favors from those in authority, be able to give the wearer control of their passions, to preserve the strength in your body, return possessions to their rightful owners, and end quarrels between friends. People used to think that if you washed a ruby in water, that water could be used to relieve stomach cramps.
Sapphire: Sapphire: Mental clarity. Clear mental garbage. Carrier of the blue ray. Also considered regal and sacred, sapphires were worn by kings and queens for good luck. They were set in rings for bishops and cardinals. Their blue color was believed to symbolize heaven. Sapphires were believed to promote peace and happiness between lovers. St. Jerome wrote that sapphires could "procure favors with princes, pacify enemies, free a person from enchantment, and help one to obtain freedom from captivity. Other beliefs are that it could resist black magic, give its' owner great powers of concentration, preserve chastity, and promote good health.
Sardonyx: Believed to be able to lead a person to high position, honor, renown, and financial rewards. It was said that if you hung sardonyx around your neck, it could ease pain, give a person self-control, help to attract friends, insure a happy marriage, and bring success in legal matters. It was also believed to be able to restrain people who were inclined to dissipation, and to be able to protect the wearer from all infections.
Sodalite: Protects from external negative energy.
Sugilite: Absorbs garbage from wearer's aura. I feel lighter when I wear this stone. It uplifts me and gives me more energy.
Tanzanite: Changes. Uplifts and opens the heart.
Tiger's Eye: Once believed to defeat sorcery in all its forms and inspire courage. It was especially recommended for people who are shy or timid because it could give them self-confidence to make them become strong and assertive.
Topaz: Known as the "Stone of strength," people believed that if you wore topaz it could protect you from any and all accidents that you may encounter when you traveled, keep you from becoming injured in a fire, and get rid of all fears of death. It was also believed that if you wore it on your left arm or hung it around your neck it could break all enchantments that may have been cast upon you, bring you loads of money, and enable you to receive impressions from astral sources.
Tourmaline: Believed that if a person carried or wore tourmaline, it could help to rid the person of fears and melancholy, attract favors from other people, insure that your friends were loyal, and encourage clear thinking.
Tourmaline (Green) : Promote male balance and physical healing.
Tourmaline (Pink): Promote female balance and protection.
Turquoise: For centuries, turquoise was considered a highly esteemed gem. It was admired by the Egyptians for its very distinct color. It is the national stone of Iran (Persia) and has decorated the thrones and the attire of high officials. In Tibet, its' role is comparable to that of jade in China. Turquoise was a commodity more valuable than gold to the Aztecs. It was so highly regarded by European men that they did not consider their hand to be well adorned unless they wore a fine turquoise.
- Jennifer