Medieval Gemstones - Life in Medieval Days

Mankind has always loved shiny objects :) By the medieval days, the various trade routes around Asia, Africa and Europe had been established and gems were being brought back and forth with great glee. Here are the gems that were known about, and what they represented to medieval people.

Agate - brought from Italy

Amber - brought from England

Amethyst - known to the Greeks, a ward against drunkenness

Aquamarine - trasured by sailors for luck

Bloodstone - a religious stone, thought to contain Christ's blood

Carnelian - Soften anger, often used in signet rings

Coral - luck, used against poison

Diamond - always a prized item for its hardness, at this time only cut into a "double pyramid" (imagine one joined at the two bases)

Emerald - fertility, worn by women in childbirth.

Garnet - sun, energy

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Medieval Romance for Women

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