Carnelian

Carnelian is massively divisive. Not everyone loves orange, purely because, well, it’s orange. Though, to be fair to carnelian, the shades of orange seen can span from a pale, almost pastel hue to quite a dark reddish orange. The majority of the intaglios we make into our carnelian stone jewelry, though, are the classic, colour-pop orange which is great if you want that boldness of orange.

Of course, sometimes you want something a bit more neutral, like white chalcedony jewelry – but it depends on what you’re trying to say with your choice of jewelry. Are you making a bold statement for the world to see? Almost nothing captures attention as much as carnelian stone jewelry, so it’s perfect for when you want to make sure everyone around you stands up and pays attention. Make your statement, stand out from the crowd with the bold, sartorial choice of deep orange or red carnelian jewelry. Or go the Bauble Magpie way and add both to your neck mess.

One of the major drawcards for this stone is the variety of different designs that were used. As carnelian is a hard stone, it is easier to carve than something like quartz or amethyst. Therefore, there are some incredibly detailed designs made into the intaglios we make into carnelian jewelry, with each and every design telling a story from when it was first made.

Okay, so we don’t have exact histories, but what we do have is an imagination. Could your carnelian intaglio been part of a wax seal fob for a well-to-do family, or was it the one and only piece treasured by someone who scrimped and saved for it? Sometimes the design itself is indicative of its story. Or hell, ignore the history altogether and apply your own meaning as you design your carnelian intaglio ring.

We see a lot of floral intaglios in carnelian jewelry, animals and heraldry intaglios.
The heraldic designs in the carnelian jewelry intaglios indicate that carnelian was used in the Georgian times of intaglio carving, when it was likely a family would only have one intaglio wax seal as a privacy tool, sealing closed letters being sent hither and thither by horsed postmen and confirming the identity of the sender for the recipient.

The more whimsical designs in carnelian jewelry came with the advent of Victorian letter writing fads, which aligned with the invention of pastes – a more affordable version of the semi-precious stones. So, that’s where we start to see more of the floral and animal intaglios. Carnelian has stood the test of time, it certainly spans the ages more than bloodstone jewelry.

Carnelian holds more meaning for others, especially those born in July. The bold, colourful stone is the July birthstone, alongside the more traditional, yet equally fiery ruby – which is rarely if ever found in intaglios anymore – so it’s the more approachable choice if looking for intaglios as part of July birthstone jewelry.

In the more spiritual takes on semi-precious stones, carnelian is known as the stone of motivation. Here at Bauble Magpie, we are staunch believers in creating our own meanings when designing our talisman jewelry, so if you don’t vibe with that meaning, then simply disregard it! We do see how the deep, bold and fiery colour can be inspirational, though.

Carnelian jewelry, in Emma’s expert opinion, looks best in yellow gold. We use generous lashings of 14ct or 22ct gold when making carnelian intaglios into your intaglio signet ring or if you prefer your carnelian stone jewelry as an intaglio pendant. Of course, the design is completely up to you – you can also opt for sterling silver or platinum as an alternative, and we can set a wide range of precious stones into the housings too. Your piece is completely your! Check out some of our previous pieces for some design inspo.