The following tables have been arranged so you can look up a stone either by a specific need you have, such as health, or you can see what a specific stone represents. There's also a bit of historic lore about stones, as they pertain to childbirth.
Many gemstones were believed to aid in childbirth, which was always a great risk to women in history. The Natives of Brazil prized amulets of Amazon Stones (jadeite), which were worn around the neck. And believe it or not, but an emerald tied around your thigh would hasten labor along. Afterwards, you could hang it around your little person's neck to protect them from epileptic convulsions or even the falling sickness. Don't fear if you can't afford the emerald, an onyx will serve the same purpose.
Once a woman got past the dangerous part of childbirth, she had to worry about adequately feeding the new baby. Some powdered rock crystal, mixed with a bit of honey, would help her nurse. Bavarian women wore necklaces or rings of malachite. According to Kunz, these were still being used at the turn of the twentieth century. Gypsies, or wandering student salesmen, sold such amulets during the seventeenth century. An even longer lasting tradition appears in some parts of Italy, where nursing mothers wore stands of milky-white chalcedony to increase their production of milk. Archaeologists have found white steatite beads in the same area, dating back to the Iron Age.
Originally
composed 13 June, 1996.
This
page last updated and revised 28 July, 2000.
Copyright
Laurel Reufner, 1996. Comments? Email me!