carnelian

Carnelian / Sard
Polished carnelian/sard pebbles. Scale is in millimeters.
General
Category	Chalcedony variety
Chemical formula	Silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2)
Identification
Molar mass	60 g / mol
Color	Reddish-brown
Crystal system	Trigonal
Cleavage	Absent
Fracture	Uneven, splintery, conchoidal
Mohs scale hardness	6 - 7
Luster	Vitreous, dull, greasy, silky
Streak	White
Diaphaneity	Translucent
Specific gravity	2.59 - 2.61
References	[1]

Carnelian (also spelled cornelian) is a reddish-brown mineral which is commonly used as a semi-precious gemstone. Similar to carnelian is sard, which is generally harder and darker. (The difference is not rigidly defined, and the two names are often used interchangeably.) Both carnelian and sard are varieties of the silica mineral chalcedony colored by impurities of iron oxide. The color can vary greatly, ranging from pale orange to an intense almost-black coloration.

History

Carnelian intaglio with a Ptolemaic queen, Hellenistic artwork, Cabinet des Médailles

The bow drill was used to drill holes into carnelian in Mehrgarh between 4th-5th millennium BCE.^[2] Carnelian was recovered from Bronze Age Minoan layers at Knossos on Crete in a form that demonstrated its use in decorative arts;^[3] this use dates to approximately 1800 BC. Carnelian was used widely during Roman times to make engraved gems for signet or seal rings for imprinting a seal with wax on correspondence or other important documents. Hot wax does not stick to Carnelian. ^[4] Sard was used for Assyrian cylinder seals, Egyptian and Phoenician scarabs, and early Greek and Etruscan gems.^[5] The Hebrew odem (translated sardius), the first stone in the High Priest's breastplate, was a red stone, probably sard but perhaps red jasper.^[5]

Necklace with gold beads and carnelian beads, Cypriot artwork with Mycenaean inspiration, ca. 1400–1200 BC. From Enkomi. British Museum

Etymology

The word carnelian is derived from the Latin word caro, carnis meaning flesh, in reference to the flesh color sometimes exhibited.^[6] According to Pliny the Elder, sard derives its name from the city of Sardis in Lydia, but it more likely comes from the Persian word sered, meaning yellowish-red.^[5]

Distinction between carnelian and sard

The names carnelian and sard are often used interchangeably, but they can also be used to describe distinct subvarieties. The general differences are as follows:^[5]

It should be noted that all of these properties vary across a continuum, and so the boundary between carnelian and sard is inevitably blurred.

See also

• Carnelian (color)
• List of minerals
• Sardonyx

References

1. ^ Rudolf Duda and Lubos Rejl: Minerals of the World (Arch Cape Press, 1990)
2. ^ Kulke, Hermann & Rothermund, Dietmar (2004). A History of India. Routledge. 22. ISBN 0415329205.
3. ^ C. Michael Hogan, Knossos fieldnotes, Modern Antiquarian (2007)
4. ^ Section 12 of the translation of Weilue - a 3rd century Chinese text by John Hill under "carnelian" and note 12.12 (17)
5. ^ ^{a b c d}  "Sard". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911. 
6. ^  "Carnelian". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Carnelian

• Mindat article on carnelian
• Mindat article on sard