The mysterious power of gemstones

Most stones used in jewelry are mineral in origin, derived from rocks formed below the earth’s crust. They are distinct from gems of organic, animal or plant origin, such as pearls, amber or coral. Contrary to long-held belief, mineral varieties are not formed in the mines from which they are extracted. They originate from fluid magmas that rose from the depths of the Earth millions of years ago and underwent a process of solidification. Most eruptions date back more than 80 million years, the most recent in Tanzania 3 million years ago.

Strictly speaking, there are four gemstones: diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, which are
renowned for their rarity and purity. Other natural stones classified as “fine” are no less beautiful – it’s simply a matter of taste – and some are even worth more than precious stones.At Lionel Meylan, we love fine stones, which we are happy to offer to those who want custom-made jewelry. Recently selected specimens include a violet-blue tanzanite, whose color is warmer than that of sapphires, and garnets of various hues, including an orange spessartite, known as Fanta, a frog-green tsavorite and a wine-red umbalite. The drop-shaped umbalite comes from the alluvial deposits of the Umba River in Tanzania, and has travelled a long distance over many obstacles, giving it a particular hardness. It is a so-called secondary stone, as opposed to the primaries extracted from the parent rock. Umbalites are transported over greater or lesser distances, depending on their weight, before being deposited in alluvial deposits, or even at river mouths or in the sea. These are known as secondary deposits.

The power of stones
Since time immemorial, in every culture and epoch, stones have been attributed mysterious powers, on the body or the mind. However, the discipline that harnesses them, lithotherapy – a contraction of the Greek words lithos (stone) and therapeia (cure) – only found its name in the second half of the 20th century. It has enjoyed a resurgence of interest since the 1960s and 1970s, when currents of thought such as the New Age emerged.According to lithotherapy, stones are living materials with the ability to transmit their energy via vibrations. We can benefit from them in many different ways, particularly through the jewelry we wear next to our skin, and we distinguish between action and protection stones that enhance physical capacities, and mental stones that stimulate spirituality.
Traditionally, stones are associated with birth months. This custom originated in the Old Testament, with Aaron’s 12 stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel. Subsequently, they were associated with the months of birth and the signs of the zodiac. The first official birthstone calendar dates back to 1752. The one we know today, established by the Jewelers of America Association, dates back to 1912. Wearing a birthstone is said to bring good luck, protection and personal development.Of course, the power of stones is also linked to the symbolism of colors, which, while varying from culture to culture and from era to era, has almost universal characteristics: blue calms and invites reflection, red invigorates and incites action, yellow warms and inspires spirituality, green represents nature and engenders harmony… However, colors have different effects from one person to another. So how do you choose the right jewel to match your inner self? By trusting your intuition!

Garnet

Garnets are most often red, but can also be green, orange, violet or blue. The latter, extremely rare, were discovered in the 1990s. Fabergé, jeweler to the Russian imperial family, created manyjewels adorned with green garnets, gems nicknamed “Ural emeralds”.

Tanzanite

Dubbed the “gem of the 20th century”, tanzanite, which ranges from ultramarine to sapphire blue, was discovered by chance in 1967 by a Maasai at the foot of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. For the time being, it is found only in this area and in limited quantities – deposits are expected to be exhausted in around twenty years’ time. The most famous tanzanite is the “Queen of Kilimanjaro”. It weighs 242 carats and, together with 803 tsavorites and 913 diamonds, adorns a tiara in the private collection of Michael Scott, Apple’s first CEO.