Chalcedony

What is chalcedony?
Chalcedony and its named varieties are well represented in various birthstone charts and can be found for all the months except for January, April, and November. It is also listed as a birthstone for all the Zodiac signs with the exceptions of Taurus, Cancer, Scorpio and Sagittarius.

In jewelry usage, the name Chalcedony is usually given only to the light blue, translucent and waxy forms of gems. Stone that are not light blue or waxy, but are also found in this group, include:

• Agate
• Jasper
• Petrified Wood
• Bloodstone
• Petrified Dinosaur Bone
• Fire Agate
• Tiger's Eye
• Chrysocolla
• Chrysoprase
• Onyx
• Sardonyx
• Carnelian

Chalcedony gems are found in almost every color including: white, gray, black, brown, brownish red, orange, yellow, light to dark green, blue, lavender or, in the case of agates and jaspers, combinations of those colors. The term chalcedony is derived from the name of the ancient Greek town Chalkedon in Asia Minor.


Where is chalcedony found?
Chalcedony is found everywhere in the world. However, as mentioned above, its name was derived from the Greek town of Chalkedon. It's name, though named for the town, is actually the name for a group of stones made of a microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz, which means the quartz crystals are too small to be seen without high magnification.

The Mystic Chalcedony

Native American Indians believed chalcedony was a sacred stone and used it frequently in the spiritual ceremonies of the tribe. It is also thought to increase vitality, stamina, and endurance and to promote emotional balance and charity while relieving melancholy, fever, gallstones, and eye problems.