gemstone
Carnelian (Tumbled Pebble)
Quartz (Variety: Carnelian, SiO2)
Hardness: 7 on the Mohs scale, Color: Orange to reddish-brown, Luster: Vitreous to waxy, Crystal Structure: Trigonal (Microcrystalline quartz/chalcedony), Cleavage: None, Specific Gravity: 2.60-2.65
Identified More gemstone →
Explore Carnelian (Tumbled Pebble) in the encyclopedia →Identify your own rocks.
Get a report just like this from any photo, free.
Physical properties
Hardness: 7 on the Mohs scale, Color: Orange to reddish-brown, Luster: Vitreous to waxy, Crystal Structure: Trigonal (Microcrystalline quartz/chalcedony), Cleavage: None, Specific Gravity: 2.60-2.65
Formation & geological history
Forms in low-temperature hydrothermal environments, volcanic cavities, and sedimentary rocks as silica-rich groundwater deposits microcrystalline quartz, colored by iron oxide impurities.
Uses & applications
Used widely in jewelry, talisman crafting, lapidary arts, and as a popular collector specimen.
Geological facts
Carnelian has been prized since ancient times, notably used in ancient Egypt for signet rings and amulets to guide the dead into the afterlife, and by Roman soldiers who carved them into intaglios.
Field identification & locations
Easily identified by its translucent orange-to-red hue and conchoidal fracture, commonly found in riverbeds, beaches, and gravel deposits worldwide.
More like this
Other gemstone specimens
Diamond and Gold Jewelry
Carbon (Diamond) / Au (Gold)
gemstone
Ammolite
Ammolite (Biogenic Aragonite with trace elements; fossils of Placenticeras meeki and Placenticeras intercalare)
mineral
Cubic Zirconia (simulant) or Diamond
ZrO2 (Cubic Zirconia) or C (Diamond)
gemstone
Red Jasper
Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) with Hematite inclusions
sedimentary
Black Opal Ring (Carved Opal)
Hydrated Silicon Dioxide (SiO2·nH2O)
gemstone
Cubic Zirconia (or possibly Diamond)
Zirconium dioxide (or Carbon)
gemstone