Since ancient times, certain gemstones and precious metals have been ascribed properties that range from the ability to promote spiritual healing to the ability to open up one’s heart. People all over the world collect stones and crystals and use them to release mental, spiritual, and sometimes physical blockages within themselves. In fact, it is for these reasons that gemstones started to be incorporated into jewelry in the first place.

Whether you or your loved ones believe in these spiritual practices or not, a jewelry gift featuring a stone imbibed with spiritual significance would be an excellent choice this holiday season, as a piece could be treasured not just for its beautiful appearance, but also for its deeper meaning.

To help you find a gift that would be incredibly meaningful for yourself or for your loved ones, we’ve put together some gemstones that are commonly used in jewelry and we explore the spiritual significance of each stone and metal.

Amethyst
Previously believed to keep the wearer from getting drunk and cleansing them of toxins, this gemstone is now commonly associated with cleansing the body and soul of negative energy. Amethyst, with its calming purple hue, is a “stress reliever,” of sorts, as it is said that the wearer just needs to press the stone against their skin to calm their senses.

Aquamarine

Associated with the life-giving source of water, the greenish-blue Aquamarine is also thought to “wash away” stress and fear. Sometimes called the “courage stone,” this gemstone is said to have the ability to remove doubt and negative energy and to influence the growth of self-respect and inner peace. Because of its connection to water, it is also rumoured to increase psychic power.

Carnelian

Carnelian is a very high-energy stone. Thought to inspire creativity, self-confidence, focus, and movement, this is the best stone to gift to the creative in your life who has been having trouble manifesting their vision into reality. Its bright orange color is sure to bring vibrancy and vitality to any jewelry wardrobe, but its vibration-spiking spiritual properties would be especially valuable to those who’ve been stuck in a rut.

Citrine

Commonly associated with the concept of sunshine, and especially sunrise, citrine is said to bring prosperity and self-confidence to its wearer. Mostly symbolic of new beginnings, especially in business and relationships, this gorgeous sunshine-yellow gemstone would make an excellent gift around the holidays as a way to usher in a prosperous new year.

Emerald

Unsurprisingly, this vibrant green gemstone symbolizes prosperity and abundance, in addition to balance, wisdom, and maturity. Emerald’s color, which refreshes the eyes and is said to revitalize the body, would make a beautiful statement-making piece in a loved one’s jewelry wardrobe.

Garnet

Found in brownish-black to vibrant red colors, the garnet is a gemstone that is particularly well-known for its healing properties, especially among the Chinese. It is said to clear energy blockages and to influence the wearer to abandon unhealthy mental patterns. Its blood red hue imbues it with intense passion, but it also represents faith and truth—a wonderful gift for a significant other to rejuvenate the relationship and ensure a warm holiday season together.

Jade

Like the green of the emerald, the unique green of jade is said to bring prosperity and abundance to its wearer. It’s the stone of good luck and spiritual guidance, as indicated by its nickname, “the Jewel of Heaven.” Thought to symbolize peace and mental purity, this stone also enhances psychic ability and concentration. This is the gemstone to give the young professional in your life who would benefit from a little extra luck.

Lapis Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli is thought to increase one’s spiritual potential. Its appearance—the dreamy blue-black of a sky speckled with white stars and the veins of galaxies—connects it to the spiritual world, and so this stone is said to bring enlightenment and develop wisdom, intuition, and meditation in the wearer. As a stone meant to enhance spiritual awakenings, this is a good gift for the loved one who meditates every day and leaves space for new beginnings in their life.

Peridot

Another green gemstone that brings prosperity and wealth to the wearer, peridot is also said to remove feelings of jealousy, anger, and stress. This bright green stone replaces those toxic feelings with ones that encourage personal freedom and self expression, as well as ones that help heal damaged relationships and hurt egos. For the superstitious person in your life, this would make a good present, as it is also said to ward off evil.

Rose Quartz

The stone of unconditional love, as rose quartz is sometimes called, certainly looks the part with its sweet, light pink hue. This gemstone clears the wearer of fear and resentment and instead fills them with feelings of happiness, forgiveness, and peace. This would be excellent for someone who’s been unlucky in love, as rose quartz is said to invite love into the wearer’s life.

Ruby

Like the garnet, the ruby is said to have great healing abilities, especially relating to blood flow and the heart. This stone is also important to the Chinese culture, as it is believed to help decision-making and improve family matters by improving the wearer’s self-esteem and ability to negotiate. Red is also a color of good luck, passion, and creativity—perfect for a loved one with significant business ventures on the horizon.

Sapphire

The deep, calming blue of this gemstone perfectly reflects its spiritual meaning: sapphire is thought to stimulate thoughts of peace and beauty while eliminating negative energy. Thought to inspire truth and promote a positive attitude towards life, this stone would be a valuable addition to anyone’s jewelry collection.

Topaz

Like the other gold and yellow gemstones, topaz is an energizing crystal with the ability to stimulate mental clarity and wisdom. This stone is also thought to ward off mental exhaustion and help heal traumas. This stone would make an excellent present for someone who’s had a tough year; perhaps it can inspire and rejuvenate them for the new year ahead!

Turquoise

This stone is, for some cultures, the bridge between heaven and earth, sea and sky. Thought to protect and align the chakras, turquoise strengthens the mind and body, improving one’s mental condition, circulation, and meditation ability. This gemstone fosters open communication in relationships and encourages self-expression and spirituality. For the very spiritual person in your life, a piece of turquoise jewelry would make an especially powerful gift this holiday season.

According to Chinese culture, if your soul feels like it needs a little healing, you should reach for some jade. This brilliant gemstone holds a lot of cultural weight: said to bring its wearer happiness, health and good fortune, jade also used to be used as a symbol of class and wealth, for good reason. Real jade can be pricey, especially if it’s jadeite, the rarer, more valuable form of jade. Jadeite is one of the two mineral species that can be classified as jade: the other is nephrite, a much more common and less valuable mineral.

The irony about jade acting as an important facet of Chinese tradition is that the highest-quality jade isn’t even found in China. While nephrite can be found in mineral deposits in various parts of the world, including both American coasts, Southeast Asia, New Zealand and Western Europe, jadeite can only be mined in 10 places: California; Myanmar; New Zealand; Guatemala; Itoigawa, Japan; Kazakhstan; Russia; British Columbia, Canada; Italy and Turkestan. Jade that comes from outside these places is probably nephrite. Naturally, because of discrepancies in origins, jadeite and nephrite also have very different chemical makeups, which change how the minerals react to processing and handling.

When it comes to shopping for jade, especially if you are in the market for something finer and more durable, the differences between these two minerals are crucial and can affect the price and quality of the product. The following are some tips and tricks that can help you discern between jadeite and nephrite.

Color

Jadeite’s rarity is not the only factor behind its high price point: this mineral also occurs in rich and varied hues of different levels of clarity. Unlike nephrite, which typically only grows within a short spectrum of different shades of darker green, white, and sometimes black, jadeite can be found in pure emerald greens, lavender, red, orange, yellow, blue, brown, white, black, and gray. Of course, the most prized color of jadeite is a specific shade of green: “imperial jade” is the moniker given to the rare kind of jadeite that is semi-translucent and gives off a vibrant emerald green color. Other valuable types of green jadeite include “apple green jade”, “kingfisher jade”, and “moss-in-snow jade”. Because of its chemical makeup, jadeite can also take higher gloss polish, which can bring out the transparency of the stone, making it more valuable.

Hardness

           

While jadeite and nephrite are very close on the Mohs scale of hardness, jadeite is still harder, ringing in between 6.5 and 7. Nephrite comes in between 6 to 6.5 on the scale, which is still relatively hard, but at this level, the mineral can still be susceptible to scratches from non-abrasive material. You can perform a scratch test on your jade to differentiate between jadeite and nephrite, but be very careful as this might damage the product. Find a part of the stone that won’t be handled or seen much, like the bottom of a carving. Stay away from weathering surfaces—areas that will often be touched or be exposed to corrosives like sunlight or water—as these will be softer and easier to damage. Using the blunt edge of scissors or a small knife, gently press a small line into the stone. If the scratch makes a small white line, gently wipe it off, since it might just be residue from the metal of the tool you’re using. If the indentation is still there after you wipe it off, you probably have nephrite, or worse, fake jade.

Further Inspection

If these tests don’t yield decisive results, don’t despair. It’s actually incredibly difficult to ascertain whether a product is made of pure jadeite. Even professional appraisers and jewelers can only be about 80% sure that a jade product is purely one mineral or the other. As such, to be completely certain, you should send your stone to a laboratory. They will send the product back to you with a jade certification detailing exactly which minerals out of which it is composed. Making sure that the lab you send your product to is legitimate is definitely top priority in this case, so we recommend going through accredited gemological foundations to find a trustworthy place. The International Gemological Institution and the Gemological Institution of America, for example, both offer reliable gem analysis services.

Obsessed with jade? Check out this story about rare jade and diamond bracelets!