Venice enchants. Ornate palazzos float in unreality as mist rises from the Grand Canal. My gondola meanders between crumbling walls. Water gates slide by as I wonder what lies beyond. This city, like gems, pearls and all things beautiful, fascinates and seems imbued with magic.

The ancients ascribed protection, healing and good fortune to various gems. "My Magic of Gems" section gives detailed information for those of you who wish to learn more about these wonderful stones.

Designer Lilia Cardinali

Learn more about the magic of gems

Healing with Gemstones

Amulets and Talismans

Historical Uses of Gemstones

Zodiac Stones

Jewelry Care

Amulets and Talismans

Amulets

Primitive men felt awed by the heavens, and gemstones were believed to embody the power of the planets and stars. In their attempt to control their environment - - - health, personal safety, success in war or in the hunt, abundance in food, water and fertility, the vagaries of weather- - - ancient civilizations assigned magical qualities to gemstones, thus making them into natural amulets. Many had natural shapes like hearts, eyes, or other organs and thus were associated with protection for these parts.

Talismans

"Talisman" has a Greek root meaning to consecrate. Manmade amulets carved into a special shape or incised with symbols to concentrate the stone’s power became talismans. Double potency is achieved when a stone is engraved with a symbol or figure of sacredness. Animal forms of all kinds are used to confer the attributes of the animal on the wearer. Talismans were also used to divine the future. One of the earliest examples of this is dice, carved in bone, stone or ivory.

Symbols		What they mean
A
	Acorn	signified immortality.
	Anemones	stand for youth, beauty, love and transitions.
	An Angel	is a messenger and offers protection.
B
	Bamboo	stands for virtue and mercy. Rosemary brought fertility and longevity.
	A Bee	brings plenty, fertility, wisdom, happiness, and is a sacred symbol of Venus.
	Blue	brings harmony and joy.
	A Butterfly	stands for joy, longevity, transformation, and rebirth.
C
	Carnations	bring love and compassion.
	A Carp	meant fortitude, strength, tenacity, and success
	Chariot	personified the dawn goddess, Eos, sister of the sun god Helios and moon goddess Selene, who was envisioned traversing the sky in a chariot. In Greek mythology the chariot symbolized new beginnings.
	Circle symbol	signifies eternity. In Buddhism, the circle symbolized the shape of heaven. In Native American beliefs it stands for the cycles of life encompassing spirit, body, emotions, mind and relationships to all aspects of life.
	Clouds	represent feminine sexuality, while maleness is symbolized by rain. They are associated with fertility and abundance.
	A Column	in the architecture of early civilizations, was carved to resemble a bundle of reeds and associated with the sun, authority, grandeur and order.
	The Cross	is the oldest amulet, and was used among ancients to symbolize the four cardinal points (North, South, East and West), the four seasons, and the four quarters of heaven and was probably an early attempt to influence weather. The Maltese or Greek cross has arms of equal size, and symbolized heaven, riches, long life, prosperity and creative power. The Roman cross, with longer vertical arms and shorter horizontal ones, represented piety, Christian values, and protection against evil.
	Crossroads	symbolize opportunity, change, choice and transformation.
	Cupid	represents love and desire.
	Cylinder Seals	or engraved seals worn as a ring or worn around the neck like intaglios provided a security system to seal and insure documents when rolled in wet clay or wax. Usually they were carved with mythological subjects or the names of gods or the wearer, and worn by many cultures, including Assyrio-Babylonian and Egyptian, to protect the owner and bring luck.
D
	Dew	promotes longevity.
	The Dove	was the sacred bird of Venus, symbolized love, peace, Holy Spirit, fidelity and purity.
E
	Eye	shaped stones, inscriptions, and drawings protected against the evil eye.
F
	Feathers	represent truth, wealth and prosperity.
	A Fish	stands for fertility, plenty, good luck, and prosperity.
	Flowers	represent an offering of love and devotion.
	The Fleur de Lis	is a stylized form of the Iris flower and was associated with the Egyptian goddess Isis and French royalty. It brought fertility, wisdom, happiness, and prosperity.
	A Frog	helps one reconcile enemies, promotes friendship, is cleansing, and brings happiness.
	Fruit	usually symbolized by grapes, signifies abundance.
G
	Gourds	are emblems of peaceful immortality and symbolize the union of heaven and earth. They have been carried as talismans by the Greeks, Maya, and Japanese.
	Grapes	mean abundance.
H
	Hare	is associated with the moon, intuition, magic, enchantment, wisdom and fertility.
	Heart symbol	in ancient Egypt was believed to contain the soul, and site of emotions, especially love and desire. In China it is thought to be the source of intelligence where the spirit resides. It signifies the ultimate emotion.
	A Horn	represented riches, prosperity, virility and sexual attraction, protection from the evil eye, and inexhaustible abundance, seen in today’s Horn of Plenty or cornucopia. It is also one of the earliest symbols associated with the Feminine goddess figure. The Roman, Greek and Egyptian goddess Isis was usually portrayed with a cornucopia in one hand and a rudder in the other.
L
	A Lantern	symbolizes wisdom, knowledge, light, truth, and virtue.
	Leaves	represent victory, wealth, and peace (especially the olive leaf). Ash leaves protect against the evil eye and bring love. Bay laurel protects. Birch leaves cleanse. Elder leaves protect. Ivy stands for resurrection. Willow leaves mean friendship and spring.
	A Lily	symbolizes purity, chastity and dispelled grief.
	A Lion	protects against poisons, cures fever, and brings good health, riches, and success.
	The Lion of St. Mark	are four winged creatures that appeared to the prophet Ezekiel, was taken as the sign of St. Mark the Evangelist. In placing herself under this saint’s protection, Venice adopted his symbol for her emblem. One sees lions everywhere in Venice in a thousand interpretations. This symbol stands for power and protection.
	A Lotus Flower	stands for light, purity, and rejuvenation. It signified high consciousness, good luck, success, and protection against evil.
M
	The Marquise Shape	is a variation of the rhombus or diamond-shaped figure and represents good fortune and victory.
	Mars	the planet often represented by the mythical god, brought success in battle, valor, justice, strength, power over enemies.
	The Moon	improved intuition, insured smooth sailing, and brought wisdom.
	A Moth	represents idealism and rebirth.
P
	A Palm	symbolizes everlasting life in Assyrian art. The fronds are a classical symbol of victory.
	Peonies	meant good fortune, love and riches.
	Pillars	were originally modeled after bundles of reeds and signified support of heaven and the Gods and luck in love.
	Plums	brought good fortune and longevity.
	A Pomegranate	signifies passion, fertility and plentitude.
R
	Rain	stands for renewal, rebirth, regeneration, fertility.
	Rainbows	in pre-classical Greece honored Iris, mistress of the rainbow veils of perceptible reality, and mother Goddess. It was thought that all things were based on the rainbow because close inspection of skin, hair, plant material or stones in strong sunlight would reveal millions of tiny rainbows. Gems and crystal were admired as Goddess essence because of their rainbow iridescence. The rainbow in the sky was seen as a bridge uniting heaven and earth, or male and female principles.
	Rhombus	or diamond shaped figure is said to bring good fortune and victory.
	A Rose	sacred flower of Venus, symbolizes love.
S
	A Scallop	shell denotes devotion, regeneration and rebirth, especially from water.
	A Scarab	in ancient Egypt it represented fatherhood and good fortune. To Romans it imparted great courage and vigor, protection against evil and brings eternal life.
	Sea Goddess	legend is an oft-repeated theme in my Water Spirit series. Each year in a ceremony dating to the earliest days of the Venetian Republic, the Doge, or ruling nobleman, married the sea in an annual ceremony on Ascension Day.
	Seahorses	were believed to be the embodiment of the Germanic nixie or the Greek Nereid or undine, female spirits of rivers, springs, pools, lakes and oceans, a sort of demoted goddess of nature. They were also believed to be attendants of Neptune or Poseidon, the Sea God.
	A Serpent	ensures long and happy life, love and prosperity.
	A Shell	with spiral like nautilus or snail meant origin of existence or immortality.
	A Shield	symbolizes protection and deliverance. It is also the one essential part of a heraldic coat of arms and was associated with nobility. Shield shapes are sculpted in plaster or stone near the entrances of many Venetian palazzos denoting the nobility of the owner.
	A Snake	represents wisdom and sexuality, eternal life and infinity when the tail was places in the mouth.
	A Spider	brings good luck, wealth, and protection against enemies.
	Square	shape symbolizes the earth, matter, and stability.
	A Star	is a symbol of hope, balance, spiritual enlightenment, and general protection.
	Star Shape	or the five pointed prototypes found in nature like five-pedaled flowers or the starfish was a sacred symbol of protection. Ancients regarded stars as living entities; sometimes as heavenly angels.
	The Sun	is associated with money, hope, health, prosperity, success, and fame.
T
	Teardrop Shape	is associated with rain and dew, which symbolize fertility and immortality.
	The Tree of Life	stood for the connectivity of all life forms, force, and consciousness.
	The triple spirals or rings	also invoke the three fates in several ancient traditions, a feminine symbol. Many mystical meanings are assigned to the triple ring: perfection in thought, word, and deed; or love, power and wisdom. From the Greek triad of body, mind, and shadow (shade or ghost) came the primitive Christian body, mind and spirit, and in this sense, represents wholeness.
	A Turtle	means strength, endurance, longevity, and wisdom.
U
	An Urn	means resurrection, harmony, balance and immortality.
V
	Venus	the planet, ten represented by the mythical goddess, brought love, friendship, kindness, and pleasure.
	Vines	represent tenacity and loyalty.

When I went to Venice, my dreams became my reality...
-Marcel Proust

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