Carnelian

Protects against illness. Aids in the birth process. Symbol of joy and peace. Gives ambition, motivation, and direction. Brings confidence in voice and speaking. Promotes courage. Generally grounding. Used to activate energy of other stones. Balancing for buzzy fast moving people and energizing for those who take life at a slower pace. Helps all issues of self esteem. Carnelian Agate connects us with the Earth and the Universe. This stone is most effective on the Navel or Sacral Chakra but also works well on the Base Chakra, the Solar Plexus Chakra, and the Heart Chakra. This gemstone helps you find your place in the world. It is a stone of protection and guards you against envy, fear, and rage as well. Carnelian brings inspiration to you from the spiritual world. It helps you feel energy coming into you and helps you deal with sorrow when it is present. Carnelian is an excellent stone to use to cleanse other stones. In combination with Chlorite and Ruby Crystals, it will eliminate psychic attack and also free an area of spirits still bound to the earth. These three gemstones can be used in a grid to protect you and your environment from a return of those negative energies. Use red or brown for root chakra and grounding and orange shades for sacral center. Helps you to be comfortable with your surroundings and to get in touch with the healing properties of earth and clay.

A dull gemstone is not eye catching. Striking, vivid colors quickly catch the eye and raise the value of a gemstone. Australian Opals, with great fire, are costly, primarily because of their appealing colors. Even if the color of a mineral is vivid, it is still more valuable than a dull gemstone.

Minerals that have transparency provide a certain amount of clarity within the gemstone. The greater the clarity, the greater its value. Where a mineral has transparency there is the ability of seeing the crystalline structure, color, inclusions, phantoms etc that the crystal possesses. The greater the transparency, the more you can see, the more appealing it becomes, the greater its value.

Due to the stable chemical structure of minerals, luster is rarely a factor in mineral value, since the same type of minerals exhibit similar levels of luster. There are a few cases where a gemstone naturally exhibits a more impressive luster than other minerals of its kind. These exceptions give the gemstone a greater value.

Well-formed or unique crystals will raise the value of the gemstone, especially of large crystals. Nearly all natural crystals are deformed, some more than others. The larger a crystal, the more likely it is to be deformed.

Small, well formed, beautiful, gemstones are easier to find. Larger gemstones with similar properties are more expensive, because of their size. Fairly large gemstones, even of common minerals, will usually be of a higher value.

Gemstones of a mineral that are intrinsically different from normal gemstones of the mineral fall under this category. Properties such as abnormal color, pseudomorphs, twinning, and odd crystals give a gemstone extra value.

Crystals in a matrix are definitely more valuable than similar "freestanding" crystals. A matrix shows the original uniqueness of the mineral. Crystals in a matrix should always be selected over freestanding crystals.

Some minerals are not be considered attractive, but demand a high price because of their content, such as gold or silver.

Obviously, rare minerals are more costly than more common ones. Extremely rare minerals have a great value, even if they look ugly. The opposite is also true. Fairly common minerals, even if nicely colored and well formed have little value because of their commonness (unless they are exceptional).

Then there is always a spot for the exceptional gemstones. Gemstones that are magnificent, are always more valuable.