This is the fourth part of our article by leading astrologer Uma Shankar Shukla. It concludes our examination of the character of some of the main semi-precious gemstones:

Amber

Amber is a fossil resin with a chemical combination close to C10H16O, containing some Hydrogen sulfide. It is most commonly brown or yellow, but may also be green, or reddish or close to white. It commonly displays a bluish-white fluorescence under long-wave ultraviolet light, where it begins to look green.

Amber is associated with magical and healing powers. It is an organic mineral, not unlike pearl or coral, since amber derives from the pine trees of the Oligocene period, notably from pinus succinifera. The major sources of Amber are in the Kalingrad area of the USSR, as well as the Baltic coast, the east coast of England, Burma, Sicily and Romania.

Amber is used to symbolise power, command and authority. It indicates that rewards come through the productive intellect and the harvest of creative faculties. Wearing amber, either as a stone or as a string of beads, brings victory despite competition and opposition. It counteracts the dangers of loss through law.

Garnet & Gomed

Garnet is the better known name of the mineral Grossular, occurring as a cubic silicate of the Garnet group. Its varying colours give it the different names of almadine, andradite, grossular, pyrope, spessartine and uvarovite.

Gomed is also known as Hessonite or Cinnamon Stone, on account of its colour. It differs from the Garnet in that it does not have a maroon tinge, but borders more on dark brown with tinges of honey gold. There is a cheaper variety in shades of a reddish black, but those stones are not suitable for astrological purposes. The Gomed is found in sedimentary deposits of Ceylon and India and in particular from Patna, Mysore and Gaya. It is the birthstone of people born under the sign of Aquarius and Capricorn and is the birthstone of those born in the month of January.

The stone has the effect of preventing a person from suffering from the harmful effects of Saturn during the seven and a half year period that usually afflicts a person in the star chart and differs from the sapphire in that it is worn to mitigate the effect of Saturn and not to strengthen it. A gomed or garnet should be at least 6 carats in weight and worn preferably in silver on the middle finger of the right hand.

Aquamarine

A gem that belongs to the beryl family, aquamarine is mined as granite pegmatite, biotite schist, and hydrothermal veins. Examples are found in hexagonal systems as prismatic crystals, sometimes with vertical stripes and striations and have a light blue or green colour. While they are mined along with emeralds and in many ways belong to the same family, they differ in their astrological use.

Wearing of an Aquamarine tends to bring out the spiritual path in one's life with a growth in intuition and sensitivity and as a result a quieter life with lofty ambitions. Its bluish green rays bring out strong and unmistakable psychic ties and makes one develop the gift of powerful telepathic communication.
Lapis Lazuli
Lapis Lazuli is a mineral known as Lazurite, a silicate of the feldspathoid group. Lazurite crystallizes to a deep and magnificent blue that is opaque with a touch of greenish blue. It has a dull lustre and occurs in limestone as a mineral of contact metamorphism with calcite and pyrite.

The best known varieties of Lapis Lazuli come from the Kokcha river valley, Badakshan, Afghanistan, the Andes of Chile, California etc.. Used in the inlay work of the Taj and of mosques all over the Middle East, it has been used as a stone worn along with the turquoise as a birthstone for those born in the month of December.

Wearing a lapis makes the wearer full of determination to see their tasks through to the end, fearless, courageous and good warriors. It ensures triumph over enemies and the power to see through any mask or deception. It was known to protect one from enemies and help protect the faith, as obstacles to the implementation of one.s agenda come to an end.

Zircon

Zircon is a gem that is found naturally mined as an accessory mineral in igneous rocks and also in some metamorphic rocks. Also found in some sedimentary deposits as a detrital mineral, the best zircons come from Thailand, Sri Lanka in the metamict varieties, the red varieties from Expailly St. Marcel, France, Burma, Australia, St. Peters Dome, El Paso, Colorado and others. Its chemical formula is Zr Si O4. Zircon is often mistaken for an American diamond, however while the latter is an artificially synthesized YAG, created by man in laboratories, the Zircon is mined. It is one of nature's greatest gifts as a substitute for the costly diamond; for astrological purposes, zircon works like it as well.

Symbolic of the planet Venus, it prevents the outbreak of irritation or worries in your surroundings, bringing order and calm to one's life. It is symbolic of success in marital relations and is often recommended to end strains in relationships and the growth in one's status in government and society. The heat sensitivity of a Zircon is rather low and when making jewellery, the stone should be removed or set afterwards, as it is liable to crack if exposed to a flame.

Rose Quartz

Quartz is one of the most commonly occurring minerals. It crystallizes in the hexagonal system, so it naturally has six sides. The atoms of silica are found arranged helically along the axis of reference. Crystals are described as being right-handed and left-handed. If a crystal is right-handed, there is a trigonal pyramid in the upper right corner of the prism face and all striations slope on the right. Light travels through quartz parallel to its axis and as a result one sees bands of light in quartz from left to right. When subjected to mechanical stress, quartz develops electric charges.

The rose quartz is the pink variety of quartz, though they are found in other colours as well including amethyst, citrine(yellow), smoky brown or black carnelian (red or brown), Moss agate and chalcedony, flint and jasper, all of which belong to the same family as quartz. Low in heat sensitivity, rose quartz is one of the fine quartzes that form over 27% of the earth's oxides and hydroxides. It is found in the area of Rio Grande de Norte at the Alto Feio, in the Malagasy Republic and in India.

Rose quartz is worn for astrological purposes to bring about security, strength and roots in things as trivial as mortgages and loans to the more serious aspects of relationships. It allows your dimensions and views to be expanded and promises transparency in dealings.

Quartz Crystal (Rock Crystal)

This mineral is perhaps the best known of them all, as its favourite use lies in tableware, vases and jewellery -- and even fortune telling in the form of a crystal ball! The most popular crystal mined for these purposes is one from the sulfate family, better known as gypsum. Gypsum or Ca SO4.2H2O crystallizes in the monoclinic system as tabular flat crystals or in extreme cases as granular masses with perfect cleavage -- meaning the stone splits into two quite comfortably while cutting and polishing. Better known for its white quality, it also appears as colourless, green, yellowish or brownish with a green fluorescence under ultraviolet light.

Crystals are found in sedimentary deposits in saline lakes and in volcanic deposits. The best known varieties are found in the London area, Sussex and Kent, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Chihuahua, Mexico, Chile, France, USSR, Australia and others. Crystals are known to have tremendous healing and curative powers. They are used to protect one from frequently falling ill. Crystal can be worn as a pencil-shaped pendant around the neck or kept in the house in a spot where there is prominent exposure to sunshine.