Aventurine: meaning, properties and lore

The mineral

Aventurine is a compact variety of quartz, with the chemical formula SiO2. The inclusions are usually muscovite mica, though they may also be hematite or goethite. Aventurine is described as quartz bespangled with scales of mica, hematite or other mineral.¹²

Aventurine has a Mohs hardness of 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, which places it among the harder ornamental materials. Its refractive index is 1.54 to 1.55 and its specific gravity is 2.63 to 2.65. Aventurine gemstones are generally natural and are not enhanced or treated.¹²

The green colour of aventurine is most often caused by fuchsite, a chromium-rich variety of muscovite. The stone can also occur in gray, orange and brown, although colours other than green are uncommon. The shimmer, called aventurescence, depends on the size and density of the inclusions.¹

Aventurine is found in several countries, with sources listed in India, Brazil, Austria, Russia and Tanzania. In Texas it is recorded in the Quitman Mountains of El Paso County and among the minerals of the Trans-Pecos Region.¹²

Aventurine is used as a minor jewelry stone, cut as cabochons or beads for necklaces and bracelets. It is also carved into bookends and aquarium stones.¹

History and lore

The name aventurine, as applied to glazes, came from its similarity to quartz and feldspar spangled with scales of mica, hematite or goethite. Delametherie's Théorie de la Terre (1797, vol. II) described aventurine feldspars as heliolithe. R. Jameson's A System of Mineralogy (1820) mentioned aventurine feldspars from the White Sea and Archangel.³⁴

Isaac Lea made microscopic examinations of sunstones and described the reflecting inclusions, which were considered goethite. J. W. Judd considered the inclusions in aventurine feldspar to be negative crystals filled with decomposition products. K. G. Fiedler discovered the first described locality of sunstone near Werchne-Ufaleisk (Verkhneuralsk), Siberia.⁴

Wohler produced glazes with a similar appearance in 1889. Wartha obtained an aventurine effect by first applying an engobe of iron or uranium oxide and then covering it with a borax glaze. Stull recommended applying metallic oxides to the body and covering them with a boric acid glaze to develop aventurine glazes.³⁵

Mackler found that adding 35 parts of iron oxide to 100 parts of a cone 09 glaze gave an aventurine effect, but the colour was too dark, so he tried 20 per cent finely ground metallic iron. Mellor stated that aventurine glazes are more easily obtained on red tile than on white tile. Zimmer stated that aventurine glazes require a continuously oxidizing fire.³⁵

Lathrop's 1922 University of Illinois thesis reported that crystal formation depends on slow cooling of the glaze. Stull advised using vitrified bodies biscuited at a temperature two or three cones higher than that of the glaze for aventurine glazes.³⁵

Birthstone, zodiac and chakra links

Aventurine is associated with the modern modern modern zodiac sign Taurus and the modern modern modern planetary Venus, a link that crystal practitioners make and that is modern. Aventurine is associated with the numerical vibration 3 in practitioner numerology.

Modern crystal practitioners link blue aventurine with the Third Eye and Throat Chakras and yellow aventurine with the Sacral and Solar Plexus Chakras. Practitioners say the stone is connected to the Earth element.

What crystal practitioners say

Crystal practitioners regard aventurine as the stone of luck that fosters abundance and calms emotions. Believers hold that aventurine attracts opportunities and good fortune, and it is useful for manifesting abundance. Aventurine is known in this practice as the Stone of Opportunity, associated with prosperity and luck. Advocates describe it as the luckiest of all crystals, especially for a settled, generous relationship to prosperity and wealth.

Practitioners regard aventurine as a stone of prosperity that is believed to reinforce leadership qualities and decisiveness. Aventurine is believed to stabilise the mind, stimulate perception and enhance creativity. Contemporary currents call aventurine the stone of optimism, said to encourage joy and a clearer state of mind. Practitioners say its calm energy eases emotional stress and enhances patience.

Practitioners say aventurine is bonded to the Heart Chakra and enhances optimism and emotional well-being. Blue aventurine is associated with overcoming addictions and encouraging personal responsibility when facing challenges. Yellow aventurine is believed to encourage personal power, self-confidence, abundance and prosperity. Aventurine is said to calm anger and irritation and promote emotional recovery.

Modern approaches regard aventurine as a shield against emissions from mobile phones and electronic devices. Aventurine is said to absorb electromagnetic smog and protect against environmental pollution. Carrying aventurine in the left pocket is recommended for luck and opportunity.

Practitioners recommend cleansing aventurine by smudging with sage or rinsing it under running water, then charging it in sunlight or moonlight. Dry cleansing methods such as moonlight, sound or visualisation can be used to cleanse aventurine energetically. Aventurine can be recharged in morning sunlight or among living plants. Aventurine is paired with citrine, pyrite and jade in prosperity grids.

Green aventurine is believed to help neutralise electromagnetic pollution and settle nausea. Practitioners give Mercury (Budha) and Venus (Shukra) as the planets green aventurine resonates with in the Vedic tradition.

What testing has found

Edzard Ernst, in his review of 150 complementary and alternative treatments, found no rigorous trials that tested whether crystal healing has any therapeutic value. In his account, no scientific proof exists that crystal healing produces any effect beyond placebo.⁶

In 2001, British psychologist Christopher French asked 80 volunteers to distinguish genuine crystals from imitations after holding them and meditating. Those who held fake crystals reported impressions similar to those who held real ones, a result that points to a possible placebo effect.⁶

Ernst states that pleasant feelings from crystal healing can be attributed to the strong placebo effect and to cognitive bias among believers. Jarry explains that scientists remove placebo effects from interventions in well-designed clinical trials to determine whether they have a specific benefit. Jarry argues that alternative medicine's reputation benefits from non-specific placebo effects and from people who publicly testify to improvement after using crystals.⁶