Gemstone Facts and Folklore: Green Aventurine
Posted by Michelle Gruben on
Shimmery green Aventurine is a marvelous addition to your crystal collection. Aventurine is a form of microcrystalline Quartz. It doesn't grow into points and clusters like some other types of Quartz, but forms chunks and slabs of opaque crystal. Green Aventurine gets its color and shimmer from small amounts of the mineral Mica. It varies from frosty pale green to a deep, vibrant emerald. (Peach- and orange-colored Aventurine also exist, and are colored by iron oxide.) Most Green Aventurine comes from India.
Because of its beauty, low cost, and moderate hardness, Green Aventurine is a popular stone for carving. Tibetan tradition associates the gemstone with creativity and clarity of vision. The eyes of TIbetan statues are traditionally shaped from Green Aventurine.
I was given my first piece of Aventurine as a child by a carnival fortune-teller. She called it "Adventurine," and told me that carrying it would cause me to have wonderful adventures. As it turns out, Aventurine has a long history as an amulet of good luck and safe travel. The name of the stone comes from the Latin "a ventura", meaning "by chance"--which may refer to the accidental discovery of another sparkle-y mineral, Goldstone, by Italian alchemists.
In folklore, carrying a piece of Aventurine in your left pocket will bring prosperity and protect you from bad luck. Rubbing or looking at the stone calms the mind and soothes difficult emotions. Green Aventurine enhances connection with the natural world, nature spirits, and Fae. It is one of the best all-purpose stones for whatever ails you!
New Age practice links Aventurine with the Heart Chakra. Meditating on the stone is believed to bring feelings of abundance and well-being, along with heart-centered connection to others. Green Aventurine is suitable for love spells, especially if it is a gentle and mature relationship that you desire.
Magickal correspondences for Green Aventurine are a bit more ambiguous. It is not a traditional birthstone--however, some May babies substitute it for the more expensive Emerald. It is variously attached to the star signs of Taurus, Virgo, and Libra. Given its zodiac correspondences, beauty, and sea-green hue, the obvious planetary match for Green Aventurine is Venus. But its association with luck and its elusive sparkle also suggest the influence of Mercury.
However you use it, you're sure to be enchanted with this lovely treasure of the Earth!
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