Gemstones in the Bible

Did you know that many of the gemstones used in our jewelry creations are mentioned in the Bible?  It is fascinating to know that all these beautiful gems are a part of God's beautiful creation.  Amethyst, onyx, sapphire (lapis lazuli) and many more.

In Exodus, chapter 28 God tells Moses to make the High Priest's breastpiece for Aaron, and to use specific precious stones in it.  In Revelation, chapter 21, John mentions 12 stones that adorn the foundation of the New Jerusalem.  There is more, of course, but I am planning on a series of blog posts that will go thru each stone mentioned in God's Word.

Today I am going to post on Amethyst and where exactly it is mentioned in The Word. 

Amethyst is a variety of quartz that is best know for it's rich, violet-purple hue.  The color can vary in intensity from a pale, almost pinkish (mauve) color to a dark purplish violet.

Amethyst is mentioned in Exodus 28:19:  "the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;",  where God is telling Moses how to make the breastpiece for Aaron the high priest.

Exodus 39:12:  the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst, is telling us the workmen made the breastpiece just as God told Moses.

Revelation 20:21:  the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.  This is speaking of the layers of the foundation  of the New Jerusalem.

The Hebrew word for amethyst, ahlamah, literally means “dream stone,” and it was thought that it induced pleasant dreams. The Greek name for the stone, amethustos (from which we get “amethyst”), literally means “not drunken” and it was believed that the gem guarded one against intoxication. Beautifully carved and engraved amethyst goblets, vases, charms and miniatures have been found in excavations. Historically amethyst has been highly valued as a precious stone for the uniqueness of it's color, as there are few purple gemstones.

I love doing Bible studies, and this one is no different.  I've learned something I did not know prior to this study which is the literal meaning of the Greek amethustos.  Hmmmm...maybe I should put lots and lots of amethyst in my bead store, beings I am directly accross from the liquer store.

God created us in His image (Genesis 1:26), so let's use His creativity to be creative like Him.  Here's a few creations using amethyst from CAST teammates.


To see more wonderful jewels
http://www.etsy.com/shop/strandsoflight?ref=seller_info




To see more creations from this seller
http://www.etsy.com/shop/NaturesGemsbyKasha?ref=seller_info





Hope you have enjoyed this post on the Gemstones of the Bible.  Look
for more in this series soon.

Be Blessed!



visit this shop and see all the pretties
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SharisEssentials?ref=seller_info







Tiger's eye, Black onyx and African striped agate by CreationsbyTricia

Tiger's eye, black onyx and african striped agate make up the beaded chain to capture the beauty of this pendant.  I tried to capture the beauty of the pendant in a picture, but just couldn't do it much justice.

This pendant truly captivated me.  I wanted to create a beaded chain to do justice to this gorgeous pendant.  I just listed the necklace and earring set at my Etsy shop.  To check it out there go to http://www.creationsbytricia.etsy.com/

It took me a couple weeks to design a necklace around this pendant, funny thing is I am not even sure what the stone is in this pendant.  I just knew I had to come up with something simple, yet elegant. I received this in a 'grab box' from one of my bead store's suppliers, so it was not labeled, hence not knowing the actual stone's name.  If you have any idea from the picture what stone it is, I would absolutely love to know.  You can comment or leave me an email if you have an idea.

Here is a picture of what I came up with after drooling over the pendant for a couple weeks.  Let me know what you think about it.  I used Tiger's eye rondelles, 4mm black onyx rounds, 6mm African striped agate, and gave it some polish with Sterling silver spacer beads.  I would love to hear your opinions, just leave a comment.

And here is one more picture with a different color background.

Thanks for all comments, constructive criticism and opinions, I appreciate.

Enjoy Tiger's eye, black onyx and African striped agate by CreationsbyTricia.