JEWELRY

Bloodstone  |  Brooches   |  Cabachon   |  Cairngorm   |  Garnet   |  Lapis Lazuli   |

gold-etched Onyx   | Torc   |

Bloodstone

Duke of Arjenol, Maheal's seal ring was carved from Bloodstone:

Bloodstone, green jasper dotted with bright red spots of iron oxide, was treasured in ancient times and long served as the birthstone for March. This attractive chalcedony quartz is also known as Heliotrope because in ancient times polished stones were described as reflecting the sun: perhaps the appearance of the gem reminded the ancients of the red setting sun reflected in the ocean.

. Medieval Christians often used bloodstone to carve scenes of the crucifixion and martyrs, leading it to also be dubbed martyr's stone. The legend of the origin of bloodstone says that it was first formed when some drops of Christ's blood fell and stained some jasper at the foot of the cross.

Source:  http://www.jewelrycentral.com/Target_Bloodstone.html


Brooches

Dhugal wears a ring brooch on his Tartan for his investiture as Earl of Transha.

Annular or Ring Brooch

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 At one time Morgan is said to be wearing a penannular brooch that his mother gave him.

Penannular Brooch

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Some traditional Celtic brooch forms that are
    enjoying renewed use are the annular and the penannular brooches. The terms
    for these brooches are frequently confused. These brooches are designed with the pin
    crossing a circular opening so that it works rather like a belt buckle. The penannular
    brooch has a break in the ring so that the pin may pass through and be twisted to lock it.
    The annular or ring brooch is more secure and works by pulling a gather of cloth through
    the center and then pinned through. People who delight in old fashioned and authentic
    accessories prefer these. Many people find these brooch forms awkward to attach and so
    they are often now made (shudder!) with fixed pins and modern safety catches on the back.
    The most famous Celtic brooch is the Tara Brooch, now in the Irish National Museum. The
    Tara Brooch is actually a pseudo-penannular brooch. It looks like a penannular in its
    shape but since the ring is solid it cannot attach in the same way.Medieval annular
    type designs influenced later plaid brooches in that they are frequently round. Men's
    plaid brooches are usually about two inches in diameter in Scotland. The larger
    "piper" brooches are three or four inches and frequently are decorated
    with a large gemstone. This stone is most commonly a tea colored "Cairngorm"
    which is a quartz found in the Highlands. Authentic Cairngorms are no longer available and
    citrine or smoky quartz are substituted, usually from an imported source . Amethyst is
    also popular in traditional jewelry.

Source:  http://www.celtarts.com/WEDDING/jewelry_is_an_excellent_way_to_e.htm


The Eye of Rom earring that Kelson wears is a cabachon ruby.  Below is an example of a rough-cut ruby cabachon from Medieval times.

Cabochon (from French caboche, knob). A stone cut with a smooth, rounded surface, with no
facets and highly polished. Usually it is cut from an opaque or translucent stone (but some emeralds,
amethysts and garnets have been so cut), or a stone with a special optical effect (opal, moonstone).
The style of cut was used in Antiquity and continued until the 15th century when it began to be
displaced by faceting. Cabochons are of various shapes, usually circular or oval, but sometimes
rectangular or triangular. Carbuncle (almandine) is among the stones that are most often cut as
cabochon. The stone so cut is said to be cut en cabochon.

 Source: Department of  Medieval Studies at Central European University,  Budapest.



Cairngorm

Duncan gave Morgan a sword set in cairngorms for his birthday.


Smokey (cairngorm)

Source: http://www.theimage.com/gemstone/quartz/quartz8.html



Garnets

The Ring of Fire that Kelson sometimes wears is made of a garnet cabachon and is surrounded with brilliant-cut garnets. (below)

Dark red Almandine Garnet cabochon
Picture: Dark red Almandine Garnet cabochon
Size:
Cut: Cabochon
Gem: Gem Hut

Brilliant-cut garnet
 

Source: http://www.acntv.com/Product.htm?ING0465 (inactive link)



This is the gemstone/color referred to as being used exclusively for Holy places in Torenth.

LPS122Lapis lazuli  is a dark blue microcrystalline rock composed primarily of the mineral lazurite.  It often sparkles with golden pyrite inclusions.

Source:  photo: gemhut.com  definition: jewelrycentral.com



Morgan is given a ring from Kelson denoting his status as King's Champion.  It's onyx with a gold-etched Haldane lion.  Here is an example of gold-etched onyx--it just happens to be a fractal made by a semi-conductor, but hey.
Refractal Design manufactures jewelry using semiconductor technology. (Below) A fractal image is embossed in karat gold onto an onyx disk in this Refractal Design prototype.
Image
Source:  http://www.refractal.com/ajmt.htm



Torc

Cauley MacArdry, and later Dhugal wears a Torc as a symbol of his leadership of the clan.

Celtic torcs and bracelets. Source: The World Of The Celts by Simon James, Thames & Hudson LTD,, London, 1993

Source: http://www.geocities.com/~rynegade/costume/celt.htm (link broken)


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