Amazonite (Madagascar)

History of Amazonite

For most of its history, Amazonite was known merely as ‘green feldspar’. Some sources state that the name ‘Amazonite’ is reference to the color of the Amazon river and/or that green feldspar is found in the vicinity of the river. Such claims are totally inaccurate since the Amazon river typically appears brown, rather than blue-green, and green feldspar has never been found near it. Instead, the name Amazonite is a modern reference to the mythological Amazons.     

European explorers in South America were told by native tribes along the Rio Negro River, a tributary of the Amazon River, that a beautiful blue-green stone came from a ‘land of women without men.’ It was further said that the women gave the stones to men that visited them. The ancient Greeks had told a similar tale in which the Amazons, a tribe of fierce warrior women, were said to carry shields decorated with a blue-green stone. Like their sisters in South America, the Greek Amazons lived without men, but took occasional male visitors as lovers and gave them gifts before sending them away. As interest in the power of crystals gained new popularity during the 18th century, these stories led to the official naming of green feldspar as ‘Amazonite.’

Amazonite Scarab Amulet “May Re Live”

The earliest known reference to Amazonite, or green feldspar, is found in the Egyptian Book of the Dead, a funerary text dating back to 3400 BCE. The Book of the Dead is a funerary text whose name may be more correctly translated as the Book of Emerging Forth Into The Light. It contains a series of magical spells which, if used correctly, were thought to help the souls of the dead travel safely through the Underworld.  In several locations throughout the book, various amulets made of green feldspar are recommended. One such amulet, a heart scarab ring, was recovered from the tomb of King Tutankhamen. 

The Amazonite heart scarab amulet would be used during the vital “weighing of the heart” ceremony, the most critical moment in the soul’s journey through the Underworld. During the ceremony Osiris, the chief God of the dead, presided over the weighing of each soul’s heart against the feather of truth. If the heart was lighter then the feather, the soul was allowed to proceed into a peaceful afterlife. If the heart was heavier, the soul would be judged unworthy and utterly destroyed in the jaws of Ammit, a fierce conglomerate animal with the head of a crocodile, the front legs of a leopard, and the back legs of a hippopotamus. The Judgement of Osiris was said to be written on green feldspar. A heart scarab made of green stone, wrapped in the mummy’s bandages directly over the heart, was thus a magical talisman that could help Osiris find the heart worthy.      

Weighing of the Heart

Amazonite is also thought to have been one of the gemstones on the breastplate of the High Priest of ancient Israel. Two different breastplates are thought to have existed. The first one, known as the Mosaic Breastplate, is describe in Exodus. It was lost during the destruction of the First Temple in 555 BCE. Amazonite is thought to have been the third of twelve stones on the Mosaic Breastplate. The second breastplate made soon after is thought to have replaced Amazonite with emerald.

Photos: Zeevgoldman, Scarab with Hawk and Sun Disc, Weighing of the Heart