Throughout the world, gemstone jewelry is incredibly popular. For as long as human beings have been walking the Earth, we have bedecked ourselves in jewelry with gemstones that we find attractive. While it might seem that the greatest appeal of this jewelry is aesthetic, this is far from the case. Quite often, gemstone jewelry is worn for the benefits that the wearer believes the gemstones can bring.
One such type of gemstone jewelry that is popular in India is the Navaratna. This is a Sanskrit word that translates as “nine gems”. This popular piece of jewelry is found throughout India and consists of, as the name implies, nine gems. Each gemstone in this jewelry represents a different aspect of Hindu astrology. For those who do not believe in such things, the jewelry and each gemstone function solely as an aesthetically pleasing ornamentation. However, for those who believe in Hindu astrology, each gemstone is important in both its presentation and its placement.
The nine gem stones of the Navaratna represent nine planets or nine bodies in space. These bodies are the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and the ascending and descending modes of the moon, with each body represented by a different stone in the jewelry piece. The Earth, you will notice, is not represented in the bodies in space, and is not represented by a stone in the jewelry piece as the Earth is considered the center of the universe in Hindu astrology.
Each planetary body has its own gemstone, and in order to insure that good health, wealth and fortune come to the wearer, it is important for each one to be of the highest quality possible, according to the belief system. This means that in order to have the correct balance between the representative bodies, each gem must be as free of inclusions, blemishes, cracks and other impurities as is possible. Due to this, a truly fine Navaratna could be extremely expensive, as the gem stones that represent the bodies in space are not entirely common stones.
The Sun, the most important, is represented by a ruby; the Moon is natural pearl; the emerald represents Mercury; yellow sapphire stands for Jupiter; Saturn is represented by the blue sapphire; Mars is red coral; the ascending lunar mode is Hessonite while the descending mode is Cat’s Eye; and the diamond represents Venus. Each gem stone is aligned and set to interact with the other stones and with the jewelry piece as a whole. It is believed that with the proper gemstone alignment, good fortune, good health, and wealth will be open to the wearer. In essence, the gem stone alignment and placement, along with a pure set of gem stones in the jewelry, should cause the planets or bodies in space to work for your benefit, rather than against you.
For many of us, the idea of astrology is something that is looked at askance or perhaps indulged in for the sake of entertainment and little more. However, such a stance does not change the fact that the Navaratna is a beautiful example of humanity’s ability to create truly stunning works of gemstone jewelry. So while you need not believe in what the Navaratna symbolically stands for, anyone can appreciate the beauty and cultural richness that such a jewelry item holds.
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