Chrysoprase meaning and properties

The traditions

1. Rome, 1st century

   Pliny ranks chrysoprase among the green stones and prefers it to every kind of prasius: it has the color of leek juice, with a shade running from topaz to gold, and it is large enough to be cut into cups. Kunz notes that the ancients used the word “prasius” very loosely.

   Pliny the Elder, Natural History, XXXVII, 34 (Littré translation); Kunz (1913) for the commentary on “prasius”
2. Germany, 13th century

   According to Volmar, a thief condemned to be hanged or beheaded would escape his executioners at once by placing a chrysoprase in his mouth. Kunz supposes that the stone was meant to make its bearer invisible, as was also said of opal. He himself finds the account unclear.

   Kunz 1913, chapter “Chrysoprase” (account from Volmar’s Steinbuch)
3. Mainz, 9th century

   Rabanus Maurus, Archbishop of Mainz (786–856), gives a spiritual meaning to each of the twelve stones of the Apocalypse. In chrysoprase, he writes, the work of the holy martyrs and their reward are seen. It is a religious symbol, unrelated to renewal.

   Kunz 1913, chapter on the stones of the Apocalypse (Rabanus Maurus)
4. Modern crystal practice

   According to recent crystal books, it is seen as the stone of renewal and luck, first because of its green color, that of spring leaves. No ancient text supports these associations.

   contemporary crystal books; to be cross-checked

Chrysoprase: your questions