Named “the hope stone”, Amazonite is a blue-green stone for calm and nurturing energy, soothing anxiety, and for bringing clarity. Amazonite is found across the world in places like Russia, Brazil, the USA, and Madagascar. While it takes its name from the sweeping Amazon River - there are actually no Amazonite deposits in that specific area. Amazonite is a potassium feldspar mineral which means it is formed by intense pressure and heat deep in the earth. It normally forms from igneous rocks, plutonic granite, and pegmatite. Amazonite is created when magma cools in the earth and its color is believed to come from the presence of lead and water.
History
The ancient Egyptians, who made beautiful jewelry and ornamental pieces from this stone, made amazonite famous. The folk name for Amazonite is 'the Amazon stone'. It was called this in the belief that the stone came from the Amazon River. However, this is not really the case. The stone was named after the Amazon river, but it was never actually found near the river. It was and is however, mined in other places around Brazil.
It was in 1847 that the name Amazonite was given to this gemstone by the famed German mineralogist August Breithaupt. Although the name amazonite stuck, it had been known by many names to prior to the 1800s, including ‘Stone of Courage’ and ‘Stone of Truth’. Another popular theory was that Amazonite was named after the semi-mythical Amazon warriors of Ancient Mesopotamia, a fearsome band of all female warriors. They were reported to have adorned their shields with amazonite to increase their protection. The ancient Egyptians held Amazonite in very high esteem. Due to its composition, lapidaries have been able to carve Amazonite into prayer beads, amulets, trinkets and ornamental figures. One of the more noteworthy discoveries was that of a scarab beetle ring made from Amazonite found within Tutankhamen’s tomb.
Physical Healing Properties
Balances thyroid problems
Helps cells regenerate
Helps the body absorb calcium better
Associated with luck, money, and overall success
Aids in treating alcoholism
Used to treat fatigue
Calms the brain and nervous system
Beneficial in osteoporosis, tooth decay, calcium deficiency, and calcium deposits, balancing the metabolic deficiencies that create these conditions
Relieves muscle spasms
Helpful whenever too much stress leads to tension and pain
Releases emotional grief that manifests physically
Prevents hair loss and helps to repair brittle hair and nails
Emotional Healing Properties
Soothes anxious thinking
Helps with healing past trauma
Connects with divine feminine energy
Collects all your unspent fears and calms calamity thinking
Facilitates a “go with the flow’ type of energy
Releases the wearer's emotional grief
Boosts self-confidence and self-validation
Helps with understanding yourself, and helps you embrace your inner truth, and being able to express it effectively
Assists you to setting appropriate boundaries, both within yourself and externally
Helps you to move beyond the fear of confrontation or judgement
Assists you in communicating your true thoughts and feelings without over-emotionalism
Spiritual Healing Properties
Connects with the throat chakra
Taps into intellect and intuition
Brings better clarity and authenticity to the soul
Opens our minds and hearts to infinite possibility
Protects against electromagnetic pollution
Dissipates negative energy
Balances the masculine and feminine energies
Empowers you to manifest your dreams and desires
Assists in manifesting universal love
Promotes all forms of creativity
Chakras
Like many beautiful blue green gemstones out there, Amazonite is an amazing stone for helping clear the throat chakra but it also works on the heart chakra too. When the heart and the throat chakras are cleared you can tap into shades of love and trust and you can better express yourself with compassion and eloquence.
Cleansing and Charging
Amazonite scores a 6 to a 6.5 on the Mohs hardness scale meaning that it's a safe stone to go in water. It has big water energy and cleaning it by running it under the tap or giving it a quick dunk should be fine. However, it's not recommended to leave Amazonite in water or to consume water that Amazonite has been in because it is a potassium feldspar crystal. You can also cleanse it with smudging, sound baths, and leaving it moon or sunlight for brief periods of time. Lastly, You can also place it in a bowl with clear quartz or selenite and they will share their charging powers.