Seven Chakra Strands
Seven chakra beads are mixed strands that hold a set of 7 stones, one for each chakra color, strung in order from red at the root to violet at the crown. The stones vary by batch but typically include red jasper, carnelian, a yellow stone such as citrine or yellow jade, green aventurine, sodalite or blue apatite, lapis lazuli and amethyst. This collection holds our seven chakra strands in a range of finishes and shapes for bracelets, necklaces and earrings.
Appearance
Each strand runs as an ombre from red through orange, yellow, green, light blue and dark blue to purple, with the stones grouped in blocks. Because the strand is a mix, the beads differ in translucency and texture: carnelian and amethyst are glassy, red jasper and aventurine are opaque, and lapis carries gold pyrite flecks. The exact stone for a color can change from batch to batch, and strands are sometimes strung in a different order than pictured.
A polished finish gives a bright, even rainbow; a matte finish unifies the different stones so the mix reads as one strand. Hardness ranges from about 5 for lapis to 7 for the quartz members, so treat the strand as you would its softest stone.
Formation and origin
The 7 stones come from unrelated geology, which is the point: a chakra strand is assembled by color rather than by mineral family. Red jasper and carnelian are iron-colored chalcedony, citrine is quartz, aventurine is quartz with green mica flakes, sodalite and the lazurite in lapis are blue sodium aluminosilicates and amethyst is iron-colored quartz. Which stone fills each color depends on what is available, so the mix listed here is typical rather than fixed.
Pairings
Hematite beads: dark metallic spacers that separate the 7 color blocks and make each stone stand out.
Unakite beads: pink and green in one stone, a muted companion that does not add another color to the rainbow.
Fluorite beads: a stone that holds purple, green and blue at once and echoes the chakra range on its own.
Meaning and Metaphysical Beliefs
Seven chakra meaning comes from Indian yoga and tantric traditions, in which 7 energy centers run from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, each with its own color. Modern crystal practice assigns a stone to each: red jasper for the root, carnelian for the sacral, citrine for the solar plexus, aventurine for the heart, sodalite for the throat, lapis for the third eye and amethyst for the crown. These are traditional beliefs, not claims of physical effect.
