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chalcedony - am I blue?
Many of the translucent to transparent chalcedonies are marketed under their own names: agate, aventurine, bloodstone, carnelian, chrysocolla, and chrysoprase.
The opaque form of chalcedony is both plentiful and highly porous, making it a good candidate for dying any number of trendy colors ranging from aqua to russet.
In Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park, Chalcedony Creek runs down the slopes of Amethyst Mountain.
Chalcedony's natural blue color comes from a phenomenon called the "Tyndall effect." Light passing through chalcedony's microscopically fine crystals bends, causes the red portion of light to be absorbed while the blue portion is reflected.
 am i blue?

carved "african blue"

Understanding chalcedony (pronounced "kal-sydney") can be confusing. Mineralogically, it is a form of quartz, cryptocrystalline in nature, that can be divided into two groups: jaspers (the opaque forms), and chalcedonys (the translucent, semi-translucent and transparent forms).
High quality translucent chalcedony is the gem that is most recognizable to the public. A naturally occurring translucent pale periwinkle blue to grayish blue chalcedony available as smooth cabochons and smooth or faceted beads, it is also frequently carved.

modern-day chalcedon: kadikoy (turkey)
photo: murat arcak

Deposits of blue chalcedony are found primarily in Turkey (from where its name comes), Namibia -- a country whose specialty is "African Blue" -- and the state of Oregon. Oregon's 'blue' chalcedony is modified by slight to moderate amounts of pink, creating a gem noticeably on the lavender side but which is marketed under the name "Holly Blue."

symbolic attributes

birthstones
ayurvedic May
geographic
state gem Nebraska (blue chalcedony), West Virginia
metaphysical
astrological gem Cancer, Aquarius
energy receptive / yin
planet Moon
element water