Metaphysical Elements in Writing – Gemstones

Hello, SE’ers! It’s Jan again with the first part of the new series that’s all about including metaphysical elements in fiction writing.

Today, I’m going to explore the use of gemstones in stories.

If you follow my personal blog, you know I did a fairly extensive series of posts on various gemstones I own, along with their metaphysical properties. And while all gemstones carry some monetary value, the esoteric value far outweighs the physical value, in my humble opinion.

It’s easy to include stones with magic powers or healing properties in fantasy or even sci-fi. J.R.R. Tolkien introduced magical gemstones in his stories, as did JK Rowling with the Harry Potter series. Shakespeare is still the most famous and revered of English writers, with his work living on centuries after his death. He used jewels and gemstones as a symbolic reflection of his character’s feelings and the themes of his plays.

If Shakespeare could do it, why couldn’t we incorporate gemstones into mystery, suspense, thrillers, or even romance novels?

That’s what I want to focus on today.

Let’s take the example of a suspense novel. What if you give the story an added layer of a hidden gemstone that someone is trying to find, but the gemstone itself has the ability to be invisible? In that case, the gemstone could potentially play the role of a character. Or let’s say a character comes into possession of a gemstone that gives him/her a leg up against the antagonist and evens the odds. Maybe they don’t realize what they have when they first find it or doubt it has any magical properties. That would be believable. It’s normal for humans to question the unknown or anything different.

Kristin Hannah, Nora Roberts, and even Clive Cussler have written thrillers that include some magic and gemstones.

See also

Often in thrillers, the stone is the target of thieves or ill-doers looking for personal gain. A killer could wear a dark stone around his neck on a strap of leather. Perhaps he would think it made him invisible as he walked among people.

Romance novels would be a great place to include amethysts or rose quartz. Perhaps they are given as a gift or passed down from an ancestor who believed they would help the owner find true love.

There are so many different scenarios where you can insert gemstones. Here is a list of some of the most commonly used stones:

Rose Quartz – The love stone
Tiger’s Eye – Brings about good luck, courage, confidence, and emotional centeredness.
Amythest – Is said to bridge the gap between the physical and the spiritual realms.
Sodalite – Brings order and calmness to the mind.
Flourite – Absorbs negative energy and transmutes it into positive energy,
Lapis Lazuli – One of the oldest stones known to man. Encourages honesty of the spirit and in the spoken and written word.
Quartz Crystal – A shield against negative energy, and infused with potent positive vibes. Is believed to amplify other stones.
Aventurine – A confidence booster. Nicknamed the stone of opportunity.
Obsidian – There are several varieties of this volcanic glass. It is said to be powerfully protective. Some weapons were crafted from Obsidian. My favorite of this stone is the Snowflake Obsidian which provides balance for the body, mind and spirit.

There are so many more stones I could list, but I’ll stop there.

Any of these could show up in the form of an amulet that gives the characters special gifts of insight.

Or how about a ring or bracelet?

Do you see the potential?

I would be more than happy to help you discover different gemstones to use in your stories, should you be so inclined. Feel free to message me.

I’d love it if you’d share your thoughts on gemstones and fiction writing.