Sard

Description

A translucent orange to reddish-brown form of chalcedony. Sard is darker than carnelian, but otherwise a similar stone. Both have been mined or gathered since at least 3000 BCE. Water-worn pebbles of sard are found in Egypt, India, and several areas of Europe. It was popular for amulets and scarabs.

Synonyms and Related Terms

chalcedony; sardius; sardoine; sardine

Other Properties

Fracture = conchoidal. Luster = vitreous to waxy. Streak = white

Mohs Hardness	7.0
Density	2.6

Additional Information

Mineralogy Database: Quartz

Comparisons

Properties of Common Gemstones

Sources Checked for Data in Record

• Jack Odgen, Jewellery of the Ancient World, Rizzoli International Publications Inc., New York City, 1982

• A.Lucas, J.R.Harris, Ancient Egyptian Materials and Industries, Edward Arnold Publishers Ltd., London, 4th edition, 1962

• C.W.Chesterman, K.E.Lowe, Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1979

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sard (Accessed Nov. 9, 2005)

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 22

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998