Professor Emile Zancig's
Precious Stone Interpretations

One of my main forms of divination is crystals and gemstones, and sometimes scrying with spheres such as rainbow obsidian, labradorite, or rose quartz. I rarely meet another person who divines with stones, and I was interested to find some information about Emile Zancig, who was the first person to ever compile a list of precious stones and their signification.

Emile Zancig was born in London on August 3, 1716 and was noted as a fortune teller with many skills including palmistry, cards, and crystal balls. In 1754 he published Professor Zancig's Secret Oracle. Zancig tells many tales showing the wonderful influence that gemstones have wielded over humanity. For example, that the amethyst crystal was once a nymph beloved of Bacchus. The lapis lazuli was formed from the dying cry of a tortured Indian giant. Amber was created from the tears shed by the sister of Phaeton because of his unhappy fate.

Fifteen hundred years BCE, twelve precious stones were set in the breastplate of the priest who was to minister before the sacred altar erected by the children of Israel; each stone symbolised one of the Hebrew tribes. Tradition would have us believe that to the treasures of the earth were attributed properties antidotal for the ills of life. A ruby owned by King Solomon was said to reveal to him all he desired to know in heaven or on earth, and to give him power over demons. The opal has been considered an unlucky stone for many centuries, and the diamond was valued by the Romans only for its supernatural powers and virtues. They believed it could protect the wearer from poison, insanity and evil dreams.

These were just a few of the stories about precious stones that Prof. Emile Zancig wrote of in his 1754 book. The following tables show the divinatory meanings that Prof. Zancig attributed to precious stones. Please note that some of the names given to stones are different to the ones we use today. I have retained the 1754 names for historical interest.

The Stone Oracle of Professor Zancig

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