Las gemstones o excited sought with zeal and even death by many, they sometimes have an inestimable value; and, in others, they are nothing more than a simple and simple rock; no more than the boulders that we find in the streams and on the seashore. But what lies its value? That they are strange, rare and beautiful.
Most are varieties of minerals, but there are also materials of animal origin such as ivory, coral and pearls; or of plant origin, such as amber and jet. Los diamonds, rubies, sapphires y emeralds They are the four most valuable gemstones and are natural mineral crystals. What all of these stones have in common is the fact that they can be cut, polished and worked to enhance their value and beauty. Precisely the brightness, color and transparency make precious and semi-precious stones natural collection pieces, as well as ornaments for the creation of jewelry or for ornamental or decorative use..
We have seen how we can distinguish the semiprecious stones natural depending on their origin: mineral, vegetable, animal. But there are other classification criteria, which define, for example, whether a stone is precious or semi-precious, whether it is a gem or a hard stone. The definition criteria are the rarity, origin and quality of the stones. The ancient Greeks distinguished between precious and semi-precious stones based on their rarity, brilliance and hardness..
Today, we still consider precious stones to be the same gems: the diamantehe rubyhe sapphire and the esmeraldabut it happens that there are particular varieties of stones considered semi-precious that surpass real gems in value. Therefore, the use of the terms precious and semiprecious—in reference to natural stones—can lead to misunderstandings.
As for the so-called semi-precious stones, in the past, some qualities of marble, porphyry and granite fell within this definition. Those used to make inlays and mosaics were also called semi-precious stones: jasper, onyx, agateamong others. Even in the religious sphere we find a wide use of precious stones and hard stones. In addition to the mosaics in the temples; In the past it was also common for sacred furniture and liturgical objects, such as the chalice, the pyx, the paten and the monstrance, to be richly decorated with inlays and precious stones.
According to the Bible, the breastplate of the ephod, a garment worn by the high priest Aaron, brother of Moses, was adorned with twelve precious stones, each of which represented one of the twelve tribes of Israel.. Even the rings worn by bishops, archbishops and cardinals of the Catholic churchat the time, were decorated with gems, which not only defined the priestly hierarchy, but also expressed a deep symbolic meaning.
Today episcopal rings are usually simple and made of silver, but it is worth remembering the symbolic value that, for centuries, the episcopal ring meant for the Catholic hierarchy. For example, the choice of amethyst as a gem to decorate the Bishop’s ring has ancient and symbolic roots. This stone is mentioned in the Bible among the ceremonial clothing intended for Aaronaccording to the orders that God gave to Moses, and was chosen for the Bishop’s ring mainly because of its color, purple, which has a sacred meaning. Purple evokes the concept of penitence, waiting and mourning, but also the mystical wedding between Jesus and his Church. This color is especially significant during liturgical seasons such as Advent and Lent, which highlight the deep spiritual meaning of the ring and its gem. He topaza wonderful stone with golden reflections, adorns the Archbishops’ ring. It is also mentioned in the Bible among the sacred gems destined to adorn the armor of the High Priests, associated with the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve angels who guarded the Ark of the Covenant and presided over the gate of Paradise.
It was with the IV Council of Toledo when it was defined that, at the time of ordination, the bishop must receive, in addition to the stole or orarium and the pastoral staff, also the ring or anulum, emblem of pastoral dignity, which will lead to the right ring finger. Currently, the Bishops receive the Gospel, a symbol of their task of spreading the Word; the miter, which symbolizes Holiness; the staff, for its mission as shepherd of souls; and the ring, simple, without any stone as a symbol of loyalty to the Iglesia.
The archbishop’s ring was topazthe wonderful stone with golden reflections that adorned the archiepiscopal ring, is mentioned in the Bible among the sacred gems that adorned the armor of the high priests, associated with the twelve tribes of Israel, but also with the twelve angels who guard the Ark of the Alliance and preside over the gate of Paradise. For the Egyptians, topaz was the stone of Ra, the sun god. Its name in ancient Sanskrit means “fire.” Its brown and gold color refers to the sun, the earth, fertility and life. According to the Greeks, it gave physical and mental strength.
Los cardinals They had their own ring, already documented in the 12th century, given to them by the Pope during the consistory, as a symbol of their dignity and alliance with the Church. The Cardinal’s ring was adorned with a sapphire o one ruby and it differs from other pastoral rings because the insignia of the Pope who donated it to the Cardinal was engraved on the ring itself or on the back of the stone. It is also a little wider because it had to be able to be worn over the pontifical gloves.
Sapphire has always been associated with the concept of the divine, across cultures. Solomon’s seal was actually a sapphire; The ancient Persians considered it the sacred stone par excellence and believed that sapphires determined the blue of the sky.. An ancient tradition holds that the tablets of the Ten Commandments were made of sapphire. In ancient Egypt it was the stone of truth and justice, for Charlemagne, who always wore an amulet set with a sapphire, a demonstration of love for God. It was the dad Innocent III in the 13th century who decided that cardinals wear the ring with the sapphire on their right hand.
Today, whoever is ordained Bishop and until he receives the commission to be the bishop of Romathe same ring is always used, as the current pope demonstrated Franciscowho always wears the same ring and the same breastplate, simple silver. However, among all the rings with stones, the famous “Fisherman’s Ring”. It is a ring worn by the bishop of Rome as head of the Catholic church. It is also known as “Piscatorio Ring” or in Latin as “Annulus Piscatoris”. The ring may also be called Ring of Saint Peterdue to its engraved design that represents a bas-relief cameo of Saint Peter, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ.
The meaning and association with Saint Peter and the fisherman’s ring is attributed to a story or verse taken from the Holy Bible, particularly Marcos 1:17. By the word of Christ, Jesus referred to Saint Peter as a “fisher of men”; and, the Pope, being head of the Catholic Church, is considered a “fisher of men” and successor of Saint Peter. Newly elected Popes can choose the design of their ring, but all feature the image of Saint Peter. Most of them show him on a fishing boat pulling a net. Another style shows a bas-relief engraving of Saint Peter holding a set of two keys: one representing the power of heaven and the other representing the spiritual authority of the papacy on Earth.
One of the most famous pieces included in the Pope’s insignia is possibly the ecclesiastical ring. Known as the fisherman’s ring, it is worn on the Pope’s right hand. It originally served as a seal, but since the 15th century it was replaced by the official papal seal since it had precious stones around the engraving of Saint Peter, which made it huge and very heavy. This piece of goldsmithing was first documented in 1265 and has been mentioned for centuries. Formerly the fisherman’s ring was made of pure gold, but the new popes also began to use silver in their rings.
According to Catholic tradition, after the death or resignation of a Pope, the ring must be destroyed with a silver mallet. The destruction of the ring is necessary because in the past the ring was used as a seal to sign documents on behalf of the Vatican with the authorization of the reigning Pope. So if the ring was not destroyed, it could be used to forge documents if it fell into the wrong hands. Today, since it is no longer used as a seal, the ancient papal rings are simply defaced by making two deep cuts in the engraving and then stored safely, deep within the walls of the Vatican..
Currently, the Pope Francisco has a ring designed by the goldsmith Enrico Manfrini with a picture of Saint Peter with the keys in his hand, and he has another much simpler one that is just a cross on an oval.
