Cinnabar is mercury sulfide and is toxic. It should not be worn, handled or kept as beads. Nearly all 'cinnabar' beads are red lacquer, resin or dyed stone named after it.
Sulfide
Cinnabar
Cinabrio
- Palette
- Red
- Mined in
- China, Spain, Peru, Slovenia, United States
- Hardness
- Mohs 2.0–2.5 ?
- See-through
- opaque
- Known since
- Prehistoric
- Named for
- the Greek word kinnabari, used by Theophrastus for several red substances
- Also sold as
- Vermilion, Merchant's stone, Cinnabarite
- Intention
- Abundance Strength
- Looking for
- Prosperity Goals and motivation Communication
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Most 'cinnabar' beads and carvings sold today are lacquer or resin with red coloring, not the mineral. Real cinnabar is mercury sulfide, sometimes dyed, and should be handled with gloves.
Not in our pieces now
3.08
Cinnabar bends light more than any mineral except one: its refractive index of about 3.08 compares with 2.42 for diamond.
FANNY LÓPEZ JIMÉNEZ
Fanny López Jiménez spotted a crack in a stair at Palenque in 1994 that led to the cinnabar-covered tomb of the Red Queen.
AD 1399-1475
Two female mummies found in 1976 at Cerro Esmeralda, Chile, wore clothes colored with cinnabar and date to between AD 1399 and 1475.
What it is
A scarlet to brick-red mineral, mercury sulfide, soft and very heavy, usually massive with a dull to bright luster. It is toxic. Nearly all red 'cinnabar' beads and carvings sold today are lacquer, resin or dyed stone named after it, not the mineral.
What gives it its color
Real cinnabar is bright red because it is mercury sulfide; most red 'cinnabar' beads and carvings sold today are lacquer or resin colored red instead of the mineral.
Where it comes from
Almadén in Spain was the world's leading cinnabar mine for centuries (worked from Roman times to 2001); other sources include Idrija in Slovenia, Huancavelica in Peru, Guizhou and Hunan in China, and California.
In history
People have mined cinnabar since the Neolithic, and about 5,000 years ago burials at La Velilla in Spain were covered in cinnabar powder. The Romans mined it at Almaden, Spain, for vermilion paint, and the mines kept working into the 2000s. In a 7th-century tomb at the Maya city of Palenque, the so-called Red Queen was buried in cinnabar powder.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, cinnabar is the merchant's stone, kept for business success, abundance and a persuasive word.
In Chinese tradition, 'cinnabar' is the name for carved red lacquer, once colored with the mineral. Ancient Romans also used it for ceremony, coloring a statue of Jupiter on festival days.
People who like the lore keep a piece of red lacquer on a desk or in a cash box, never the mineral.
How people wear or keep it: On a work desk (lacquer, not the mineral), in a cash box, or in a wallet.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, cinnabar is paired with the root and sacral chakras, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on a work desk (lacquer, not the mineral), in a cash box, in a wallet. People reach for it when they want prosperity, goals and motivation, communication, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraRoot, Sacral
ZodiacLeo
ElementFire
Also calledVermilion, Merchant's stone, Cinnabarite
Care
- Do not buy real cinnabar as beads: it contains mercury and is soft enough to shed dust.
- If you inherit an old piece sold as cinnabar, keep it sealed away from children and pets, and wash your hands after touching it.
- Never sand, cut, drill or heat it, since dust and fumes are the main hazard.
- Red lacquer or resin imitations are usually safe to wear, but keep them out of soaking water and away from solvents and perfume.
How to tell what you have
- Real cinnabar is very heavy (specific gravity about 8) and very soft (2 to 2.5 on the Mohs scale); light, warm-feeling red beads are almost certainly lacquer, wood or resin.
- Mercury sulfide is poisonous: do not swallow it, wipe it only with a damp cloth and gloves, and never sand, cut or file it. Keep it away from water, steam, ultrasonic cleaners and children.
What sets the price
The price depends first on whether the beads are real cinnabar mineral or carved lacquer or resin made to look like it, which is what most beads sold as cinnabar today are; real cinnabar is soft and handled with care.
Rules and sourcing
Most cinnabar beads and carvings sold today are lacquer or resin with red coloring, not the mineral. Under the FTC jewelry guides a seller should say what the bead actually is. Real cinnabar is mercury sulfide: sell it to adults only, wash hands after handling, keep it out of the mouth, and never grind, drill or heat it. Most cinnabar-look beads and carvings sold today are lacquer or resin, so a seller should say which one a bead is.
Questions people ask at our table
Is cinnabar safe to wear or handle?
No. Cinnabar is mercury sulfide and is toxic, so it should not be worn, handled or kept as beads. The danger is mainly dust and fumes from rough or worked material.
Are 'cinnabar' beads real?
Almost never. Nearly all beads, pendants and carvings sold as cinnabar are red lacquer, resin or dyed stone named after the mineral. Some carvings are even wood coated in red lacquer.
Why don't you carry it?
Because of the mercury. We would rather point you to safe red stones than sell anything that contains it.
What is Chinese cinnabar lacquer?
Carved red lacquerware, traditionally colored with powdered cinnabar and built up in many layers. Antique pieces may contain the mineral. Modern ones are usually made with a resin or lacquer color that only looks the same.
What red stones can I choose instead?
Carnelian is a natural red chalcedony, and red network, red leopard and red tiger eye are stones we carry in red tones.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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