The Navaratna or the Necklace of nine gems is an exquisite piece of jewelry. A combination of nine auspicious stones strung together ensures the well being of the wearer.
Handmade Silver Gemstone Jewelry from India
The Navaratna consists of the vajra (diamond), manika (ruby), marakata (emerald), vidruma (coral), mukta (pearl), Nila (sapphire), gomedaka (garnet), pusyaraga (topaz) and vaidurya (cat’s eye). This combination of gems is considered highly auspicious for the wearer and also acts as protection against danger and disease.
According to astrology, the planets watch over each gem to give it their potency. Saturn is the planet for the sapphire, Rahu for garnet, Ketu for cat’s eye, Sukra, for the diamond, the Sun for ruby, the Moon for pearl, Guru for topaz, Budha for emerald and Angaraha for coral.
Many of these jewels are worn set in Rings, mounted so that they touch the skin. The stone and its weight are decided according to the individual’s astrological chart.
The nine jewels of the necklace are a combination of the different gems and perhaps were originally threaded together to ensure general well being. There is no doubt that the variety of color looks beautiful and it would be interesting if more research were done in the meaningfulness of the Navaratna, the nine jewels.
