Agata Świerzowska, Amber, Coral, Jet. Religious and Magical Symbolism [Bursztyn, koral, gagat], Zakład Wydawniczy Nomos, Krakow 2003.

Amber, coral and jet have never been treated as rightful stones. The way they came into being, not fully understood until the 19th century, was so unusual (mysterious even) that they could not be included within the category of real precious stones such as diamonds, amethysts, topaz, emeralds and many others. The perception of these gems was determined mostly by the lack of knowledge as to their origin and formation. This vague nature of amber, coral and jet was clearly reflected in their symbolism. This is particularly evident in the case of the first two stones - amber and coral. Jet, due to its limited range as well as its much less attractive appearance, hides in the shadow of amber and coral. This ambiguous nature of those three gems of organic origin is best revealed by coral. Decisively, until the 19th century it was a common belief that coral is a living plant, petrifying upon contact with air and sun. In this way, it was considered to be a part of animate and inanimate nature, in a sense a living stone. The widespread belief that coral combines all four elements also influenced its symbolism as a gem expressing the coincidentia oppositorum, combining three different realms of reality and, importantly, participating in all of them.

Key-words: amber, coral, jet, symbol, lapidarium, gem.