Description
Gemstone skulls. Gemstone skulls have been popular and mysterious for many cultures for decades. The skulls have a wide variety of meanings. Celtic skulls symbolize time, power, creation, initiation, and concentration. Celtic culture believes the skull is a seat of power and strength. Some texts refer to the skull as the seat of our soul. Archaeological discoveries teach us that the ancient Celts offered skulls to sacred wells. The skull is universally seen as a symbol of life and death. More recently, the skull has been associated with death and embracing our mortality. In times long past, the skull sometimes represented life. Skulls and skeletons are the symbol of the Mexican holiday, the Day of the Dead. The skull and crossbones are popular symbols of pirates and poison. Some healers use skulls to see visions of the present, past, and future. Other materials include rose quartz, rock crystal, rhodonite, aventurine, and hematite. The crystal skulls are works of art cut from quartz or rock crystal, shaped like human skulls. They surfaced in the second half of the nineteenth century and were originally attributed to various pre-Columbian civilizations. Research in the 1990s, using a scanning tunneling microscope, among other techniques, showed that at least some of these skulls are forgeries. They were made with grinding instruments that were only developed in the second half of the nineteenth century. There is a strong suspicion that some of the crystal skulls were commissioned by the French dealer Eugène Boban and sold by him. One of the most famous skulls is the Mitchell-Hedges skull. It was supposedly found by the British adventurer F.A. Mitchell-Hedges in a chamber beneath the ruins of Lubaantun in Belize. He later discovered that he had purchased this skull privately at Sotheby's in London. His wife explained that he had only given the skull as collateral and had bought it back through Sotheby's. After Anna Mitchell-Hedges' death, the skull came into the possession of Bill Homann. In the 1990s, it was discovered that the Mitchell-Hedges skull was also a forgery. Since then, numerous hypes and legends have arisen surrounding the crystal skulls. According to their supposed discovery location, the crystal skulls were made centuries ago by the Mayans, the Aztecs, or an even older pre-Columbian civilization. These skulls are also said to have paranormal powers, and one should never look directly into a skull's eyes. Another legend claims they have extraterrestrial origins. Thirteen of them are said to exist on Earth. Once reunited, they are said to share their knowledge with humanity. Even today, the skulls still play a role in some parts of the New Age community.
