Chrysoprase - The Apple of God's Eye

What do you think of when you hear the word apple? The computer company (see my last blog)? A ruby Red Delicious or a soft green Granny Smith? William Tell and his arrow or Newton sitting under the apple tree? Maybe even Adam and Eve eating that first forbidden fruit? Then there are the sayings “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” or “you are the apple of my eye.”

The Chrysoprase, the tenth foundational stone, is a rare gemstone variety of chalcedony that contains small quantities of nickel. The nickel silicate inclusions impart the stone with an opalescent apple-green hue. It is this unique golden-green color that gives the stone its value. Did God make the stone this hue to remind us that we are the apple of His eye?

The Greek word chrysoprasus, translated Chrysoprase, comes from the Greek chrysos meaning ‘gold’ and prasinon, meaning ‘green’. It is often mistaken for Imperial jadeite, a light green Sodium-Aluminum Silicate form of Jade. Chrysoprase has a hardness of 6 – 7 on the Mohs hardness scale which makes it a good gemstone to create ornamental jewelry. Chrysoprase is cryptocrystalline, it is composed of crystals so fine that they cannot be seen as distinct particles under normal magnification.

Chrysoprase has been known to man since ancient times. It was valued and formed into cameos and intaglios by the Greeks and Romans. Ancient Egyptians also saw the worth of this fine stone and used it in decorations that adorned the pharaohs. Chrysoprase is said to have been the favorite gemstone of Alexander the Great. In the 14th century, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV used Chrysoprase to decorate chapels including the Chapel of Saint Wenceslas in Prague.

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The Chrysoprase, along with Chalcedony, is not specifically mentioned in the Breastplate. Possible matches could be the third stone – the Emerald, the fourth stone – the Turquoise or Carbuncle, or the eighth stone – the Agate. We have matched all of these stones previously with other foundational stones. The only unmatched stone is the sixth stone, most often referred to as the Diamond but in a couple of translations it is named as the Emerald. Since the Chrysoprase is a type of Chalcedony, it could be the eighth stone we named as Chalcedony or possibly the sixth stone as a stretch because of its green color. If it references the eighth stone it would signify Asher by birth order and Joseph’s son Manasseh by the order of the camp. Placed as the sixth stone, it would be Naphtali by birth order and Gad by the order of the camp. The Chrysoprase, more brightly tinged with a gold hue than gold itself, symbolizes the Apostle St. Thaddaeus.

Chrysoprase helps to make conscious what was unconscious. It encourages hope and joy, symbolizes spiritual protection and increases grace and equilibrium. Chrysoprase is demonstrated in the work of the righteous and their reward. It portrays unity and is the perfect charity of which no ferocity can defeat. It signifies those who spend their life in hardships, labor and suffering, yet always remaining in love.

So did God color Chrysoprase to remind us that we are the apple of His eye? He could have! This phrase first appeared an Old English work attributed to King Alfred (the Great) of Wessex in AD 885. Shakespeare also used it in the 1590s when he wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Its first appearance in the Bible was in the King James Translation of 1611. Referencing back to the Greek, in most instances it refers to the pupil but more specifically to the refection of the person you are looking at, “the little man in the eye.” Thus we are the reflection in God’s eye – reminding us how He loves and cares for us. Chrysoprase, with its apple-green color, can remind us of our special place in God’s plan, how He cherishes us above all others – “Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows” Luke 12:7b (KJV).

Psalms 17:8 (NIV) – Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings.

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