A MESMERIZING hunk of blue chalcedony was set in high-carat gold sometime in the 13th or 14th century. Chalcedony was prized for its ethereal glow and often carved into cameos, seals, or religious amulets. Blue chalcedony, in particular, was associated with calm, protection, and spiritual clarity. Goldsmiths typically set it in high-karat gold, using it in reliquaries, devotional rings, or status symbols. This piece likely dates to the High to Late Middle Ages—a time of feudal power, cathedral-building, and illuminated manuscripts. Craft guilds were thriving, especially among goldsmiths and lapidaries, and this piece may have emerged from one of those workshops. Pilgrimage and trade routes (including those opened by the Crusades) brought exotic materials like chalcedony across Europe, making stones like this more widely available—but still very precious.