Walk into any gemstone shop in Lahore, Karachi or Peshawar and ask for a stone for your horoscope, and the conversation will turn to the Navaratna, the "nine gems". This is the backbone of gemstone astrology in the subcontinent: nine planets, nine stones, and a clear rule about which is worn for what. Everything else, the birthstones, the crystals, the modern additions, sits on top of this list.
The nine planets
Vedic astrology counts nine grahas: the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, plus Rahu and Ketu, the two lunar nodes, which are points rather than bodies but are treated as planets because of their effect. Each governs a set of qualities and areas of life, and each has a gem that carries its energy.
The nine gems
- Sun - Ruby (Manik, Yaqoot). Authority, vitality, the father, recognition. Worn on the ring finger in gold, on a Sunday. Substitute: red garnet or red spinel.
- Moon - Pearl (Moti). The mind, emotions, the mother, sleep. Worn on the little finger in silver, on a Monday. Substitute: moonstone.
- Mars - Red Coral (Moonga, Marjan). Courage, energy, property, brothers. Worn on the ring finger in gold or copper, on a Tuesday. Substitute: carnelian or red jasper; bloodstone is also used.
- Mercury - Emerald (Panna, Zamurd). Intellect, speech, trade, nerves. Worn on the little finger in gold or silver, on a Wednesday. Substitute: peridot, green tourmaline or moss agate; aqeeq is used in the same role in Islamic tradition.
- Jupiter - Yellow Sapphire (Pukhraj). Wisdom, marriage, children, wealth, teachers. Worn on the index finger in gold, on a Thursday. Substitute: citrine or yellow topaz.
- Venus - Diamond (Heera). Love, beauty, luxury, the arts, the spouse. Worn on the middle or ring finger in silver or platinum, on a Friday. Substitute: white sapphire, opal, white zircon or kunzite.
- Saturn - Blue Sapphire (Neelam). Discipline, longevity, karma, delay, servants and workers. Worn on the middle finger in silver, on a Saturday, after a trial. Substitute: amethyst, blue topaz, purple sapphire, iolite or tanzanite.
- Rahu - Hessonite (Gomed). Obsession, foreign lands, technology, sudden gains and losses. Worn on the middle finger in silver, on a Saturday. Substitute: orange zircon or spessartine garnet.
- Ketu - Cat's Eye (Lehsunia). Detachment, spirituality, hidden dangers, past karma. Worn on the middle or little finger in silver, on a Tuesday or Thursday. Substitute: tiger eye or quartz cat's eye.
The Navaratna ring
The nine stones are also worn together in a single ring or pendant, arranged in a fixed pattern with ruby at the centre for the Sun and the other eight around it in the order of the planets. Worn this way it is a general talisman rather than a targeted remedy, and it is one of the oldest jewellery designs in South Asia; Mughal and Rajput courts wore it, and it is still a common wedding gift.
Primary stone or substitute?
The primary stones work faster and stronger, and cost more. The substitutes, called upratna, work more gently and are safer to experiment with. Most astrologers recommend starting with the substitute for any of the "hard" planets, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu and Mars, and moving to the primary stone only once it is clear the planet's energy suits the wearer. For the benefics, Jupiter, Venus, the Moon and Mercury, the primary stone can usually be worn from the start.
Friends and enemies
The planets have friendships and enmities, and their stones inherit them. The Sun, the Moon, Mars and Jupiter form one group; Mercury, Venus and Saturn form another; Rahu and Ketu stand apart. Stones from the same group can be worn together freely; stones from opposing groups, ruby with blue sapphire, pearl with emerald, should be combined only on an astrologer's advice. This is why the shopkeeper asks what else you are wearing before showing you a stone.
How the palm reader uses the list
The mounts of the hand map onto the same planets, so a palmist who sees a flat mount of Jupiter and a strong mount of Saturn will reach for the same list an astrologer would after looking at the chart: something for Jupiter, caution with anything for Saturn. When the two readings agree, the recommendation is easy to trust.