Green aventurine is one of the few natural stones named after an imitation of itself. In 1600s Venice, glassmakers turned out a sparkling glass they called avventurina, from the Italian for "by chance." Natural stones with the same glitter later borrowed the name, and green aventurine, the best known of them, still carries that "chance" in it, which is how a stone of luck got its name.
The green aventurine meaning is luck and opportunity: the stone people carry when they want doors to open and the courage to walk through them. Halfway down, a simple tilt-and-look test tells it apart from jade and from green glass.
Green aventurine quick facts
- Chakra: Heart
- Zodiac: Aries, Taurus, Virgo
- Element: Earth
- Color: Mint to deep forest green, often with a fine sparkle
- Hardness: About 6.5 on the Mohs scale
- Commonly from: India, with smaller amounts from Brazil
- Pairs with: citrine, rose quartz, moonstone
Luck that grows like a garden
Green is the color of things that grow, and the glint hidden in aventurine catches the eye only at certain angles, like good fortune turning up when you least expect it.
Opportunity. This is its best-known title. People keep a piece close before an interview, a move or a new project, as a reminder to notice the openings that come along and say yes to them.
Luck. It's one of the classic good luck charms, nicknamed the gambler's stone, and a favorite for wallets, pockets and lottery tickets alike.
Growth. Its fresh spring green links it to steady progress, the kind that comes from tending a plan day after day the way you'd tend a garden.
Aventurine also has a soft side. As a heart chakra stone it's given between friends and partners as a symbol of warmth and an open heart, and many people reach for it after a disappointment, when they're ready to hope again.
A heart chakra stone with an earthy streak
Green aventurine belongs to the heart chakra in the center of the chest, the energy center traditions tie to love, kindness and openness. Green is that chakra's own color, so the match came naturally. In meditation, many people rest it over the heart or wear a pendant that sits there.
Its earth element gives its luck a practical edge: fortune that comes with effort, not out of thin air. Earth is also the link to two of its signs, since Taurus and Virgo are both earth signs. Aries appears on most lists as well, and its love of fresh starts suits a stone of new chances.
Where people keep green aventurine
- In a wallet or purse, as a luck charm for money and new ventures
- On a desk, as a reminder of a goal that's growing slowly
- In a pocket for an interview, an audition or a contest
- Beside a plant or in a garden, for its green, growing energy
- On a key ring, so a little luck goes everywhere
- As a gift for a new job, a new home or a first business
Necklaces, keychains and a lucky owl
Wear it. Our green aventurine tree of life necklace pairs the stone with the tree of life, a symbol of growth and family that echoes its own meaning, and the platinum plated green aventurine tree of life earrings repeat the tree in miniature. The crescent moon green aventurine necklace tucks an oval moonstone under the crescent, for a new start with a little luck behind it. The green aventurine owl necklace is a small owl pendant, the bird of wisdom, on an adjustable 20 inch cord.
Stack it. The green aventurine and rose quartz heart bracelet strings two heart chakra stones together, and the green aventurine crystal chip bracelet is a simple stretch piece.
Carry it. The raw green aventurine keychain ties a rough piece to hemp and beads, a luck stone you'll touch every time you reach for your keys. The green aventurine crystal fancy pendulum fits in a pocket for the days a choice needs a second opinion.
Hang it up. The green aventurine moon décor and the green aventurine owl décor, with obsidian, both hang from a woven loop, so they can brighten a wall, a window or a car.
A lucky-penny ritual. Tuck a small piece of green aventurine into your wallet beside a coin. Each time you open the wallet, touch the stone and name one opportunity you want to notice that day. At the end of the month, write down any that turned up.
Aventurine, jade or glass?
Green aventurine is sometimes sold as "Indian jade," which is where much of the confusion starts. It isn't jade at all. Here's how the three compare.
| Green aventurine | Jade | Green goldstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Quartz rock with flakes of green mica | Jadeite or nephrite, different minerals | Man-made glass |
| The shine | A fine, scattered sparkle when tilted | A smooth, oily or waxy glow, no glitter | Bold, even metallic flecks all over |
| Color | Slightly uneven, with lighter patches | Even to mottled green | Perfectly even green |
| Look closely | Flat flakes scattered unevenly, some dull | No flakes at all | Tiny, bright, evenly spread sparkles |
| Price | Affordable | Fine jade is costly | Inexpensive |
Tilt the stone under a lamp: aventurine's sparkle comes and goes in patches, while glass glitters evenly from every angle. Goldstone, first made in a coppery brown, is the glass aventurine was named after. The green kind came later, colored with chromium, so the family resemblance is real. It's pretty in its own right, as long as it's sold as glass.
Green aventurine with citrine, rose quartz and moonstone
Citrine is its best-known partner: two classic money stones, green for opportunity and gold for confidence, often kept together in a wallet or on a desk. Read more in our citrine guide. Rose quartz shares the heart chakra and brings tenderness, the idea behind our heart bracelet and our rose quartz guide. Moonstone, the stone of new beginnings, sits on our crescent moon necklace, and our moonstone guide tells its story.
More stones for this energy center are in our heart chakra crystals.
Keeping green aventurine green
Green aventurine is about 6.5 on the Mohs scale, a grainy rock rather than a single crystal, and a little softer than clear quartz. It wears well, though if you drop it on a stone floor an edge can chip. A quick rinse and a soft towel clean it, and stretch cords last longer if they don't stay wet.
Natural green aventurine holds its color. Dyed pieces are best kept out of strong sun, so a shaded shelf suits any green piece you love.
A new moon is a fitting time to cleanse this stone of fresh starts: leave it on a windowsill overnight, rest it on selenite, or give it a pass through sage smoke. Quick care facts for every stone we carry are in our crystal care chart. Every crystal in our shop is smudged with sage and charged in the moonlight before it ships.
Green aventurine FAQ
Which hand do you wear a green aventurine bracelet on?
The left is the usual choice, to welcome luck and new chances in.
Can green aventurine get wet?
Yes. A quick rinse is fine, and the stone won't dissolve. Just dry jewelry soon after.
Can green aventurine go in the sun?
Natural stones hold their color. Dyed pieces are best kept out of strong sun for long display.
Does green aventurine attract money?
It's one of the most famous money and luck stones, and many people carry it in a wallet as a charm and a daily reminder of their goals.
Is green aventurine a quartz?
Yes. It's a rock made mostly of tiny quartz grains, with flakes of a green mica mixed in.
Can green aventurine and amethyst go together?
Yes. Amethyst brings calm and aventurine brings hope, a gentle pair for anyone starting over after a hard stretch.
The tiny mirrors inside the stone
Green aventurine isn't a single crystal. It's a quartzite, a rock of countless small quartz grains pressed together, with flat flakes of fuchsite scattered among them. Fuchsite is a green mica that carries chromium, and the chromium supplies the color.
Those mica flakes are flat and shiny, and they act like tiny mirrors. Tilt the stone and light bounces off the ones lined up with your eye, which makes the soft glitter called aventurescence. It's named after the stone, which was named after the glass. The more fuchsite a piece holds, the deeper and more opaque its green. Aventurine also comes in blue, red, peach, yellow and white, depending on which mineral flakes are inside, but green is by far the most common. Most green aventurine comes from India, from deposits around Mysore and Chennai.
Each piece we sell is one of a kind, and the one pictured is the one you'll receive.