As the name suggests, this divinatory deck is based on 32 precious and semi-precious stones and the associations made with them. While many of the stones (diamond, amethyst, lapis lazuli, for example) are well known to most people, there are also some, such as hambergite, dumortierite and tektite, that were new to me, especially in the context of being gemstones and that I suspect are unfamiliar to many other people as well. The deck was originally published in Europe; perhaps some of these stones are better known there.
Part of the appeal of Rider-Waite-based divination decks for me has always been the rich illustrations on each card, and the way in which the details pertinent to a particular reading seem to jump out at the reader to assist in the interpretation of the card. No such assistance will be forthcoming from this deck, since each stone is shown alone against a marbled background on its own card, with no context. It seems to me that to use this deck successfully, the reader must either memorize the meanings for each stone, which are supplied in the accompanying Little White Book, or already have strong intuitive associations with gemstones and crystals which they could then incorporate into their readings.
The Little White Book gives instructions for using the cards in two spreads. The instructions, as with most Lo Scarabeo decks, are given in English, Spanish, Italian, French and German. Obviously the publisher believes there is a market for this deck, but I couldn't work up much enthusiasm about it.
~review by Jackie Gorman
Author: Isa Donelli
Lo Scarabeo 2004
32 cards, $9.95
