About Carnelian
Why Carnelian? We asked ourselves what name would hold the most meaning, and here’s how Carnelian presented itself as the solution:
It’s a hefty dose of alchemy
The dictionary defines alchemy as a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination. Carnelian, a gemstone, is said to be a stone of alchemy. We were founded to bring together tools and resources that add a little magic to your process of transforming your community, a bit of alchemy to weave into the incredible work you do each day.
It’s a little bit of flexing muscles
Carnelian is a gemstone of power and courage. It is said to support vitality, motivation, and to improve strength with the promise of something new. The stone was worn as amulets by warriors to remove uncertainty and fear. Our products are meant to assuage your uncertainty and fear, to strengthen your work, and to help you in the process of building something new—whether it is a new approach to existing strategies, or an entirely unique solution that meets the needs of this moment, Carnelian is committed to products that will support you along the way.
It’s centered on creativity
The carnelian stone has been called The Singer's Stone, The Artist's Stone, The Sunset Stone. In all of its properties, creativity and beauty remain at the core. The founders of Carnelian both grew out of training as creatives; one a performing artist and writer turned nonprofit practitioner, the other a visual artist turned digital virtuoso. It is artistry, the ability to see what’s beautiful beyond the starkness of barriers and frustrations, it is creativity that guides the solutions we design for you to face the challenges the process of making change demands.
It’s a science
The carnelian stone gets its color from iron oxide, a chemical compound of iron and oxygen. Pigments made of iron oxide are inexpensive and durable. We seek to build products that are affordable and that last as a core part of your change process. Iron oxides also play a role in biological processes. For instance, they occur in hemoglobin, the iron-containing oxygen transport in red blood cells. These carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. There, they release the oxygen needed to produce energy to run and fuel to burn. Carnelian was created to support the core systems of your work, to give you the energy to run with your ideas and programs. Carnelian is our lifeblood. We want it to become a part of yours.
It really comes down to love
As a gemstone, carnelian is said to stimulate love and passion. We hope to provide you with resources and tools that deepen your commitment to the process of change, and allow you to live your purpose and passion. And as an “aw” factor, a carnelian was the first gemstone given from one founder of Carnelian to another—a declaration of love, protection, a life of creativity, and a bit of evidence-based reality to shape a combined future together.
This business of re-imagining and re-creating community requires a deep love and commitment to your work. That’s what we’re about—loving and supporting what you do every day to make change real.
