Jews have a strong history of dealing in diamonds and other precious stones. But beyond the world of business, what role do jewels play in Jewish life? Quite a significant one, it turns out. Read on for 13 dazzling facts about jewels in Jewish literature and tradition.
1. The High Priest’s Garments
The most celebrated mention of jewels in Jewish literature appears in the magnificent uniform of the High Priest. The efod, a special apron worn behind the back, featured two shoham (onyx) stones on the shoulders, each inscribed with the names of six of the Twelve Tribes. The choshen, or breastplate, was even more spectacular—it included twelve different gems, each inscribed with the name of a different tribe.1 While the Torah tells us the names of these stones, scholars still debate their exact identities, with many theories proposed over the centuries.
2. The Tablets and Moses’ Staff
After the first set of Tablets was shattered following the sin of the Golden Calf, G‑d instructed Moses to carve new ones. What were they made of? According to tradition, G‑d revealed a quarry of sapphire beneath Moses’ tent. Moses was told to carve out the new tablets from there and was allowed to keep the leftovers, which provided him with great wealth.2 Tradition tells us that Moses’ staff was also formed from sapphire.3
3. Manna Accompaniment
During the forty years the Jewish people wandered through the desert, they were sustained with heavenly bread called manna. According to one tradition, precious gems and pearls would fall from heaven along with the manna.4
Read: What Was the Manna?
4. Imagery in Scripture
Scripture frequently uses precious gems and jewels as vivid, beautiful imagery. Here are some examples:
- King Solomon describes the Torah as “more precious than pearls.”5 He uses similar imagery for a righteous wife, asking, “Who can find a woman of valor? Her value surpasses that of pearls!”6
- Describing the manna, the Torah writes, “The appearance of the manna was like seeds of coriander, and its color was like that of the bedolach gem” (identified by some as rock crystal).7
- Lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem, the prophet Jeremiah writes: “Its Nazirites were purer than snow and brighter than milk. Their complexion was ruddier than peninim gemstones; their form was like sapphire. But now, their appearance has darkened …”8 (Though peninim is usually understood to mean pearls, here it seems to refer to a red gemstone, perhaps rubies.)
- In Song of Songs, the woman describes her beloved: “His hands are like rolls of gold inset with the blue tarshish gemstone. His innards are like pieces of ivory adorned with sapphire.” On a deeper level, the hands represent the Tablets, and the tarshish symbolizes the Ten Commandments. The innards represent the Book of Leviticus, and the sapphire represents its intricate, detailed laws.9
5. Finding Jewels as a Reward
The Talmud shares a story about a Jew named Yosef who was famous for honoring Shabbat. His dedication was rewarded when he discovered a precious gem hidden in a fish he'd bought for the holy day. In a unique twist, that very gem had been purchased (and lost) by his non-Jewish neighbor at the cost of all his possessions.10
In another story, a Jewish tailor in Rome paid an exorbitant price for the only fish available at the market to eat before Yom Kippur. Inside, he found a precious stone worth a fortune, which sustained him for the rest of his life—a Divine reward for his efforts to honor the Day of Atonement.11
Read: Yosef Who Loved Shabbat
6. Baby Boy Jewelry
A pidyon haben is a special ceremony in which a thirty-day-old firstborn son is redeemed from the Kohen (Priest) for five silver coins. There’s a lovely custom to bedeck the baby with jewelry and place him on a silver tray in honor of the occasion.12
7. The Diamondless Wedding Ring
At a Jewish wedding ceremony, the groom consecrates his bride by giving her a plain gold wedding band. The simplicity is deliberate: Jewish law is concerned that if the ring had a stone, the woman might accept the marriage based on her assumption of the gem’s value. This could put the marriage’s legal validity in question if the stone turns out to be worth less than expected.13
8. Jewelry for Women
The Torah recognizes jewelry’s importance to most women, teaching us that “Jewelry is more precious to a woman than all pleasurable things.”14 Before each festival, Jewish law even instructs a husband to buy clothing and jewelry for his wife according to his means.15
There are some restrictions, though: When a wife has niddah status (ritual impurity), she’s encouraged to wear less jewelry.16 The Torah also forbids men from wearing jewelry designated for women or vice versa.17
9. Talisman to Prevent Miscarriage
The Talmud mentions a stone called an even tekumah that women would wear to help prevent miscarriages, saying that it may be worn outdoors on Shabbat.18 While scholars aren’t certain about the exact identity of this stone, other traditional sources suggest that rubies have this protective property,19 and some wear them during pregnancy as a prayerful wish for a healthy birth.
10. Holy Jewelry
One of Morocco’s most saintly and venerated figures was Rabbi Yehuda ibn Attar (1655–1733). While he devoted most of his day to Torah study and prayer, he was also a skilled goldsmith—a craft he developed to support his family. The jewelry he created was believed to have special spiritual powers. Generations later, the local Arabs treasured his rings and earrings as powerful amulets with a reputation for being genuinely effective.20
11. G‑d’s Crown Jewel
Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Rebbe of Chabad, used a parable to explain the need for spreading chassidic teachings: A prince once fell gravely ill, and the only available cure required using the most precious jewel in the king’s crown. Despite the jewel’s tremendous value, the king immediately instructed that it be ground into powder for even the slightest chance it might save his son’s life.
Similarly, the teachings of Chassiduism are G‑d’s crown jewel. Despite their sublime, elevated nature, G‑d is ready to have them revealed and widely shared to help sustain us during this current age of spiritual darkness.21
Listen to the Rebbe repeat this parable
12. Names That Dazzle
You can find jewels sparkling throughout many Jewish given names and surnames! Among female given names, the pearl reigns supreme, appearing in names like Peninah, Margalit, and Pearl. (The first two are Hebrew, and the last is Yiddish—which happens to match the English word.) Jewel-inspired surnames include Diamond, Rubinstein (ruby), Sapirstein (sapphire), Garfinkel (carbuncle), and Perlstein (pearl).
13. Diamonds of the Future
Describing the Messianic Era, the prophet Isaiah conveys G‑d’s promise: “I will pave your floors with puch stones, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will place kadchod as your windows, and your gates will be of ekdach stones; your borders will be filled with valuable gems.”22 The Talmud provides more detail, telling us that G‑d will carve passageways in huge gemstones 30 cubits tall and place them at the gateways of Jerusalem.23
These predictions are about much more than just wealth and extravagance. The Talmud explains that kadchod is actually a combination of two precious stones, one that produces its own light and another that reflects light from the outside.24 Chassidic teachings explain that kadchod thus reflects two types of Divine reward in the future era: one that mirrors our good deeds, and one that is G‑d’s own light, transcending anything we could ever earn through our own efforts.25
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