I have been doing a lot of personal research into gemstones, crystals and their differing types. It was a hobby of my mother’s when she was alive and I also wanted to research different stones and minerals anyway for a project completely unrelated to Sailor Moon. However I also have been looking into my own fanwork for the fandom, and in doing so it required me to look into the different gemstones that villains in the manga are named after. The most significant that will come to mind of any of them though are the Shitennou (and Beryl).
Below I have made a list of interesting findings about each of the meanings behind the stones. This information comes from several books and sources and put into exclusively my own words/interpretation, so if you wish to verify any of the information it is easily found through getting some Gemstone based books (both scientific and spiritual) as well as cruising the internet.
KUNZITE
Let’s start out with the Leader of the Pack and the one a lot of people like to gush over the most when it comes to analyzing his crystal. His name sake, Kunzite, is the gemstone that comes from a mineral known as spodumene. While the name “kunzite” can be (incorrectly) used to refer to any colour of spodumene it actually refers to the pink spodumene, which is the most common colour of the gemstone varying from deep vibrant pink to almost clear pale.
Other colours spodumene can come in are purple (lilac kunzite) or yellow/green, the latter of which having its own common name, “hiddenite”.
The real-world name “kunzite” was coined in the early 20th century by George Frederick Kunz, for whom the common pink spodumene i.e. true kunzite gem was named after. Kunz himself was a famous mineralogist and mineral collector. His book, The Curious Lore of Precious Stones, is one of the go-to books for gemology even today. Of course, in the SM-universe it is implied that *possibly* the gems were named after the Shitennou, in this case Kunzite’s.
The first thing worth noting is that all forms of spodemene are delicate, rating 6-7 on the hardness scale and being prone to losing colour and lustre in natural daylight. When reflecting on Kunzite’s comment in the manga about Tokyo’s over use of electricity and light pollution he states:
“What offensive, futile light.
The true beauty is within the shining darkness.”
The tone is taken to be that of wickedness and evil, as he wishes to “drag” the senshi out to “grovel” before the darkness. However, there can be deeper meaning attached to Kunzite’s words. Considering that the Dark Kingdom Kunzite is a warped reflection of his true self, this line can be taken to reflect his inner philosophy. After all, kunzite are also exceptionally beautiful; vitreous gems, meaning that light passes through them and reflects off them in a similar manner to glass. Yet, as earlier stated, wearing kunzite jewellery means you must be weary of exposing it to light else the stone will go dull. People who own kunzite jewellery consider it as “evening wear”.
By taking these physical properties of the gemstone, the earlier quote from Kunzite takes on additional meaning. The lights of Tokyo are offensive to him because it negates the beauty of darkness. This can be taken to mean both the glory of the Dark Kingdom he serves but also the most basic observation - that Tokyo is polluting the night sky and drowning out the stars. Any keen star watcher will tell you that getting a good look at the night sky in major cities is near impossible due to the orange hue let off by city lights. Even stars as beautiful and large as, say, the Evening and Morning Star.
To the Dark Kingdom Kunzite, he likely sees the unwelcome infiltration of light into a period of time where the world is naturally supposed to be dark and it becomes an attack on him in kind. He is the “Evening Stone” who thrives best as a shining glimmer in the dark. In many ways he and his gemstone are very much the Yin on the Tao symbol: light in the darkness. Going on from this we can add extra meaning to the spiritual properties often associated with kunzite.
In crystal healing, kunzite is considered not only to be the “Evening Stone” but also the “Stone of Balance” due to its properties associated with both the mind and heart: the former is a quirk of spodumene (mind chakra) while the latter is predominant in kunzite, it being considered by all to be a “love stone”. Moreover the presence of kunzite in crystal spells often lends way to balance overall due to think connection of linking the heart with the head. This need not be explained in references to SM’s Kunzite, who as leader would likely be expected to represent a good balance within his group. Nonetheless the strong affinity between the head and heart leave interesting things to interpret about his SilMil personality. Kunzite is so often viewed as a stoic character who lives only in his head yet the gem kunzite alone is predominantly a heart/love gem. From this we could perhaps infer that while Kunzite will often look first to the logical, clearest root to success, he will always seek to choose the moral path and the one most beneficial to those he loves - his men, his Prince and presumably even his assumed lover/mistress, Venus.
The gem kunzite is, unsurprisingly, ruled by the Goddess Venus and associated with the namesake planet. In antiquity people believed that the cosmos was reflected in gemstones and those of pink colour were thought to invoke Love Goddesses. Among the many things kunzite is associated with, it is particularly symbolic of purity, conception/new life, children and, of course, love. While all Venus-ruled gemstones stand for success in romance, kunzite in particular is considered a symbol of “Unconditional Love”. For this reason, kunzite evokes all types of love: romantic, parents/children and personally feeling love. This focus on the emotional soothing power of love makes it a nice little contrast to Venus as well as an object ruled by her. In terms of the Senshi and Shitennou parallels, Kunzite represents “Emotion” while Venus represents “Attraction”.
This likely made for an interesting dynamic between the two back in the SilMil. If we take these aspects of Kunzite’s gemstone to heart, we could perhaps guess that his true self as indeed the Guardian of Purity and Affection as SMC put it. We can imagine that Kunzite was reserved towards Venus’s advances. If Venus truly was like Minako then we can presume she still enjoyed being the one doing all the chasing, which Kunzite would let her do with a small smile and chuckle. His focus would likely have been to keep control of his own feelings but ultimately would give into what the Heart wanted.
JADEITE & NEPHRITE
No matter how you see the relationship between these two brothers in arms in SM, the two minerals Jadeite and Nephrite are twinned souls in the gemology world. You can’t really talk about one without the other so I will consolidate them into one header and hopefully explain why this might be significant.
Jadeite and Nephrite are both forms of Jade. For centuries they were thought to be exactly the same but 1963 the discovery was finally made that there were in fact two types of jade despite the differences being relatively minor. To quote the Phillip’s Guide to Gems, “both are aluminium silicates; both are made out of intertwined crystals that were compressed under high pressure; and they are often found side by side.” (p. 142) The difference between the two really only comes down to what they are made out of and how it affects their textures and lustre.
In the case of jadeite - the more popular of the two - it comes in a wider variety of colours (almost all the colours, in fact) and has more vibrant colour overall in jade. It is heavily linked to realising skills and goals. As a result the stone is often credited with stimulating self-reliance and confidence. However this is not a cocky emotion - in fact jadeite is associated tranquility and calmness.
If we link that to Jadeite himself we can get some vital details about his true personality. He generally works alone, is respectfully confident (right up until his death) and actually does remain remarkably calm in difficult situations. We know all this from what little we see of him in the manga.
However a interesting comparison between jadeite and nephrite is that the latter is a stronger material. It is more popular for detailed cravings (such as miniatures) due to it not chipping easily - something Jadeite can do when not smoothed down. For this reason nephrite has also been used more commonly for weaponry. This sort of plays into Nephrite being the reckless warrior type while Jadeite is the calm and laid back brother.
Both stones are known as “dream stones” and both represent the following: love, courage, justice, wisdom. In Sailor Moon Crystal, the writers decided to give the boys “Elements of Harmony” style titles not unlike the girls’ intros as “Guardian of —” titles. Jadeite’s was the Knight of Endurance and Harmony while Nephrite was Knowledge and Understanding. All of these are qualities associated with jade.
I can’t figure out if there was a specific reason why Naoko Takeuchi chose two forms of jade for two of the Shitennou but I genuinely do think that the fact she did means we can perhaps infer a connection between the boys. Perhaps a “two sides of the same coin” aspect? Well, they are close in age (18 and 19) and while Jadeite dies Nephrite is genuinely upset about it despite him picking on him earlier, making fun of his inability to deal with the Sailor Senshi. This is another aspect I have to admit I like about SMC - it showed the boys subtly coming in to help each other when confronting Beryl and so on.
Jadeite and Nephrite were likely very, very similiar and that is why they were best friends and rivals. They took shots at each other but in the end they would both go down fighting together or for each other because they were brothers in arms. Jadeite was calmer, cheerful and more laid back while Nephrite was serious, confident and perceptive. They complimented each other perfectly.
ZOISITE
The youngest, daintiest and arguably most creative of the Shitennou, Zoisite is named after a mineral in its own right. It has several subcategories aside from: there is basic tumbled Zoisite; Thulite, Ruby Zoisite (Anyolite) and Tanzinite. It is the latter variety that is the most celebrated due to its gorgeous violet-blue colour.
On its own, zoisite is a crystal that best described as a “booster”, “upper” or “stimulant”. It is a stone that supposedly celebrates uniqueness, encouraging the bearer to break the mold and be themselves. Reading all of this, it is hard not to think of the 90′s anime Zoisite who very much did march to the beat of his own drum and relished in his own individualism. He, of course, in virtually a different person compared to the manga, not least in the somewhat admirable genuineness that surrounds Manga!Zoi. Naoko’s Zoisite loves Jadeite and Nephrite, reflecting a sense of brotherhood. Likewise, while he is clearly a little terrified of Kunzite, Zoisite follows his orders without question. The gemstone zoisite is most famous among crystal enthusiasts for invoking “trust in the universe” and “trust in ultimate goodness” in life. It is a stone that brings happiness and quells fears.
Dark Kingdom Zoisite is a trickster who plays dirty, is a cheat and is prone to petulant outbursts of anger - the exact opposite of a Zoisite stone, a stone of ultimate trust. In the 90′s anime it is linked to his vanity. In the manga, it is linked to his pride. For Zoisite to have all of these negative aspects to his personality yet have such an underlying affection for his brothers makes for a interesting mixture as it implies that while Beryl could twist his “true self” into a nasty little brat yet retain his sense of loyalty to the others.
From the properties of zoisite stones, we can perhaps infer what the true Zoisite was like. Dark Kingdom version is a cheat and a manipulator, Elysion Zoisite was then probably honest to a fault, in keeping with his stone. He was likely still proud, very sneaky and trickery - but he would likely play fairer and not resort to dirty tactics. His loyalty to his brothers would be just as fierce and would be the one to always find the bright side.
These are the aspects of the basic zoisite, but what about the other forms? What could they tell us about Zoisite’s character?
Let’s start at the top and look at Thulite. It is named after the mythological region known as Thule, thought to be a region in Scandinavia. Immediately the “European Commander” bells are going off inside your heads, right? I personally think it would be nice is Thule was indeed Zoisite’s Kingdom back in the Silver Millennium.
Thulite is the “nurturing” gem, one that comforts shy, withdrawn and emotionally damaged people, especially survivors of severe abuse. In other words, it is the stone that defends the meek. This makes sense as Zoisite himself is often portrayed as well physically smaller than the other Shitennou and plays in again to the stone being a “booster” of self-worth. Ruby in Zoisite once again enhances creativity but has the added bonus of having an underlying focus, again lending weight to the fan theory that Zoisite is by far the most intelligent Shitennou because he is both creative and goal focused. It negates laziness. Finally, there is the beautiful Tanzinite, a stone that smooths an overactive mind. It slows down a creative mind that has gone into overdrive and helps the bearer calm down.
These three stones really add to the spectrum of what the SilMil Zoisite could have been like: a gentle and nurturing young man with a brilliant, active and creative mind. There was no locked room he couldn’t think his way out of. He believed in being true to himself and encouraged others to be the same - but always tried to do too much. He often forgot that he was only human and had to be reminded to calm down. But his mind was always ticking over. Always.
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Originally posted on my Tumblr.
