Carbuncle (gemstone)

Carbuncle (/ˈkɑːrbʌŋkəl/) is another name for a deep red almandine gemstone that has been cut with a smooth, convex face in a method called cabochon.

Intermingling red gems until the time of their crystal-chemical definitions at the end of the 18th century, they united, for commercial purposes, the various sardonyx and carnelian, garnets, ruby and spinel as an intrinsic common quality of their luminous dispersion magnified by artifacts.

In South American folklore, the carbuncle is a small elusive animal containing a mirror, shining gemstone or riches like gold.

"[5] A Chilean man known as Gaspar Huerta is said to have encountered a carbuncle while digging an irrigation canal, but reportedly he could not see what its shape was because he killed it on the spot to recover its riches.

[4] In Chilote mythology it is variously described as green-red shining animal such as a dog, cat, bivalve or simply a flame that is the "guardian of the metals".