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JEWELRY 
 
 THE PRECIOUS STONES 
 
JEWELRY 
 
 AKO 
 
 THE PRECIOUS STONES: 
 
 WITH A HISTORY, 
 
 AND DESCRIPTION FROM MODELS, 
 
 OF THE LARQEST INDIVIDUAL, DIAMONDS KNOWN: 
 
 INCLUDINO, PARTICULARLY, A CONSIDERATION 
 
 OF THE KOH-I-NOOR^ CLAIM 
 
 TO NOTORIETY. 
 
 BY 
 
 HIPPONAX ROSET. 
 
 JOHN PENINGTON & SON; 
 
 —wo 61, SOUTH SEVEXTH STREET- 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 1856. 
 
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CONTENTS. 
 
 HISTORV OF THE JEWELER'S ART FROM 
 
 
 Superstitions and aneodotos, 
 
 17, IS 
 
 THE EARLIEST RECORDS TO 
 
 THE 
 
 
 The Crown of Hungary, 
 
 IS 
 
 PRESENT TIME, 
 
 
 2 to 6 
 
 The Crown of England, 
 
 18 
 
 THE PRECIOUS STONES, 
 
 
 6 
 
 The Crowns of Russia, 
 
 19 
 
 THE DIAMOND, 
 
 
 6 to 22 
 
 The Crown of France, 
 
 19 
 
 General characteristics, 
 
 
 6,T 
 
 Profusion of Diamonds in Russia, 
 
 18,19 
 
 Mines, 
 
 
 7, 8, 22 
 
 Its name in various languages, 
 
 23 
 
 Mode of mining, 
 
 
 7,8 
 
 Its application to the mechanical arts, 
 
 22 
 
 Mode of cutting, 
 
 
 8,9 
 
 THE SAPPHIRE. 
 
 22.23 
 
 Mode of estimating, 
 
 
 10 
 
 THE RUBY, 
 
 23,24 
 
 Origin of " carat," 
 
 
 10, 21, 22 
 
 THE TOPAZ, 
 
 24 
 
 Individual specimens, described from 
 
 
 THE EMERALD, 
 
 24 to 26 
 
 models, chiefly. 
 
 
 10 to 17 
 
 THE AMETHYST, 
 
 26,27 
 
 The Emperor of Russia's, 
 
 
 11.12 
 
 THE CARNELIAN, 
 
 27 
 
 The Orand Dulce of Tuscany's, 
 
 
 12 
 
 THE GARNET, 
 
 27 
 
 The Regent, 
 
 
 12, 19 
 
 THE ONYX, 
 
 28,2-.) 
 
 L'EtoOe du Sud, 
 
 
 12,19 
 
 Cameos, 
 
 20 
 
 The Koh-i-noor, 
 
 12 to 16, 19 to 21 
 
 THE SARDONYX, 
 
 29 
 
 (^"The Great MnouVs;" shewn to be 
 
 
 THE HELIOTROPE, 
 
 29 
 
 identical with the Emperor 
 
 «/ 
 
 
 THE CHRYSOLITE. 
 
 29,30 
 
 Russia's, rather than with 
 
 the 
 
 
 THE HYACINTH. 
 
 30 
 
 Koh-i-^oor,) 
 
 U to 16, 19 to 21 
 
 THE CAT'S EYE, 
 
 30,31 
 
 The King of Ptyrtugal's, 
 
 
 16, 17, 21 
 
 THE OPAL, 
 
 31 
 
 The Blue Diamond, 
 
 
 17,21 
 
 THE PEARL, 
 
 31 to 33 
 
 The Pacha of Egypt's, 
 
 
 17,21 
 
 THE TURQUOISE, 
 
 33.34 
 
 Tfie Etiglish Lottery Diamond. 
 
 The Sancy Diamond, 
 
 The Polar Star, 
 
 Thi Rajah of Mattan's, 
 
 The Shah, 
 
 The Green Diamond, 
 
 
 17,21 
 17, 21 
 17 
 17 
 17 
 17 
 
 THE PRINCIPAL JEWELERS OF FRANCE, 
 ENGLAND AND AMERICA, CONTEM- 
 PORANEOUS HEREWITH, 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF A JEWELRY MANUFAC- 
 TORY OF THE FIRST RANK, 
 
 34 to 3S 
 
 The IVassue Diamond, 
 
 
 17,21 
 
 THE CULTURE OP THE BEAUTIFUL JUS- 
 
 
 Unnamed specimens. 
 
 
 17.21 
 
 TIFIED. 
 
 39, 10 
 
PREFACE, 
 
 The matter of the following pages appeared originally, divided 
 into half a dozen Chapters, in Numbers 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 
 23 of Bizarre, Volume VI, Year 1855. Although the subject 
 is by no means fully discussed, the scope the author has allowed 
 himself is believed to be comprehensive enough for the patience 
 of the general reader. And a combination of these Chapters into 
 one, it has been suggested, would form a pamphlet of sufficient 
 interest to warrant its publication. In doing this, a more me- 
 thodical arrangement of the subject, than that originally pursued, 
 has been adopted ; considerable additional matter has been intro- 
 duced ; and many former errors of the press corrected. 
 
 H, R„ 
 
 Philadelphia, December 1, 1855. 
 
JEWELRY 
 
 AND 
 
 THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 To one, Avlio contemplates it, there is much 
 'tlmt is of the poetic and attractive about the 
 vocation of the Jeweler. In the first place, 
 the materials he chiefly deals with are the 
 rarest of earth's mineral products, the mas- 
 ter-pieces of the " mighty mother," Nature, 
 in this department of her labors. Gold and 
 silver and the precious stones have iu all 
 ages exercised an important influence over the 
 hopes and wishes, the thoughts and imagina- 
 tions of men in all stages of development, 
 and these are the principal subjects of the 
 Jeweler's handiwork. 
 
 For a description of the potency of gold, 
 Sliakspeare, as might have been supposed, 
 transcends all others. 
 
 " This y«!Iow slave 
 VTill knit and break reliirions ; bless the accurs«cl; 
 JIake the hoar leprosy adored^ place thieves. 
 And give them title, knee and approbation ! 
 O thou sweet king-killer, and dear divorce 
 'Twixt natural son and sire! thou bright defiler 
 Of Hymen's purest bed! thou valiant Mars! 
 Thou ever young, fresh, loved and delicate wooer, 
 ■Whose blush doth thaw the consecrated snow 
 That lies on Dian's lap! thou visible god, 
 That Eolder'st close impoesibilities 
 And mak'st them kiss! that speak'st with every tongue, 
 To every purpose !" 
 
 And this same metal is matter of the 
 tlfiweler^s daily handling. 
 r^ And then the associations connected with 
 \ the products of his Art are such as appeal, 
 V in numerous respects, most forcibly to the 
 imagination. Kings and queens, peers and 
 peeresses ; beauty, elegance, grace and re- 
 finement; coronation seasons; triumphal oc- 
 casions in all their variety ; the hall and the 
 festival ; all these persons, scenes and things 
 have a natural relation to the Jeweler's pro- 
 fession, and derive no small share of their 
 brilliancy and charm from the beautiful and 
 costly specimens of his skill. 
 
 L . The Jeweler's profession, too, belongs to 
 
 the sphere of the artistic-beautiful, and is 
 undeniably entitled to rank as one of the 
 Fine Arts. Such, indeed, in ancient days, it 
 was in the most absolute sense. The ana- 
 
 tomic and general scientific knowledge, and 
 the manipulative skill coupled with the 
 creative genius, which went to the shaping 
 of the immortal works of Phidias in marble 
 and Apelles on canvass, were not less de- 
 voted to the intaglios and alto-relievos of 
 the gem-engravers Agathopus, Polygnotus, 
 Apollonides, Lycos and their compeers suc- 
 cessively in the Periclean, Alexandrian and 
 Augustan ages. 
 
 Still further. The precious stones have 
 in all ages been signalized by myriad forms 
 of imaginative, poetic superstition. These 
 may in part have sprung from the several 
 important uses made by monarchs of their 
 engraved signet-rings. Pharaoh, we read, 
 in conferring upon Joseph the vice-regal 
 office, entrusted him with his own signet- 
 ring. Antiochus Epiphanes gave his minis- 
 ter Philip his ring, as a token of the latter's 
 authority to elect a successor to the throne. 
 Alexander the Great, while dying, transfer- 
 red his signet to his general Perdiccas, and 
 thus made him his successor. Darius and 
 his nobles set their seals to the lions' den, 
 into which Daniel was cast, as a security 
 against the pi'ophet's being removed there- 
 from without their permission. Judah gave 
 his signet-ring to Tamar, as a pledge of his 
 faith. In short, we find that, among the 
 Egyptians and Hebrews, the Phoenicians and 
 Greeks, the Etruscans, the Romans and the 
 Northern nations generally, the engraved ring 
 was employed as a token to impart authority 
 and security besides being the most valued 
 of all ornaments. 
 
 It was doubtless from these circumstances, 
 in part at least, tliat the precious gems be- 
 came invested with so many superstitious 
 associations. Many among them have al- 
 ways been and are to this day ciierished by 
 the Orientals as amulets possessing numerous 
 mystic virtues both negative and positive — 
 shielding their owners from peril and ad- 
 versity, and securing to them prosperous 
 fortunes. All over the East the signet of 
 Solomon has been embalmed in numberless 
 fables, as gifted with a miraculous power to 
 command and control the dives, genii and 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 other demonic inhabitants of the invisible 
 spheres. 
 
 There is no extant history to oiir know- 
 ledge of the Jeweler's vocation. Apelles, the 
 celebrated Grecian painter, wrote a histoi-y 
 of Art, which has unfortunately perished. 
 There can be little doubt that this contained 
 in a consecutive form the information we 
 might desire on this subject. As it is, we 
 must glean what information we may from 
 scattered notices in general history. 
 
 From all we can gather, it would seem 
 that the Jeweler's vocation originally was 
 not a distinct one, but was merged in the 
 general profession of the Artist — a profession 
 sometimes uniting sculpture, engraving, 
 &c.. It is most probable that gem-engraving 
 originated, like numerous other Arts, among 
 the Egyptians. Diodorus Siculus, it is true, 
 aflBi-ms that the Ethiopians preceded the 
 Egyptians in this Art, but he furnishes no 
 authentic evidence of this. Vague tradition, 
 indeed, intimates that, at a date so early as 
 to be immemorial, there existed in central 
 Africa a nation, entitled the Ethiopians, who 
 had reached a very high pitch of culture and 
 refinement, besides being distinguished for 
 eminent moral worth. Thus Homer, in ouo 
 of his Epics, speaks of Jove arid the other 
 Olympians having gone on their annual visit 
 to the "blameless Ethiopians.'^ It might 
 be, on the testimony of this hoary tradition, 
 that Diodorus attributes the invention of 
 gem-engraving to the Ethiopians. Authentic 
 history, however, assigns it to Egypt. 
 
 The first Egyptian specimens of this Art 
 were hyeroglyphic symbols of their deities 
 on shells and agate stones. These shells 
 and stones were doubtless worn earliest 
 as amulets, though afterwra-ds as orna- 
 ments. The use of these ornamental 
 symbols of the divinities speedily became so 
 extensive, as to stimulate to improvements 
 in the Art, as also to the employment of ma- 
 terials more valuable than shell and agate. 
 This Art seems to have attained its zenith 
 among the Egyptians under the great con- 
 queror, Sesostris, 1,000 years B. C, and 150 
 years after the supposed date of the siege of 
 Troy. 
 
 So far as we can gather, Egypt was the 
 sino-le source from which the knowledge of 
 this Art, as well as of others, spread into the 
 other ancient nations made known to us by 
 history. Moses and his people doubtless car- 
 ried it thence into Palestine, for we find 
 notices of it in the earliest Hebrew records. 
 
 The Phoenicians were eminent especially 
 as diesinkers, but also celebrated for their 
 cameos and engraved gems generally. Their 
 knowledge was probably derived from the 
 banks of the Nile, though some have pro- 
 nounced them original Artists, on what 
 authority we know not. 
 
 The Arts generally, this inclusive, are said 
 to have been carried into Greece from Egypt 
 1,300 years B, C, and 150 years after Moses' 
 death. If introduced thus early, it is singu- 
 lar that Homer, in his account of the Trojan 
 war, which is placed by tradition 150 years 
 later, should not have mentioned engraved 
 gems, while he does mention chasing on 
 metal of the highest artistic perfection, as in 
 the description of Achilles' shield, &c., &c.. 
 Yet the eminent sculptor Polygnotus places 
 an engraved ring on the linger of his statue 
 of Ulysses, intimating his opinion, that the 
 Art was known in Ulysses' day. Some of 
 the earliest known Greek engravings on 
 gems were those of Egyptian scarabtei and 
 deities, — a clear evidence of the origin of 
 their Art. During the interval of 800 years 
 from Da3dalus to Pericles the Arts generally, 
 this among the number, steadily advanced. 
 To this era belong the distinguished names 
 of Ileius, Scylax, Admon and others. The 
 age of Pericles and that immediately fol- 
 lowing were the topmost period of Greek 
 Art. Phidias and Praxiteles, Apelles, Zeuxis, 
 Parrhasius and Polygnotus, Aspasia, Mycon, 
 Pamphylus and Plotarchus may be named, 
 as among the artist-immortals of this era. 
 Which of these combined gem-engraving 
 with their other artistic performances we are 
 unable to say. We are assured, however, 
 that in gem-engraving were then found 
 united all the excellences of sculpture and 
 painting. 
 
 During the century interveni^ between 
 Pericles and Macedonian Alexander the 
 Arts most probably declined little, if at all, 
 in excellence. We find, engraved on gems 
 of Alexander's time, as the names of iheir 
 artists, Agathomerus, Axeochus and Aga- 
 thopus. History records, too, as artists of 
 the same era, some of them doubtless gem- 
 engravers, Pyrgoletes, Action, Apollonides, 
 Solon, Sostratus, Cronius, &c.. 
 
 The Etruscans, the aborigines of Italy, 
 having borrowed from Egypt the rudiments 
 of the Arts, cultivated them witli considera- 
 ble success. Their existence, as a separate 
 people, however, was historically brief, and 
 finally became merged in the universally 
 dominant life of Home. 
 
 For the first seven or eight centuries of 
 their existence, the Romans seem to have 
 devoted little attention to the culture of Art, 
 Wars of conquest and agriculture were their 
 favorite and almost sole pursuits. As their 
 conquests, however, gradually extended over 
 countries distinguished for artistic cultiva- 
 tion, the spoils conveyed to Rome by vic- 
 torious generals by degrees created a taste 
 for the products of Art. We read that 
 Pompey made a fine collection of these from 
 the spoils of the celebrated Mithridatcs of 
 Pontus ; that Julius Caesar presented the 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 city ■with a collection of gems engraved at 
 his own expense ; that Marcus Scaunis had 
 a museum of this kind, as had also Marcol- 
 lus, tliat son of Octavia, whose early death 
 is so pathetically commemorated by \ irgil in 
 his ^"Eueid. We learn alsotiiat intaglio por- 
 traits were common at tliis era. The emi- 
 nence /ittained in tlie Jeweler's Art by these 
 people is fully establislied, not upon the 
 strength of the history and writings uf the 
 period, but by tlie superb specimens actually 
 extant in all the great museums of tlie Eu- 
 ropean continent, which specimens have been 
 exhumed at various periods from Etruscan 
 graves, from Herculaneum, Pompeii, and 
 numerous other localities in Italy. The 
 British Museum some time sirfce became by 
 purchase the repository of many treasures of 
 this description which had been collected by 
 the Prince of Canino. Among them are 
 several necklaces of gold, some wrought into 
 wreaths of ivy leaves, others consisting of 
 circles, lozenges, rosettes, hippocampi, pen- 
 dent hearts, &c.. The necklace proper, 
 adorned with drops or pendents, which, 
 when worn, fell round the neck like rays di- 
 verging from the centre, was always a favor- 
 ite ornament among the women of antiquity. 
 The necklace has been in nearly all ages 
 and countries worn too as a decoration or 
 mark of distinction bj' men, and still exists 
 as their most precious badge among the ex- 
 tremes of the race — the refined Orders of 
 Knighthood and the Savage Families of Indian 
 chiefs — and by the word Indian we imply 
 the whole race of uncivilized Man. 
 
 Of course the progress of the Arts in Rome 
 must have been greatly accelerated by the re- 
 duction of Greece, their preeminently favored 
 seat, to a Roman province about a century 
 and a half before Christ, and the large migra- 
 tion of Greek Artists, which would naturally 
 then follow to t^he metropolis of the world. 
 In fact Ilomu's most celebrated artists were 
 rarely of other than Greek extraction, the 
 Romans being ever worshippers rather of 
 strength than of beauty. Tliis will appear 
 in most of the following names, — those of 
 distinguished artists of the era of Augustus, 
 Rome's so-called "golden age," viz. Epityn- 
 chamus, Felix, .i^Dpolianus, Evodus, Lycos, 
 Carpos, &c.. 
 
 The Arts continued to flourish in Rome 
 till the reign of Septimius Severus about 
 A. D., 200. By this period the empire had 
 become so disordered, as to exhibit symptoms 
 of rapid decline, and the Arts naturally 
 shared in its f\ite. The removal of the Em- 
 peror Constantine to Byzantium and the con- 
 stituting of this the metropolis of the empire 
 about A. D., 300, transferred most (;f the re- 
 maining artistic culture to this city. It was 
 the retiuence of the bright stream to its 
 fountain-head. At Rome tiie bari^arian ir- 
 
 ruptions, at the latter part of the fourth and 
 the opening of the fifth centuries, buried in 
 dense night whatever yet remained of the 
 ligiit of Art. At Constantinople they sur- 
 vived some centuries longer, though dwin- 
 dling under the disorders of the Eastern em- 
 pire, till this empire was subverted, A. D., 
 1,453, by the Turkish Sultan, Mahomet II. 
 The Greek artists fled from this barbarian 
 dominion, and found refuge in Italy. They 
 were favorably received and patronized by 
 the Popes, then in the zenith of both tem- 
 poral and spiritual power, and by the citi- 
 zens of those Italian Republics, which so 
 brilliantly illustrated the darkness of me- 
 diiBval times. The Medici of Florence were 
 especially distinguished for their munificent 
 encouragement alike of Classic learning and 
 of Art, and Lorenzo bestowed a more than 
 ordinary patronage upon the Art of gem- 
 engraving. His brother Giovanni was him- 
 self the most eminent gem-engraver of his 
 age. 
 
 We are now brought to the period in Avhich 
 the Jeweler's Art reached its culminating 
 point in the artistic performances of Ben- 
 venuto Cellini. He was born at Florence in 
 1500, and was the son of an ivory-cutter. He 
 apprenticed himself at an early age to a 
 goldsmith, and soon rivalled the best work- 
 men in designing, carving, engraving, chas- 
 ing, damaskening steel, &c.. His skill be- 
 came so well known that he was employed 
 by the Pope, Clement YII, to make the 
 stamps for the Roman mint; and the coins 
 struck from them remain unrivalled to this 
 day. After the death of Clement his talents 
 were kept employed by the Grand Dukes of 
 Tuscany, and by Francis I of France. The 
 statues and statuettes in marble and metals, 
 the medals, the works of jewelry, the ela- 
 l)orately chased vases and dishes, executed 
 for these sovereigns by this great Jeweler, 
 ai-e incredil)ly numerous, and the chief of 
 them still exist in the great European recep- 
 tacles of Art, where they have been carefully 
 preserved, and have challenged the skill of 
 the first artists of every subsequent age. But 
 the extent of the subject we have assigned to 
 ourselves forbids us to linger any longer 
 upon this interesting man — for, a correct, 
 full and just description of certain single 
 specimens of his celebrated chased vases, or 
 pieces of plate, would of itself cover scarcely 
 less ground than does our entire article. 
 Before finally disnussing him however we 
 will recommend to the reader's notice his 
 autobiography, a translation of which, under 
 the title of '•Memoirs of Benvenuto Cellini," 
 (2 vols, Hvo.) was published in 1822, under 
 the supervision of Thomas Roscoe. This is 
 one of the most entertaining and peculiar 
 pieces of composition extant, and such a 
 course of extravagant self-laudation does our 
 
6 
 
 JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 hero pursue, throughout his book, that the 
 reader would be strongly inclined to suspect 
 him of being but a quack after all, if, fortu- 
 nately for his reputation, the embodiments 
 of the great conceptions of his genius did not 
 still exist in all their pristine perfection. 
 
 We have thus traced the history of Art 
 down to the period when the Reformation, 
 the discovery of America, the invention of 
 printing, &c., &c., gave a new and unprece- 
 dented and universal impulse to all branches 
 of culture and all departments of human im- 
 provement. Under this impulse all the na- 
 tions of Christendom have been rapidly and 
 incessantly advancing, and their progress at 
 this moment is, perhaps, more rapid than 
 ever before. With the lapse of time and the 
 division of labor, which has so widely taken 
 place in all trades and professions, the 
 Jeweler's vocation has gradually become 
 separated from that of the general Artist, 
 and its professors now limit their perfor- 
 mances chiefly to the more valuable metals, 
 gold and silver, and the precious stones. 
 
 Altliough, as we have said, no individual 
 performances have since surpassed those of 
 Cellini, still since then the most extraordinary 
 improvements have taken place in the Jewel- 
 er's Art — in his day the commissions of the 
 European monarchs sufficed to monopolize all 
 the talent of the epoch — in ours, thanks to 
 steam and other ingenious mechanical inven- 
 tions of late periods the elementary branches 
 of labor in this Art have been so abridged, 
 thus reducing upon any single piece of work 
 the expenditure of efi'ort of the finishing Ar- 
 tist, and enlarging prodigiously the general 
 field of workmanship, that the talent now at 
 the world's command suffices for the full ac- 
 complishment of the endless commissions of 
 that now really vast population throughout 
 the globe, the wealthy classes. Pans and 
 London in tlie Eastern hemisphere, and New 
 York in the V/estern, are the principal seats 
 of culture of this Art at the present time. 
 Had we in detail the materials we would 
 connect herewith some description of the 
 great establisiiments of the former cities 
 which supply their continent with the mag- 
 •nificent jewelry in such general deniand 
 at this day among people of wealth. How- 
 ever unprepared we are for that task, we are 
 not, as it happens, able to plead a want of 
 information concerning the great focus of 
 the Art of the Jeweler on this side of the 
 Atlantic — we mean the Atelier of Tiffany in 
 New York. Alter a full discussion then of 
 the main branches of our subject, we will, 
 lunless it would be prolonging our article un- 
 reasonably for the pages of so slight a journal 
 as Bizarre, revert to this point and give our 
 readers some account of this vast labora- 
 tory — not only because we consider that it 
 •cain«s really within the scope of our subject 
 
 and that we possess the materials therefor, 
 but because we believe we could make it 
 very interesting, and, still further, for a spe- 
 cial reason that we will give, if we resume 
 the consideration of the matter that has sug- 
 gested itself here. 
 
 Having traced the history of the Jeweler's 
 Art to the present day it seems proper now, 
 that we should speak of the materials with 
 which the Jeweler is chiefly engaged. Of 
 gold and silver it were superfluous speaking, 
 since whatever is known at all concerning 
 these metals, and the regions producing them, 
 is sufficiently familiar to all readers. Of the 
 Precious Stones we may then speak, and this 
 we will do in their respective order of hard- 
 ness, Avhich the lapidarj'^ divides into ten 
 principal grades. 1. The Diamond. 2. The 
 Sapphire, the Ruby. 3. The Topaz, the 
 Emerald, the Amethyst. 4. The Carneliau, 
 the Carbuncle, the Garnet, the Onyx, the 
 Sardonyx, the Heliotrope, the Chrysolite, 
 the Hyacinth, tlie Cat's-eye. 5. The Opal. 
 6. The Pearl. 7. The Turquoise. Under 
 the 8th, 9th, and 10th grades are classed sub- 
 stances not fiilling under the denomination 
 of Precious Stones, such as Amber, Coral, 
 Lava, Ivor}', etc.. The substances given 
 under each of these grades will scratch all 
 those substances classified under subsequent 
 grades, and the ancients engraved them all 
 save tlie Diamond, and the art of engraving 
 that was discovered liy Ambrosius Cara- 
 dossa, A. I)., 1500. We will now proceed 
 Avith the consideration of the Diamond, the 
 first in the above order. 
 
 The Diamond, by unanimous consent, is 
 placed at the head of all gems, and this rank 
 it has always held. It was named by the 
 Greeks, " adamant," from two words signi- 
 fying " unconquerable." This title was 
 given it from its hardness, it being then sup- 
 posed indestructiljle in its atoms, though it 
 might be reduced to atoms by the hammer, 
 or otherwise. But the magical electric cur- 
 rent reduced this hardest of substances to 
 mere gaseous products — though it had be- 
 fore that been somewhat volatilized in the 
 focus of the great lens of Cosmo HI, Grand 
 Duke of Tuscany, in the middle of the seven- 
 teenth century. The degree of temperature 
 required for its combustion is 5,000 degrees, 
 Fahrenheit. It is just three and a half times 
 as heavy as an equal bulk of water. Its re- 
 fractive power exceeds that of any other 
 body, and thus endows it with its extraordi- 
 nary brilliancy. It seems however to incor- 
 porate light within itself, or to be phospho- 
 rescent, as it will at times emit rays of light 
 of its own in total darkness. This light is 
 oftener observed upon rubbing the stone 
 with the finger, or with any silk, woolen, or 
 fur substance. It is a non-conductor of elec- 
 tricity, and is not acted upon by any solvent. 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 The Diamond has never been found in 
 rocks, as are all other minerals, but only 
 in gravel and mud conglomerations in 
 beds of rivers, in deep ravines on the 
 slopes of mountains, and in cavities and 
 ■water courses on the summits of, sometimes, 
 the loftiest elevations ; and hence it is be- 
 lieved to be the product of vegetable secre- 
 tion. This supposition is eontirmed b^' the 
 results of the experiments upon it, which 
 seem to demonstrate it to be pure erystalized 
 carbon. The primitive form of the J)ianiond 
 is the regular octohodron, or two four sided 
 pyramids, whose sides are equilateral trian- 
 gles, placed base to base. Diamonds are gene- 
 rally found nearly colorless and those that 
 are entirely so are most esteemed. They have 
 been found however rose-colored, yellow, 
 blue, green, red, gray, brown, and even 
 black. But the latter are extremely rare. 
 When cohu-ed, it is by the presence of some 
 adventitious substance, as by the oxides of 
 iron, manganese, nickel, chromium, etc.. 
 Those Diamonds, which are only tinged with 
 the various colors, are of less value than 
 those colored deeply. 
 
 The modes of testing the Diamond are 
 various. The most convenient are, submit- 
 ting them to a white heat, and rubliing them 
 with a pointed Sappiiire. They will undergo 
 the former test without melting and the 
 latter witliout being scratched ; and the Sap- 
 phire is the second in the order of hardness 
 as we have above stated, and Avill scratch 
 every other substance but the Diamond. 
 
 Frequent attempts have been made to pro- 
 duce the Diamond through artificial chemical 
 processes, but without the least success. 
 
 The two principal regions yielding the 
 Diamond are portions of Ilindostan and 
 Brazil. At "present the latter country yields 
 most of these gems, though the most ccle- 
 l)rated now existing were produced by the 
 former. AVe say celebrated, since, from 
 the fact that Diamonds are tlic gems spe- 
 cially a|)propriated by monarchs and nobles, 
 and the M'eaithiest of the people, many of 
 them are subjects of historic fame. Indeed 
 more than once a large Diamond has affected 
 the fate of an Asiatic kingdom. 
 
 Diamonds were first found in Brazil in 
 1738, and during that same year it is stated, 
 in tiie history of the period, that about eighty 
 j^ounds avoirdupois (!) wore taken to Europe 
 by the Portuguese. This statement must l)e 
 taken doubtlessly cum grano, or rather with 
 a great many f/vains, if not indeed pounds, of 
 allowance. They were however brought in 
 sufficient quantities to alarm those in posses- 
 sion of the alreadj' discovered Diamonds, and 
 they disseminated the worst slanders against 
 the new stones, alleging that they were less 
 hard than the Oriental ones, and calling them 
 contemptuously Portuguese Diamonds. But 
 
 they came forth unscathed from the most 
 searching tests, and pulilic opinion was at 
 last obliged to acknowledge their legitimacy. 
 
 They still continue to be found in Brazil 
 in considerable quantities, and the pursuit 
 constitutes a large and important business. 
 The Diamonds are found in a loose gravel, 
 consisting fu'incipally of rounded (juartz peb- 
 bles, mixed with sand and oxide of iron, 
 and accompanied with blue, yellow and white 
 tojiiizes. 
 
 In the centre of the Diamond region 
 is the town of Diamantina; situated upon 
 the Rio Preto, a branch of the Trapajos, 
 itself one of the great Southern tribu- 
 taries of tiie Amazon. This region consists 
 of broken highlands, constituting the divi- 
 ding ridge between the streams flowing 
 North into the Amazon, and those running 
 South into the La Plata. Up to the year 1849, 
 it had yielded ten million dollars worth of 
 these stones ; and it is now said to produce 
 about fifteen thousand carats per annum, less 
 than a tenth of which however is fit for 
 jewelry. Its climate is very unhealthy, and 
 lias already cost Brazil the lives of one hun- 
 dred thousand men. 
 
 Tlie expenses of living in Diamantina are 
 excessively high ; the various species of mer- 
 chandise bringing eight hundred per cent, 
 advance on their price at Para. Traders be- 
 tween these two places exchange their goods 
 for Diamonds and gold, for the latter also 
 exists most abundantly in this region, and 
 return to Par,!, after an eight months' alj- 
 sence, with a realized profit of five hundred 
 per cent, on their original outlay. 
 
 The principal Indian mines are named 
 Raolconda, Gani, Soumelpour and Sacca- 
 dan, and are located in the kingdoms of Gol- 
 contla, Yisapour and Bengal, and iu the 
 island of Borneo. The first of thes^e is rocky: 
 the second terraqueous ; and the other two 
 are sandy or river mines. 
 
 In tiie first, the Diamonds are washed out 
 of earthy and gravely matter, that' is drawn 
 by hooked iron insfci-umeiits iroui the fissures 
 in tiie rocks, into wliich this matter had been 
 carried by rains or desiccated streams. 
 
 In the second they are waslied in sieves 
 from certain eartliy and vegetable deposits, 
 lying about twelve feet Iteueatii the surface 
 of the ground. In these mines the stones 
 are generally found enveloped in earthy 
 lumps. 
 
 Tlie workers iu these mines, men, women 
 and children, are all slaves, — the overseers 
 alone being freemen, — and, while at work, 
 must be perfectly nude, with the exception 
 of a strip of clotli round the loins. And yet, 
 despite all precautions, the workers some- 
 times secrete these stones, by swallowing 
 them, by hiding them in ulcers, and by secre- 
 ting them in the corners of their eyes. As 
 
JEWELRY xVND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 an incentive to activity and ftiitlifulness, 
 every slave, on finding a Diamond of pre- 
 scribed weight, is pronounced free, and may 
 go where and engage in what he chooses. 
 The required weij^it differs perhaps in each 
 mine ; but both in Asia and South America 
 it varies not under fifteen nor above twenty 
 carfits. 
 
 The mine of Soumelpour is nigh a town of 
 the same name. This town, lying on the 
 banks of the river Gouel, is large and the 
 houses are built of earth, covered with cocoa- 
 nut-tree branches. The Diamond-hunting 
 period at this place and at Saccadan is im- 
 mediately after the rainy season in Decem- 
 ber. The stones are obtained by sifting the 
 I'iver-sands. In each of the above-named 
 mines, from fifty to sixty thousand persons 
 are employed. 
 
 The other Asiatic mines of less importance 
 are in the central and southern part of India 
 proper, and in the peninsula of Malacca. 
 
 The Brazilian Diamond districts are in 
 Government hands, and are worked on the 
 same general plan with the Indian. 
 
 Full particulars of the stringent measures 
 adopted in the former country, throughout 
 the whole Diamond district, to prevent the 
 stones from being taken unlawfully out of the 
 boundaries, may be found in the Travels of 
 Doctors Von Spix and Von Marlins, made in 
 Brazil, by the command of the King of Ba- 
 A^aria.* The whole region is marked out by 
 a cordon, encircling it, extending many 
 miles. 
 
 Diamonds have also been found in con- 
 glomerates of recent volcanic origin, called 
 geologically amygdaloids; in gold and plati- 
 num sands in the Ural mountains; and one is 
 reported to have been found lately in Vir- 
 ginia ; and another in the district of Fer- 
 managh, in Ireland. And, as they are com- 
 monly found wherever gold exists, it is not 
 unlikely that they will eventually be dis- 
 coveretl in quantities in various quarters of 
 our widely extended territories, (particularly 
 in California,) in Australia, and in Africa. 
 Indeed mention is made in the classical 
 authors of Diamonds received from the latter 
 country. 
 
 The Diamond when found possesses by no 
 means the brilliancy for which it is famous. 
 In its natural state it is not even transparent 
 — it is at best but translucent. To art, 
 therefore, it owes in a great degree its re- 
 nown: for its tires, which so dazzle the eye, 
 are only released by I'emoving the external 
 crust, and may indeed after that be greatly 
 increased by cutting the stone into peculiar 
 shapes. 
 
 * Keise in Brnsilien anf Befehl S'r Magestat Maximilian 
 .Tosejih I Koni;^s Yon liaiern. Geniacht uud beschiieben 
 Von D'r Von iSpix und D'r Von Marlins. Munich : 1828. 
 4to. 
 
 The method of polishing and cutting the 
 Diamond was first discovered by Louis de 
 Berguem, of Bruges, in 1476. The former 
 is done by means of Diamond powder, which 
 is obtained by rubbing two Diamonds to-, 
 gether — the latter by fragments of Diamond 
 set in convenient instruments. The stone to 
 be operated on is itself firmly set by cement 
 or soft solder in some suitable body, and re- 
 quires a different setting to produce each 
 facet. A facet is the name of any one ex- 
 ternal ^Z««e upon the Diamond. 
 
 The sliape of these planes or facets is gene- 
 rally triangular and quadrangular, in con- 
 sequence of course of the shape of the whole 
 Diamond, which is required to be of a certain 
 peculiarity, which, it is believed, is that 
 which renders the Diamond in the highest 
 degree brilliant. This shape will be described 
 presently. 
 
 These operations (of polishing and cut- 
 ting) are generally performed over a small, 
 strongbox, which serves to retain the powder 
 that may be produced by abrasion as well as 
 the fragments that result from cutting. 
 These pieces are called technically hort. 
 
 The first polished stone is said to have be- 
 longed to Charles the Bold, and many ro- 
 mantic stories are related of it. 
 
 The last census of the United States in- 
 forms us that there are twenty-eight lapi- 
 daries in its territories — sixteen of whom 
 are in New York, nine in Rhode Island, 
 two in Massachusetts, and one in New 
 Jerse}'. But throughout the whole world 
 the only Diamond-cutter of eminence at 
 the present day (we mean to whom the cut- 
 ting of a stone of extraordinary size would 
 be entrusted) is M. Coster, of Amsterdam, if 
 we except one of growing reputation in 
 Paris, whose name we cannot recall. AVithin 
 late years the steam-engine has been em- 
 ployed at Amsterdam to do a great portion 
 of the cutting. 
 
 The shape, as yet discovered, which ren- 
 ders the Diamond the most effective in its 
 lustre, is called the Brilliant, and was first 
 adopted about a century and a half ago. 
 This shape, in the absence of engravings, we 
 will attempt to describe for the benefit of 
 those readers who have not met with stones 
 of sufficient size to have been the subjects of 
 careful cutting. The Brilliant is of the 
 shape of two pyramids, whose bases are hec- 
 cadeeagons, or sixteen sided, placed base to ^ 
 base, the upper half (in altitude) of one of 
 which pyramids has been first cutoff; the 
 other pyramid is left complete, or at most is 
 deprived of its vertex or mere tip. The 
 truncated pyramid is the one which is pre- 
 sented to the view when the Diamond is set 
 in any piece of jewelry, the perfect pyramid 
 being behind or under. The truncated and 
 the perfect pyramid are called respectively 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 the table and the collet, and their line of 
 unison, or, what is the same thinj^, the pe- 
 rimeter of eithei-'s base, is called the (/irdle. 
 The \:xr'^(i»t facet on the 1>kii,liant is the 
 plane of di.^section of the upper half of that 
 pyramid of vvhicli the table is formed, which 
 facet, we have already said in effect, is that 
 prominently exposed to view. '\^\\\s facet is a 
 regular octagon — so is the minute one pro- 
 duced by the abscission of the vertex of the 
 other pyramid — the other facets upon the 
 vemnining surface of the two pyramids, or 
 ratiier what is left of the same, are all quad- 
 rangular and triangular. 
 
 First, as to the table : this contains eight 
 fi({\vAYe facets, the dagonals of which, as they 
 are arranged, form an imaginary perfect 
 octagon, parallel with that really produced 
 by the truncation of the pyramid. One side 
 of the OQi-A^ow facet , one side of one square 
 facet, and one side of the adjacent square 
 facet form a triangular yace/, and thus in all 
 are formed eight triangular facets. Now 
 there are still sixteen more triangular /«ce^5 
 about the table. They are formed as follows. 
 As the square facets, united diagonally 
 around the table, incline to each other, the 
 angles formed outside of them by the con- 
 junction of their corners, are much more ob- 
 tuse below, or next to the girdle, than above. 
 In order therefore not to reduce unneces- 
 sarily the size of the stone, it is not ground 
 down to one triangular plane between one 
 lower side of one Rquarey«ce/, the uniting 
 lower side of an adjacent sq\\a.vQ facet, and 
 one-eiglith of the girdle, but to two triangu- 
 lar planes, each of which two has one side 
 that is identical, one side formed respectively 
 by the two adjacent square J'acets, and the 
 thii'd side by a sixteenth of the girdle. Thus 
 are formed upon the surface of the table six- 
 teen triangular /«ce^5 below the eight square 
 facets. These sixteen, the eight square ones, 
 and the eight upper triangular ones before 
 described, and the large octagon shaped 
 facet, forming in all thirty-three, embrace 
 the whole external surface of the table. 
 
 Second, as to the collet. This, when not at 
 all truncated, contains around the vertex 
 eight lozenge shaped facets, whose upper 
 sides (we speak of the collet as a pyramid) 
 are all united. The spaces between the 
 lower sides of the lozenges and the girdle are 
 ground into sixteen triangular /J/^e/.?, in the 
 same manner as in the table. The eight lower 
 corners of the lozenges unite upon the girdle 
 with the eight lower corners of the squares, 
 and the sixteen lower triangles in the table 
 all abut on the sixteen triangles in the collet. 
 Now the vertex of the collet is generally cut 
 off; this produces a small octagonal jace^, 
 and at the same converts the lozenge shaped 
 facets into pentagon shapes. Thus the collet 
 is included in twenty-five planes. 
 
 The Avhole surface of the Brilliant is 
 then divided as follows: two octagons, eight 
 squares, eight pentagons, and forty triangles 
 — in all tifty-eight /teceis; and the girdle i» 
 a perfect heccadecagon. 
 
 The Brilliant is generally set in open 
 work which attaches only at intervals at the 
 girdle, allowing the light to enter under the 
 stone. Thus the Brilliant when set ex- 
 poses the thirty-three y«ce^s of the table, and 
 reveals, through its large octagon y«ce^, the 
 small octagon y<u-e/ of the collet, and the eight 
 pentagons springing therefrom. It is a very 
 beautiful mode of cutting, it must be con- 
 fessed, and we doubt much if a superior form 
 will ever be elicited. 
 
 When the stone in its natural state resem- 
 bles more in shape a single cone than two 
 conjoined at the base, or, to use a plainer 
 simile, is more like the half of an egg, than 
 a whole one, it is apparent how great a pro- 
 portion of its bulk must needs be removed to 
 give it the Brilliant shape. In such case 
 then it is ground to the. Rose pattern. This 
 is a simple pyramid, whose base is a perfect 
 dodecagon, and whose surface is cut into 
 twenty-four equilateral triangles which are 
 also nearly equal in area. They are thua 
 arranged : six of them have each an angle in 
 the centre at the top ; upon the bases of 
 these, or the sides opposite the angles at the 
 centre, abut six other triangles, whose ver- 
 tices reach the base of the stone. The six 
 triangular spaces, between the latter six 
 triangles, are ground each into two equal 
 triangles. Thus the Rose is covered with 
 twenty-four, nearly equal, equilateral, trian- 
 gular yace/.?, and the base is a single plane 
 with twelve equal sides. The upper portion 
 of the surface, consisting of the six triangles 
 around the centre, is called the crown; the 
 remainder, consisting of eighteen triangles, 
 is called the teeth. 
 
 A Diamond of unusual superficial extent 
 in proportion to li^i depth is polished upon its 
 flat surfaces, and the edge is ground to any 
 regular shape best adapted to the natural 
 conformity of the stone, whether it be made 
 round, oval, square, or any other regular 
 form. This style of cutting is called the 
 Table, and is the last we have to describe. 
 
 Of three Diamonds of equal weight and 
 purity cut respectively in the Brilliant, the 
 Rose, and the Table form, the first exceeds 
 in value the rest, and the Rose rates higher 
 than the Table. 
 
 The cutting and polishing of the Diamond 
 involves a loss of nearly one-half of its 
 weight ; and, according to a rule we will 
 give presentl}^ a cut Diamond weighing 
 any certain number of carats is worth 
 about three times as much as an uncut one 
 of the same weight, and to the value of the 
 former must be added the cost of cutting, 
 
10 
 
 JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 ■which -will make its actual worth about 
 quadruple the latter. 
 
 Diamonds are estimated in value according 
 to their weight, purity of water, regularity, 
 fulness of form, and freedom from specks, 
 veins, and flaws. Specks generally consist 
 of grains of red or black sand embedded in 
 the stone. By flaws are meant indentations 
 in the surface — and water signifies colour — 
 the first water meaning white. These im- 
 perfections are sought for at night by the 
 dealers and cutters in the Indies. European 
 lapidaries prefer making their close exami- 
 nations in the day-light. 
 
 The universal standard by which the Dia- 
 mond is weighed is the carat. This was 
 formerly exactly equivalent to four grains, 
 Troy weight, even beam ; for the stone was 
 not allowed to decline a hair's breadth. But 
 the carat now is never of the full weight 
 of four grains. The word is said to have 
 been derived from ktiara, a species of bean of 
 remarkable equipouderance, which serves, it 
 is further stated, in Africa and India to 
 weigh gold dust and Diamonds. But we 
 cannot credit that so uncertain a substance 
 would ever have been adopted as a standard 
 to estimate the value of such precious arti- 
 cles. In confirmation of this opinion we find 
 in Tavernier (whose works will be more par- 
 ticularly referred to) that the carat weight is 
 unknown all through the East ! lie says at 
 Raolconda, Gani, and Yisapour Diamonds 
 are weighed by the mangelin, equal to one 
 and three-eighths carats : at Soumelpour 
 and in the Empire of the Great Mogul by a 
 weight called ratis, equal to seven-eighths of 
 a carat. Its derivation, more probably, is from 
 the Italian verb caratdre, signifying to iceigli 
 with great care, to scrutinize. Or possibly 
 from the Latin caret, it is wanting ; for the 
 carat falls universally short of four grains, its 
 original weight. 
 
 The price of uncut Diamonds weighing one 
 carat is from seven dollars and a half to ten 
 dollars, according to their purit}', shape, &c.; 
 that of BRiLLiANT-cut Diamonds from thirty 
 to forty dollars. 
 
 RosE-cut Diamonds of one carat are worth 
 about half as much as Brilliants of the 
 same weight and quality, i. e. from fifteen to 
 twenty dollars. 
 
 The universal rule by which Diamonds of 
 all sizes, both Brilliant and Rose, are esti- 
 mated, is to multiply the square of the weight 
 by the above prices. Thus, stones of the 
 first water, cut as Brilliants, and weighing 
 as follows are estimated as is respectively set 
 opposite the weights. 
 
 1 carat. 
 
 X 
 
 \M do \ii X 
 
 2 do 2 X 
 
 S do 3 X 
 
 4 do 4 X 
 
 5 do 5 X 
 23 do 25 X 
 
 800 do 300 X 300 X 40 = 3,600,000 
 
 1 X $i0 = 
 
 $40 
 
 13^ X 40 = 
 
 90 
 
 2 X 40 = 
 
 160 
 
 3 X 40 = 
 
 360 
 
 4 X 40 = 
 
 640 
 
 5 X 40 = 
 
 1,000 
 
 25 X 40 =: 
 
 25,000 
 
 One of the latter weight would be of the 
 size of a small hen's egg, and would weigh 
 about two ounces. There is no satisfactory 
 evidence of the existence of a cut Diamond 
 of this weight. The above rule is not always, 
 adhered to in the valuation of specimens of 
 unusual size — as their owners may choose to 
 put on them an entirely arbitrary estimate, 
 oftentimes much exceeding that deducible 
 from our rule. 
 
 An artist named Bourquignon has of late 
 years attained great celebrity in Paris for 
 his admirable imitations of Diamonds. They 
 are made with such perfection as to deceive 
 perfectly in the attire of a woman, and can 
 only be recognized as false by close examina- 
 tion in one's own hands. All other gems 
 are also imitated by him with the same 
 fidelity. 
 
 Having concluded the consideration of 
 Diamonds in general, we will now make par- 
 ticular mention of the few of remarkable size 
 that have j'et been brought to light. The 
 whole number of these weighing more than 
 thirty-five carats each does not exceed a 
 score. Being then so few in number and so 
 remarkable by their value, one would sup- 
 suppose that their minutest characteristics 
 could be found authentically described in 
 the first Encyclopedia referred to, or in any 
 fugitive treatise upon the subject. Having 
 made the fullest researches ourselves, we 
 were surprised to find that practically there 
 really exists no such information. In con- 
 sequence of the change of possession, and of 
 alterations in the cuttings of these stones, 
 they have been at successive periods described 
 under so many different names, and as of 
 weights and shapes so discrepant, as to leave 
 the reader, upon the perusal of all the various 
 accounts, in the most uncertain state of mind, 
 as well in regard to the real number existing 
 and their present repositories, as to their 
 actual characteristics. The further we push- 
 ed our inquiries the more irreconcilable be- 
 came the various statements before us, till at 
 length we despaired being able to furnish 
 any reliable information upon the subject. 
 
 The reader may imagine then how great 
 must have been our satisfaction on being 
 shewn at this very juncture an immense 
 6crin containing the most perfect models of 
 these famous gems. These models are of 
 recent execution, and, we believe, may be 
 relied on as entirely authentic. They are 
 moulded from the finest paste, and are 
 themselves of great beauty and value. In 
 all things, save in degree of brilliancy and 
 hardness, they are exact reproductions of the 
 originals as they now appear. The spectator 
 can see at a glance the size, shape, and exact 
 hue of every Diamond of mark known to the 
 world, and may learn, further, its name, 
 weight, etc., from a label attached to its 
 model here. 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 11 
 
 This valuable and interestinn; series is in 
 the possession of a Lady of Philadelphia, of 
 whose rich Collection of works of Art and 
 curiosities, it constitutes indeed, costly as it 
 is, but an insio-nifioant item. Both we and 
 the readers of the following descriptions owe 
 her many thanks for the free use of it she 
 has accorded us ; as it has been of essential 
 ini"port to tlie interest and proper treatment 
 of our subject. 
 
 When we reflect how numerous are the 
 peculiarities of these stones, and'wiiat extra- 
 ordinary interest at the Courts of Europe it 
 must have required to have invested the 
 modeling artist with the possession, but for 
 a moment, of these almost priceless gems, 
 and that the exact tinge of each, and its in- 
 numerable little facets have been all faith- 
 fully reproduced, it is easy to comprehend 
 that even these factitious stones are of great 
 value and beauty. And, after all, value and 
 beauty are but relative terms — a remark, 
 the force of which becomes more apparent 
 by an admirable and readily suggested 
 simile : the cordial manners, refined graces, 
 and the engaging and brilliant conversa- 
 tion of, exempli gratia, the lady we have 
 referred to, sparkling from their solid 
 setting — good sense and perfect taste — con- 
 stitute a, parure of charms, which lends her 
 ten thousand times more lustre than would a 
 garniture of the regal gems themselves of 
 which we speak — exceeding them intrin- 
 sically in value as much as they in their turn 
 surpass the "Faux brillants et morceaux de 
 verve," upon which we will now proceed to 
 base our descriptions of the originals. 
 
 The natural order, in which they should be 
 considered, seems to be that of their actual 
 size. 
 
 Tlye first of these without contradiction is 
 that belonging to the Emperor of Russia, and 
 set in his sceptre. Its shape, color, and an 
 approximation to its size can be readily given 
 to the readei', as well upon the authorit}' of the 
 model before us, as of numerous, authentic, 
 concurrent descriptions of it. It is RosE-cut, 
 and of a perfect shape excejit that its base 
 has not been ground to a plane. It resem- 
 bles very much in form, and is nearly the 
 size of, the pointed half of a hen's egg, ex- 
 cept that its surface is covered with facets 
 instead of being of a spherical character. 
 It is nearly colorless, and its diameter in any 
 direction is about an inch and a quarter. 
 Facilities for weighing it, it appears, have 
 not been so great as for insjiecting it, and we 
 are unable to give any positive information 
 thereupon. Suffice it to say in justification 
 of the rank we accord it here, that its worst 
 detractors admit its weight to be not less 
 than one hundred and ninety-three carats, 
 which exceeds considerably that of anj^ other 
 we will be called on to notice. It i^ proper 
 
 to state too that several writers assert that it 
 far exceeds these figures. One of these au- 
 thorities is the Encyclopedia Britannica. 
 The date of its acquisition by Russia, or near 
 it, may be found in that of a letter from the 
 Hague, dated January 2nd, 1770, quoted 
 by Boyle in the " Museum Britannicum," 
 from which the following is an extract : 
 " We learn from Amsterdam that Prince 
 Orloff made one day's stay in that city, 
 where he bought a very large Brilliant for 
 the empress, his sovereign, for which he paid 
 to a Persian merchant there the sum of 
 one million, four hundred thousand Dutch 
 florins." The writer, "it will be observed, 
 speaks of it as a Brilliant : this, however, is 
 but a loose form of expression, synonimous 
 in this instance with Diamond. The " em- 
 press" was the Empress Catharine II. The 
 Dutch florin is equivalent to about thirty- 
 seven of our cents, giving us the cost of the 
 gem in our money as five hundred and 
 eighteen thousand dollars. Other authorities 
 state that in addition to this sura was given 
 an annuity of about twenty thousand of our 
 dollars, and a patent of nobility. 
 
 The history of this Diamond dates au- 
 thentically from the middle of the last cen- 
 tury. It was the greatest jewel in the pos- 
 session of Nadir Shah, King of Persia, better 
 known by the name of Kouli-Khan, which 
 name he discarded in favor of the former, 
 after his self-elevation to the throne. He 
 was the greatest conqueror of the century in 
 Asia, and extended his sovereignty as far 
 East as Delhi, subverting the kingdom of the 
 Great Mogul, which had flourished pre- 
 eminently among Asiatic Governments ever 
 since the date of its foundation by the great 
 Tamerlane. Mahommed Shah, the fourteenth 
 in descent from Tamerlane, after a stubborn 
 resistance, surrendered to Nadir Shah on the 
 8th of March, 1739. The Persian Monarch 
 only remaineil in Delhi long enough to collect 
 the immense treasures that had been accumu- 
 lating there for centuries — the value of which 
 was estimated by the Persian chroniclers at 
 one hundred and fifty millions of dollars ! 
 This mass of booty, containing doubtlessly 
 the Diamond under notice, was carried back 
 with him to Khorassan. 
 
 In the year 1747, Nadir was assassinated, 
 and for some time succeeding his death the 
 kingdom was torn by intestine wars. The 
 abrupt and violent termination of his Govern- 
 ment, and the confusion consequent there- 
 upon, wore the cause of much loss to the 
 Crown; parts of which loss were the two cele- 
 brated Diamonds that had been in its posses- 
 sion, and were known to be the largest that 
 had ever been discovered. These Avere car- 
 ried ofif by the Aifghans, who, being in high 
 favor at Court, had unusual opportunities for 
 so doing. 
 
12 
 
 JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 A Chief of this band brought one of these 
 stcmes, that now under notice, to Bassora, 
 and sold it to Shafrat, the millionaire of that 
 country and epoch. He kept his purchase a 
 profound secret for many years, and then 
 ventured upon a journey into Europe: ex- 
 tending his excursion as far West as Amster- 
 dam, he there offered his jewel for sale. Its 
 purchase was nearly effected by an agent of 
 the British Government, when Count Gre- 
 gory Orloff on behalf of the Russian Empress 
 outbid him, and bore off the matchless gem 
 to S:>int Petersburg. Much of interest in 
 regard to this Diamond may be found in 
 " J'icturesfrom Saint Petersburg," published 
 about five years ago by Jerrman, the Ger- 
 man tragedian. This, it maybe worthwhile 
 to mention, is the stone concerning which is 
 generally narrated the fabulous story of the 
 theft of a Diamond eye from an Indian 
 idol, by a French, and sometimes Irish, 
 soldier. 
 
 The second in order is that called " The 
 Grand Duke of Tuscany's." The weight of 
 this is one hundred and thirty-nine carats. 
 In beauty of shape and purity of water it 
 exceeds all others remarkable for size. It is 
 al)solutGly colorless, and is cut as a Brilliant 
 of the most perfect symmetry. It is about 
 an inch and a half in diameter at the girdle, 
 and about an inch deep. This is said to be 
 the same stone, now in possession of the Em- 
 peror of Austria, called " The Maximilian." 
 But, on the other hand, a statement now be- 
 fore us describes " The Maximilian" to be of 
 a lemon coloi", and Rose-cut, although the 
 same account represents it further as " cut 
 on all sides facet-wise." 
 
 The next in size is that called the "Re- 
 gent" of France, and sometimes the " Pitt" 
 Diamond. Its weight is one hundred and 
 thirty-six and three-fourths carats. It is 
 cut as a Brilliant, is of admirable shape, 
 but of a blue tinge. Its diameter at the 
 girdle is about an inch and a quarter, and 
 its depth about an inch. It was said to have 
 been found in Malacca, and was sent to 
 England in 1702 by Thomas Pitt, grand- 
 father of the Right Hon. William Pitt. He 
 was at the time Governor of Fort Saint 
 George, Madras. lie stated in a letter pub- 
 lished in the London Daily Post, dated No- 
 vember 3rd, 1743, that he bought it of a na- 
 tive merchant named Jamchuud, for 48,000 
 pagodas. The pagoda is about a dollar and 
 half of our money. It was purchased for 
 Louis XV of France, in 1748, for £135,000, 
 w^hich is about its value, according to the 
 mode of calculation we have before laid 
 down, estimating a single carat of the quali- 
 ty of this Diamond at $35. A commission 
 of French jewelers, however, in 1791, esti- 
 mated it arbitrarily at twelve million francs. 
 It was worn by Napoleon in the handle of 
 
 his sword, and still remains among the 
 Royal Jewels of France. 
 
 The fourth in the order of weight is the 
 "Etoile du Sud." This is of recent dis- 
 covery, and is the largest ever found in Bra- 
 zil. It came to light in the month of July, 
 1853, and was purchased by the Messieurs 
 Halphen of Paris, who are still its owners. 
 Its weight when found was two hundred and 
 fifty-four and a half carats. Its shape is 
 good, and will cut advantageously. Several 
 months ago it was laid before the Academy 
 of Sciences for inspection, and was pro- 
 nounced to be of the purest water, and ex- 
 empt from blemish of any description. It is 
 now undergoing the process of cutting by M. 
 Coster, of Amsterdam. When completed its 
 weight will be between one hundred and 
 twenty and one hundred and thirty carats. 
 
 The fifth in size is " The Koh-i-noor," 
 in possession of the British Queen. This 
 Diamond has, thanks to the officious and 
 extensive Press both in England and the 
 United States, made an undue sensation in 
 latter years, as we think any one will be in- 
 clined to admit upon a mental comparison of 
 its weight and appearance, as we will de- 
 scribe them, with those of the first three al- 
 ready spoken of. It exceeded, it is true, in 
 weight, but in that respect alone, the Duke' 
 of Tuscany's and the Regent, at the time of 
 its exposition in the Crystal Palace at Lon- 
 don. It was however almost devoid of shape. 
 That it did not possess any beauty as an 
 ornament, at least in that respect, may be 
 surmised, when we state that its conforma- 
 tion Avas, as near as possible, that of the hulk 
 of a vessel, one of whose stern corners had 
 been completely sliced off. So uncouth was 
 its appearance that it was determined to 
 have it recut. This operation was " com- 
 menced in August, 1852, at London, under 
 the supervision of the most eminent artists 
 from Amsterdam; and so mis-shapen was the 
 object of ther skill, that they were put to the 
 necessity of sacrificing eighty-three and a 
 quarter carats of its weight before they could 
 reduce it to symmetry. This recutting occu- 
 pied thirty-eight days of labor. Its present 
 weight is exactly one hundi'ed and two and 
 thirteen-sixteenths carats, as we find stated 
 by Professor J. Tennant in a paper read be- 
 fore a late meeting of the British Association 
 for the Advancement of Science. Before the 
 last cutting it was nearly two inches in 
 length, about an inch in breadth, and three- 
 fourths of an inch in depth. It is slightly 
 tinged with a yellow color. 
 
 The authentic history of this Diamond, 
 like that of the Russian Emperoi-, dates only 
 from Nadir Shah. It had doubtlessly been 
 obtained by him in one of his numerous ex- 
 peditions to India — probably in the first, of 
 which we spoke more particularly in our ac- 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 13 
 
 count of the Russian Diamond. In June, 1747, 
 Nadir, as we have before stated, was assassi- 
 nated by his subjects, partly from jealousy of 
 the Aif<:;hans, who were in sueli favor at 
 Cour't. One of this race, of the Abdallec Tribe, 
 Ahmed Shall, had acted as Nadir's Treasurer, 
 and, upon liis assassination, was obliged to 
 withdraw with his countrymen from Persia. 
 The Affghans, thouo-h beset and intercepted 
 on all sides, safely fought tiieir Avay out of 
 the kingdom, Ahmed carrying with hiin the 
 Koh-i-noor. At the head of his band he per- 
 formed many daring achievements, and at 
 length became the founder of a new empire 
 in the kingdom of Cabul. lie proved to 
 be one of the greatest warriors of the age, 
 ^ud carried on with prodigious success nu- 
 merous wars of conquest, by which vast trea- 
 sures were amassed. He also subjected llin- 
 dostan among other countries, and carried 
 back a great deal of plunder. Upon his 
 death (of cancer in the face), in June, 1773, 
 the Koh-i-noor was found among the royal 
 jewels, and desceudcd to his son, Timoor 
 Shah, whose death occurred May 20th, 1793. 
 A younger son of Timoor, Shah Zemaun, 
 succeeded as king, but was soon driven from 
 the throne by Mahmood, his half brother, 
 who had received the aid of Futteh Alii 
 Shah, King of Persia. Shah Zemaun in his 
 flight took with him the Koh-i-noor, and in 
 his retreat stopped with a few retainers for 
 refreshment at the Castle of Moolah Aushik, 
 a dependent of iiis. He received them hos- 
 pitably, but took measures to prevent their 
 escape and sentoff a messenger to Mahmood. 
 While detained a prisoner here he secreted 
 the Koh-i-noor, with some other jewels, in 
 the Avail of his apartment. Mahmood soon 
 sent a surgeon to him to deprive him of his 
 sight, the usual mode of disabling a great 
 rival throughout the Eastern nations. His 
 ej'es having been pierced with a lancet, he 
 was taken to Cabul and put under confine- 
 ment. Mahmood, after a short and turbu- 
 lent reign, was deposed by a chief named 
 Mookhtar-oo-doulah, w^ho had successfull}^ 
 fomented a revolution. Mookhtar placed 
 upon the throne Shnja Ool Moolk, the full 
 brother of Shah Zemaun, whose release was 
 the first act of Shuja's reign ; the next was 
 to arrest and execute the traitor Moolah 
 Aushik, a fate he well deserved. 
 
 The Koh-i-noor was now brought from its 
 hiding place, where it had safely remained 
 during the reign of Mahmood, and was seen 
 in 1808, worn upon the person of Shuja, by 
 M'r Elphinstone, British Envoy to the King 
 of Cabul. The following is an extract from 
 the account of his reception by the King : 
 
 "We thought at first that he had on an 
 armour of jewels, but, on close inspection, 
 we found this to be a mistake, and his real 
 dress to consist of a green tunic, with large 
 
 flowers in gold, and precious stones, over 
 which were a large breast-plate of Diamonds, 
 shapeil like two flattened fleurs de lis, an or- 
 nament of the same kind on each tliigli, large 
 emerald bracelets on the arms (above the 
 elbow), and many other jewels in different 
 places. In one of the bracelets was the 
 Koh-i-noor, known to be one of the largest 
 Diamonds in the world. There were also 
 some strings of very large pearls, put on like 
 cross-belts, but loose. The Crown was about 
 nine inches high, not ornamented with 
 jewels as European crowns are, but to ap- 
 pearance entirely formed of those precious 
 materials. It seemed to be radiated like an- 
 cient crowns, and behind the rays appeared 
 peaks of purple velvet ; some small branches, 
 with pendants, seemed to project from the 
 crown ; but the whole was so complicated 
 and so dazzling, that it was difficult to under- 
 stand, and impossible to describe."* 
 
 But none of Ahmed Shah's descendants 
 possessed a tithe of his ability, and the king- 
 dom he founded became more and more dis- 
 ordered, until it was subverted, shortly after 
 the date of M'r Elphinstone's visit, by the 
 victorious chief of the Sikhs, Runjeet Singh. 
 Shah Shuja Avas the last of the once poAverful 
 Abdallee chiefs who possessed this stone. The 
 particulars of its transfer by him to Runjeet 
 are thus amusingly furnished in an article 
 in the Kew 3Ionihli/ Magazine, made up from 
 a leader on the subject in The Times : 
 
 " He put the Shah under strict surveil- 
 lance, and made a formal demand of the 
 jcAvel. The prince hesitated, prevaricated, 
 temporized, and employed all the artifices of 
 oriental diplomacy, but in vain. Runjeet 
 redoubled the stringency of his measures, 
 and at length, the 1st of June, 1813, was 
 fixed as the day when this great Diamond 
 should be surrendered by the Abdallee chief 
 to the ascendant dynasty of the Singhs. 
 
 The two princes met in a room appointed 
 for the purpose, and took their seats on the 
 ground. A solemn silence then ensued 
 Avhich continued unbroken for an hour. At 
 length Runjeet's impatience overcame the 
 suggestions of Asiatic decorum, and he whis- 
 pered to an attendant to quicken the memory 
 of the Shah. The dethroned prince spoke not 
 a word in reply, but gave a signal Avith his 
 eyes to a eunuch in attendance, Avho, retiring 
 for a moment, returned Avith a small roll, 
 Avhich he set doAvn upon the carpet midway 
 between the two chiefs. Again a pause fol- 
 lowed, Avhcn, at a sign from Runjeet, the roll 
 was unfolded, and there, in its matchless and 
 unspeakable ijrilliaucy, glittered the Koh-i- 
 noor." 
 
 * An Account of the Kingdom of Caubul. By the flon. 
 Mountstuart Elphinstone, of the Honorable Kust India 
 Company's service, auU late Envoy to the King of Caubul. 
 London: 1S15. 4to. 
 
14 
 
 JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 Thus came this precious stone to Lahore, 
 the capital of Runjeet Singh's dominions, 
 and, when the Sikh provinces were annexed 
 to British India, it followed the train of con- 
 quest, and was carried to Bombay, whence 
 it was brought, five or six years ago, by 
 Colonel Mackeson, Political Agent, and 
 Captain Ramsay, IMilitary Secretary of the 
 India Governor-General, in the Medea Steam- 
 ship, to the distant shores of England. 
 
 Instead of proceeding directly to speak of 
 the King of Portugal's Diamond, the next in 
 order, we will now interrupt the programme 
 for a moment to offer some considerations 
 upon the one spoken of by the world at 
 large, as " The Great Mogul's," and we do 
 so here because its history has connection 
 with that of two of the stones that have now 
 been described. Three hundred years ago 
 reached Europe the fame of a Diamond in 
 the possession of the Emperors of Mogul. 
 Many fabulous stories were then told of re- 
 mote countries like this, and this stone above 
 all furnished a subject for a thousand mar- 
 vellous narrations. All readers have proba- 
 bly met somewhere with the descriptions 
 concocted in these times of the throne of 
 jewels, of the peacock of gems, and of the 
 great Diamond, as large as a goose egg, at 
 Delhi. It was not difficult however to gather 
 from all these exaggerations that a Diamond 
 of greater size than had yet ever been known 
 did actually exist in the possession of this 
 Eastern monarch, but it was not until a cen- 
 tury after its first fiime was bruited, that 
 Europe obtained any satisfactory particulars 
 regarding it. In the middle of the seven- 
 teenth century a Frenchman by birth, named 
 Jean Baptiste Tavernier, a person of intelli- 
 gence and means, and a great connoisseur in 
 jewelry and gems, the trafiio in which be- 
 came a perfect passion witli him, made a 
 number of prolonged journeys to all parts of 
 Asia — the greater portion of a period of forty 
 years having been passed by him in this 
 then remote country— partly out of love of 
 adventure, partly for speculation in the pre- 
 cious stones. Ilis observations and adven- 
 tures were published in Paris, after his final 
 return thither in 16G8, in three volumes pet. 
 folio, 1676, and they are among the most 
 agreeable and instructive writings of tlie 
 kind we have ever met with. 
 
 One of the volumes opens with a profession 
 of his penchant for the Diamond : " Le Dia- 
 mant est la plus precieuse de toutes les pierres, 
 et c'est le negoce auquelje me suis le plus 
 attache." 
 
 His narration is, remarkable for an air of 
 simplicity and truth pervading it, and is as 
 different as possible from the proverbial 
 conies de voijar/enrs. His work must have 
 demolished many matters of popular belief 
 at that period, and, if still read, could serve 
 
 to correct numerous errors yet entertained. 
 We ourselves had no idea, for example, of 
 the limited extent within which is, and 
 always has been, confined the burning of 
 widows in India. Tavernier informs us that 
 none but those who are childless are ever 
 permitted or desire to thus immolate them- 
 selves : and even of this class, the proportion 
 of which must be exceedingly insignificant, 
 he says by no means are all permitted to 
 mount their husbands' pyres — a special au- 
 thority to do so being required in each in- 
 stance from a Government functionary — and 
 this permission is not <j<nierulbj accorded ! A 
 great portion of Tavernier's works consists 
 of accounts of the Diamond mines in Iliu- 
 dostan, of the large jewels in possession of 
 the monarchs of Persia, Hindostan, and 
 other nations, and of his commercial dealings 
 in the precious stones. 
 
 It is probable that some of his journeys 
 were undertaken on behalf of the King of 
 France, as that monarch became the pos- 
 sessor of all the remarkable gems brought 
 back by Tavernier, making him also " Ecu- 
 yer. Baron d'Auboune, en consideration des 
 services que le dit Tavernier a rendu k 
 I'Etat." 
 
 The edition* we quote from is illustrated 
 with many engravings, among which are 
 nearly a hundred well executed drawings of 
 the remarkable gems that came under his 
 observation. The first of these is of the 
 exact form of the pointed half of a hen's egg, 
 the convex surface of which has been ground 
 to innumerable little planes. Tavernier says 
 of this (p. 59. Tome IV.) "that it is the 
 heaviest Diamond of which I have had any 
 acquaintance. It belongs to the great Mogul, 
 who did me the honor to have it shown to 
 me with all his other jewels. The plate re- 
 presents its form since it has been cut, and, 
 permission to weigh it being granted ine, I 
 found it as heavy as three hundred and nine- 
 teen and a half ratis, equal to two hundred 
 and seventy-nine and nine-sixteenths of our 
 carats. It is precisely of the form of lialf a 
 hen's egg." 
 
 The following is a full account of the oc- 
 casion of its exhibition to him (pp. 342, 
 343. Tome III.): " November 2, 16(35. * * * 
 I found in this chamber Akel-Kan, Chief of 
 the Treasury of Jewels, who, as soon as he 
 saw us enter, commanded four of the King's 
 eunuchs to bring in the jewels, which they 
 immediately did, upon two great dishes of 
 wood lacquered with leaves of gtild, a)id 
 covered over with little napkins made ex- 
 pressly for the object, the one of red, the 
 
 * Les Six Voyages tie Monsieur J. B. Tavernier, Eeuyer, 
 Baron d'Auboniie, en Turquie, en Perse, et anx ludes. 
 Nourelle edition. Augmeutee de cartes, et d'estanipes 
 curieuses. A Paris. 1721. Aveo approbation et privilege 
 du Roy. 6 vols. 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 15 
 
 other of green embi-oidered velvet. After 
 they were uncovered and had been counted 
 piece by piece tliree times, a list of them was 
 directed to be made out by three secretaries 
 in attendance ; fur tlie Asiatics do evcry- 
 thipgwith great circumspection and patience. 
 The first piece which Akel-Kan placed in my 
 hantls ■•vas the great Diamond. It is a round 
 Rose and very liigh on one side. By the set- 
 ting at the bottom there is a little Haw, and 
 there is a smalU speck within. It is of good 
 water, and it weighs three hundred and nine- 
 teen and a half ratis, making about two 
 hundred and eighty of our carats, the ratis 
 being equivalent to seven-eighths of a carat." 
 
 It was found in the Gani mines, in tlie 
 kingdom of Golconda (Tavernier, p. 18. 
 Tome lY.) and, an article in the Spectator 
 says, in the year 1550. It could not have 
 been earlier than this, as the opening of 
 these mines was at about this date, according 
 to the French traveller. It Avent immediate- 
 ly into the treasures of the Kings of Gol- 
 conda, where it remained uncut, but their 
 pride, until the reign of Shah .Jehan, of Mo- 
 gul, the father of the famous Aureng Zebe. 
 Koolub Shah, the then King of Golconda, 
 was betrayed by his prime minister and 
 chief of his armies, Jdirgimola (spelled at 
 times, ]Mecr Jumla), to the jMogul monarch, 
 who received of him at the same time 
 this Diamond as a present. Shah Jehan 
 was deposed by his son Aureng Zebe, and 
 it was during the reign of the latter that 
 Tavernier saw it, previous to wdiich however 
 it had been cut, and very injudiciously, our 
 traveller was told. He was informed that its 
 weight au naturel had been seven hundred 
 and ninety-three and five-cightiis carats ! 
 over five hundred carats of which were sacri- 
 iiced in the cutting by an unskilful lapidary; 
 who was severely punished therefor, we may 
 add. 
 
 Aureng Zebe died January 21st, 1707, and 
 ■was the last powerful monarch on the throne 
 of Tamerlane. To him succeeded his son 
 Bahadar S!nih, who died in 1712. Johandar 
 Shah, the latter's son, followed with a short 
 reign of eighteen months. After four or five 
 years of revolutions Jehandar's son,Mahum- 
 mud Shah mounted the throne, and there 
 maintained himself for twenty-one years. 
 Up to tliis date the kingdom of Mogul had 
 been the most conspicuous in Asia. But 
 now, in 1739, like a whirlwind came the con- 
 quering Persian monarch. Nadir Shah, with 
 his Northern hordes, and in a single cam- 
 paign swept from their foundations the time 
 lionored institutions of Iliudostan. The 
 valuables, that had been amassed at Delhi 
 during four hundred years, comprising the 
 great Diamond we are descriljing, and many 
 (.ihcrs ut' the first rank succeeding that, were 
 boni utfin triumidi to the ca[)itai of Persia. 
 
 It remained with Nadir Shah until his 
 death ; where is it now ? 
 
 The reader of our last chapter, containing 
 a description of the Koh-i-noor, may have 
 been somewdiat at a loss to account for the 
 great reputation of that Diamond. The 
 secret is that it has been identified by the 
 British Government and the English jour- 
 nals, with the great Diamond of the Em- 
 perors of Mogul, the reputation of wiiich has 
 pervaded the world for three hundred years. 
 With what rightful authority it has been 
 thus identified we leave to the intelligent 
 reader to answer upon a due consideration 
 of the Koh-i-noor's present and late appear- 
 ance and weight, and of Tavernicr's descrip- 
 tion of the great gem of Mogul, and loitli an 
 important fact horn in mind, that another 
 Diamond, much heavier than the Koh-i-noor, 
 or any other known now to the world, of the 
 shape and nearly of the size of the pointed 
 half of a hen's egg, with a base or girdle 
 somewhat irregular, actually exists in the 
 sceptre of the Czar of Russia — the history of 
 which is traced just as far back towards 
 Delhi as the Koli-i-noor! It is our belief 
 indeed that both came from Ilindostan, but 
 which is really the one, that had obtained 
 so w^orld wide a fame, seems too apparent to 
 require argument. In nearly every respect 
 the Russian Diamond answers Tavernier's 
 description — the Koh-i-noor not in a single 
 one. It will hardly be urged that the perfect 
 round Rose of Mogul had, after the date of 
 Tavernier, undergone a. cutting Avhich left it 
 of such an imperfect hulk shape, as to re- 
 quire a further cutting and reduction of 
 eighty-three and a quarter carats of its al- 
 ready vastly diminished weight ! 
 
 A fact rather curious is worthy of mention 
 here. The Koh-i-noor, as we have stated, 
 before its last cutting in 1852, surpassed in 
 weight every Diamond known except the 
 Russian. Tavernier gives a drawing of and 
 describes as follows the largest Diamond, 
 next to that of the iMogul Emperor's, of 
 Avhieh he makes any mention: "This is a 
 view of a stone w"eighing one hundred and 
 seventy-sis and a quarter mangelins, making 
 two hundred and forty-two and five-sixteenths 
 of our carats. The mangelin, as I have 
 said, is the weiglit used in the kingdoms of 
 Golconda and Yisapour, and is equivalent to 
 one and three-eigliths of our carats. Bein<; 
 at Golconda in the year 1042, this stone was 
 shewn to me, and it is the largest Diamond 
 I have seen in the Indies in the bauds of the 
 merchants. The owner permitted me to take 
 a cast of it, which I sent to two of my friends 
 at Surate, witli a description of the beauty 
 of the stone, and the price of it, whicli was 
 500,000 rupees, or 750,000 livres of our 
 money, (about 150,000 dollars.) I received 
 orders from them, in case it was free from 
 
16 
 
 JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 specks and of fine water, to offer 400,000 
 rupees for it. But it was impossible for me 
 to strike a bargain at that price. I believe 
 however that ill could have offered 450,000 
 rupees I might have obtained it." 
 
 Tavernier does not state, but there can be 
 no doubt from the price asked, and from the 
 fact that it was yet at Golconda and in the 
 hands of the merchants, that the stone was 
 uncut. The sliape of it, as shewn in this 
 drawing, is remarkably like that of the Koh- 
 i-noor— the figure being oblong with one 
 corner sliced off. The difference betAveen 
 their weights, two hundred and forty-two and 
 five-sixteenths carats and one hundred and 
 eighty-six and one-sixteenths carats, (the 
 latter being that of the Koh-i-noor before its 
 recent improvement,) viz. fifty-six and a 
 quarter carats could readily be accounted for 
 by a moderate cutting, which is all the Koh- 
 i-noor had received, it is clear. 
 
 M'r Elphinstone, though he mentions this 
 Diamond more than once in his book, 
 nowhere alludes to it as the great Diamond 
 of Mogul — indeed he calls it one of the largest 
 stones known. 
 
 Although everything we have encountered 
 in our researches has confirmed the truth of 
 the opinion we have here expressed, we shall 
 still offer one other fact which seems strongly 
 corroboi-ative of our view. In D'r Feucht- 
 wanger's excellent manual, published many 
 years ago, long before any European nation 
 was supposed to have any interest in the 
 Koh-i-noor, we find, amid a mass of practical 
 information for the mineralogist and the 
 lapidary, a few shreds of historical facts ; 
 but, few as they are, they are directly to the 
 point we are discussing. In his preface the 
 author gives the works of Hlluy, D'r Blum, 
 and others of similar reputation as forming 
 the basis of his work. The copy* in our pos- 
 session gives two views of each of " the two 
 celebrffted Diamonds of the Shah of Persia, 
 the Dariainur, and the Kuhiur." The former 
 is Rose-cut, and answer's Tavernier's descrip- 
 tion, the latter is oblong, and accords in 
 general character with tiie late appearance 
 of the Koh-i-noor. Anotlier paragraph in 
 the same book says : " The Diamond former- 
 ly beh)nging to Nadir Shah, Sultan of Persia, 
 is now in the possession of the Russian 
 Crown." Tlie Diamond can mean nothing 
 l)ut the largest, the most valuable, one in his 
 possession. 
 
 We have then, with an utter unconcern of 
 the results of our researches, upon entering 
 on them, arrived at the fullest conviction 
 that the Koh-i-noor is not the Rose of Mogul, 
 and that its identification therewith by 
 England is entirely unwarranted. We 
 
 * A Treatise on Gems. By D'r Lewis Feuchtwanger. New 
 York. 1S28. 8vo. 
 
 have arrived at the conviction, just aa 
 clear, that the Great Diamond of the Great 
 Mogul actually rests at the present moment 
 in the sceptre of Russia. Here is a specimen 
 of the fine English writing that must fiill to 
 the ground, if there is any force in our fore- 
 going statement of facts: "In this way did 
 the Koh-i-noor pass as the Emblem of Do- 
 minion from Golconda to Delhi ; from Delhi 
 to Mushed; from Mushed to Cabul; from 
 Cabul to Lahore ; from Lahore, as the prize 
 of Saxon valor, to the shores of England. It 
 may with justice be considered to be an Em- 
 blem of Prosperity and Dominion ; and, as the 
 brightest jewel in Queen Victoria's Crown, 
 there can be little doubt of its remaining, 
 what it has ever been, a brilliant token of 
 power and ascendancy." 
 
 Before entirely dismissing the Russian 
 Diamond we will give the origin of the story 
 of its theft from the Indian idol, of which 
 same romance one of the Crown Jewels of 
 France has been made the subject in a letter of 
 a French missionary, published in i\\Q Journal 
 des Savans, for July, 1774. These stories 
 are all unquestionably founded on the fol- 
 lowing which we translate from Tavernier, 
 (pp. 143, 144. Tome IV:) 
 
 " Jagrenate is the name of one of the 
 mouths of the Ganges, upon which is built 
 the great Pagoda ; where the Chief Bramin, 
 that is the High Priest of the Pagans, holds 
 his residence. The Great Idol, which is on 
 the altar in the church, has two Diamonds 
 for its two eyes, and a collar about its neck, 
 which hangs down upon the stomach : the 
 least of these Diamonds weighs not less than 
 forty carats. Upon its arms are seen brace- 
 lets, sometimes of pearls, sometimes of ru- 
 bies. This magnificent Idol is called Kesora. 
 The revenues of this great Pagoda are suflB- 
 cient to feed every day fi'om fifteen to twenty 
 thousand pilgrims, for such numbers fre- 
 quently assemble, this being the place of the 
 greatest devotion in India, drawing crowds 
 from all directions. It should be remarked 
 that the Jewelers, who are attracted here as 
 other people are, are not permitted to enter 
 the Pagoda, ever since one of their profession 
 contrived to have himself locked in at night, 
 and then extracted one of the Diamond eyea 
 of the Idol. Upon making his exit in the 
 morning, when the Pagoda was opened, he 
 fell dead upon the door-sill, through a mira- 
 cle, say the natives, of the Idol, in order to 
 punish his sacrilege." 
 
 The sixth Diamond of note belongs to the 
 King of Portugal, It weighs ninety-three 
 and three-quarters carats. It is about an inch 
 and a quarter long, by an inch in width and 
 in thickness. It is of an extremely irregular 
 form, having been but little cut, and is very 
 slightly tinged with yellow. The Portuguese 
 have spread a report that their gi*eat Diamond 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 17 
 
 is as large as a hen's egg, and this is believed 
 by many. The English en revanche have 
 published statements that the Portuguese 
 stone is only a topaz. It was obtained l)y 
 the Prince Regent of Portugal (afterwards 
 Don John VI), when he was in Brazil in 
 1808. The slave, who found it, received his 
 freedom and a pension for life for himself 
 and Lis fi ia^ily. — — . .__ 
 
 be seventh is known by the name of- 
 "The Blue Diamond," It is cut as a Bril- 
 liant of exquisite shape, and is about an inch 
 in diameter and three-quarters of an inch in 
 thickness. Its weight is seventy-seven carats. 
 It is valued at an unusual price on account 
 of its rich blue tint. It is, we understand, 
 now in the possession of England, 
 
 The eighth is called " The Pacha of 
 Egypt's," and is in his possession. It is of 
 very regular form and nearly of the size of 
 " The Blue Diamond," It is of the first 
 water, and weighs sixty-nine carats. 
 
 The next is known as "The English Lot- 
 tery Diamond." It was brought in the lat- 
 ter part of the last century to England by 
 Earl Piggott, Governor-General of India, and 
 was disposed of by lottery in 1801, for 
 £30,000. It fell to the lot of a private indi- 
 vidual, who sold it, it is believed, to the 
 Pacha of Egypt. It is of good form and of 
 about the size of a cent. It weighs foi-ty- 
 seven and a half carats, and is tinged with 
 blue. 
 
 The tenth is the " Saucy Diamond," 
 weighing only thirty-three carats, but pos- 
 sessing consider.able historic fame. Although 
 many very early stories are related of it, its 
 authentic career dates from the time of Henri 
 Quatre of France. In his reign it Avas in the 
 possession of M. Nicolas Harlay de Saucy, 
 who sent it by a faithful servant to his 
 " uncle," a Jew, at Metz, to raise a loan for 
 his sovereign then at war. The servant was 
 assassinated not far from Paris, whether be- 
 cause he carried this stone, or not, was not 
 discovered. M. de Saucy shortly after pro- 
 ceeded to the spot of his burial, disinterred 
 and opened the body and found the Diamond. 
 The faithful Servitor had swallowed it, on 
 being attacked, according to his master's 
 orders. " The Saucy" is of blue water, and 
 of square form, and an inch nearly in size, 
 with a thickness of h.alf an inch. Since the 
 time of M. de Saucy it has been in the pos- 
 session of the French monarchs. 
 
 The eleventh is called " The Polar Star." 
 It is of an egg shape, flattened at the sides, 
 and nearly an inch long, three-quarters 
 broad, and a half thick. It is of the first 
 water, and weighs thirty-two carats. This 
 stone, we understand, is in the possession of 
 France. 
 
 Several of the Diamonds we are now about 
 to mention would, probably, in justice pre- 
 
 cede in rank some of the latter ones of the 
 foregoing enumeration, but, as their weii;ht8 
 and other characteristics have never ))een 
 satisfactorily made known to the world, we 
 can only give this general account of them. 
 
 A Diamond of an egg shape, with the 
 small end indented, is in the possession of 
 the Rajahs of Mattan, in Borneo, This ia 
 said by some travellers to be tiie largest 
 Diamond ever discovered. Several European 
 agents have made frequent ineffectual efforts 
 to purchase it. 
 
 One called " The Shah," is in possession 
 of Russia, It is of an irregular oblong form, 
 about an inch in length, and half an inch in 
 width and thickness, and of a blue color. 
 
 "The Green Diamond," belonging to the 
 King of Saxony, is the largest known of its 
 col(>r. It is kept in " The Green Vault," a 
 mineralogical museum at Dresden, It was 
 bought l)y Augustus the Strong, in Warsaw, 
 for sixty thousand thalers. 
 
 The E.ast India House possesses one known 
 as " The Nassuc Diamond," which was part 
 of the spoil taken in the English war against 
 the Mahrattas. It is described as of irregu- 
 lar form, but of fine water, 
 
 A conical Diamond of unusual size is in 
 possession of Holland ; and a large one, in 
 the shape of a pyramid, is among the Por- 
 tuguese Crown Jewels. 
 
 The late Duke of York possessed one 
 almost black, and of great size and beauty. 
 
 A Diamond about the size of a large hazel- 
 nut was found last winter at Manchester, 
 near Richmond, Virginia. It is of the first 
 water, but holds several black specks in its 
 centre. The Ledger stated, at the time, that 
 it weighed nineteen carats, and was found 
 by a laboring man, in the employ of M'r 
 James Fisher, Jr. The Evening Post of April 
 28th, 1855, says : 
 
 " We were shown yesterday, on board the 
 steamship Jamestown, what is said to be the 
 largest Diamond ever discovered in North 
 America. It was found several months ago 
 by a laboring man named Benjamin Moore, 
 at Manchester, Virginia, in some earth which 
 he was digging up. The Diamond was put 
 in a fufnace for melting iron at Richmond, 
 where it remained in a red heat for two 
 hours and twenty minutes. It was then 
 taken out and found to be uninjured and 
 brighter than ever. It was valued in Rich- 
 mond at §4,000, The tinder of the prize is a 
 poor man with a fiimily," 
 
 The ancients, as we have intimated, at- 
 tributed occult and miraculous properties to 
 many of the precious stones, as may be seen 
 discussed at large in Pliny, and particular 
 gems have been marked by their own distin- 
 guishing fables. The same notions have 
 more or less continued down to times not 
 long past. Even a philosopher, so eminent 
 
18 
 
 JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 and modern as Boyle, published a treatise on 
 the sanative, and life, health, and beauty 
 conservating virtues of the precious stones. 
 Thus, a dose, -which he denominates clectua- 
 rmm e gemmis, will stave off, he says, the 
 approaches of old age. 
 
 Some superstitions and anecdotes relative 
 to the Diamond may be worth quoting before 
 we take leave of it. 
 
 The Diamond has been regarded as bearing 
 a mysterious relation to the Sun ; as setting 
 at defiance all subduing and destroying 
 agencies, save the solar ray — a tradition 
 which seems to have been so powerful as to 
 have influenced M'r Boyle to make the at- 
 tempt to dissolve it by a powerful lens, an 
 experiment, the first, which proved success- 
 ful, and the one we have before alluded to 
 as performed by the lens of extraordinary 
 
 Eower in the possession of Cosmo III, Grand 
 'uke of Tuscany. 
 
 Pliny asserts that the Diamond and the 
 magnet are naturally inimical to one another, 
 and in mediaeval times the Diamond was con- 
 sidered an antidote to poison, a safeguard 
 against mania, and even a preservative of 
 virtue. The peculiar color of each of the 
 precious stones rendered it tlie emblem of 
 many things. Thus the Diamond, being 
 white, signified light, purity, faith, innocence 
 and virginity. 
 
 The London Atlienceum in a late article 
 stated that in ancient wicked times it was 
 used to detect infidelities ; that, if placed 
 upon the head of a slumbering wife, it would 
 compel the sleeper to betray the secrets of 
 the bosom. The mode of this self-disclosure 
 we find described in an old book, by Thomas 
 Nicols* : 
 
 " If a true Diamond be put upon the head 
 of a woman without her knowledge, it will 
 make her in her sleep, if she be faithful to 
 her husband, to cast herself into his em- 
 braces; but, if she be an adulteresse, to turn 
 away from him." 
 
 This is a philosophical superstition that 
 mighc be safely believed in, we should ima- 
 gine ; we should not be surprised indeed if 
 the actions described would duly ensue with- 
 out the use of the Diamond. 
 
 The sangfroid of the husband, our " some 
 times" Cantab, does not appear to have be- 
 lieved susceptible of influence, and the bold- 
 ness and frequency with which these gems are 
 presented nowadays to the wife at various re- 
 curring fetes seem to confirm the correctness 
 of this view. Master Nicols says further, 
 " that it is esteemed powerful for the driving 
 away of Incubos and Succubos." 
 
 Tlie Jewish Rabbis say that Eve, on quit- 
 
 ting Paradise, had her ears bored in token of 
 her subjection to man. On this a commenta- 
 tor remarks that the women have revenged 
 themselves for this sign of degradation by 
 compelling the men to suspend to their ears 
 Diamonds and other costly stones, which 
 they must procure by wearisome toil. 
 
 The sign of subjection should have been 
 the complete excision of the ear, and we 
 remember that, at Trimalcyon's feast, one of 
 the revellers says that, as his wife's Diamonds 
 have absorbed nearly his whole estate, if he 
 ever has a daughter he will cut off her ears 
 at her birth, to avoid first his own utter ruin, 
 and, secondly, that of her future husband. 
 
 It seems rather strange that in so cele- 
 brated a crown as that of Saint Stephen's of 
 Hungary, Avhich has always served at the 
 coronation of the Austrian monarchs, there 
 should have been no Diamonds. It is de- 
 scribed as being of pure gold, ornamented 
 Avith one emerald, fifty rubies, fifty-three sap- 
 phires, and three hundred and thirty-eight 
 pearls, weighing in all fourteen pounds. This 
 is the crown that was stolen during the late 
 Hungarian insurrection, and has never since 
 been found : the coronation of tlie Emperor 
 of Austria seems consequently to be indefi- 
 nitely postponed. 
 
 The Crown of England is composed of 
 Diamonds and Pearls, chiefly of the former, 
 of which there are about seventeen hundred, 
 valued altogether at half a million dollars. 
 
 Russia has always been noted for the dis- 
 play of Diamonds made by its noble classes. 
 The following are brief extracts from " The 
 Life of Prince Potemkin,"* a successor, in 
 the affections of Catharine II, of that same 
 Prince Gregory Orloff, who bought her the 
 large Diamond from Persia : 
 
 " At the same time her Majesty adorned 
 his neck with a Diamond collar, of the order 
 of Saint Alexander, worth 60,000 roubles." — 
 (p. 187.) 
 
 " She sent him 100,000 roubles in gold; 
 a crown of laurels made of emeralds set with 
 superb Diamonds, and valued at 150,000 
 roubles; and ordered three gold medals to be 
 struck to his honor." — (p. 214.) 
 
 " The Prince handed the Empress from 
 her coach. lie was dressed in a scarlet coat, 
 over which hung a long cloak of gold lace, 
 ornamented with precious stones. lie wore 
 as many Diamonds as a man can wear in his 
 dress. Ilis hat, in particular, was so loaded 
 with them that he was obliged to have it car- 
 ried by one of his aides-de-camp." — (p. 230.) 
 
 But when we read the following it causes 
 us to wonder at the real profusion of Dia- 
 
 * A Lapidary: or the History of Tretious Stones. By 
 Thomas Nicola. Sometiuies in Jesus Coliedge in Cam- 
 bridge. Cambridge, 1052. 4to. 
 
 * Slemoirsof the Life of Prince Potemkin, Field Marshal, 
 &c., Ac. Compreheiidiug original anecdotes of Catharine 
 the Second and of the Ilussian Court. Translated from 
 the (jierman. London. 1812. Svo. 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 19 
 
 monds actually existing. It is a list of tliose 
 presented by Catliarine II to her various fa- 
 vorites. We collate it froi:» a work of high 
 interest.* 
 
 To AV'asielitsehikoff Diamonds of the v.alue 
 of ^00,(100 roubles. To ZawadotTsky, Dia- 
 mo'nds -worth 80,000 rouljles. To Zoritz, 
 Diamonds worth 200,000 roubles. To Kor- 
 zakoff, Diamonds worth 50,000 roubles. To 
 Lanskoi, Diamonds worth 80,000 roubles. 
 To Yermoloff, Diamonds worth 80,000 rou- 
 bles. To Plato Zouboff, Diamonds worth 
 100,000 roubles. 
 
 The value of those presented to the five 
 brothers Orhjfi", and to Potcmkin and some 
 others, is not particularly stated, but it far 
 exceeded the total of those sums we have 
 enumerated. The Jewels and other presents 
 showered upon her lovers by this munifi- 
 cent sovereign is estimated in this book at 
 88,820,000 roubles! 
 
 Amongst the Russian Treasures at JMoscow 
 are three crowns, first, that of Peter the 
 Great, containing 887 large Diamonds ; 
 second, Ivan's, 841 Diamonds ; and third, 
 the Imperial Crown, with over 2,500 large 
 Diamonds. There are also two saddles of the 
 Empress Catharine II, completely covered 
 with Diamonds. 
 
 The French Crown Jewels have just been 
 overhauled, some new set, and tlie whole 
 exposed in the Great Exhibition now open in 
 Paris. An inventory of them has also been 
 published, from which we collate some in- 
 teresting fixcts. The "Regent" is estimated 
 at five million francs, which is reached on 
 the basis of one carat of its quality being 
 worth about fifty dollars. This is falling off 
 considerably from the value set upon it by 
 the Commission of 1701. The whole number 
 of precious stones is G4,812, weighing 18,751 
 carats. The Crown contains 5,352 Dia- 
 monds, of which 5,206 are Brilliants, and 
 the others Rose-cut. One sword is set with 
 1,57(3 Brilliants, and another with 1,50G 
 Rose Diamonds. There are two clasps, the 
 one mounted with 217, the other with 197 
 Brilliants, and a chapeau button formed of 
 21 similar Diamonds. 
 
 The N'orih American corrGspondent, writing 
 from Paris, says of these Crown Jewels : 
 "There are Itouquets of Diamonds, with 
 cords and tassels to match, to tie round the 
 ■waist, and Diamond stomachers, filled with 
 stones, only inferior in size to the 'Regent.' 
 In one case alone twenty-eight l>iamond 
 necklaces lie exposed in rows of light, sup- 
 ported by a fan encrusted with the same, 
 while a Diamond comb adjoining places the 
 
 head of tlie happy wearer at least on an 
 equality with the hand. They occupy a 
 pyramidal case of nine divisions, at the apex 
 of which is placed, alone and unset, the 
 'Regent,' a Diamoml of wonderful size and 
 beauty, square in shape, and slightly rounded 
 at the corners." 
 
 The same writer says that the "Regent" 
 was stolen from the Royal Garde-Meuble 
 during the French Revolution, but was soon 
 after recaptured, and then pledged by the 
 Directory for 0,000,000 of francs to the Bank 
 of Amsterdam. It was redeemed by Napo- 
 leon immediately after the battle of Marengo. 
 L' Europe Artiste of July 29th, 1855, says 
 that this stone will shortly be placed ia 
 the hands of the eminent Jeweler, M. Le- 
 monnier, to be set in a new Imperial Diadem, 
 which he has been commissioned to execute. 
 
 Since the printing of those pages ia 
 which we spoke of the "JCtoile du Sud," we 
 we have learned from a late number of the 
 North American that the cutting of that 
 stone has been completed, and that it is at 
 pi'csent placed in the French Exposition. 
 The Paris correspondent of that paper 
 says : 
 
 " The Diamond is well exposed to the 
 light, being simply suspended between two 
 metal points which allow it to be seen on all 
 sides. The faces of the cuttings are unusual- 
 ly large, but, if one may judge by the fire 
 which they throw out, and the brilliant pris- 
 matic colors displayed, the operation has 
 been scientifically and successfully conduct- 
 ed. The stone appears perfectly colorless, 
 and of elegant oblong form." "Its weight is 
 one hundred and twenty-five and a half 
 carats, but, owing either to the superiority 
 of the cutting, or to the unusual thickness, 
 nineteen millimetres* from the table to the 
 extreme point behind, the refraction of light 
 is wonderfully great, and, when the level sun 
 falls rightly upon it, its fires are really mag- 
 nificent." " The ' Etoile du Sud' is at this 
 moment in the market positively to be sold, 
 if a buyer can be found." Its weight, as 
 above stated, sanctions our classification of 
 it. (p. 12.) 
 
 When penning our remarks upon the 
 "Koh-i-noor," and " The Great Mogul's 
 Diamond," (pp. 12, 13, 14, 15, and 10,) we 
 sought in vain for some official English state- 
 ment of the grounds of the identification by 
 them of these two stones, and the conclusion 
 we arrived at, though unavoidable from the 
 facts before us, was not unaccompanied by 
 the fears of the existence of some absolute 
 
 • Vie tie Catharine II, Imperatrice de llu.-sie. Avec fix 
 portraite graves en taille-Uouce. A I'uiis. 1797. (- vole. 
 8vo.) 
 
 * Nineteen millimetres are equal, within n shadow of » 
 fraction, to three-fourths of an inch. This distance, the 
 writer evidcnily means, is from the centre of the promi- 
 nent /cicet of the tabic to the apex of the coUU. 
 
20 
 
 JEWELRY AND THE PEECIOUS STONES. 
 
 adverse proof -u'lncli vre had been unable to 
 encounter. Since then we have found what 
 we presume to be the strongest statement of 
 proofs that the English Court can put forth 
 upon the subject. It appears in Vol. II, 
 p. G95, of the " Official, Descriptive and Il- 
 lustrated Catalogue" of the "Great Exhibition 
 of the Works of Industry of all Nations," 
 in which, it will be remembered, the "Koh- 
 i-noor" was exposed to the public by the 
 Queen. It is published "By Authority of 
 the Royal Commission," and four large 
 columns of print are devoted to the subject. 
 We were greatly surprised, after an atten- 
 tive perusal of the same, that a claim of such 
 magnitude, so universally made by English 
 ■writers, does not even pretend to possess a 
 shadow of proof to support it. The Diamond 
 is traced back, as we have done it already, 
 to Nadir Shah, and the "Great Mogul's" is 
 traced down to tliat personage. But that 
 this latter stone was the one carried off into 
 Cabul, upon the truth of which rests M^hoUy 
 the "Koh-i-noor's" authenticity, not a word 
 of evidence is offered. The whole of this 
 momentous portion of its history is thus 
 briefly given, and without the support of a 
 single reference: 
 
 "After Nadir Shah's death, the Diamond, 
 which he had wrested from the unfortunate 
 representative of the House of Timur,* be- 
 came the p«-operty of Ahmed Shah, the 
 founder of the Abdali dynasty of Kabul, 
 having been given to him, or more probably 
 taken by him from Shah Rokh, the young 
 son of Nadir." 
 
 This is poor indeed. But the Court scribe 
 has still a difficult task before him. Taver- 
 nier has carefully weighed, and minutely 
 described to the world, the "Great Mogul's 
 Diamond," and that stone, by him thus 
 described, has become famous throughout 
 the land — and the " Koh-i-noor" obstinately 
 will KOt accord with Tavernier's statements. 
 So our writer says : " Tavernier of course 
 took the actual weight with the native 
 standard of weight, the rati, and his valua- 
 tion of the Diamond at two hundred and 
 seventy-nine and nine-sixteenths carats was 
 ihe result of a mistaken notion of the weight 
 of the rati !" 
 
 He then deduces from other authorities the 
 •weight of the ratis, (spelt by him rati,) and 
 makes it out, instead of seven-eighths of a 
 carat, a little over two grains. Upon this 
 basis three hundred and nineteen and a half 
 ratis equal one hundred and seventy-five 
 carats ! This, it is true, is nearer to one 
 
 * 0\ir references to this celebrated historical character 
 haTe been by the name of Tamerlane. Eillier appellation 
 may be used at random. Tjiveruier calls himTemur-leng, 
 and says that the ■word means Le Bnitcux, a term per- 
 sonally applicable, he says, to the Tartar chief. 
 
 hundred and eighty-six and one-sixteenth 
 carats, (the "Koh-i-noor's" late weight,) 
 than to two hundred and seventy-nine and 
 nine-sixteenths carats, to which Tavernier 
 says three hundred and nineteen and a half 
 ratis are equal, but it is still some distance 
 therefrom. That discrepancy however the 
 enterprising writer thus disposes of: 
 
 " The weight of one hundred and seventy- 
 five carats is a sufficiently near approxima- 
 tion to the actual weight of the 'Koh-i-noor,'* 
 one hundred and eighty-six carats, taken 
 with more perfect scales and weights than 
 the Imperial Jewelers were likely to have 
 provided, and with more care and delibera- 
 tion than Tavernier might have had the op- 
 portunity of exercising." 
 
 AVhen the reader is reminded that Taver- 
 nier was a Diamond merchant by profession, 
 that he spent nearly forty years in Asia, that 
 he brought back to France a vast number of 
 Diamonds, Rubies, and Pearls, all bought in 
 the East by the ratis, that he published with 
 great care and elegance the results of his 
 travels, illustrating his account of the "Great 
 Mogul's Diamond" with a well executed en- 
 graving, and that he repeatedly speaks both 
 of the Aveight of this Diamond and of the 
 weight of the ratis — when the reader is re- 
 minded of these facts, we say — it will be dif- 
 ficult for him to credit that this famous 
 "travelling Jeweler," as Gibbon calls him, 
 could, first, have made a mistake of nearly a 
 hundred per centum in the value of the deli- 
 cate ratis, and, secondly, in addition tliereto, 
 have blundered to the extent of eleven carats 
 in weighing the most precious stone ever de- 
 posited in his hands, or indeed known to the 
 world ! 
 
 It seems hardly fair either that the official 
 account of the " Koh-i-noor" should pass 
 over in perfect silence Tavernier's descrip- 
 tion of the beautiful shape of the Mogul 
 stone, and his engraving thereof, without at- 
 tempting to reconcile it with the long hulk 
 of the " Mountain of Light !" 
 
 Although we found no use of the word 
 " Koh-i-noor" made before the date of Nadir 
 Shah, and believed that none such had been 
 made, we hesitated to assert this as a f\ict, 
 for fear that the "Mogul's Diamond" might, in 
 some authority we had not encountered, have 
 been so styled ; but the official history of the 
 "Koh-i-noor" absolves us from the responsi- 
 bility of making this assertion. 
 
 It says : " The appellation 'Koh-i-noor' is 
 not given to the great Diamond of the Mogul 
 Emperors." " Nadir Shah is said to have 
 bestowed upon it the name of 'Koh-i-noor'." 
 If then, even so poor a proof as the coinci- 
 dence of names does not exist, we cannot 
 
 * It had not yet at this date undergone its re-cutting. 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 21 
 
 conceive upon what fjrounds at all it has ever 
 boen asserted that Knjiland is in possession 
 of the "Great Mogul's Diamond." 
 
 This account, in order we presume to add 
 to th6 fame of the stone, pretends to give its 
 history from a remote period. It is made 
 iipb from occasional references by Indian 
 historians to large Diamonds, and the "Koh- 
 i-noor" thus becomes the hero of all the 
 early stories related of any and every con- 
 spicuous Diamond. Such a history may be 
 consitlercd, of cfourse, as purely fabulous. It 
 is us follows. It was found 3001 years be- 
 fore Christ, and was worn by Kama, King 
 of Anga. It was next heard of as belonging 
 to Vikramaditya, the Rajah of Ujayin, fifty- 
 six years before Christ, and his successors, 
 Ihe llajahs of Mahva. JMalwa was conquer- 
 ed and overcome by Alla-ud-din, Sultan of 
 Delhi, in 130G. From him it passed to the 
 Bikermajit family of Agra, who presented it 
 to Ilumayun, who presented it to Sultan 
 Baber, who presented it Ijack to Ilumayun. 
 After this, it passed permanently, until Na- 
 dir's arrival, into the possession of the Em- 
 perors of Mogul, 
 
 The recent history of the "Koh-i-noor," as 
 here given, is doulitlessly quite authentic, 
 and, as it is somewhat more precise than 
 that related by us, we shall quote from it : 
 "After Runjet's death it was worn by Khur- 
 ruk Sing and Shir Sing. After the murder of 
 the latter, it remained in the Lahore Trea- 
 sury until the surpercession of Dhulip Sing, 
 and the annexation of the Punjab by the 
 British Government, when the civil authori- 
 ties took possession of the Lahore Treasury, 
 under the stipulation, previously made, that 
 all the propertj'^ of the State should be con- 
 fiscated to the East India Company, in part 
 payment of the delit due by the Lahore 
 Government, and of the expenses of ihe war. 
 It was at the same time stipulated that the 
 ' Koh-i-noor' should be surrendered to the 
 Queen. The Diamond was conveyed to Bom- 
 bay by Governor-General the Earl of Dal- 
 housie, whom ill health had compelled to re- 
 pair to the coast, and was there given in 
 charge to Lieut. Col. Mackeson, C. B., and 
 Capt. T. Ramsay, the Military Secretary to 
 the Governor-General, to take to England." 
 They left Bombay with it April 6tl), 18-50, 
 arrived in England -June 30th, and surren- 
 dered it, July 2nd, to the Chairman and De- 
 puty Chairman of the Court of Directors, 
 who, with the President of the Board of Con- 
 trol, presented it, July 3rd, to Her Majesty." 
 AVe should have stated in speaking of the 
 "KingofPortugal'sDiamond" (pp. 16,17) that 
 several French authorities give its weight as 
 one hundred and twenty carats, which would 
 fix the " Koh-i-noor" as the sixf/i in order of 
 the large Diamonds. "We stated the weight, 
 ninety-three and three-quarters carats, as 
 
 given with the model from which we de- 
 scribed it. 
 
 The weight of " the Pacha of Egypt's 
 Diamond" was there misprinted sixty-nine 
 instead of forty-nine carats. 
 
 We have learneil that M'r Henry Thomas 
 Hope, of London, is in possession of a blue 
 Diamond, M'eighing one hundred and seventy- 
 seven grains. If this were seventy-seven 
 carats it would accord with the weight of ihe 
 "Blue Diamond," which we have described. 
 It is more probably " The English Lottery 
 Diamond;" for one hundred and seventy- 
 seven grains are equivalent to a little over 
 forty-five and a half carats, which is nearly 
 the weight we have accorded " The Lottery 
 Diamond," and it also has been described as 
 of a blue tinge. 
 
 The Parisian correspondent of the NbrtJi 
 American says that the " Sancy" was also 
 stolen from the Royal Garde-Meuhle during 
 the French Revolution, and became ultimate- 
 ly the property of the Emperor of Russia. 
 
 On page seventeen the " Sancy Dia- 
 mond" was described as of square form, and 
 " The Polar Star" as of an egg shape, flat- 
 tened at the sides. These descriptions apply 
 reversely to these two stones. 
 
 Wo should have mentioned also on the 
 seventeenth page, that "The English Lot- 
 tery Diamond," " The Sancy," and " The 
 Polar Star," are all cut as Brilliants. 
 
 D'r Feuchtwanger says " The Nassuc 
 Diamond" weighs three hundred and fifty- 
 seven and a half grains, (91.95 carats,) and 
 that it was sold at the auction of Mess'rs 
 Rundell & Bridges in 1837, for $36,000. 
 
 He says at the same time were sold a pair 
 of Brilliant ear-rings, Aveighing two hundred 
 and twenty-three and a half grains, formerly 
 the property of Queen Charlotte, for $55,000; 
 a Brilliant drop, sevent3'-nine and a half 
 grains, for $5,900 ; and an oblong Brilliant, 
 one hundred and fifty-one and a quarter 
 grains, for $14,000. 
 
 A Diamond valued at 200.000 francs, and 
 a diadem set with 9,000 Diamonds, are now 
 exposed, at the Frencli Exhibition, by Mess'rs 
 Marret & Beaugrand, prominent Jewelers ia 
 Paris. 
 
 We learn from L' Ev rope Artiste of Aug.Sth, 
 1855, that the House of Marret & Jarry have 
 just completed a splendid necklace of Dia- 
 monds — 2,000 in number, and Aveighing in 
 the aggregate one hundred and twenty 
 carats. The price of 120,000 francs is put 
 upon it. 
 
 On page ten we hazarded some con- 
 jectures as to the origin of the word c;vrat. 
 Since that has been printed we have fallen 
 upon, incontrovcrtibly, the origin of the 
 word, and, although our opinion of the ordi- 
 nary " bean derivation" is shewn to have 
 been correct, neither of our own theories has 
 
22 
 
 JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 proved so to have been. Thomas Nicols, in 
 his old book op " Pretious Stones," quoted 
 "by us before, uses throughout it the -word 
 ceratmm, and plural cerutia, in speaking of 
 the weight of gems. He makes it clear also 
 that it was equivalent to our carat, by the 
 following sentence : "Monardus writeth that 
 he saw Diamonds in Bisnager (Visnapour) 
 that weighed 140 ceratia, and every cei-aiium 
 is foure grains." If anything is Avanted to 
 confii'm this origin it may be found upon re- 
 ferring to this word in the Latin Lexicon, 
 which shews us that it was derived by the 
 Romans from the Greek keration, and de- 
 scribes it as " the name of a very small 
 weight or measure." Being of such Greek 
 derivation, the Latin word is to be pro- 
 nounced with the (■ hard, which will give us 
 almost the identical word we use. 
 
 We have found a remarkaljle confirmation 
 of Tavernier's account of the Diamond mines 
 of India, in a paper read before tlie lloj'al 
 Society in the latter part of the seventeenth 
 centui'y.* This examination must have oc- 
 curred too at about the same date as that of 
 Tavernier's visits to India. "Currure'^ and 
 "Gani" seem to be used indiscriminately by 
 Tavernier and other Avriters as the name of 
 th« same mines. One little old bookf calls 
 them CovUoitr : " The second mine is called 
 CoiiUmir in the Persian language, and the 
 Idolaters of the countrey call it Gany." 
 The mines visited by D'r Voysey in 1823, 
 about three miles Irom the Krishna river, 
 and called l)y him Partiala, are said to be 
 the same mines. We extract a curious para- 
 graph from the Earl Marshall's article: 
 
 " About sixty or seventy years ago, when 
 the Curi'ure mines was under the Govern- 
 ment of the Hunducs, and several Persons 
 permitted to adventure in digging, a Por- 
 iw^eez Gentleman went thither from G^o«, and 
 having spent in Mining a great sum ofMony 
 to the amounts of 100,000 pagodas, as 'tis 
 reported, and converted every thing he 
 brought with him, that would fetch any 
 mony, even to what wearing Cloaths he could 
 spare, while the Miners were at Work for 
 the last Day's expence, he had prepared a cup 
 of Poyson, resolving, if that Night he found 
 nothing, to drink his last with the conclusion 
 of his Mony; but in tlie Evening the Work- 
 men brought him a very fair spread Stone of 
 180 mangelleens' weight, in commemoration 
 whereof he caused a great Stone to be erected 
 in the place, with an Inscription iugraven on 
 
 * "A Description of the Diamond-mines, as it was pre- 
 sented by tbe llight Honourable the Earl Marshal of 
 England, to the Koyal Sociuty." Publit^hed in the Annals 
 of that Society. 
 
 t The History of Jewels, and of the Principal Riches of 
 the East and West. Taken from tbe relation of Divers of 
 the most famous Travellers of our age. London. Printed 
 by T.N. IbTl. 
 
 it, in the Hundues or TeUinga Tongue, to the 
 following effect, which remains to be seen to 
 this day : 
 
 Your Wife and Children sell, sell what you have. 
 Spare not your Cloaths, nay, make your self a Slave; 
 But money get, then to Currure make hast; 
 There search the Mines, a Prize you'l find at last. 
 
 After which he immediately returned with 
 his Stone to Goa." 
 
 On our fifteenth page we gave Tavernier's 
 account of the largest Diamond he saw in 
 India in private hands, and states its weight 
 to have been one hundred and seventy-six 
 and a quarter mangelins. This is so near 
 the weight of that referred to in the above 
 paragraph, that it would seem probable that 
 these two accounts refer to the same stone. 
 
 " The History of Jewels," by the by, above 
 referred to, is chiefly made up of extracts 
 from Tavernier, Avithout aword of credit, but 
 still, in such quaint English, that we are 
 tempted to give the reader a slight taste from 
 the Prefixce : 
 
 " There is nothing more admirable in this 
 lower Avorld then precious stunes, seeing they 
 are the starres of the earth, and shine in 
 competition with those of the firmament, dis- 
 puting with them for splendor, beauty, and 
 glory. Nature produceth nothing more rich, 
 and sufficiently confesseth it, in her most 
 careful laying them up and hiding them in 
 her private cabinets and repositories in the 
 inner parts of the earth, so that they are not 
 easie to be come by ; but their value and 
 price make them Avorth the searching for, 
 even through the boAvels of the world." 
 
 Tavernier informs us that, in the language 
 of the Ilindostan miners, the Diamond is 
 called III ; in Turkish, Persian and Arabic, 
 Almas ; and, in all the European languages, 
 something analogous in sound to the word 
 Diamond. 
 
 The Diamond is now used extensively in 
 the mechanical arts ; it is used for powerful 
 lenses, for engraving on copper and steel, and 
 upon all hard stones, for cutting glass, for 
 sockets to pivots in Avatches, and for various 
 other purposes by dentists, turners, china- 
 menders, lapidaries, &c.. 
 
 It is time noAv to dismiss the Diamond, 
 but, in proceeding Avith the other stones 
 upon the list, the reader need not apprehend 
 that each will be treated at the same length; 
 for the interest attaching to this gem exceeds 
 that of all the other precious stones com- 
 bined. 
 
 Tlie Sapphire in hard ness,comes next to the 
 Diamond. It is one ot theVarieties of that vast 
 genus thesilex. Its chemical composition is 
 pure alumina crystallized. The colour most 
 commonly understood to attach to the Sap- 
 phire is blue, and therefore the poets are 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 wont to sing of Sapphire skies. It is also 
 found occasionally gray, white, green and 
 yellow. In shape it is usually rhoniboidal. 
 ilaliy names it the " telesic," and IJournon 
 the "perfect corundum." Being silioious 
 in. its nature it approaches in its hardness 
 close upon the Diamond, while, in its blue 
 species, it is very beautiful. The deep-blue 
 Sapphire is named by the lapidaries the 
 " male," and the pale-blue the " female." 
 
 It is acted ifpon by neither the acids nor 
 tire blowpipe. It is found mostly in tlie beds 
 of rivers, especially in Ceylon and in the 
 southern part of the Barman Empire. 
 
 This stone through its blue color was the 
 emblem of heaven, the firmament, truth, con- 
 "fetancy, and fidelity. The Jewish priests 
 wore robes and breast-plates of this color as 
 significative of heaven. 
 
 The Hebrew Rabbis declare this to lie th« 
 stone of which the rod of Moses and the 
 Tables of the Law received on Mount Sinai 
 were composed. Thomas Nicols, whom we 
 have before quoted, says (as it is useful to 
 know) that " the Sapphire if worn by an 
 adulterer loses its splendor, and the wearing 
 of it quells the animal senses ;" " if put into 
 a glasse with a spider it will quickly die ;" 
 " it keepeth men chaste, and therefoi-e is 
 worn by priests." 
 
 Fine specimens bring high prices. The 
 late jM'r Hope purchased one from the 
 Parisian Jardin des Plantes, paying therefor 
 the considerable sum of £3,000. 
 
 The French crown contains 59 of these 
 stones. 
 
 A Sapphire weighing seventy-five and a 
 half carats was sold, says D'r Feuchtwanger, 
 at the auction of IMess'rs Rundell & Bridges, 
 for $2,4G5. 
 
 The Ruby is, chemically, the same as the 
 Sapphire except so far as it is affected by its 
 coloring matter. It ranks next to the Diamond 
 in value. A fine specimen of the Oriental Ruby 
 is rarer than even the Diamond itself. An- 
 ciently it went by the name of carbuncle, as 
 it does occasionally now. It is a species of 
 silex or quartz, and therefore participates in 
 the natural hardness of that stone. As its 
 name indicates, it is red in color — a carmine- 
 red — and a very beautiful ornament for the 
 " ornamental sex." They are found in Ilin- 
 dostan, in Ceylon, in Bohemia, and in Hun- 
 gary. 
 
 The largest Ruby known is said to be in 
 the Imperial Russian Crown, in which it is 
 placed under the cross. It was bought for 
 the Empress Anne in Pekin, for 120,000 
 roubles, by her ambassador to that city. 
 
 Tavcrnier gives drawings of and describes 
 several remarkable Rubies he saw in the 
 East. 
 
 First is one that belonged to the Kins: of 
 
 Persia, nearly as large as an egg and of that 
 shape, of deep color, and of unknown weight. 
 It had Ijeen for many years in the treasury 
 of that monarch. 
 
 The second figure is that of a stone sold as 
 a Rul)y to Giaferkan, uncle of the Great 
 Mogul, for 95,000 rupees ($285,000), and 
 presented by him to the Emperor. A dis- 
 charged old Jeweler of the king, having 
 found some opportunity of examining it, 
 declared that Giaferkan had been deceived, 
 that it was not a Rubj% and was not worth 
 over 500 rupees. The king's .Jewelers were 
 convened to decide upon the matter, and 
 they declared their belief in its genuineness. 
 Ah in the whole Empire of the Great Mogul 
 there was no person more skilled, it was be- 
 lieved, in the knowledge of precious stones 
 than Shah Jehan, then detained a prisoner at 
 Agra by his son, Aureng Zebe, the latter sent 
 the stone to his father, begging his opinion. 
 He confirmed the views of the old Jeweler, 
 and said it Avas not worth more than 500 
 rupees. The stone having been brought back 
 to Aureng Zebe, it was returned to the mer- 
 chant who sold it, and he was forced to dis- 
 gorge the money he had received for it. This 
 stone was of an egg-shape. 
 
 The next is a view of one weighiirg seven- 
 teen and a half carats, in the possession of 
 the King of Visapour, of the shape of half an 
 egg. It is well cut, and of the greatest beau- 
 ty. It was bought in 1G53, for 14,200 new 
 pagodas, (about as many dollars.) 
 
 We have then described one "weighing 
 fifty and three-quarters carats, of the second 
 water, uncut, and almond-shaped. It was 
 ofi'ered to me at Banarous for 55,000 
 rupees." 
 
 Tavcrnier says that Rubies were so scarce 
 in Asia that he found it profitable to take 
 them thither from Europe to sell. 
 
 He says he found them so preciously 
 guarded, that a merchant would never shew 
 a Ruby, even if an insignificant one, unless 
 you agreed to give him some trifling present, 
 as a cap or belt, in case you did not buy. 
 
 He speaks of one Aveighing five carats, 
 found in Bohemia, and presented bj' General 
 Wallestein, Duke of Fridland, to the Viceroy 
 of Hungary. 
 
 In the Cfreen Vault at Dresden there is a 
 pair of Ruby ear-rings, which have been 
 valued at 2-4,000 thalers, though at present 
 they would probal)ly bring a much higiier 
 price, owing to these gems being greatly in 
 fashion. The aljoye sum would 1)0 about 
 18,000 of our dollars. The English Crown 
 contains a large heart-shaped Ruby. 
 
 Ludovicus Vartomannus, a lying old Ro- 
 man, says that the King of Pegu, in India, 
 had a Ruby whicli could illuminate a dark 
 room as brilliantly as could the sun 1 
 
 Andreas Baccius says in his book, De Na- 
 
24 
 
 JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 tura Gemmanim, that if danger approaches 
 the ATcarer of a Ruby, it will turn black, and, 
 upon the danger being past, resume its color 
 again ! 
 
 Nicols relates the following of Baccius and 
 a Ruby he possessed enclosed in a gold ring: 
 " On the fifth of December, 1600, he wa§ tra- 
 velling with his wife, Catharina Adelmania, 
 to Studgard, and in his travel he observed 
 his Rubin e to change its glory into obscu- 
 ritie, whereupon he told his wife, and prog- 
 Dosticated that evil thereupon would ensue 
 either to himself or her, which accordingly 
 did ; for not many days after his Avife Avas 
 taken with a mortal disease and died ; after 
 which he saith his Rubine of its own accord 
 did again recover its former lustre, glory, 
 beauty, and splendour." 
 
 The Topaz, according to lire, is still 
 another form of the silex or quartz. It is 
 found crystallized in rhombic prisms in Bra- 
 zil, Siberia, and Saxony. It is transparent 
 and translucent, and commonly of a wine- 
 yellow colour, but frequently sulphur colour- 
 ed, and rose-red. Sometimes it occurs per- 
 fectly limpid. It is not affected by the acids. 
 It becomes electric from heat or friction, and 
 to such a degree as to make it distinguish- 
 able, by this property, from other stones that 
 may chance to resemble it. »See Nicol's 
 Manual of Mineralogy,* pp. 255, 257, also 
 D'r Feuchtwanger's Treatise, p. 80. The 
 principal supply of this gem is from Brazil, 
 where it is sought in the rainy season, in the 
 same manner, and in the same localities, as 
 the Diamond. The annual production from 
 this region is about foi'ty pounds. The white, 
 and the rose-red are the most valuable. The 
 former are called by the Portuguese pi/tf/o^ 
 d'ar/oa, (drops of water,) and, when cut, they 
 closely resemble the Diamond in lustre and 
 brilliancy. The Brazilian yellow Topaz, 
 when exposed to heat, becomes reddish, and 
 "bears a strong resemblance to the Ruby, but 
 may be distinguished from it by the elec- 
 tricity it is capable of evolving. The Saxon 
 pale-wine coloured Topaz, when exposed 
 to heat, becomes colourless. It is said 
 to have derived its name from an island in 
 the Red Sea, where the first specimen was 
 found by a Mauritanian King. The name 
 however, fopazioa, has existed in the Greek 
 language from time iuimemorial, but whether 
 it Avas the name of t!ie same mineral as our 
 Topaz it cannot be with certainty affirmed. 
 
 Tavernier gives a view of a magnificent 
 Topaz in the possession of the Great Mogul. 
 It is beautifully cut, its girdle being a per- 
 fect octagon. " This," says he, " is the only 
 gem I have seen him wear upon his person 
 
 * Mar.vial of Minernlosry, or the Natural nijtory of the 
 Mineral Kingdom. By James Nicol, 1\ 11. S. E., F. G. S.. 
 Edinburgh : 1S49. 
 
 whenever I visited his Court during my last 
 journey to the Indies. It weighs one hun- 
 dred and fifty-seven and a quarter carats, 
 and was bought for this monarch at Goa for 
 181,000 rupees, (§543,000.)" 
 
 A Topaz valued at 10,000 roubles is among 
 the Jewels in one of the saddles of Catharine 
 II of Russia. 
 
 Albertus Magnus says that this stone is 
 more beautiful in the morning than at any 
 other times of the day. And is this not true 
 of every thing, animate or inanimate? 
 
 Cardanus says that with a simple powder 
 of Topaz diffused in wine, he cured one 
 Cesar Palavicinus, Esq., of a fever that he 
 had had for fifteen days, and another gen- 
 tleman of " melancholy," who had long been 
 dosed in vain by the prescriptions of the re- 
 gular'practitioners. 
 
 Thomas Nicols calls it " a very hard glo- 
 rious sun-shine gemm." 
 
 He also says : " The powder of it is said 
 to be good in asthraatick passions, and in the 
 ortliopnoeu if it be drunk in a convenient 
 liquor. If in fevers it be held under the 
 tongue it is said to quench thirst. 
 
 It is cold and dry as all other pretious 
 stones are." 
 
 The Emerald is a composition of silica, 
 alumina, and glucina, coloured generally 
 green by chrome oxide. It is of various 
 shades of green, sometimes colourless, some- 
 times inclining to blue and yellow. Those 
 species not green however ai-e specifically 
 known as beryl or aqua-marine — the co- 
 louring matter in them being iron peroxide. 
 Emeralds are found in the shape of six-sided 
 prisms, Avith the lateral faces smooth, and 
 varying from transparent to translucent. It 
 is not afifected by acids. It is found chiefly 
 in Peru. Less beautiful varieties are met 
 Avith in India, Ceylon, Greenland, and Sibe- 
 ria. It is cut in A-arious forms, the Brilliant, 
 the Rose, and the Table styles. It is usually 
 set Avith a green substance behind it, unless 
 of very fine quality, Avhen they are open-set. 
 They sell at the price of $12 per carat. One 
 of twenty-four grains, at the auction of the 
 Marquis de Dree, sold for 2,400 francs. It 
 may be very successfully imitated. 
 
 Ancient!}' there were mines of it Avrought 
 in Egypt on the Arabian Gulf. For some 
 centuries all knowledge of them Avas lost, but 
 they have been rediscovered, in modern days, 
 by Caillard. 
 
 Tavernier has some remarks on this stone, 
 which, as bearing on the early history of 
 America, are Avorth translating in full. 
 
 He first expresses the opinion, that the 
 Emerald, though known from time imme- 
 morial, always came from America. He- 
 then adds, " I believe, that, prior to the dis- 
 covery of that part of the Avorld, commonly 
 called the West Indies, Emeralds were in- 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 deed brought into Europe from Asia, but 
 that their actual source was the kingdom of 
 Peru. For the American^', before they be- 
 canie>knowu to us, traded in the Phillippine 
 Isles, whither they carried gold and silver, 
 especially the latter. The same traffic is 
 still continued, and tlie Peruvians visifrtho 
 Phillippines yearly with two or tliree vessels 
 carrying silver and rough Emeralds. Here 
 they are met by traders from Bengal, Ara- 
 can, Pegu, Goa, and otjier places, bringing 
 cloths of all sorts, set Diamonds and Rubies, 
 gold-jewelry, silk-stufls and Persian carpets. 
 It should, however, be remarked, that they 
 are not permitted to deal directly with the 
 Americans, but only through the interven- 
 tion of persons residing at the Manillas. 
 And this is the only way in which Emeralds 
 reached P^urope before the discovei-y of the 
 West Indies." 
 
 The Spanish conquerors of Peru heard 
 that, in the Valley of IManta, was a temple 
 dedicated to the Goddess, Emerald. Of 
 course they hastened to pay their devoirs at 
 the shrine of so respectable a divinity. But, 
 on reaching the temple, they found that the 
 Goddess had disappeared, llowever, finding 
 there a large numljer of daughters of the 
 "Mother of the Emeralds," (as the Goddess 
 was entitled by the priests,) they took pos- 
 session of these for their own behoof. 
 
 The Mexican kings prized these stones so 
 highly, that they were accustomed to pierce 
 their nostrils and there hang one of the 
 finest specimens they could procure. They 
 put them also upon the faces of their idols. 
 
 If we may credit an old Avriter, the traffic 
 in them from America must, at one time, 
 have been enormous. For he says, that in 
 the fleet, which came from the Indies, in the 
 year 1587, there were two great chests of 
 Emeralds. If this be fact, the number in 
 circulation must, we think, have diminislied. 
 
 Highly as these stones have ever been 
 prized by Europeans, it would seem that the 
 Orientals have valued them more highly 
 Btill. For Tavernier says, that, in his day, 
 Emeralds, and indeed nearly all the pre- 
 cious stones, except the Diamond, brought 
 better prices in Asia than in Europe. 
 
 This stone is especially noted for the ex- 
 travagant traditions of all kinds concern- 
 ing it. 
 
 Thus it is gravely recorded, that the vic- 
 torious Saracens captured, at tlie Spanish 
 city, Toledo, a table three hundred and sixty 
 feet long, constructed of a single Emerald ! 
 Also that an obelisk stood there, composed 
 of four I]meralds only, which was sixty feet 
 high ! It is stated also that in the Cathe- 
 dral treasury of Genoa was preserved, in 
 1780, a hexagonal bowl of Emerald, of which 
 the broadest diameter was fourteen and a 
 half inches. In 1319 this bowl was pledged 
 
 to a certain cardinal for 1200 gold marks, 
 and twelve years elapsed before the city 
 could raise this sum for its redemption. la 
 172G a volume was published in Genoa, 
 which professed to demonstrate by authori- 
 ties, tliat this identical vessel had once be- 
 longed to King Solomon, and was an item of 
 the presents brought to him by the Queen of 
 Sheba. 
 
 It must be confessed, tliat it is rather a 
 sorry downfall of the romance concerning 
 this stone to find it more than probable, that 
 all these large specimens are neither more 
 nor less than green glass, or at best but 
 rock-crystal, imbedded perhaps with portions 
 iof aqua-marine. For it is stated that in Peru, 
 which yields the finest in the world, no one 
 larger than an ostrich's egg has ever been 
 mentioned, and tliat such a one ever existed 
 is extremely doubtful. 
 
 In Saint John's Apocalypse (chapter iv, 
 3 v,) tlie throne of tlie Deity is described as 
 surrounded by a rainbow of Emeralds. 
 
 Tradition says that the famous magician 
 Hermes Trismegistus engraved on an Eme- 
 rald a panacea for all human maladies, which 
 was enclosed with his body in his tomb. 
 Rather a selfish proceeding it seems to us. 
 
 As a fact belonging to modern times, we 
 would mention that the sceptre of Poland 
 was a simple piece of beryl, two feet long. 
 It has been broken in the middle, and is now 
 in the possession of Ptussia. 
 
 M'r Hope, of London, possessed a cut 
 crystal of the beryl class, weighing sis 
 ounces, and valued at £500; and the Duke 
 of Devonshire another from Peru, two inches 
 long, and Aveighing eight oz. eighteen dwts, 
 but containing many flaws, and valued at one 
 hundred and fifty guineas. 
 
 In the "Memoires du Rfegne de Catharine, 
 Imperatrice de Russie" mention is made of 
 an Emerald, belonging to the Crown, of the 
 size of a hen's egg. 
 
 Martinus Rulandus says that the Emerald 
 exceeds in verdure watered grass, or the 
 greenest leaves of the trees. 
 
 Avenzoar declares it to be a specific against 
 poisons, and Boetius gives a recipe for a 
 "tincture of Emerald." 
 
 D'r Aloysius Mundella says that his 
 brother, a Jeweler, sold an Emerald for one 
 hundred and thirteen aun'o.i to Franciscus 
 Maria, Prince of Urbino, and intended by 
 him to be used medicinally. 
 
 Cardanus says that all green jewels may 
 be affected by the fire on account of the 
 abundance of humour contained in them ! 
 {De lajniiis pretio.'ii-s-. Book 7.) 
 
 Baccius says, speaking of the berjd speci- 
 men, that if wrapped in a linen cloth and 
 put into water, or juit into water by itself, 
 the water will seem to be moved. And 
 
26 
 
 JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 "Wurtzung, a German physician, says that it 
 is used in all diseases of the heart. 
 
 We shall conclude our researches upon 
 this stone M-ith some quaint old passages 
 from our " Sometimes member of Jesus Col- 
 ledge." 
 
 " Sophisticatours are wont, lucri cmiscl, to 
 adulterate this gemme." 
 
 " The Emerauld is a precious stone or 
 gemme of so excellent a viridity, or spring- 
 colour, as that if a man shall look upon an 
 Emerauld by a pleasant green meadow, it will 
 be more amiable then the meadow, and over- 
 come the meadow's glorie, by the glory of 
 that spring of viriditie which it hath in itself: 
 the largcnesse of the meadow it will over- 
 come with the amplitude of its glory, where- 
 with farre above its greatnesse it doth feed 
 the eie : and the virescencie of the meadow 
 it will overcome with the brightnesse oi' its 
 glory, which in itself seemeth to embrace the 
 glorious viridity of many springs. This 
 stone is known by its apparent coldnesse in 
 the mouth, and by its gravity being weighed." 
 " They do much sharpen and acuate the 
 dulnesse of the sight, and therefore engravers 
 ■will most willingly be employed about them. 
 They are very transparent, and do very ex- 
 cellently dart forth their rayes like lightning; 
 and therefore they are of great esteem and 
 price." 
 
 " The Scythian Emerauld is found in gold 
 mines, and cannot be obtained without a 
 great deal of danger: for it is reported, that 
 the Gryphines take charge of this, stand cen- 
 tury about it, and have their safe custody 
 upon it. These fierce ravenous birds make 
 their nests in the mines of gold where these 
 pretious gemms are to be had, therefore the 
 Arimasjn, or MonocvH, who hunger much 
 after the gold, and I']meraulds, are forced to 
 arm themselves for a battell with these birds, 
 before they can obtain their prize." 
 
 " This stone is good to recreate the sight; 
 Andreas Baccius, Agricola, Cardanus, and 
 Anselmus Boetius say, that there is such an 
 enmity betwixt it, and illegitimate venery, 
 or the uncleannesse of the flesh, as that if it 
 do but touch the skinne of an adulterer, it 
 will break. And that it doth bridle the 
 reins of lasciviousnesse, and much temper it; 
 insomuch as Albertus Magnus doth not 
 doubt to affirm that the king of Hungaria 
 Bela having carnall knowledge of his wife, 
 with an Emerauld set in gold on his finger, 
 the Emerauld brake into three parts." 
 
 The Amethyst, which has been known 
 from the earliest days of Greece and Rome, 
 and was also empKjyed for sacerdotal pur- 
 poses among the Jews, is also a species of the 
 extensive genus, quartz. The highly trans- 
 parent, colourless varieties of quartz go by 
 the name of rock-crystals. The finest Ame- 
 thysts are found in the cavities of rocks in 
 
 Dauphine, Switzerland, Tyrol, the Pyrenees, 
 Hungary, Siberia, Brazil, Madagascar, Cey- 
 lon, India and Pei'sia. 
 
 The Amethyst comprises the violet-blue 
 varieties of quartz, generally crystalized as 
 pyramids on the exterior of rocks. The 
 uniting planes of the prismatic portions are 
 frequently marked by undulating lines, and 
 all specimens, thus arranged, are now termed 
 Amethysts. This stone varies from trans- 
 parent to translucent ; is of a vitreous 
 lustre; and on the same specimen is 
 often a dark-violet and nearly colourless. It 
 scratches white glass, strikes fire with steel, 
 but yields to the file. Under the com- 
 pound blowpipe it parts Avith its colour. 
 The blue colour of this stone is believed to 
 be caused by peroxide of iron. The German 
 chemist, Ileintz, found a very dark-tinted 
 Brazilian AmethA^st become colourless, when 
 subjected to 250° of heat, and, as it contained, 
 at most, only 0.01 per cent, of manganese, he 
 decided that the latter could not be the 
 colouring principle. From various other ex- 
 periments he concluded, that organic matter 
 could not produce the colour, but that, most 
 probablj', it was owing to the peroxide of 
 iron . 
 
 The finest violet Amethysts come from 
 Siberia, Persia, India and Ceylon. The 
 Scottish Highlands were formerly distin- 
 guished for producing the cairngorm, a 
 highly prized brown or yellow species. 
 
 It is sometimes cut in the form of a 
 Brilliant, and, when set, is supplied with 
 a blue or red foil, in case it is pale, but, when 
 deep-coloured, it requires no artificial assist- 
 ance. Though used in almost all descrip- 
 tions of Jewelry, it shows best in necklaces. 
 
 The Amethyst is no longer prized so high- 
 ly as once. And yet, when large-sized and 
 intense and uniform in colour, it is greatly 
 valued still, and well-cut stones, of one carat, 
 are worth from three to five dollars, and so 
 on in proportion to their bulk and tint. 
 
 The Amethyst may be imitated very closely 
 with paste — so closely, that the imitation is 
 distinguished with great difliculty from the 
 real. The artificial gem, however, is some- 
 what heavier than the genuine, on account of 
 the metallic oxides, which enter into its com- 
 position. 
 
 Among the ancients this stone was ever a 
 favourite one for purposes of engraving. 
 Several fine specimens of it have come down 
 to our day, such as a bust of Trajan carried 
 by Napoleon from Prussia to Paris during the 
 wars of the Empire; the Apollo Belvidere; 
 the Laocotin Group ; the Farnese Hercules, 
 &c.. 
 
 As with other precious stones, so with this, 
 antique tradition has connected not a few 
 superstitions. Thus its very name, — from 
 the Greek privative, a, and mdhuo, to intox- 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 27 
 
 ictite, — Avas given to it, under the impression 
 that wine, taken from a cup of this material, 
 couKl not intoxicate. 
 
 The •'Amethyst was the ninth stone in 
 order on tlie Urim and Tlunnniim, worn on 
 the breast by the Jewish High Priest. 
 
 Aristotle says that the Amethyst if worn 
 on the stomach hinders the ascension of 
 vapours; the reason of it he gives to be that 
 it draws tlio vapours to itself, and thus dis- 
 sipates them. 
 
 Andreas Baccius says (Pe Natura Gem- 
 marum, Chap. XI) that it sharpens the wit, 
 destroys sleep, and resists the effects of 
 poison. 
 
 With a quotation from Nicols we will dis- 
 miss this stone: 
 
 " riiny, sporting in his naturall History 
 about this stone, saith that it doth draw 
 nigh to the colour of wine, but it durst not 
 tast it, that is, it taketh but very little of it: 
 for before it doth througlily relish it, its 
 glory doth end in a very dolightfull pleasing 
 sparkling violet colour : the most excellent 
 of them have in them a glorious fiery bright- 
 nesse, which doth most excellently and 
 pleasingly dart its self forth (as I have ob- 
 served in one which I was once master of) 
 through the transparent cloud of a skie 
 colour ; from the mixture of its rednesse, 
 brightnesse, or fiery splendour with this skie 
 colour, ariseth all the glorious delight of its 
 pleasing tincture." 
 
 In proceeding to treat of the minor gems, 
 we deem it proper to put the^reader on his 
 guard by observing that our whole subject is 
 made difficult and perplexing by the fact, that 
 various names have been given to the same 
 stone in different times and countries, and 
 that great numbers of them, slightly difi'ei'- 
 enced from each other, belong to the same 
 genus, and even the same species. This re- 
 mark applies especially to those of which we 
 are now to speak. We shall thread the lal)y- 
 rinth as best we may, though we could wish 
 we had that antique " silken thread" to 
 guide us. 
 
 The Carnelian is a species of the calcedony, 
 which is itself a sub-species of that universal 
 mineral, the quartz. To the ancients it was 
 known as the " sarda," for Avhich name two 
 reasons have been assigned, which we will 
 give when we speak of the Sardonyx. 
 The moderns have variously entitled it Car- 
 nelian and Cornelian — in either case from its 
 Ted color, corresponding to the color of the 
 flesh, " caro," and the heart, "cor." 
 
 The finest of these stones come from 
 Siberia, Arabia, India, Surinam and Tyrol, 
 though they occur in various other places in 
 both the old and new worlds. It is found in 
 masses or pebbles ; is semi-transparent and 
 translucent; and (what somewhat inijicaches 
 its name) is, in its varieties, not only blood- 
 
 red, but yellow and yellow-brown. The 
 Jewelers prefer the dark-red and the yellow- 
 tinted. 
 
 It is used for seals, rings, watch-keys, &c.. 
 Its color is said to be improved by calcina- 
 tion, and it is also said that the ancients 
 boiled it in honey to heighten its color. On 
 account of its hardness, it is very useful for 
 seal-engraving. 
 
 In regard to this stone we close by citing an 
 old superstition referred to by Nicols: "It 
 causeth him thatweareth it tobeof aehearfull 
 heart, free from fear, and noblely audacious, 
 and that it is a good protection for him against 
 witchcrafts and fascinations, and putrefac- 
 tians of humors." 
 
 From the best information we can obtain, 
 Carbuncle was the ancient name for the 
 now entitled in geological treatises spjnelle, 
 which latter, according to Ilaliy, is the 
 true Ruby. As we have already de- 
 scribed the Ruby, Ave need not, of course, 
 repeat ourselves, but consider that our list of 
 precious stones, which made the Carbuncle 
 and the Ruby two different gems, was erro- 
 neous. 
 
 Garnets, or Granats, according to quaint 
 ohl Nicols, were well known to the ancients, 
 who considered them as a species of Carbun- 
 cles, otherwise of Rubies. They are pellucid, 
 crystallized chiefly in dodecahedral forms, 
 imperfectly lamellar in structure, more or 
 less conchoidal in fracture, and take their 
 name some suppose from being found chiefiy 
 in grains. 
 
 The Garnet is of three principal species: 
 
 1st. The Syrian, of a deep rose color, "like 
 unto the flowers of pomegranates," says 
 Nicols. " Boetius," continues he, "saith 
 that it looketh like a flame of fire, &c.." 
 
 2nd. The Bohemian or Ceylonese, wine- 
 red or nearly orange-yellow. 
 
 3rd. The "Vermeille, deeply tinged with 
 orange-yellow. 
 
 The red Garnet is found in many species 
 of rocks, in loose crystals, in small boulders, 
 in grains, and in alluvial earth. It occurs 
 in many European countries and in various 
 parts of the Uuited States. 
 
 The grains collected by digging and wash- 
 ing alluvion are preferred by lapidaries to 
 all others. 
 
 The chemical constituents of this gem are 
 silica, alumina, and the protoxides of iron 
 and manganese. 
 
 Garnets are much used in Jewelry, being 
 cut into rings, breastpins, ear-rings and neck- 
 laces, and out of the larger ones snuii'-boxea 
 are sometimes made. 
 
 Their value is measured by their size, pu- 
 rity and color. A Syrian Garnet, eight and 
 a half lines long and sis and a half broad, 
 was sold at the auction of the ^Marquis de 
 
28 
 
 JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 Dree for 3,550 francs, and a red Ceylonese 
 Garnet, eleven lines long and seven broad, 
 was sold for 1,003 francs. They can be very 
 well imitated by pastes. 
 
 As one of the Latin names of this stone, or of 
 the Ruby, or of both, is Rubinus, it formerly 
 was often called Rubine in English. This ex- 
 plains the meaning of Rubine in the following 
 quotation from Nicols, with which we close. 
 
 " Plinie relateth of the Ethiopians that 
 they have a way of quickning obscure and 
 dull Rubines, so as that they will make them 
 to discover their splendour and nitour for 
 fourteen moneths together, even like a flaming 
 coal; and that is by macerating of them for 
 fourteen dayes in vineger : but by tliis means, 
 though their glory be increased for a time, 
 they are made softer, and more subject to a 
 brittle and fragile condition." 
 
 The Onyx is one variety of the species of 
 mineral substance called calcedony, and 
 is the stone of which those exquisite 
 artistic products, the antique Cameos, 
 Avere made, and although cheaper sub- 
 stances, and more easily to be wrought upon, 
 are used chiefly at the present day for the 
 production of these works of Art, the Onyx 
 is still extensively employed. The peculiari- 
 ty which iits it for this branch of Art is its 
 composition of different coloured strata, of 
 which the artist takes advantage in fashion- 
 ing figures in relief on and out of the stone. 
 If there are two strata, a figure, or a series 
 of them, is engraved out of the one, and the 
 rest of it is cut awa}', until the other stratum 
 a]ipears as a ground for the subject engraved. 
 If there are three strata, two figures may be 
 engraved, the one most prominent and the 
 back ground being of the same colour — the 
 intermediate one being of a different hue. 
 
 The colours of the different layers of the 
 Onyx are black, (or dark,) and white. 
 
 The principal supply of this stone now 
 comes from Oberstein, in Prussian Saxony, 
 though some are furnished both by the East 
 Indies and Brazil. 
 
 As gocd specimens of these stones are 
 scarce, it has become common even in Saxony 
 to stain in imitation of it common uncolored 
 specimens of calcedony. This mineral in all 
 its varieties consists of strata of different 
 degrees of density, though oftener all of the 
 same colour — a nebulous milky gray. It 
 will absorb fluids in the direction of the 
 strata, which, on account of the diversity of 
 their structure, will, though all be gray, if 
 tiie whole stone be dyed with one material, 
 present tints widely marked in hue. This is 
 a business extensively carried on at the 
 towns of Oberstein and Idar. 
 
 The Onyx itself is treated also chemically 
 at these places, to increase the contrast be- 
 tween its white and dark layers. This is 
 effected principally by sulphuric acid. 
 
 These imitations, as well as the Onyx 
 itself, are very hard and expensive to en- 
 grave ; a cheaper and softer material was 
 therefore sought and found in shells, and of 
 this substance are made the greater propor- 
 tion of Cameos we now meet with. Among 
 the shells fitted for the purpose is the "Bull's 
 Mouth," from Ceylon and Madagascar, hav- 
 ing a red inner coat ; the "Black Helmet," 
 from Jamaica, Nassau, and New Providence, 
 having a blackish inner coat ; and the 
 "Queen Conch," having a pink coat. The 
 "Black Helmet" is the largest, a single shell 
 often furnishing two or three Cameos of the 
 size usually adopted for breast-pins. All 
 these shells have three several layers, depo- 
 sited successively by the secretion of the 
 mollusc, white forming its calcareous domicil. 
 The substance was introduced in the manu- 
 facture of Cameos in Sicily, only about fifty 
 years ago. It was restricted to that island 
 and the Italian peninsula for about twenty 
 years, but, an emigrant Italian then com- 
 mencing the manufacture in Paris, that city 
 has since been the head quarters of the Art. 
 
 A still cheaper material for Cameos has 
 been found in glass. It is prepared by ce- 
 menting together two layers of different 
 colours. The figures are cut upon the glass 
 in the same manner that all cut-glass ware 
 is decorated. If done carefully they look 
 extremely well. 
 
 But to revert to the Onyx itself — it is a 
 stone knoAvn from the earliest times. The 
 Bible calls it the " Stone of Stones," and in 
 China it is stiid to be reserved for the Em- 
 peror exclusively. 
 
 The name of this stone is derived from a 
 Greek word, identical in its spelling, signify- 
 ing the finger-nail, a derivation which, (if 
 the word was then as now applied only to 
 those specimens of calcedony formed of white 
 and black streaks,) would seem to indicate 
 that this God-like race were accustomed to 
 wear theirs in mourning! 
 
 In the Green Vault at Dresden is an Onyx 
 valued on account of its clearness, and 
 reckoned to be worth forty-eight thousand 
 thalers. It is regarded as one of the principal 
 curiosities in this collection. There is a very 
 slight flaw in it, but the artists dared not cut 
 it deeper, under the apprehension that, 
 though they might thus make it a perfect 
 gem, they might also make the original im- 
 perfection more perceptible. It is about 
 three inches long, and of neaidy the same 
 width. 
 
 Dioscorides says that, if worn about the 
 neck as an amulet, it will excite the passions, 
 and stir up strife, and that it will serve as a 
 preventive against epileptic fits. 
 
 Appianus says that Mithridates, King of 
 Poutus, had two thousand cups made of this 
 stone among his household treasures. 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STOXES. 
 
 29 
 
 Thomas Nicols, speakinj^ of the calccdo- 
 nies, says that its " chief'est use is in seals; 
 lor it scaleth freely, without any devouring 
 of the wax." 
 
 Baccius says that it drives away evil 
 spirits, is good against melancholy, and will 
 ensure victory to the bearer of it. 
 
 Bo*!) the Greeks and the Romans carried 
 the Art of Cameo, as well as Intaglio, en- 
 graving, to the highest pitch of perfection, 
 and the Italians, 'as successors to the latter, 
 are at the present day the most skilful cut- 
 ters existing. Between the best antique and 
 modern Cameos it is exceedingly ditticult, if 
 not impossible, to tell the ditference, and 
 even the greatest connoisseurs are at fault.- 
 
 The Apotheosis of Augustus is a celebra- 
 ted historical Cameo, of very large diame- 
 ter, comprising four layers, two white and 
 two brown, which are skilfully turned to ac- 
 count. It is not within our limits however 
 to give individual descriptions of celebrated 
 Cameos, as they exist in so great numbers, 
 but the reader may refer with much pleasure 
 and profit to the Avork, whose title is given 
 in the note at the foot of this column.* Here 
 are two quarto volumes, the whole of the 
 first and the half of tiie second of which con- 
 sist of descriptions of all the best engravings 
 upon stones that have ever been executed. 
 The remainder of the second volume is occu- 
 pied with well executed drawings of the most 
 prominent subjects described. Some are 
 very beautiful — some are very curious. 
 
 It may be asked what peculiar force is con- 
 tained in the word Cameo, when the expres- 
 sion, relievo engraving, seems to cover the 
 whole ground. The answer is that the word 
 Cameo, whatever may have been the origin of 
 the word, implies now not only atigure in re- 
 lief, but that the ground upon which it rests is 
 of a different colour from the figure itself. A 
 Medallion is in no case a Cameo, nor would 
 an artificial colouring of any portion of it 
 render it so — the diversity of tints of the 
 Cameo, it is understood, must be natural, or 
 at least an imitation of some natural produc- 
 tion. 
 
 Intaglio is the term used to express an en- 
 graving sunk below the surface of the stone, 
 as is required for a seal, in order to re-pro- 
 duce the subject in relief in impressions 
 upon wax. 
 
 The Sardonyx is a stone of the same spe- 
 cies as tiie Onyx, and differs from it only in 
 ^/ this, that its layers instead of being black 
 and white, are pink, (or red,) and white. It 
 
 * Catalogue raisonnfi d'une Collection Genernle de 
 Pierres Gravees Antiques ot Moderues taut en Creux que 
 CaniOes, tii'oes des Cabinets lea plus celobres de I'Kurope. 
 WouIl'cs en putes de couleurs a I'iuiitation des pierres, 
 emaux blancs et Soufres par .Tacques Tassie, Sculpteur. 
 31is en ordro, et le text6 redijro par II. H. Kaspe. Urno de 
 pluncbes gravees, etc.. 2 Tomes, 4to. A Loudres. 1791. 
 
 is found in the same localities and is used for 
 precisely identical purposes. The name is 
 formetl from the two Avords, saixlhis, applied 
 by tlie ancients to the Carnelian,on accountof 
 its similarity of hvie to the flesh of a fisii of 
 the same name, or because found in Sardinia, 
 and oni/x, the finger-nail — the whole signi- 
 fying, we suppose, a red ami wliite finger- 
 nail, and so called by way of distinction from 
 black and white streaked specimens of cal- 
 cedony, which were honored with the generic 
 name of Onyx ! 
 
 Nicols says : " The China vessels, which 
 are brought into these parts, are supposed to 
 be made of this stone and the fatter part of 
 the earth boylcd together." 
 
 The Heliotrope is a species of calcedony, 
 and is of a dark-green color, sprinkled with 
 deep-red spots, whence it is sometimes named 
 blood-stone. The name. Heliotrope, comea 
 from two Greek words, hclios and tropB — siui 
 and turning — it having, according to some, 
 been anciently employed for observing the 
 sun. 
 
 It occurs in obtuse masses, with translu- 
 cent edges, and is of a resinous lustre. It is 
 found in Siberia, in the Faroe Islands, in 
 Scotland, in several countries of Asia and 
 Africa, and in some portions of the United 
 States. 
 
 It is chiefly employed for sword and dag- 
 ger hilts, for snufF-)K)xes, and the ordinary 
 articles of Jewelry. Ii is much admired. Its 
 price is measured by its number of red spots, 
 a good and large specimen often bringing 
 twenty dollars. 
 
 Its red spots, according to mediaeval super- 
 stition, were owing to the blood of Christ 
 being diffused through it. 
 
 Nicols also, according to his wont, has re- 
 gistered some curious superstitions concern- 
 ing it, which we here cite for the reader. 
 
 " It is reported of it, that if it be put into 
 water Avhich is directly opposed to the beams 
 of the Sun, it will make the water bojd, and 
 cause it to be resolved into a cloud, which 
 not long after is dissolved into dropps of rain. 
 And that if it be put into fair water, opposed 
 to the beams of the Snnne, it doth change its 
 beams, and by the repercussion of the aire, 
 seem to shadow the clearnesse of its rayes; 
 and so to induce a sanguineous colour in the 
 aire, as if the Sun, by the interposition of the 
 body of the Moon, did suti'ar au ecliptick 
 darknesse." 
 
 " There is a report, which ariseth of the im- 
 pudence of Magicians, that if this gcmnie be 
 anointed with the juyce of a Marigold, it will 
 cause him that carrieth it to walk invisible. 
 So saith Plinie." 
 
 The Chrysolite. The authorities are un- 
 usually at odds respecting this stone, so that 
 it is very difficult to make out an uuim- 
 
30 
 
 JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 peachable description of it. The name is 
 gignificant enough, " golden, or gold stone." 
 
 It would seem there are several varieties 
 of this gem, the two principal of vrhich are 
 called the Chrysolite, par excellence, and the 
 olivine-species — the former embracing all 
 fine, green-colored and crj'stalized varieties — 
 the latter all less pellucid and inferior-colored 
 species. The Chrysolite comes principally 
 through Constantinople from some region 
 unknown, though occasionally also from 
 Brazil. 
 
 The olivine specimens are found in several 
 countries of Germany, in many parts of Scot- 
 land, in Russia, Siberia, South America, and 
 in a few of the States of our Union. It occurs 
 chiefly in basalt, but also in some lavas, and 
 in several species of rock. It is rarely, 
 though occasionally crystallzed. Fine large 
 specimens are not unfrequently found, and 
 this stone, though of indifferent color, from 
 its taking a high polish, is sometimes sold 
 for considerable sums. Two were vended in 
 Paris at 600 francs each. 
 
 The largest specimen known weighs six- 
 teen pounds. It was found in IMinas Novas, 
 and is in possession of the Brazilian Crown. 
 
 Both these species of the Chrysolite are 
 used for ornament, though not to any great 
 extent. 
 
 It will be remembered that this is one of 
 the stones in John's description of the New 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 Nicols says : 
 
 " It is of such excellent faculties, as that 
 it is said of it, that it freeth men from pas- 
 sions, and from sadnesse of the mind. And 
 that if it be cast into scalding hot or boyling 
 water, it doth so asswage in a wonderfull 
 manner, and so in an instant, and of a sud- 
 dain astonish and stupifie its heat and fer- 
 vour, as that it straight taketh away all its 
 boyling, and its heat, and a man may in that 
 very instant in which it was put in, put his 
 hand Avithout any hurt or danger into that 
 water which even now with the fervency of 
 heat boyled up. For this cause it is thought to. 
 be a very excellent remedy for the mitigating 
 of choler and of cholerick passions. It is 
 reported of it that it doth drive away noc- 
 turnal fears ; and that it is a very effectual 
 amulet against cholerick distempers of the 
 brain. 
 
 Authours do say of it, that if it be put 
 upon a table where poyson is or venome is 
 left, it will straight-way fail of its splendour, 
 and loose its glory, and so soon as the poyson 
 or venome is taken away, it will recover all 
 its glory again; wonderfull is this also which 
 is reported of this stone, namely, that it doth 
 increase and decrease in its strength of 
 powers and foculties, according to the in- 
 crease and decrease of the jMoon." 
 
 The 'Hyacinth. AVriters differ about the 
 
 identity of this stone, as about so many 
 others. We suspect the cause of these dif- 
 ferences is chiefly, that they are speaking 
 about varieties of the same stone. Without 
 essaying the difficult and protracted task of 
 reconciling their discrepancies, we shall take 
 for our main authority, the latest, and, in our 
 view, the ablest of these writers, James 
 Nicol. He holds the Hyacinth to be identi- 
 cal with the "zircon." 
 
 This stone occurs in imbedded crystals, 
 chiefly prismatic or pyramidal, and in round- 
 ed grains. It is in its several species not 
 only red, but gray, yellow, green, and color- 
 less. 
 
 It is most abundant in the sienite of 
 Southern Norway and in the miascite of the 
 Ural Mountains. It abounds in numerous 
 parts of Europe, as also of North America. 
 
 The colorless varieties are often sold for 
 Diamonds. The specific name Hyacinth, is 
 more particularly appropriated to the most 
 brilliantly colored ones, Avliich are rarely of 
 large size. The "hyacinthus" of the ancients 
 is believed by scientific writers to have been 
 a different stone. 
 
 Nicols of course has some traditions 
 about it. 
 
 " One of these Cardanus saith he was wont 
 to wear al)0ut him, to the intent of procuring 
 sleep; to which purpose he saith it did seem 
 somewhat to conferre, but not much." 
 
 " Cardanus in his book cle lapidihiis prt- 
 iiosis, saith, that it is endued with a power 
 and focultie of procuring sleep, of chearing 
 the heart, of driving away plagues, of se- 
 curing from thunder, and of increasingriches, 
 honour, and wisdome, &c., being worn in a 
 ring on the finger, or about the neck as an 
 amulet." 
 
 The Cat's-eye. This stone takes its name 
 from the peculiar play of light on its surfixce, 
 whereby it variously appears greenish-white 
 or gray, olive-green, red, brown or yellow. 
 It contains parallel fibres, resembling those 
 of amianthus or mountain-flax. The finest 
 come from Ceylon and JMalabar, but it is 
 also found in the Hartz Mountains, in Ba- 
 varia, and in several of the United States. 
 
 It is a species of the universal quartz, and 
 is found, never larger than a hazel nut, in 
 tiio fragments of boulders and gangs. It ia 
 valued according to the size, color and play 
 of light. In the Imperial Cabinet at Vienna 
 a Cat's-ej'e, five inches long, and of a yellow- 
 ish-brown color, is preserved. 
 
 Some of the ancients called this stone 
 "oculus solis," or ej'e of the sun, and the Per- 
 sians named it "mithrax," the sun. This stone 
 is, at the present day, a great fivvourite in 
 China, and commands a high price there. 
 
 Nicols has his tradition concerning it. 
 
 " This stone is greatly esteemed amongst 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 31 
 
 the In<lians, because tlioy are porswadeil of 
 the ilevill, that he that -wcaroth it cannot 
 want riches : antj for this cause that ■\viiich 
 in Lusitania is sold for 90 anrci, is anionjfst 
 the Indians esteemed worth OiH) aiirei. It is 
 usually of the same price and esteem with 
 the ('pains. " 
 
 Tiie heantiful and popular stone called the 
 Ojnil ii next in our order. AVe shall open onr 
 description of this favorite gem with our ex- 
 cellent old friend ^"icols's rhapsodic outburst. 
 " The t)palus is a prctious stone, which hath 
 in it the bright, fiery flame of a Carbuncle, the 
 pure, refulgent purple of an Amethyst, and 
 a whole sea of the Emerald's spring glory, 
 or virescency, and every one of tliem shining 
 with an incredible mixture, and very much 
 pleasure." To our excellent friend's account 
 we must add that the finest species of this 
 gtone emit also the yellow of the Topaz and 
 the blue of the Sapphire. It is, in one word, 
 a natural prism, which, like the soap bublile 
 or the three cornered glass, decompounds the 
 sunbeam into its elements. About the cause 
 of this decomposition " doctors disagree." 
 Brewster's theory seems the most plausible, 
 viz. that this cause is the existence of fissures 
 and cracks in the interior of the mass. 
 
 Professor Nicol notices nine varieties of 
 this gem, all possessing more or fewer of the 
 same general characteristics. Our space will 
 permit our touching on but one. We may 
 premise, that the name is derived from the 
 Greek "ops," eye — the Greeks, who highly 
 valued the stone, believing it to have the 
 power of strengthening the eye. We may 
 add here, to save a fresh reference, that the 
 Greeks fancied it had the effect to conciliate 
 universal good will to its possessor, and 
 therefore named it also "paideros," i. e. love 
 of children. In the Apocalypse, Saint John 
 compares the Celestial City, as a whole, to 
 an Opal, as exhibiting all colors at once. 
 
 The finest of the Opal species is called the 
 precious or noble Opal. Nicols names 
 various parts of the East as producing it. 
 Recent writers contradict him and say that 
 Hungary, Saxony, the Faroe Islands, and 
 South America are its native localities. It is 
 found in small gangs and nests of the vol- 
 canic porphyry formation. 
 
 This gem is used for rings, necklaces and 
 diadems — the smaller specimens for mount- 
 ing snuiT-boxes, rings, &c.. It still stands in 
 very high estimation, though probably not so 
 high as among the Romans, in Avhose day it 
 was said, that Nonius, a Roman Senator, 
 chose banishment rather than surrender a 
 splendid Opal to jMark Anthony. Its present 
 estimation may be judged from the fact that 
 a single large Opal was lately sold in I'hirope 
 for 150,000 dollars. This gem has never yet 
 been imitated. 
 
 The Imperial Mineralogical Cabinet at 
 
 Vienna contains a precious Opal weighing 
 seventeen ounces ; and among the French 
 Jewels is a cloak-clasp mounted with an 
 Opal, valued at 37,500 francs. It is surround- 
 ed with 11)7 other Brilliants. 
 
 Of the other eight species of this stone we 
 will not here speak, since some idea of them 
 may be gotten from the above description. 
 
 \{g cannot better close, than by a touch 
 from our friend Nicols on the "vertuesof 
 this stone." 
 
 " It is reported of this stone, that it shar- 
 peneth the sight of the possessours of it, and 
 cloudcth the eyes of those that stand about 
 him, so that they can either not see, or not 
 miiul what is done before them : for thia 
 cause it is asserted to be a safe patron of 
 thieves and thefts ; as it is related in Lapi- 
 dario." 
 
 The Pearl has always ranked very high 
 among the ornamental stones, though far less 
 costly than many of the others. It has been 
 a special favorite with tlie ladies — more par- 
 ticularly with the young ladies — from time 
 immemorial. It would be a sufficient evi- 
 dence of this fact, if we even possessed no 
 other, that it has passed into a figure of 
 speech to typify whatever is peculiarly pure 
 and precious. The " pearl of great price" I 
 is one of the most sacred proverbs of our' 
 language. " IMy pearl of beauty," as all 
 readers of oriental literature are aware, is a 
 common title applied to a loved one, by the 
 poets and tlie poetic feeling of Persia and 
 llindostan. And, indeed, tliere is an aspect 
 of purity, chasteness a))d sweetness in this 
 gem, when employed in the decoration of a 
 lovely female, which is lacking in other gems 
 ot tar more imposing appearance. 
 
 But, as, according to the Napoleonic adage, 
 " there is but a step from the sublime to the 
 ridiculous" — as, according to a second anony- 
 mous proverb, " extremes meet" — and as, 
 according to Pope, "whatever w, is right" — 
 "in erring Reason's spite" — this beautiful, 
 pure and most valued gem is declared, by 
 the savants, to be a diseased or purulent se- 
 cretion of an animal, standing or lying, in the 
 scale of existences, as nigh to the vegetable 
 or the mineral, as it well ccuild do without a 
 complete identification with the same. Thia 
 animal is a species of oyster, Avhich, unlike 
 its luscious synonym, is perfectly inedible, 
 and would seem constituted, so far as Ave can 
 judge, to get wounded, to suffer a seven 
 years' mala<ly, and then die for the purpose 
 of embellishing the ear, the neck, the bosom, 
 or the wrist of those who are distractiugly 
 charming already I 
 
 The sounder opinion of the origin seems 
 to be, that some minute substance, such, for 
 example, as a grain of sand, having got 
 lodged within the shell of the creature, pro- 
 duces irritation, like a pebble within one's 
 
32 
 
 JEWELRY AND THE PPvECIOUS STONES. 
 
 boot, and unaUe to " out -with it," the toi-- 
 niented animal makes the best of a bad mat- 
 ter by covering it with a calcareous excre- 
 tion from its own substance. It was once 
 fancied, that some external injury was es- 
 sential to the production of the Pearl, but an 
 experiment, suggested by the celebrated 
 Linnajus, to pierce small holes in the shell 
 of this oyster and then restore it to its ori- 
 ginal bed, proved unsuccessful. The Chinese, 
 however, are reported to have succeeded in 
 something like this experiment. They thread 
 upon fine silk small beads of Mother of Pearl, 
 and introduce them into the shells of these 
 animals, where they are speedily covered 
 with a calcareous secretion, which converts 
 them into veritable Pearls. The ancients 
 poetically described these gems as drops of 
 dew falling into the shells, when the animals 
 rise to the surface in the month of May, and 
 becoming transmuted into Pearls by some 
 unexplainable action of the sun's rays. 
 
 Pearl fisheries exist in various portions of 
 the globe, though at present the most pro- 
 ductive are those ofl' the island of Ceylon, on 
 the coast of Coromandel and in the Persian 
 Gulf. The Pvomans, it is said, found Pearls 
 in Britain two thousand years ago, and iu 
 modern times the Scotish rivers have sup- 
 plied considerable quantities, though not of 
 the finest quality. Several German rivers 
 and two or three Russian provinces also fur- 
 nish them, as do likewise the Bay of Panama 
 and the coast of Colombia, in this Western 
 hemisphere, though the last-named are pro- 
 nounced inferior to those of the Orient. 
 
 Ceylon, however, would seem to be the 
 principal present fishery for this species of 
 gem. The scene presented at the time, which 
 embraces the months of April and May, is 
 described as being very striking. One hun- 
 dred and fifty thousand people are assembled 
 here from all quarters of the East, and are 
 lodged in huts on the sea-shore, composed of 
 a few poles stuck in the ground, interwoven 
 ■with bamboo and covered with the leaves of 
 the cocoa-nut palm. Of course this number 
 of men occupy a large fleet of boats, each of 
 which carries a captain, a pilot, and twenty 
 men, of which last ten are experienced 
 divers. Five of these descend at once, each 
 carrying a net or basket to contain the mus- 
 sels, together with a strong knife for detach- 
 ing them, as also for defence against the 
 sharks. These divers remain under Avater 
 from fifty seconds up to two minutes. They 
 are able to make furty or fifty plunges in a 
 day, and to bring up, on each occasion, about 
 one hundred oysters. 
 
 Each boat-owner has a shallow pit fenced 
 round, in wdiich his oysters are stored and 
 allowed to putrefy under a burning sun. 
 When thoroughly dried, they are drenched 
 in sea-water, after which they are easily 
 
 opened and render their pearly contents. 
 The Pearl is not attached to the shell but 
 is loose within it. The finest Pearls are per- 
 fectly globular, white, radiant, and seemingly 
 translucent without being actually so. ■ 
 
 In order to clean, round and polish the 
 Pearls to the state in which we see them, a 
 powder is employed, which is made of the 
 Pearls themselves. 
 
 Mother of Pearl is the interior, silvery 
 layer of various shells, especially those 
 of oysters abounding in the East Indian 
 Seas, and is so valuable as to be employed 
 for various purposes of manufiicture. The 
 beautiful tints of this substance are owing to 
 its surface being covered with minute grooves, 
 which decompose the reflected light of the 
 sun. Sir David Brewster is said to have first 
 discovered this structure of the shell. These 
 grooves are often so small, that, as seen by 
 the microscope, three thousand of them are 
 comprised within a single inch. 
 
 The art of making artificial Pearls has, by 
 the Parisian manufacturers, been brought to 
 such perfection, that even professional 
 dealers cannot, in all cases, distinguish 
 between the real and the imitative. This 
 art originated with a French bead-maker, 
 named Jasmin, who noticed that a certain 
 small fish, when washed, deposited fine, 
 silver-colored particles in the water. These 
 particles he found to possess much of the 
 lustre of Pearls, and, having made small 
 beads of gypsum, and covered them with this 
 substance, he found them greatly admired 
 and sought after. With certain alterations, 
 suggested by the ladies themselves, he raised 
 this manufacture into a lucrative business. 
 Four thousand of these fishes are required to 
 supply one ounce of these Pearl-manufac- 
 turing scales, and it was discovered, even- 
 tually, that they might be preserved from 
 putrefaction by immersion iu a solution of 
 ammonia. 
 
 Tavernier gives us engravings of the large 
 Pearls he saw in his travels. 
 
 First he describes one " belonging to the 
 King of Persia, bought in 1G33 from an 
 Arab, for 32,000 tomans, (about $280,000.) 
 It is the largest Pearl ever discovered, and is 
 without a single defect. It is of a perfect 
 pear-shape." 
 
 " N'o 2," he says, " represents the largest 
 Pearl I saw at the Court of the Great Mogul. 
 It hangs from the neck of a peacock made of 
 precious stones, and comes down upon its 
 breast. The peacock surmounts the great 
 throne. It is of a pear-shape." 
 
 The next, of the same shape, and weighing 
 fifty-five carats, was sold by Tavernier to 
 Shah Est Khan, Uncle of the Great Mogul, 
 Governor of Bengal. It was of fine water, 
 and came from the West Indian Fisheries. 
 
 "N'o 4 is olive-shaped. It was of fine 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 33 
 
 quality, and was in the midst of a chain of 
 Emeralds and Rubies, worn sometimes by 
 the Great Mogul about his rock." 
 
 " Njo 5," says our traveller, " is the 
 largest round Pearl I have ever known. It 
 is in possession of the Great jMogul, but, be- 
 cause its match has never been found, it is 
 not used. If its fellow should ever be ob- 
 tained, they would be worn as ear-rings, each 
 Pearl Ijctween two Rubies or two Emeralds, 
 according to the^custom of this country. For 
 here every one, whatever his means, wears 
 at each ear a Pearl between two colored 
 B tones." 
 
 Anotlier one is thus referred to by him : — 
 " Imenhect, Prince of Mascate, which name 
 ■he Arabian Aceph Ben Ali, Prince of Nore- 
 Bua6, assumed when he took from the Por- 
 tuguese the Province of Mascate, the best 
 part of Arabia Felix, possesses the most 
 beautiful Pearl in the world, not remarkable 
 for its size, for it weighs only twelve and 
 one-sixteenth carats, nor for its rotundity, 
 but for its transparency, being so clear that 
 the daylight almost shines through it. The 
 Khan of Ornius, wishing to present it to the 
 Kingof Persia, offered 2,000 tomans (§18,000) 
 for it, and the Great Mogul sent an envoy 
 offering 40,000 crowns for it, but the Arab 
 refused to sell it." 
 
 " The History of Jewels," before quoted, 
 thus describes the discovery of the West 
 India Pearl fisheries : 
 
 " This Island Cubagua was discovered by 
 that famous Genouese Christopher Columbus, 
 ■who having perceived a small boat Avith some 
 fishers in it, and a woman who had three 
 rows of fair Pearl about her neck, said to his 
 companions, that he thanked God he had 
 now discovered the most rich countrey in 
 the world. He broke an earthen plate of 
 divers colours, and for a piece or two of it 
 this woman gave him very willingly a row of 
 these Pearls, and for another plate he re- 
 ceived many others, and learned of the 
 Indians the place and manner of their fishing 
 for Pearls." 
 
 To the I'earl, swallowed, according to his- 
 tory, by Cleopatra, Pliny attributes the value 
 of a province. The Emperor Charles V lost 
 one as large as a pigeon's egg. In Spain 
 there is a statue of the Blessed Virgin, v\-ear- 
 ing a garb, completely covered with Pearls, 
 
 The Pearls belonging to the French Crown, 
 now exposed in the Exhibition at Paris, con- 
 sist of fifteen rows, and numbers of them are 
 described as of the size of a small bird's egg, 
 and of incomparable purity and whiteness. 
 
 For a long time a cosmetic for women was 
 prepared from "Mother of Pearl," and the 
 Pearl itself was employed as a medicine. 
 
 Our old friend Nicols says that Pearls 
 ■worn upon the person are good for the sight. 
 
 We shall conclude our remarks upon the 
 
 Pearl by translating another paragraph from 
 Tavernier. 
 
 " Pearls are white, yellow, black, and lead- 
 colored — the first being most esteemed in the 
 East. In fine, the Orientals have pretty 
 much our own tastes in regard to whiteness. 
 I have always remarked tliat they prefer the 
 whitest Pearls, the whitest Diamonds, the 
 whitest bread, and the whitest women." 
 
 The Turquoise. The name of this gem is 
 supposed to be derived from Turkev, the 
 country whose merchants first brought it 
 into the Western markets. Persia seems to 
 have been the country where it was earliest 
 found. But it hns since been discovered in 
 Khorassan, Bucharia, and the Syrian Desert. 
 Its lustre is dull or waxy, and its colors arc, 
 variously, sky-blue, greenish-blue, occasion- 
 ally apple-green, and S(mietimes yellowish. 
 This is the genuine or Oriental Turquoise. It 
 is found on small gangs of bog-ore, in sili- 
 cious shiste, in boulders, &c.. 
 
 There is another stone called Turquoise — 
 generally Occidental Turquoise — which Pro- 
 fessor Nicol treats as rather an imitation, 
 than a genuine Turquoise. It is supposed 
 to consist of fossil, antediluvian teeth, color- 
 ed by hydrated copper-oxide or phosphate of 
 iron. The principal localities of this are 
 certain portions of Siberia and France. 
 Its color is light-blue, or dark-ldue, or 
 bluish-green. It is easily distinguished from 
 the Oriental species by being internally 
 foliated and streaked—a fact indicating a 
 bony composition — and by its not taking so 
 high a polish. The blue specimens often 
 turn pale or green with age, but their colour 
 may frequently be restored by scraping them 
 and putting them in hot ashes, and then sub- 
 jecting them to a new polish. MM. Du- 
 hamel and Guettard proved many yeais ago 
 that the bones of animals could be coloured 
 by making them eat madder. 
 
 The Oriental Turquoise takes a fine polish 
 and is so highly valued in the East, as an 
 ornamental stone, that the Persian Shah re- 
 tains the best specimens for his own use. 
 
 Both kinds are used for numerous pur- 
 poses in Jewelry, such as for rings, brooches, 
 &c., as also for mounting other precious 
 gems. 
 
 The price of the Turquoise has greatly 
 fallen within the last ten years. The Oriental 
 is generally four times liigher than that of 
 the Occidental, one of pea-size being worth 
 about five dollars. 
 
 There is said to be a Jeweler in Moscow, 
 wko possesses a Turquoise two inches long, 
 formerly belonging to Nadir, the Shah of 
 Persia, who wore it as an amulet. He values 
 it at 5,000 roubles. 
 
 In the Museum of the Imperial Academy 
 at Moscow is a Turquoise more than three 
 
34 
 
 JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 inches long and one inch broad. And among 
 the Imperuil Trensuresat Jtloscow is a throne 
 covered Avith gohl and studded with two 
 thousand Turquoises. 
 
 The Turqucjise has long been employed as 
 a medicine — probably under the impulse of 
 the same notions, which are embodied in the 
 following extract from Nicols, with which we 
 close : 
 
 " As that if it be worn in a ring of gold it 
 will preserve men from falls, and from the 
 bruises proceeding of them, by receiving that 
 barm into itself which otherwise would fall 
 upon the man: yet these vertucs are said not 
 to be in this gemm except the gemm be re- 
 ceived of gift. 
 
 It is likewise aaid to take away all enmity 
 and to reconcile man and wife. 
 
 Rueus saith that he saw a Turchoys which 
 upon the death of its master lost all its 
 beauty and contracted a cleft, Avhich a certain 
 man afterwards buying at an under price re- 
 turned again to its former glory and beauty, 
 as if saith he, by a certain sense it had per- 
 ceived itself to have found a new master. 
 The same author saith of it, that it doth 
 change, grow pale, and destitute of its native 
 color, if he that weareth it do at any time 
 grow infirm or weak ; and again upon the 
 recovery of its master, that it doth recover 
 its own lovely beauty which ariseth of the 
 temperament of its own naturall heat, and 
 becomcth ceruleous like a sereue heaven. 
 
 This stone is very delightful! to the eye, 
 and is thought much to strengthen the sight, 
 because it doth not by its over brightnesse 
 too much dissipate the visive faculty, nor by 
 its overmuch oLscurenesse too much concen- 
 trate the visive faculty." 
 
 We have now gone over the whole ground 
 of the precious stones as we marked it out 
 in our opening pages. The next thing of 
 importance to state is the names of the most 
 celebrated Jewelers of the present day. They 
 are as follows : 
 
 First, in Paris: The house of M. Froment- 
 Meurice. Q'he founder of the reputation of 
 this house lately died, but his son, though 
 young, gives evidence of reaching the very 
 highest rank in his profession. He has 
 indeed already acquired the name of the 
 modern "Benvenuto." Ilis cups, vases, plat- 
 ters, statuettes, &c., in gold and silver, have 
 the very highest reputation. M. Bapst's 
 name is the most venerable of any in the 
 ranks, and he keeps up a reputation with the 
 best. M. Lemonnier is the most fashionable 
 setter of Diamonds. MINI. Marret et Beau- 
 
 frand have the most comprehensive factory. 
 IM. Marret et Jarry, also celebrated set- 
 ters of Diamonds. MM. Ouizille et Le- 
 moine, manufacturers of emblems of the 
 various Orders of Chivalry. IM. Janvier, 
 whose specialty is the bijou de fautaisie. 
 
 And MM. Odot, Rouvenat, Lecoiute, and Pe- 
 titeau. 
 
 Second, in London : Mess'rs Hunt & Ros- 
 kell, (late Mess'rs Storr & Mortimer,) are at 
 once the largest and most fashionable manu- 
 facturers. Mess'rs R. & S. Garrard & Co. 
 have a high reputation for a classical style of 
 workmanship in gold and silver. Mess'rs J. 
 V. Morel & Co.. Mess'rs Phillips Brothers. 
 Mess'rs S. 11. & D. Gass. Mess'rs Henry & 
 Co., famous for their insignia of Knighthood, 
 Masonry, &c.. And Mess'rs John & Frederick 
 Biden, whose specialty is the cutting and 
 setting of stones for seals. 
 
 Third, in America: Mess'rs Tiffany & Co. 
 in the city of New York. 
 
 Some accountof the manufacture of Jewelry 
 is required, we surmise, under so compre- 
 hensive a caption as that beneath which we 
 write, and this is a Ijranch of our subject we 
 enter upon with much satisfaction, as it 
 affords us an opportunity of acquitting our- 
 selves in some degree of a load of obligation 
 contracted in our pursuit of materials for 
 this article. We took advantage of a late 
 visit to New Y'^ork to call at the celebrated 
 manufactory of Tiffaxy, with a view of ob- 
 taining, ocularly, some information upon the 
 matters interesting our thoughts. 
 
 Having l)roken the ice by the purchase of 
 a trille in the shop of the establishment, we 
 soon engaged the person in attendance in 
 a general conversation upon the Jeweler's 
 art, which resulted in our being invited to 
 inspect their Avork-shops. We were passed 
 over to a most intelligent and agreeable per- 
 son, one of the heads of the establishment 
 indeed, we inferred from his manner and 
 remarks, and, we are in duty bound to 
 acknowledge, that we could not have received 
 more polite or satisfactory attention had we 
 been the purchaser of their great Opal (of 
 which we will speak again), or had we been 
 an old friend or acquaintance, instead of 
 having called there a stranger for the first 
 time that very morning. 
 
 Of the many marvels, beauties, ingenuities ^ 
 and scenes of interest that we encountered 
 in our perigrinations through tiiis prodigious 
 hive, we can hope to offer but a foint outline, 
 although everything we beheld is still fresh 
 in our memory. 
 
 We Avere shewn first the rough materials 
 upon which the Jeweler operates ; they 
 Avere draAvn forth from deep recesses in fire- 
 proof vaults, and appeared before our won- 
 dering eyes as massive bars of gold, ingots 
 of silver, and handfulls of rough, common 
 looking little stones, which Avere in reality 
 Diamonds, Rubies, Emeralds, Pearls, and 
 others of the sisteidiood of Precious Stones. 
 They were kept in numberless little square 
 paper boxes, and were exhibited to and hand- 
 led by us, as if we were examining samplei 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 of seeds at a nursery; and unset Cameos, cut 
 from the Onyx and Sardonyx, bearing mytho- 
 logical and other subjects, vvere as common 
 in these quarters as coppers in a ne\vsl)()y's 
 pocket. Pints of glittering particles (jf gold 
 fro;n California were poured out before us, 
 then more boxes were emptied, revealing 
 beaiitiful blue Turquoises, or pure and daz- 
 zling Ametliysts. In these dingy vaults 
 also, and not in the magnificent show-cases, 
 were contained -those bits of Jewelry, rings, 
 bracelets, necklaces, &c., whose prices were 
 estimated, singly, by the thousands of dol- 
 lars. 
 
 Having mounted several flights of stairs 
 we were ushered into an immense apartment, 
 revealing a scene of extraordinary industry. 
 Fifty or sixty persons were seated in close 
 proximity at tables or counters around the 
 room, each one intently engaged upon some 
 delicate piece of gold workmanship. Under 
 the most stringent regulations the oppor- 
 tunities of fraud are very great, and it 
 is with a view to have all the operatives act 
 as checks upon one another, that they are 
 placed in tiiis and all similar establish- 
 ments, whilst at work, in such propinquity. 
 The workmen here however were believed 
 to be remarkably trustworthy, and during 
 many years past, our guide informed us, not 
 more than half a dozen cases of theft or pe- 
 culation had been discovered ; these con- 
 sisted, wi' may mention, in a systematic sub- 
 straction of their gold filings. 
 
 The workmen are all French and German, 
 mostof them unacquainted with our language; 
 nor did vo observe even any conversation car- 
 ried on amongst themselves. Each one seem- 
 ed completely absorbed with some beautiful 
 ring, bracelet or other ornament, upon which 
 he was filing, chasing, soldering, or setting 
 stones. Between euch one and his table, 
 beneath its edge, hung a diminutive ham- 
 mock, which intercepted the least particle of 
 the precious material that fell beneath the 
 file or otiier instrument; whilst, behind them 
 all, hovering in succession over the shoulders 
 of each, moved their head artist and chief of 
 this depai tment, giving a word of direction 
 here, of explanation or correction there, and 
 an occasional dexterous coup de main upon 
 the subjects progressing around him. 
 
 Among tliese artists and artisans were a 
 number oi' intelligent looking French women, 
 who periornied the final polishing of the 
 rough creations of their male companions, 
 thus fitting the articles to contribute to that 
 dazzling ui.~iplay which we had witnessed in 
 the sale.-. ;/i. Ill ,)eneath. 
 
 The V iu,c- A' these men vary from fifteen 
 to forty 'i-iiars per week — those of tlie women 
 from ei- it to len dcllars. 
 
 Before ■K? operatives are seen lathes, dies, 
 furnace-s, ■ .tnng and stamping macliiues, 
 
 circular saws, blow-pipes, borax, pumice- 
 stone, solder, pans of aquafortis, box-wood 
 sawdust, &e., &c.. The designs upon the dies 
 are of endless variety, and may be seen in 
 piles around the room. They are themselves 
 of great value. 
 
 It is impossible for us to follow through 
 every step the progress of the materials 
 thi-ough these persons' hands. All around 
 us are melting, rolling, cutting, and piercing 
 machines, by which the metal is first cut or 
 formed into a shape soojcwluit approaching 
 that desired. It is then further modelled by 
 innumerable ingenious little instruments, 
 until it is fitted for chasing by hand, or for 
 impression by the desired dies. The pre- 
 cious stones are polished by wonderful ma- 
 chines, using a little oil, and emery, or Dia- 
 mond dust, and saving a vast amount of 
 human muscle. This work, performed for- 
 merly by hand, was so severe as to cripple 
 the operative after about twenty years of 
 labor. A lapidary, who had passed the age 
 of forty without a contraction of the sinews 
 in the wrist, was scarcely to be found. 
 
 The workman before us now sets the stones, 
 of course, by hand, tiles away at his subject 
 briskly but with delicacy, and finally plunges 
 it in an aqua-fortis bath; from this it is trans- 
 ferred to a bed of box-wood saw-dust to be 
 dried. When taken out we are able to dis- 
 cern at this stage what the object is, but it is 
 80 dirty and dingy as to be f^xr from attrac- 
 tive in its appearance. It is now passed 
 over to the women to be polished, some of 
 whom, covered with rouge, and other pow- 
 ders used for the operation, present, it must 
 be confessed, rather a grotesque appearance. 
 The ends of their fingers are very peculiar, 
 being broad, bent back, and uncommonly 
 smooth; and no artificial instrument has been 
 found equal to them in imparting a high 
 burnish to a surface of gold. Of these 
 ouvri^res it may then be literally said that, 
 La richesse est au bout de leurs doigts. 
 
 The whole of this floor, the fourth, we be* 
 lieve, was occupied in the manner we have 
 described, with the exception of a small office 
 partitioned off. 
 
 We mounted another flight of stairs, and 
 found another workshop e(|ually as large as 
 the former, in which a great number of work- 
 men were engaged in fashioning candelabra, 
 and ormolu gas fixings of the most gorgeous 
 description. The artisans here also were 
 principally French. AVe observed on this 
 floor an immense iron tank, containing 
 several thousand gallons of water, as a pre- 
 caution against hie. Both this ami the room 
 below are lightcid \<y handsome arched win- 
 dows, fitted witli plate-glass. 
 
 The manufacture of silverware, in which 
 they have about a hundred men employed, 
 was described to us as very inleresting, but. 
 
36 
 
 JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 the workshops in this department were in a 
 separate building, not visited by us; this one, 
 immense as it is, having been found inade- 
 quate for the full prosecution of the business 
 of this great House. 
 
 We retraced our steps to the ground, and 
 in the basement found numbers of men en- 
 gaged in the reception and packing of cases, 
 this being both the point of entrance and 
 exit of nearly all the materials and wares, 
 used or manufactured in, or exported from, 
 the establishment. The packing of Jewelry 
 the reader might consider could not be an 
 occupation of great extent, but it must be 
 borne in mind that one of the principal 
 branches of business at this establishment is 
 the wholesale supply of Jewelry to all the 
 first class shops in the United States, in- 
 cluding those of New York, Boston, and 
 Philadelphia. As it is without a competitor 
 in Amei'jca in this line, it may be easily 
 imagined how subordinate in extent, interest, 
 and richness are all the other shops of 
 Jewelry, whatever their pretensions, on this 
 side of the Atlantic. Why the value of the 
 stock on hand here, we were informed, is 
 never less in value than a million of dollars! 
 The appearance of the sales-room on the 
 first floor is of itself worth some description. 
 It is of immense size in length, width, and 
 height. The ceiling and the wall on one 
 side are embellished with skilfully executed 
 fresco paintings, cream-colored, gilt, and 
 crimson, whilst along the surface of the lat- 
 ter are set, equi-distant, half a dozen or more 
 large, oval-topped mirrors. Parallel with 
 this wall, upon walnut wood counters, extend 
 cases for the display of Jewelry. These are 
 six or eight feet long each, and six or eight 
 in number, all silver mounted, and lined with 
 black-velvet. Above each is suspended a 
 handsome chandelier. 
 
 Upon the opposite wall you behold a grand 
 show-case, for the exhibition of silver-ware, of 
 immense length, height, and width, fitted 
 with heavy plate glass at the top and on the 
 sides, the sashes being of polished black 
 walnut. This wall contains a number of 
 arched recesses, and at its side, in the centre, 
 a spacious stairway of easy slope, for visitors 
 to ascend to the show-rooms o>n the second 
 and third floors. Separate stair-cases exist 
 for that perfect army of perst)ns employed 
 about this palace of industry. Down the 
 centre of this room stretches a row of ele- 
 vated, plate-glass cases in black walnut 
 frames, filled with elaborately wrought 
 wares. In the rear, beneath a spacious sky- 
 light, and in a most retired position, are the 
 private offices and those of the Cashier of the 
 establishment. The whole interior is char- 
 acterized by a chaste and simple richness: 
 and so admirable is the taste presiding over 
 the arrangement and the multifarious con- 
 
 tents of this apartment, that you are re- 
 minded, by the spectacle, rather of a palace 
 or a museum, than of a mart of traffic. 
 
 In this magnificent apartment are to be 
 found specimens of Jewelry which Royalty 
 itself would covet, which are unsurpassed by 
 any in the celebrated magasins d'orfevrerk 
 of Europe, and are far from being equalled 
 by the richest articles contained in the stock 
 of any other establishment in America. 
 
 There was, first, a bracelet of chain gold 
 bearing in fi-ont a large oval-shaped Opal of 
 the first quality, and the largest in the world 
 in possession of a private individual. Our 
 guide informed us that their House had been 
 five years in treaty for this stone. It was 
 surrounded by sixteen Diamonds of uniform 
 size, weighing about two carats each. To 
 this cluster was suspended a solitary stone, 
 full of fire, of perfect shape, entirely free from 
 defects of any nature, and of the first water. 
 It is the largest perfect Diamond that has 
 ever been brought to this country, weighing 
 nearly eleven carats, and is of such pure 
 water that its first carat is estimated at fifty 
 dollars. The centre cluster and the solitaire 
 Diamond may be detached from the bracelet, 
 so as to be worn, if desired, in a necklace, 
 feroni^re, or otherwise. The value of this 
 bracelet was of itself a small fortune. 
 
 We next examined a necklace, bracelet, 
 ear-rings, and brooch of Pearls and Dia- 
 monds, which would have raised powerful 
 emotions in the breasts of some of our fair 
 readers, no doubt. Imagine a necklace of 
 twenty-five, large, perfectly globular, equal 
 sized, bright, and glossy Pearls, and in 
 the centre of them a cluster of superb Dia- 
 monds. All the other pieces of this set were 
 in the same style, and the price of the whole 
 was five or six thousand dollars. 
 
 We remember a gorgeous bracelet of three 
 bands of gold, covered with a perfect shower 
 of Diamonds, the price of which was between 
 one and two thousand dollars ; another neck- 
 lace at three or four thousand dollars, con- 
 taining upwards of a hundred Diamonds ; 
 another of Pearls, with a Diamond cross at- 
 tached, at a thousand and some dollars ; a 
 bracelet of four rows of closely set Pearls of 
 uniform size, intersected with four rows of 
 Diamonds, at about a thousand dollars ; a 
 iady's chatelaine, containing a tiny watch, 
 with a globnlar Pearl pendant, at a couple 
 of thousands. There was another lady's 
 watch, with Diamonds around the fiice, and 
 a superb Diamond star in the ce-ntre of a 
 green enameled back. A green enameled 
 heart, covered with Diamonds, u|x>n being 
 pressed at the side, opened and revealed a 
 watch half an inch in diameter I Another 
 watch specimen may be worth describing. 
 It was a bracelet of thick hinged gold, fas- 
 tening with a serpent's head of Diamonds. 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 37 
 
 The centre piece was a circle of Diamonds, 
 containing the precious little time-keeper; 
 the back was of blue enamel, and either that 
 or th'e face could be worn exposed to the 
 view. 
 
 ,We saw a thousand dollar necklace of ena- 
 meled berries and Diamonds; another of two 
 TOViS of Diamonds intersected with Emeralds; 
 a bracelet consisting of a green enameled 
 serpent, with a head of Diamonds, in which 
 could be distinjcuislied, so exquisite was the 
 workmanship, the teeth and tongue; its eyes 
 were Rubies, and on the top of its head was 
 a Sapphire ; another bracelet in the form of 
 a garter of Opals, with a buckle of Diamonds; 
 a breastpin in the form of a butterfly, the 
 back of Opals, the wings of Diamonds, set to 
 shine upon both sides, as the wings were 
 movable ; a bracelet of heavy filigree gold, 
 with an oval centre piece, consisting of an 
 Opal surrounded by two rows of Diamonds. 
 
 We were much interested in an appeal to 
 our masculine fimcy. It w^as a solid gold 
 cigar case, covered with exquisite enamel of 
 white, green and blue, with six fine minia- 
 ture landscape paintings of Swiss scenes. 
 They were Lucerne, Berne, the Chapel of 
 William Tell, Chamouni, Geneva and Mount 
 Saint Bernard. Minute as were these paint- 
 ings, we found them able to bear the strictest 
 scrutin}'^ with a magnifying glass. The top 
 opened with a spring, revealing a watch-face 
 as large as a gold dollar: the watch how- 
 ever may have been an excellent time-keeper, 
 as the movement of it was as large as the 
 top of th« cigar ease. 
 
 An intricate thousand dollar plaything 
 was shewn us in the shape of a gold and 
 blue enameled pistol covered with Diamonds- 
 It was about six inches long, and contained 
 in its stock a watch and a scent box. Upon 
 pulling the trigger the barrel expanded to 
 the form of a bouquet holder. 
 
 We now passed to a case containing the 
 Cameos, which were innumerable in variety, 
 among them several antiques set with Pearls 
 and Diamonds, which had belonged to the 
 Crown Jewels of Napoleon. They were ob- 
 tained abroad of some members of Louis 
 Philippe's family. Those Cameos, cut from 
 stones containing three veins, were exqui- 
 sitely l>eautiful; among them we remember 
 one with a black ground, bearing a chariot 
 and a horse perfectly white, and then, in still 
 'higher relief, another horse black as jet. This 
 was of large size, and was estimated at one 
 iiundred and fiftj dollars. Another consisted 
 of a white female head upon a dark ground, 
 •and in high relief upon the bead a black 
 wreath of flowers. There were innumerable 
 exquisitely cut Madonnas and Cupids, both 
 jn the Onyx and Sardonyx, at prices ranging 
 l)etween fifty and a hundred dollars. 
 
 Because in our descriptions of manj pieces 
 
 of workmanship we have stated their value, 
 as nearly as we recollect them, it must not 
 be inferred that we annoyed the person in 
 attendance by asking the price of every arti- 
 cle passed in review. A system here pre- 
 vails which rendered such a proceeding un- 
 necessary. To every object, however costly, 
 however insignificant in value, was attached 
 a label, bearing its price in legible figures. 
 This is a plan which should be adopted in 
 shops for every kind of wares. 
 
 A most beautiful flower vase for a centre 
 piece had just been completed. It was 
 supported by four frosted statuettes of solid 
 silver, emblematic of the four elements. 
 ' Although what we remember is but a 
 small fraction of all we beheld, we are com- 
 pelled to forego the description of many 
 things still recalled, for want of space. Let 
 the reader imagine, besides such articles as 
 we have described, gold and enameled card 
 cases and porte-monnaies, set with Dia- 
 monds, and bearing watches and miniature 
 paintings, and costing hundreds of dollars ; 
 serpent bracelets of finely polished coral; 
 enameled shields, little golden 7-eal pistols, 
 that could be loaded with powder and fired, 
 aad other trinkets set with Diamonds, to be 
 worn upon chatelaines; pins and rings of 
 Diamond flies ; perfect ropes of gold for 
 necklaces ; and a tiiousand other forms of 
 Jewelry; and he will then have but a faint 
 idea of the wonders and temptations exposed 
 in this gorgeous temple of Art. It cannot 
 be doubted, we said to ourselves, upon leav- 
 ing this hall of enchantment, the Arcadie, 
 the land of romance and poetry, is — a Jewel- 
 er's shop ! 
 
 The apartment covering the second floor, 
 of the same size with that beneath, is finished 
 in pure unornamented white, and tilled with 
 artistic bronze articles of all kinds, arranged 
 on elaborately carved white-oak tables. These 
 bronzes are all manufactured in Paris, and, 
 outside of that city, no collection of them 
 surpasses in richness and extent that dis- 
 played i« this immense apartment. They 
 consiet of mantel ornaments of every descrip- 
 tion, artistic figures, single nad in groups, of 
 various sizes, vases, clocks, candelabra, can- 
 dlesticks, lamps, girandoles, ornamental gas- 
 fixtures, &c.. Some of the bronze figures are 
 of life size, and the statuettes seemed to be 
 innumerable. The display of bronzes at the 
 New York Crystal Palace was very fine, as 
 most of our readers are probably aware, of 
 their own knowledge, but it could not have 
 compared in numljer, variety, or workman- 
 ship, with that collection we were now sur- 
 veying- 
 
 For one who lives a life of pleasure we 
 here beheld a most fitting and emblematic 
 marker of the flying hours. It was a playful 
 and most gracefully arranged group in 
 
38 
 
 JF.WI^LRY AND TTIE rRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 Iironze, consititing (if a capering goat attaclit'il 
 to and drawing a car, wliicli Avas surmounted 
 and surrounded by irolicsonie Cupids. The 
 wlieel next to tiie spectiitor served as the dial 
 oi" a clock. The price of it Avas three or four 
 hundred dolhii's. We remember a superb 
 group — Napoleon at the Bridge of Arcole, 
 the value of vvhicli was tlireo hundred ddl- 
 lars, and at about half that sum an exquisite 
 classical composition about three feet high— 
 Hector taking leave of Andromache. At 
 about a hundred dollars there was a most 
 admirable and perfect miniature of the fa- 
 mous Arch of Trium[)h in Paris. We recall 
 too, distinctl}', a magnificent .and enormous 
 \'ase supported by two satyrs, surrounded by 
 a Bacchanalian group. But it is impossible 
 to enumerate all thegroupsof horses, wolves, 
 and other animals, urns covered with figures 
 in relief, tripod inkstands, figures in relief 
 on large me<lalli()ns, etc., that we here saw 
 in bronze. A groat feature in this depai't- 
 ment was the variety of novel and beautiful 
 contrivances for affording light at night, the 
 i>r-molu gas-fixtures, Argaud burners for gas, 
 with porcelain shades, hall-lamps of painted 
 porcelain, &c.. There was one chandelier 
 fitted with a single enormous globe of ground 
 glass, the whole supported only by flexible 
 chains, through one of wdiich ran a channel 
 for conveying the gas down. This and 
 most of the chandeliers were balanced with 
 weights, so as to be pulled down or elevated 
 at pleasure by a mere touch of the finger. 
 This struck us as a great convenience, and 
 upon expressing some surprise to our cice- 
 rone that we had never met with any similar 
 contrivance in Philadelphia, where gas is 
 burned in every house, with scarcely a single 
 exception, he informed us that the Gas Com- 
 pany would not allow tlie introduction of 
 this arrangement. This statement, we think, 
 nuist be erroneous, as we cannot possibly 
 imagine to what objec^on the plan can be 
 open on the part of the gas-manufiicturers. 
 Tlie reason why it is not used probably is 
 that it is patented and too expensive. 
 
 This apartment, rendered so gorgeous and 
 intricate by its contents, is amply lighted 
 from the front by large arched windows, each 
 consisting of a single plate, and together oc- 
 cupying the entire end of the room, which 
 latter is of the full size of the building with 
 the exception of a small ofiice comprised in 
 the rear. 
 
 The third floor is filled with elegant porce- 
 lain from Sevres, Dresden, and otherwhere; 
 tortoise shell, enameled, and inlaid furni- 
 ture, and dressing tables, &c., &c.. 
 
 We saw here a gentleman's dressing ease 
 in rose-wood, the price of which was a th(ju- 
 sand dollars. It contained a basin, ewer, 
 candle-sticks, &c., of solid silver ; even the 
 
 frfime of the mirror, we rememlier, was of 
 silver. 
 
 The Sevres porcelain vases were extremely 
 beautiful, and tlie tete-a-tete tea sots, for. a 
 hundred dollars, or a little less, painted with 
 rustic scenes, were really exquisite. 
 
 Theie were cups and saucers of Dresden 
 porcelain at a hundred dollars a dozen, and 
 dinner sets at three thousand dollars ! The 
 statuettes of this material were remarkably 
 beautiful; we remem))er one of a female 
 figure, in an exquisitely cut, lace dress, the 
 price of which was aiiout a hundred dollars; 
 also five most ingenious and pretty concep- 
 tions, emblematic of the five Senses. 
 
 The beautiful gveridoiis painted with 
 flowers, and the exquisite toilet-tables, en- 
 ameled, and inlaid with gold and shell, and 
 garnished with tiieir elaborately carved ivory 
 brushes, we have only time to give a hurried 
 parting glance. 
 
 This story was lighted in the same manner 
 by plate-glass, arched windows, but of smaller 
 size, and the articles were all arranged in 
 cases upon white-oak tables, in the same ele- 
 gant style, as in the rooms beneath. Suffice 
 it to say of the interior, that from roof to 
 basement floor, throughout every section of 
 the building, convenience, elegance, taste, 
 and security, were cojnbined in a degree as 
 nearly perfect, as, w^ith our present lights, 
 we think attainable. 
 
 But this establishment would be unjustly 
 dealt with, did we not speak, with emphatic 
 commendation, of the external of the edifice, 
 in which it is embodied — a structure worthy 
 in all respects of its artistic and precious con- 
 tents, and, we verily believe, unsurpassed in 
 classic beauty by any business edifice in the 
 Avorld. It is of white marble, and of that richly 
 ornamental composite order, denominated the 
 modern Italian. The whole fa<jade is pierced, 
 with perfect symmetry, by fine arched win- 
 dows, so large, upon the first and second 
 floors, and filled with such clear glass, as to 
 leave the whole interior of those stories ex- 
 posed to view from the opposite side of Broad- 
 way. A richly carved entablature projects 
 over the first story, and from thence to the 
 top appear elaborate sculptures in bas-relief, 
 of different designs upon each story. The 
 fifth story is surmounted by an ornate cornice, 
 on each end of which is a lion's head, and in 
 the centre are two Cupids flying to each 
 other, and clasping a wreath of flowers, all 
 in bas-relief on marble. This stately edifice 
 is imposingly crowned, in the centre of this 
 cornice, by two huge and majestic lions 
 couchant, facing opposite points of the com- 
 pass. 
 
 Of the history of the Jeweler's Art in this 
 country we know next to nothing. Indeed 
 ■we question if materials exist, at least in any 
 
JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOrS STOXES. 
 
 30 
 
 ncce^silde slinpe, for framing such a history, 
 cve!i were it desiralile. IJnf we suspect tiiut 
 whateji'er is of interest in relation to this sub- 
 jof.t belongs almost exclusively to our own 
 day. And yet, after reading what we have 
 just described, one niight think he was read- 
 ing of an Art, which an antiquity of many 
 centtiries in any one country could alone 
 have brought to such a state of perfection. 
 Of M'r TiFFANV and his co-partners we know 
 l)ersonnlly no m'ore tlum docs any one of our 
 leaders, but it is no difficult matter for us or 
 any other person to infer that the master- 
 mind, whosesoever it is, of such an Institu- 
 tion as tliat we have descrilied, must be one of 
 high reiinement, and of great artistic judg- 
 ment and taste, as well as possessing com- 
 mercial talents of the highest and most com- 
 prehensive ciiaracter, to conduct securely 
 and profitablj' a business so vast, and so 
 res))onsible as that involved in such an es- 
 tablishment as we have set forth. The 
 word Institution we used advisedly, for well 
 is that title merited. The edifice itself is 
 a veritable Temple of Beauty, and its ex- 
 quisitely fashioned and embellished contents 
 are fitting offerings for the shrine of such a 
 Temple. And who shall saj' how far and 
 wide a taste and a love for Beauty and Grace 
 maj' not spread over the land from SKch a 
 centre? 
 
 Our reader may perhaps count it strange, 
 if not objectionable, that we have surrender- 
 ed so much space and devoted so much time 
 to the history and description of a single Art 
 with its belongings, and that Art one which 
 is commonly associated with ideas of luxury, 
 not to say vice, rather than with those of 
 utility and virtue. 
 
 In reply to such notions we have to say 
 that Beauty is one of the highest and most 
 universal elements of the Creation, and the 
 love of Beauty is one of the most indestructi- 
 ble and craving appetencies of that Human 
 Soul, which is Creation's vice-gerent. 
 
 If therefore all our faculties were designed 
 by their Giver, to be unfolded, so far as our 
 means and opportunities permit — and what 
 enlarged mind can question this? — then to 
 cultivate the love and capacity for the Beau- 
 tiful, and to create, to the measure of our 
 ability, what corresponds thereto, may be 
 pronounced an obligation instead of a mal- 
 feasance. At the very least such cultivation 
 and creation are our undeniable right. 
 
 There are many reasons in favor of atten- 
 tion to this point. 
 
 Thus: Beauty is the natural and equal 
 companion of Goodness and Truth. Tenny- 
 son indeed, in one of his superb poems, 
 named, we think, the "Palace of Art," inti- 
 mates that these associates may be separated, 
 and that Beauty may be exclusively cherish- 
 ed and enjoyed, to the neglect of the other 
 
 two. We think he exaggerates not a little; 
 at any rate that severance, even though tem- 
 porary, is never so complete as he repre- 
 sents. 
 
 We think that these three olemontary prin- 
 ciples go normally together, and tliat the 
 lover of the Beautiful is more likely than 
 others to love the (Jood and the True also. 
 If then moral elevaticm, intellectual refine- 
 ment and the humanizing of the manners 
 are all favored l)y the taste for Beauty, tlie 
 inducements are certainly very strong for 
 the culture of such taste. 
 
 That the Beautiful is a source of pure and 
 harmless pleasure is another cogent plea in 
 its behalf. Men must amuse themselves, as 
 Avell as labor. Neither bodily nor mental 
 soundness can he otherwise conserved ; and 
 hardly anything more deeply concerns the 
 general welfare than the character of the 
 amusements men seek. We trust the day 
 may not be very distant when mankind may 
 find some wiser and less harmful respite and 
 refreshment from grave and toilful occupa- 
 tions, than "sporting," (so-called) in most 
 of its branches, or in gratifying their appe- 
 tites by intemperance in its many kinds. 
 Why, with our better moral lights, should 
 we not at least do so, in one point, l)y sur- 
 rounding the whole details of even ordinary 
 life with a halo of Beauty ? That the results 
 of so doing would, in all ways, be purifying 
 and elevating, we cannot doubt for a mo- 
 ment. 
 
 If, in the foregoing remarks, the reader 
 may at first sight think we have spoken too 
 gravely, considering the nature of our theme, 
 we beg of him to listen a few moments 
 longer. 
 
 The Jeweler's Art,like those of the Paintei% 1 
 Sculptor, &c., is simply a special mode of ' 
 producing certain forms of Beauty. That is, 
 following the example of the Great Proto- 
 Artist, he imprints upon certain materials 
 those forms, which gratify a certain taste, 
 the germs of which are implanted in every 
 human mind. The materials he employs, i.e. 
 the gems and the precious metals, are, in 
 themselves, rare and beautiful — the products 
 of that Principle of Beauty, which is a con- 
 stituent of the Divine Mind. 
 
 But, unlike the flower, the sea-shell, the 
 rainbow, and myriads of things beside, which 
 are met with in nature perfected, and unap- 
 proachable by human endeavor, the above 
 materials are found in the rough, but are 
 capable of being wrought, by man's skill, 
 into shapes far more beautiful than their 
 primitive. Does it not seem as if these two 
 classes of creations were expressly designed 
 to incite men to the culture of the Beautiful? 
 — the incomplete furnishing materials for 
 man's experimentation — i\\Q perfected serving 
 
-•"> 
 
 JEWELRY AND THE PRECIOUS STONES. 
 
 iis exemplars? The idea seems to us by no 
 means absurd. 
 
 If then we penetrate deeper than the mere 
 surface of things, it will appear that the Art 
 of the Jeweler, like the other Fine Arts, and, 
 in short, like all modes of creatino- Beauty, 
 whether in form or tint, corresponds to one 
 of the profoundest facts in the universe, and 
 ministers to one of the most ineradicable 
 wants of the human mind. It is as truly a 
 part of the mechanism of this material life, 
 as the vocation of the farmer, who feeds us, 
 or the house-builder, who constructs a shelter 
 from the elements. 
 
 We will not here enter upon the cthuaes of 
 ornamentation. They are hut too common, 
 and are familiar to all. They make however 
 nothing against the Beauty-producing A-rti<. 
 but are merely instances of that human 
 frailty, and unsustained equilibrium, which 
 are as old as History — which are indeed the 
 distinguishing characteristic of Man. As 
 Pope expresses it in his immortal Essay 
 upon that frail creation, we may as well 
 expect 
 
 " eternal springs, and cloudless skies, 
 Af! Men for ever temiierate, calm and wipe." 
 
[Postscript. — Since all of the foregoing pages have been in type we have read for 
 the first time in the North Brilijih Review for' November, 1852, an article, entitled the 
 "History of the Diamond," in vsrhich the diflBculties in the way of the " Koh-i-noorV 
 olaim are set forth in much the same manner as we have done. The writer quotes a 
 theory of Professor James Tennant, Mineralogist to the Queen, according to which the 
 "Emperor of Russia's Diamond" and the "Koh-i-noor" are both slices of the "Great 
 Mogul's ;" this theory however the writer in the Korth British does not himself support, 
 nor do we think it entitled to the least consideration, especially as it appears that 
 Professor Tennant's information in regard to the Russian Diamond is as limited as our 
 own. Notwithstanding the many forcible facts stated in the article, the author does not 
 seem to have had the independence to deduce his own conclusions in regard to the 
 "Mogul Diamond" and the "Koh-i-noor," unless, in the face of his own arguments, he 
 includes himself among the "believers" referred to in the following sentence: "'The 
 iJreat Mogul Diamond' passed through various hands, and after many changes in weight 
 and in form is believed to be represented by the Great Exhibition Diamond belonging to 
 Her Majesty." This however is scarcely probable, after his stating that " the historical 
 evidence" and " the physical testimony of weight and form" — " two sources of evidence," 
 lie says, " which, taken separately, we consider irresistible, and which, when combined, 
 uniountto demonstration" — are both against conclusions involved in such a "belief 1" 
 
 The name of D'r Horace Wilson is given in this article as the writer of the account of 
 tiie "Koh-i-noor," published in the " Official Catalogue of the Great Exhibition," and the 
 author of this article itself is stated by the Eclectic Magazine, fur January, 1853, (in which 
 it is republished,) to be Sir David Brewster, which latter statement we do not hesitate to 
 discredit. Although the article is deeply interesting, and irreproachable in its style, it does 
 not exhibit such results of personal scientific research as we presume would characteri/.o- 
 •whatever would be deemed worthy of publication by so eminent a philosopher.!