San Andreas independent., 1858-05-01
BRUTUS
Precious Stones.

We copy the following remarks upon the
properties and value of precious stones, from
Sir William Monson's Naral Tracts" written
in the reign of James l:
THE DIAMOND.
ssThe most noble of all precious stones is
the Diamond. Pliny and others of the an
tient naturalists being of the opinion that it is
neither to be broken by the force of the ham,
mer nor penetrable by the violence of the
fire; which however, has since been sufficient
ly contradicted by experience, though the same
is several times used in the same sense in the
Scripture. 1t is called Addmds by the Latins,
Deamant by the Germans, 4damanto by the
Spaniards, and Hiera by the Indosthans. The
The beauty of a Diamond consists in its hard
ness, transparency and lustre; though to
speak the TRUTH there are but few diamonds
without some defects, which, however, pass
current among those who are no nice judges
of it. Lead is reckoned to be exactly three
times as heavy as polished diamond.
To try the goodness oe-a diamond you mus:
cut one diamond with another, and if the
powder thereof be of an ash-color, it is right,
but if white, otherwise; for all other precious
stones, except the diamond, afford white
powder, and the more the powder of a dia-
mond approaches to grey, the more precious
it is. They have another way of trying the
diamond, by making it red-hot and qucnching
it in cold fresh water, and if it don't crack, it
is true and good.
The true value of the best diamonds is COM
puted thus: The just value of a good dia-
mond weighing a carat leach carat being equi-
valent to four grains Troy, is 80 gilders, OF
80 rix dollars, Tor 80 American dollars =
fI,n 81, afA r~ff
carats' weight, you must multiply two with
two, the product thereof being four, this must
be multiplied with the value of diamond ot
one CARAT viz: so glders, the product where
of amounts to 800 gilders so that according
to this computation, diamond of 90 carat:
is worth 81, 900 gilders, and according to the
same proportion, one of 100 carats no les:
than SOC, 900 gilders.
RUBY.
The Ruby is called CarJunculus by the Lat
ins and Laal by the Indosthans. 1t will en-.
dure the fire for considerable time. There
are three several sorts of rubies some are o
high red and brilliant color those of darl
red color, though they carry very fine lus-
tre, yet are not so much valued as the former
The oriental rubics are called espinelles. Those
of Germany are very hard, but incining to
dark brown, and therefore of less value; they
seldom exceed the bigness of n good pea anC
are very thin. The espinelles are of mucl
brighter color, but not so hard, and conse
quently of less or more value in proportion t(
their hardness, some being as hard as Sa
phir.
The Carbuncles are adulterated with San
daracha, but these false colors are soon dis
covered in the corners of the polished stones
which don't receive these colors. The oren
tai carbuncles are likewise of two differen
kinds. Some are of a dark brown color, th,
others bright and carry lustre like fire
and these are most precious. The rubies ar,
appraised like the diamonds, by carats, one
two, three or more; with this difference, tha
the rubies, though of the same weight, ar,
some somewhat bigger in proportion than tn,
diamonds, and without the least clouds or 9th
er defects.
EMERALD.
The Emerault, called Tamarul by the Ara
bians. and Essndrude by the French, is Of thre,
/ kinds. Those of Scythia are accounted tn,
best. those of Peru next in goodness. TIL,
{ emerauld of Peru is of a dark-green color
yery hard and more transparent than those Q
/ the East Indies. The general opinion is. tha
in case an emerauld should be found excel
lent in all its parts, viz in color, shape an'
transparency, it would be comparable to di
amond of the same bigness. nay. would evei
.urpass It in value, by rcason OF It's rarity