The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-05-06

N-.o.S eOO0cyO.
--Hdrrdrd Lampoon.
APRlL'S TALISMAN THE SAP.
PMIRE.
The idea that the months have their
own peculiar precious stones is a relic
of astrolOgy. We accept the notion in
our day merely as a sentiment; but the
consideration of their special timeliness
and legendary influence is not the less
interesting in our study of jewels when
we come to choose them as keepsakes
or birthday gifts.
Until the middle of the thirteenth
century the distribution of three hun.
dred and twenty-five stones for the days
tronomers, was held sacred; but after
that time q single stone was particu-
larly selected and consecrated to each
sign of the zodiac, and in this way as
sociated with every month of the year.
These twelve typical jewels formed
an amulet, and it was a custom es-
teemed worthy of observance to give or
to wear in each month its proper gem,
often engraved with symbols, and al
ways endowed with characteristic sig-
nificance.
The precious stone of April, accord
ing to this emblematic amulet, is a
sapphire. This beautiful blue stone,
valuable as a diamond, is a hyaline
corundum: the exquisite clay of which
1t is formed is alumina in a state nearly
pure; the form of its crystallization is
six-sided, smooth and pointed; and its
color, as described by Pliny, is "aerius-
color" the tint of the blue air of
Rome.
There are four kinds of sappSires-
Oriental sapphire, Brazilian sapphire.
sapphire of Puy, and water sapphire
Of these four kinds the first three are
corundums, or true sapphires; the last
is only a quartz colored blue. and its
value is trifiing.
The Oriental sapphire. called in the
Syriac tongue saphilah, was considered
by the ancients the gem of gems. 1t
was one of the precious stones in the
breastplate of Aaron. The Greeks ded-
icated it to Apollo.
The sapphire of Puy is found in rivu-
lets flowing among the mountains in
ferruginous sand produced by the de-
composition of basaltic rocks. Its color
is clear blue, deep or pale, a reddish
blue. or yellowish-green.
The Brazilian sapphire is the same as
that found in Arabia and Persia, and
consequently, although coming from
different quarter of the world from the
original Eastern stones, is technically
classified beyond its geographical dis
tinction with Oriental sapphires.
The water sapphire was first accept
ed as gem in France, and named
"saphir deau." 1t is brought from
Ceylon, and is of a complex compost
ton, in which silica is the greater part.
Its color q clear white mixed with sky
blue, but completely different from the
velvety blue of the Oriental sapphire.
One variety of the water sapphire ex-
ceedingly complex is called diclroite,
and it has the popularity of displaying
two distinct colors when viewed from
different sides; in the direction of the
axis it is blue, and in the direction per-
pendicular to this line it is a yellow
gray.
Sometimes the Oriental sapphire ap-
pears of q pale blue with thread-like
shafts, which show under the micro
scope a direction from the center to the
faces of the six-sided prism; these
threads are produced by vacuities, or
foreign substances left among the
aIuOkCCu0S NJ tuc IlOIllcut VI lnelI CTES-
,tallization. The light reflected from
them forms a remarkable star of six
rays. Sapphires of this formation are
called astoria, or star. sapphires. In
the East they are objects of the deep
est veneration.
NJ. D'Abbadie has in his possession q
his dangerous journeys in Africa he
tho nf th
<tives by occasionally exhibiting his Gu
rious treasure, waving it like a magical
beacon before their ignorant eyes.
The choice of the sapphire for the
precious stone of April has no doubt its
origin in the aerial blue color which
associates it with the lovely blue sky of
spring. Never do we feel so keenly at
any time of the year the genial influ-
ence of the atmosphere as when, after
the imprisonment of winter, the sky
seems to bend over us like a friend,
full of the kindly promises of spring.
The poets, regarding Apri's signet-
stone as little mirror of its tender and
inspiring sky, give it the language of
% innocence" and say that it is the
gem which .'feels the air and sympa-
thizes with the heavens" Marbodus,
in his renowned Lapidarium, gives it
this exalted praise:
q Fit only for the hands OF kings to wear,
With purest azure shines the sapphire rare,
{ For worth and beauty chief of gems pro-
! claimed.
. As gem of gems above all others placed,
/ Health to preserve and treachery to disarm,
And guard the wearer from intended harm,
r Zen Heav'n n is moved by its force divine
To list to vows presented at its shrine.
T But he who dares to wear this gem divine,
I Like snow in perfect chastity must shine,'
The virtues ascribed to the sapphire
by writers more ancient than Marbod-
US, and descending to US by the inter-
esting tradition that clings to gems, are
numerous. According to these mystic
sages, it refreshed vision, cured fevers
and effects of poisons, stopped hemor-
rhages, killed venomous insects, and
inspired chaste and lovely thoughts.
Who would not be glad to wear such
protecting charm?
| But we have even still more sacred
authorities for its potential influence.
St. jerome, in explaining the nine
teenth chapter of Isaiah, affirms the
belief that the sapphire conciliates its
wearer to the favor of princes, calms
the rage of his enemies, dispels en-
chantments of demons, delivers from
prison and oppression, and softens the
Ire of God. A religious poem, written
in Latin, alludes to the celestial color
Rf the sapphire as an efficient symbol