Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-03-09

Rubies and Sapphires.

Rubies and sapphires.
The ruby is the next hardest thing in ma
ture after the diamond, and its value as q
precious stone even precedes that brilliant.
The finest rubies are found in the East
Indies and the king of Burmah takes one
of his titles from this gem, that Of the '4ord
of the rubies." In early times it was con-
sidered to possess many magical properties
Its value is dependent upon its color. In
Burmah the ruby is royal monopoly, and
those of any great value are never per-
mitted to leave the kingdom. The finding
of fine gem of this class is made q state
event, and q procession of grandees, at
tended with soldiers and elephants. which
go oct to take possession of the jewel, is
one of the ceremonies which is attended
with marked importance. The king of
Burmah is said TO possess a specimen of
the ruby as large as pigeons egg. Some
fine examples of this gem are found in
America, North Carolina and other
Southern States having produced rich
specimens.
The Greeks called the ruby ''anthrax, a
live coal. The carbuncle is said to derive
its name from carbon in like manner. The
colors of the ruby vary from pale rose to
deep red, but the tint that is most highly
priced is that described as pigeons blood. :"
One of the largest rubies in Europe is
among the French crown jewels, at one
time adorniug the Order of the Golden
Fleece. A true pigeons blood" tinted
ruby of four carats weight is valued at
81, 900 and upward In China, tine ladies
decorate their slippers with rubies. The
finest ruby III existence IS said to be in the
possession of the king of Pegu, its exces-
sive purity is the legend of the country, and
ils approximate value has never been at
tempted in the kingdom.
Tavernier mentioned two magnificent
rubies owned by the king of Visapur, one
of which was of the extraordinary weight
of ifty-three a2d three-quarters carats, and
the other seventeen and half carats the
vast difference in their size was nearly
compensated by the superior purity and
brilliancy of the smallest stone.
The finest collection of rubies in Europe
IS probably that IN the possession of the
queen of England, which was exhibited at
the Sydenham Exposition by the queens
jewellers. The duke of Brunswick had
among his gems two or more exquisitely
engraved rubies, one Of which weighed fl
ty three carats. The Czarina Catharine
was presented by Gussave LII. of Sweden,
in l777, with an exquisite ruby, the size
OF q pigeons egg. 1t is still among the
crown jewels, as well as some other superb
specimens of this stone.
Next to that owned By the king of Pegu,
the East India Company have probably the
finest single ruby on record, besides an in
valuable collection of paragon stones, about
fifty in number, ranging in weight from
fifteen 10 fifty-three carats, many of them
Of remarkable brillancy. Tavernler makes
mention also of an exqaisitely engraved
ruby in Paris, of half the size of a hens egg.
Two others are automatically reported in
the same city, one the weight af which is
placed at 240 csrats, and the other 1876
carats.
1t is said that diamonds and rubies are
seldom, II ever, found together, hut in
Evelyn's diary, in 1915, is mentioned the
TACT that in the collection of noble Vene-
tian-Signor Rugini-was contained,
sGk,ngs other yaiuahle gems, . diamond
Wmch hazf very flne psby imis.1s - in il.
The Sapphire is precious stteSAee- held in
high estimation, and closely allied to the
ruby, but possessing variety of colors and
tints. 1t occurs in blunt-edged pieces, in
round pebbles and in a crystallized form.
Its colors are blue, red, gray, white, green
and yellow. ii varies from transparent to
translucent, and has q double refractiop.
rb, - h. o,
riety. II IS found IN Bohemia, Ssxony and
France; but the red sapphire, or Oriental
ruby, is found almost exclusively in Ava
Pale sapphires exposed to heat Of great in
tensity, permitted to cool in like manner,
can be rendered colorless. By this process
the stone attains great brilliancv and is Of
ten then mistaken for a diamond, which it
closely resembles.
The most highly priced varieties Of the
sapphire are the crimson and carmine red,
winch are denomInated by jewellers as Ori-
entail rubies; next to which In rank is the
yellow or Oriental topaz. The asterias, or
star stohe. is very beautiful variety in
which the color is a beautiful violet, and
the form OF a rhomDoid, with truncated
apices, which exhibit an opalescent lustEe.
The precious stones which exist in the
Burmese territory are chiefly those of the
sapphire and splnel ruby, and are found in
two localities adjacent 10 each other, called
Mogant and KyaGpean- All the varieties
of sapphire, as well as the spinel, are found
together, and among them are large quaint.
ties OF corodum- The varieties which here
exist are the Oriental sapphire, the Oriental
ruby or red stone, the opalescent ruby or
cats eye ruby, the star ruby, the green, the
yellow and white sapphire and the Oriental
amethyst. The common sapphire is the
most frequent, but in comparison with the
ruby is very little priced y the Burmese
or other nations.