The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-03-26
Kubfos and Sapphires.

Rubies and Sapphires.
The ruby Is the next hardest thing in M.
ture after the diamond, and it's value as q
precious stone even prccedes 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 "lord
of the rubies." In early times it was con-
sidcrcd to possess many magical properties
lts value is dependent upon its color. In
l5urmah the ruby is royal monopoly, and
those OF any great value arc never per.
mltted to leave the kingdom. The finding
OF fine gem of this class is made state
event, and procession of grandces, at
tended with soldiers and elephants, which
go out TO take possession Of the Jewel, is
one OF the ceremonies which is attended
with marked Importance. The king of
ourmah is said TO possess specimen of
the ruby rs large as pigeons egg. Some
nne examples of this gem arc found in
America, North Carolina anu other
Southern States having produced rich
specimens.
The Greeks called the ruby ''anthrax, - a
live coal. The carbuncle is said to derive
It's 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 isthat described Us "pigcon's blood. !"
One of the largest rubics in Europc Is
among the French crown Jewels, at one
time adorniug tho Order of the Golden
Fleece. A true "pigcon's blood" tinted
ruby of four carats weight is valued at
~, 900 and upward. In China, the ladies
decorate their slippers with rubies. The
finest ruby in existence Is said to be in the
possession of the king of Pegu, it's cxces-
slVe purity isthclcgcnd Of the country, and
lte approximate value has never been at
tempted in the kingdom.
Iavernlcr mentioned two magnificent
rubics owned by the king of Visapur, one
OF which was OF the extraordinary weight
OF fifty-three and 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 rubics in Europc
Is probably that Ill the possession of the
queen of England, which was exhibited at
the Sydcnhan Exposition by the queens
Jewellers The duke of Brunswick had
among his gems two or more cxquisilcly
engraved rubics, one of which weighed tiI-
ty-thrce carats. The Czalina Catharine
was presented by Gustavc Ill. of Sweden,
in l777, with al exquisite ruby, the size
OF 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
1lnest single ruby on record, besides un in
valuable collection OF paragon stones, about
nifty Ill number, ranging in weight from
fifteen 10 tifly-lhrcc carats, many of them
nj, hri1
mchtlon also OF an exquisltely engraved
ruby IN Paris, of half the size ofa hens egg.
I5It3 Ib5W2 2theEs II N are ALPHABETICALLY reported in
carals.
II is said that diamonds and rubics arc
seldom, If ever, found together, but in
EVclyn's diary, in 1916, is mentioned the
TACT that in the collection of noble Yenc-
tian-Signor Rugini-was contained,
among other valuable gems, diamond
which hada very fine ruby imbeddcd in it.
The Sapphire is precious stone held in
high estimation, and closely allied to the
ruby, but possessing variety Of cUlOrs and
tints. 1t occurs i'll blunt-cdgcd pieces, in
round pebbles and in crystulIizcd form.
Its colors are blue, red, gray, white, green
and yellow. 1t varies from transparent to
translucent, and has double rcfractiop.
The blue stone is harder than The rcd va
riety. 1t ls found IN Bohemia, Saxony and
Franco; bnt The rcd sapphire, or Oriental
ruby, Is found almost exclusively in Ava.
Pale sappbircs exposed to heat of great in.
tenslty, permitted to cool in like manner,
can bc rendered colorless BY this process
the stone attains great brilliancy and is Of
ten then mistaken for diamond, which it
closely resembles.
The most highly priced varieties of tho
sapphire are the crimson and carmine rcd,
which arc denominatcd by jewellers as Ori-
entail rubics; next to which IN rank is the
yellow or Oriental topaz. The astcrias, or
star stone, is Il very beautiful variety in
which the color is u beautiful violet, and
the form OF rhomboid, with truncatcd
apiccs, which exhibit al opalcsccnt lustre.
The precious stones which exist in the
burmese territory are chiefly those of the
sapphire and splnel ruby, and are found In
Two localities aujaccnt TO each other, called
Mogant and Kyutpean. All The varieties
Of sapphire, as well as the splncI, arc found
together, and among them arc large quaint.
tics OF corodum. The varieties which here
exist are the Oriental sapphire, the Oriental
ruby or rcd stone, the opalcscent ruby or
cats eye ruby, the star ruby, the green, tho
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 ~ the Burmese
or other nations
n Hot Water Column.
One of the singular natural phenomena