The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1885-05-14
Precious Stones.

1t is not perhaps generally known
that a large ruby is of more value than
a large diamond Mr. Streeter, who
wrote book about Jewels, states that
1.-The ruby ranks for price and beauty
above all other stones. When per-
feet ruby of five carats is brought into
the market sum will be offered for it
ten times the price given for diamond
of the same weight; but should it reach
the weight of ten carats it is almost in-
valuable.
With respect to the romance of pre-
cious stones, the author Just quoted
tells a curious story about sapphires. A
native of India loaded 100 goats with
these gems, and reached Simla after a
ten days journey. Arriving at Simla,
he tried to dispose of them, but the
value not being recognized, he could
not even obtain rupee q tolla for
them, which he would gladly have
taken, being in state of semi-starva
ton. He then proceeded to Delhi,
where the jewellers, knowing them to
be sapphires, gave him their full value.
A man starving while a hundred goats
laden with precious stones were in his
possession reads like an extract from the
ARABIAN nights" The addition of
heroine and villain suggests the
framework of an effective romance.
An alphabet of precious stones has
been formed-indeed there are two al
phabets, one for transparent and one
for Opaque Jewels: but OF the latter,
few except, in the first placesturquoise
and, in the second place, jasper, wood
opal and onyx, look tempting, basalt,
granite and other stones hardly coming
under the head of precious. The trans
parent alphabet contains some few
doubtful gems, but it is for the most
part made up of those that are doubt
less beautiful. The alphabet of course
forms the basis of language of Jewels,
which can be spoken in the shape of
rings and other trinkets. 1t comprises
amethyst, beryl, chrysoburgh, diamond,
emerald felspar, garnet, hyacinth, ido-
erase (brichy described in dictionaries
as ..hard mineral and questionably
transparency, kyanite (more common
ly cyanite, blue mineraD, lynX-sap-
phire, milk opal. natrolite, opal;
pyrope, quartz. ruby, sapphire, topaz,
ssranite, yesuvianite Ca species of gar
-. - 9Yater sapphire Xanthite Gan own
broth z 10 idocrase), and zircon e Gin
galese st,Nas),
The suner. Nt'tious have in all ages be-
1iornI H. mr. >eious stones had pecu-
liar properties, all tof the most part
beneticially affected the" WsarerS' Al
the present time a va '6 yea that
opals are unlucky, and tha, glib ol
opalS brings misfortune to the "clPA~
ent, fingers among those who are rea>F
to believe anything. The odd part OF
the superstition lies in the fact that
opal- were formerly supposed to bring
good .uck to the wcarers. As they are
now considered the unluckiest stones,
80 they were considered to be the }ucki-
est. a turquoise bestowed as a Gift used
10 be. and in some countries is still,
believed to carry blessings in its train.
DO these things neutraIize one another?
Supp0sing Il lady receives from the
same donor handsome turquoise and
an equally handsome opal, would the
good luck carried by the one overcome
the bad luck carried by the other? 1t
is possible that ladies willing to try the
experiment might be found. London
Standard.