The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1886-07-31
THE TURQUOISE.
Interesting Facts Conserving the values
of Precious Persian Gems.

of Precious Persian Gems.
Turquoises are found in Thibet,
China, and the neighborhood of Mount
Sinai, but the supply for jewelers. pur-
poses comes almost wholly from the
celebrated Persian mines. Very little
was known about these till remarka-
bly, interesting and exhaustive report
upon them was recently furnished to
the British Foreign Office by Mr.. A.
Hontum SCHNEIDER, who was for short
time director of the mines. They are
situated in range ofmountains bound
ing on the north an open plain in the
Bar-i-Maden district, thirty-two miles
northwest of Nishapur, in the province
of Khorassan. Botanists tell us that
the brightest blue is seen on Alpine
flowers. If pure mountain air could
be supposed to brighten the color of a
gem as well as flower, there is no
want of it where these turquoise veins
occur. Their position is between five
and six thousand feet above the level of
the sea, and strong north wind blows
almost continually over the ridges of
the hills, rendering the situa-
ton very healthy. Wheat, bar
ley and mulberry trees grow
well on the slopes OF the lower of these
heights. At the mines the
turquoises are roughly divided into
three classes of first, second and third
qualities. All the stones of good and
fast color and favorable shape belong
to the first class. But how curiously
these vary in value will be best UNDER
stood by quoting Mr.. Schindler's. own
words: at is impossible to fix any
price, or classify them according to
different qualities. have not yet seen
two stones alike. A stone two-thirds
of an inch in length, two-fifths of an
inch in width, and about half an inch
in thickness, cut petkani (conicaD
shape, was valued at Meshed at 81. 800;
another, of about the same size, shape
and cut, was valued at only S400. Tur-
quoises of the size of q pea are some
times sold for $40. The color most
priced is the deep blue of the sky. A
small speck of lighter color. which
only connoisseurs can distinguish, or
an almost unappreciable tinge of green
decreases the value considerably. Then
there is that undefinable property of a
good turquoise, the zat, something like
the water of diamond or the lustre
of apearl; fine colored turquoise with
out the Eat is not worth much" He
subsequently adds: .sThe above-men-
toned acknowledgement Meshed
turquoise was bought from the finder
by one of the Rish-i-Safids (elders OF
the village) for SIS; the latter sold it
still uncut at Meshed for $3.50. As soon
as it was cut its true value became APP
parent, and it was sent to Paris, where
it was valued at $4,000. The second
purchaser, however, received only
$1,700 for it; the difference was gained
by the agents" Among the fine tur-
quoises in the possession of the Shah
there is one valued at $4,000. The
best stones of the second class are
worth about $3.50 per pound, while the
most inferior will scarcely bring
twentieth part of this price. The latter
are chiefly used in Persia for the deco
ration of swords, horse-trappings, pipe
heads and the common kinds of jewelry.
Small cut turguoises of slightly better
quality than these sell at the rate of
from % to IS cents per one thousand.
In the third class are included stones
unstable in Persia, as well as large fat
stones, some of which are esteemed for
amulets, brooches, buckles, and the
like. The prices given there will be
more than doubled when the turquoises
are sold in Europe Chambers Journal.