St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1890-10-11
GARNET AND TURQUOISE.


Proclous OtoDNo.
The garnet hes many admirers. The
brownish-red tint is caused BY tho oxide
of iron which 1t contains. Some Oi
them contain 20 much icon - to b. st'
tracted BY . magnet Tho color Is thai
Of claret or red wine. and is Of differ
ent shadsA When Of rich. deep color.
and cut On cabochon lin raised form
like the roundness Of an eRg), 1t II
called carbuncle. Garnets Of dnG
quality arc found in large quantities In
the mines of Zoblitz, in Silesia. They
are alao found in Piedmont Siberia,
Norway. India, Siam. Mexico and in
this country. The finest garnet II the
Oriental. or Syrian, the name coming
from tho Syrian. . river In Pegu. In
Farther India. .
Fine cameo have been cut In garnet
It was not . favorite with the Greeks,
but wAs used very much In the later
Roman times. especially In the imper.
rial period. The Romans called the
ruby the male. the garnet the femsls
variety, and magical virtues were at
tributed to the latter. 1t was musi
used by the gem cutters Of the Rensis
sance. who have left some magnificent
works In this stone; modern artists have
rarely used IL It 10 hard 70 work. and
very brittle.
Garnets are not always shaded In red
They appear in brown. black, green and
yellow. Colorless and white specimens
have also been found. There is . coarse
variety known - common garnet found
in sufficient quantities to b used - .
Aux in the smelling of iron. II
is the noble garnets, or the precious
garnets. sometimes called Almadine
that are Of great value. They are gen.
orally Of . crimson-red color. some-
times Of 90 deep . tint that jeweler,
hollow It out beneath. or place . plats
of silver 1t tho back Of It. Tho cinna-
mon stone Is said to b . garnet There
is . variety found in Siberia which 10
called tho Grossularia, from it, resem.
blancs to . green gooseherry in form.
size and color. Powdered Rsrnets are
often used for polishing snd cutting
other stones The powder 10 known
among lapidaries as red emery.
The turquoise, called in former times
turks or turkey stone. IL . light blu e
stone, sometimes translucent usually
opaque. It Is both oriental and occi.
dental; the former Is the best Il 10
never crystal 1t comes from Persia.
China, Arabia. Thibet Silesia and Sax
ony, and has been found in our West
ern Territories. 1t Il nearly one-haM
alumina. and strikes are with steel
There is . bone or fossil turquoise
found in Lapquedoc, France. Il II
called turquoise bricard. and is softer
than the oriental. f. -=.
In color the turquoise Is white. blue
and azure-blue and gresnish-blue. but
only tho hne blue stones are prixed.
Tho color of the stone IS subject te
change. particularly II brought in CON.
tact with musk, camphor or Other
scents and with acids, but some ancient
stones arc in existence that have not
changed color.
Tho turquoise is not very expensive
unless Of large size and nne color. It Il
the stone most frequently used BY the
Orientals for smulets, sentences from
the Koran being engraved ON them.
They also ornament pipes. dagger hilts.
1irdlcs, etc. With them.
Only few ancient engraved tur-
quoises are known; they are in cameo
and busts, and not in intagli In ancient
times the stone was thought to bring
health and good fortune 70 the wearer.
and many occult virtues were ascribed
to IL De Boot, who wrote in. 1909.
states that no gentleman thought him.
self properly attired in his time With.
out wearing fine turquoise. Singular
to say. he adds, that the ladies did not
wear them. In medieval times It was
supposed to change color - the state Of
health Of its owner chsnged.-Keystone
Her Eselmato a DnmnRoa.