The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-11-27
GOSSIP ABOUT GEMS.
How EnEravers on stone Worked In u

How EnEravers on STONE Worked In the
Olden Time.
Stones were engraved in the days Of
Horace. They were largely done By
hand with diamond points. like glaciers
diamonds, tho deeper and larger parts
Of the work were executed with drill.
Emery powder was used, but tho wheel
and lathe did not come into use until
the time Of tho byzantine epoch. 1t has
been conjectured that the artists, in ex-
ccuting minute work, used lenses, or,
more probably, globes filled with water.
In the time OF Francis l., Matteo del
Nassaro, Of Vienna, cut out the Cruel
ixion on heliotropc, SO that tho rcd
spots seemed drops Of blood issuing from
the wounds Of tho Saviour. Jacomo da
Trezzo (1567) was the first to ongrave on
diamond, though the honor has been dis
puted with him. A noted head Of Nero
was engraved on diamond by one OF
the Castanzi in 1890.
The earliest instance Of an engraved
gem is the emerald ring Of Polycrates,
TAO B. c. Classic history informs us
that Helen, Ulysses and Pythagoras
wore engraved rings. The father Of tho
latter, Mnesarchos, was noted engrav-
er Of gems. Orestes, in the tragedies,
was recognized as the son Of Agamem-
non by the engraved ring which he wore.
Gems, to be used as seals, were en-
graved at an early age OF the world. A
square singet Of yellow jasper, engraved
about 1850 Il. c., is in the possession Of
the British Museum. 1t has engraved
upon it the horse, and the name and
titles Of Amenophis II. Herodutus in
forms us that the Ethiopians engraved
signcts. In Judoa the breast-plate Of
the high priest was adorned with twelve
precious stones, with tho names of the
twelve tribes engraved upon them.
Strange to say, however, no Hebrew-en-
graved gems older than the fifth CEN
fury are known to exist. The Bactrians
and tho Hindoos are the other Oriental
nations of antiquity that engraved
gems. The Chinese, early in their his
tory. used gems. soapstone, and porce-
lain for seals. with devices in relief.
In old times the engravers selected
stones that harmonized in colors with
their designs Bacchanalian subjects
were engraved on amethysts, marine
subjects on beryls, rural ones on green
jasper, warlike ones on carnelians, sards
and red jasper, and celestial ones on
chalcedonies. In modern times as high
as 81, 900 has been paid to the engraver
of celebrity for one cameo.
The ancients placed an immense value
on their gems. In looking up the sub
iect find the following quotations: The
pearl given to Servillia by Julius
Caesar was valued at $4,000; the gems
on tho scabbard of Mithridates were
valued at $37, $50; the value OF tho pearl
swallowed by Cleopatra is placed at
sa5, 900; the gems worn by Lolita Paul
ina, the wife of Cligula, were valued at
s1,60O,00
It is said that the Grand Duchess OF
collection of jewels in the world. The
finest emeralds belong to the house Of
Austria. The finest and largest tur-
quoises and pearls are among the crown
Jewels of Russia, and the finest sap
phires known are among the crown
jewels of England. Among the crown
jewels of Bavaria is parure OF pink
diamonds that would command fabu-
lous sum.
Princely gems have been bestowed at
royal weddings. The gifts preseated to
Mile. d'Albe, neice Of the ex-Empress
Eugene, were valued at $1,000, 900, The
Earl of Dudley presented to Miss Mon.
crieffe, while yet betrothed to him, a
bracelet of fifty precious stones and a
diamond diadem which was worth $780,
900. On their wedding morning he pre-
scented her with q necklace of five rows
of pearls of enormous value. Mile. Le-
jeune, on her marriage to the Prince OF
Chimay, among other jewels, received a
necklace with an outer circle of forty
two large brilliants, with inner circles
each of which contained thirty seven
brilliants, a magnificent emerald form.
ing the medallion, and three superb
brilliants the pendants. When Murat
took refuge in Corsica, after tho battle
of Waterloo. he had two diamonds worth
$4,000 in his pockets, while the dia-
monds in his hat-band were worth SlS..
600, and those on his epaulets were
worth SIC, ZOO. -keystone.