The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-07-19
GOSSIP ABOUT GEMS.
How Enrravers on stone Worked In the
Olden Time.

| How Enrravcrs on Stone worked In the
Oiden Time.
Stones were engraved in the days OF
Horace. They we're largely done by
hand with diamond points, like GLACIERS
diamonds, the deeper and larger parts
of the work were executed with drill.
Emery powder was used, but the wheel
and lathe did not come into use until
the time of the Byzantine epoch. 1t has
been conjectured that the artists, In ex-
ecuting 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 Cruci-
fixion on heliotrope, so that the red
spots seemed drops Of blood Issuing from
J the wounds of the Saviour. Jacomo da
| Trezzo (1567) was the first to engrave 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 1700.
The earliest instance of an engraved
gem is the emerald ring Of Polycrates,
TAO B. G. Classic history informs us
that Helen, Ulysses and Pythagoras
wore engraved rings. The father Of the
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 145O B. c., is in the possession Of
the British Museum. 1t has engraved
IA II nd
titles of Amenophis III. Herodutus in
forms us that the Ethiopians engraved
signets. In Judea the breast-plate Of
the high priest was adorned with twelve
precious stones, with the names of the
twelve tribes engraved upon them.
Strange to say, however, no Hebrew-en-
graved gems older than the fifth CEN
tury are known to exist. The Bactrians
and the 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, 600 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
Cesar was valued at $4,000; the gems
on the scabbard of Mithridates were
valued at S37, $50; the value of the pearl
swallowed by Cleopatra is placed at
Se5, 900; the gems worn by Lolita Paul
ina the wife of Cligula, were valued at
81 100000.
1t is said that the Grand Duchess of
Saxon-Weimar owns the most perfect
collection of Jewels in the world. The
finest emeralds belong to the house of
Austria. The finest and largest tur-
ouoises 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 presented to
Mile. d'Albe, neice of the ex-Empress
Eugenie, were valued at $1,000, 600. 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,
600. On their wedding morning he pre-
sented her with necklace of five rows
of pearls of enormous value. Mile. Le-
ieune, 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, magnificent emerald form
ing the medallion, and three superb
brilliants the pendants. When Murat
took refuge in Corsica, after the battle
of Waterloo, he had two diamonds worth
$40, 900 in his pockets, while the dia-
monds in his hat-band were worth $1S,-
900, and those on his epaulets were
worth $40. .OOO.-KeyStone,