The state capital., 1891-08-29
THE CAT'S-EYE.
Interesting Facts Abou. n Singular-Look-
Gam.

Interesting Facts Abou. q Singular-Look-
ing Gem.
That curious gem, the cats-eye' =
second cEly to the diamond n the esti-
nation Of the Hindoos, as they dcvontly
believe that each stone is Inhabited oy
some good spirit or familiar demon ana
that the possession Of fine specimen
confcrs upon the owner exemption from
she 'chill of po7ertv.' 1t IS, moreover
credited with being the guardian Of It's
owners wealth, which is constantly on
the increase 50 long as he retains pos
session of the stone; but, should ne De
induced to sell or barter it away, ma
lignant fate will pursue him ever AFTER
Nor can we feel surprised that people
SO imaginative and superstitlous as tne
Hindoos should regard this peculiar
stone, with its shifting light and mys-
terious cleaning, with mixture Of
wonder and awe. The Moors and the
inhabitants Of MaIabar from the re-
motest times, have held this stone in
the highest veneration, and in common
with most eastern nations have worn
it as an amulet sure to secure rlches 70
the fortunate pOssessor The hnest are
found in Ceylon, the Singhalesc, out OF
their veneration of the monkey, often
carving these stones to resemble mon
keys face, taking advantage Of the va
rying lights and colors Of the stone to-
secure grotesque likeness to the orig
inal. This stone is also found in the
Hartz mountains, in Bavaria. and IN
parts Of the United States and IS sup
posed by some to be a species Of slllcl-
fed wood.
The cat's-eyeis sometimes confounded
by amateurs with certain beautlfui
iridized agates, which come from Arabia
and Persia and strongly resemble it;
but the colors of the agates are gener-
ally brighter, and will bear no compar-
ison, on close inspection, with the real
thing either in regard to beauty or
value. The cat's-eyeis of various colors,
ranging from light yellow through all
shades Of brown and from an apple
green to the deepest olive. Occasion
ally they are found nearly black The
value Of this stone is determined ac
cording to the brilliancy of the line
which should run evenly across the mid
defined, the price ranging from fifty
dollars to five hundred dollars. There
are, however, large and exceptionally
fine specimens that have fetched as mucf
five thousand dollars These valuable
cats-eyes are known amongst lapldarie
as chrysoberyl to distinguish them iron
an inferior quartz variety that can b
purchased readily for a few dollars
This stone is always cut in conve
form and Of long cyal, which en-
hances not only it's beauty, by continln
the opalescent streak Of life to the Ger
ter. but adds materially to it's resen
blance to the living eye Of the ca
from which it derives its name.
This gem is rarely found in large
pieces than hazelnut, although in tn
Marlborough collection there is
superb specimen, one and one-hal
inches high, carved into the form OF
lions head, the artist having skillfull
availed himself of the varied shades {
light and color, alternating with ever
movement impaired by the holder, an
giving to it an appearance OF lie an
reality which has most weird effet
upon the spectator. Another magni
cent specimen is in the South Kenslns
ton museum, and was once the propert
of the king Of Handy (Ceylon). This
said to be be the largest known. III
cat's-eye is great favorite anon
the "curled darlings'' of the Englis
upper ten, and is generally worn su
rounded by small brilliants either as
ring, stud or -pin.-Chicago Time