The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-01-09
THE TURQUOISE.
Its Talismanic Power Over Evil
Influences = The Two
Varieties.

a greater reputation for talisinanic
power over evil Influences than the
turquoise, and the origin of much of
the legendary lore connected with 1T
is the we'll authenticated fact thai the
color of the stone changes under GER
tain climatic influences, giving rise to
the superstition, most firmly believed
in by many, even to the present day,
that as its owner sickened 1t grew
pale. lost its color entirely at his
death, but recovered its beauty II
placed again ON the finger OF u new
and healthy proprietor. Be that
as it may, the many cases in
which this popularity has been
observed in connection with the
wearers of Turquoise has established
such a belief in its infallibility that 1T
is beyond the power of the skeptic,
with his ''merely a coincidence, to
disturb the faith of the combined pos
SCISSOR of ''ideality" and a turquoise in
'the virtue of his amulet
There are two kinds Of turquoise
the Oriental or Eastern, aud the Occi-
dental or Western. The former Is far
the most valuable, and is principally
found in Persia, the Shah
having the finest collection
of cut and uncut gems in the world.
IL was through the spoils brought
home by the Macedonian soldiers
from their Persian campaigns that
the Greeks became aware of the ex-
istence of this beautiful stone, the
dishes and goblets of gold and even
the armor being perfectly studded
with these gems. Amongst the Ma
hommedans it is highly priced asan
amulet, it being readily engraved.
They have a secret process OF inlay
ing their engravings with gold, which
much enhances their beauty-the sa-
cred name of "Allahn being their fa-
vorite inscription, or some short verse
from the Koran. The Western tur-
quoise is found in Siberia and France,
and is composed OF the petritied bones
and teeth of antediluvian animals
tinged by copper oxide, which sup
plies it with its cerulean hue. The
osseous structure Of this species can
be readily detected through the mi
croscope.
In the middle ages there was a Curl
Gus superstition connected with the
turquoise, which was that it took
upon itself the consequences of any
fall that might happen to the owner,
and, in illustration of this, the Rev.
w. G. King relates that a certain
Spaniard possessed a very fine large
turquoise of magnificent color, which
he wore as a ring. After his death
his effects were sold by auction, m
this ring was put up for sale, but it
was so lustreless and faded that no
one believed 1t to be the same stone,
and it was sold for some trifling
sum to a gentleman, who presented
it to his son, saying:-'"The ira
dition runs that for a turquoise to ex-
hibit its power it must be presented
by the owner in his own house-so l
give it to you.n The son, seeing it so
lustreless, yet admiring the setting"
took it to a lapidary and ordered his
coat of arms to be engraved upon it.
Shortly after this was done everybody
noticed the gradual improvement of
color, until at last it regained its
pristine lustre; but more wonderful
still, he goes or to say that he vas
twice thrown from his horse and mir
aculously escaped broken bones, al
though on each occasion the turquoise
was broken, necessitating the stone
being recut and the setting altered.
Some Household Directions OF lODO.
Read these directions for the right
ordering of a household, written in
1890, by no less a parsonage than
Lord Algernon Percy, Earl of North
umberland:-
Let the loaves of trencher bread
be larger than the loaves of house
hold bread, and let the clippings of
all bread serve for my hounds.
Let there be 40 herbs bought, see
ing that the cooks have enow herbs
growing in my own gardens. Suck
DRY, sowthistle and dent-de-lyon. herb
and root, are to be boiled with fresh
meat. With beans boil onions; it will
make them less noyfuL.
Bake my bread in mine own oven,
making it of meal as it cometh
from the milne, and brew my
beer in my own brew houses;
and make my mustard within
my walls, and see that one be provid-
ed to be groom of the scullery that
can make it.
"(iive twenty shillings-not more
o less-to the cooks on Easter Sun
day.
Bring all keys of all offices up to
my counting room every day when
the latter dinner is done; let them be
fetched again at three to serve out
the drinkings (the beer and SO on an
swering TO our tea and coffee) and let
them be brought up again and remain
up ali night until the morning.
Buy white herring. if they be at
ten shillings the barrel. Open white
herrings by the back; pick but the