The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-07-01

PRECIOUS JEWELS.
Ore Of the Most Serviceable and Populo.
Stones Is the Turquoise.

Ore Of the Most Serviceable and Popular
Stones Is the Turquoise.
There are few gems more commonly
seen in jewelry than the lovely blue
turquoise. Its beauty, its service, its
pleasing contrast with gold all explain
why it is so much preferred to other
ordinary stones.
Only few exceptionally fine speci-
mems of the stone rank with the rich
and rare gems" Much and widely as
the turquoise is used for personal adorn-
ment. the supply has for some time
considera bly, exceeded the demand. eX-
rept for fine stones of an uncommon
size. But. as is the case with all pre-
.ious stones. unusually large pieces of
this stone when of good quality, are
Eagerly sought after and have a very
high value.
The turquoise has been used as a gem
from very remote period. as it is most
olentifuliy found along the shores of
The Caspian sea, within the space be-
.ieved by many TO have been the cradle
Of the human I'd &c.
1t is asserted by historians that the
ancient Greciars used it in almost all
the finest ana most delicate of their
work in gold. Want Of certainty about
he name by which this stone was
snown in ancient times prevents our
being a BILE to tell what mystic virtues
we're attached to it. but in the middle
ages it was supposed to have wonderful
qualities. Indeed, it was credited with
many supernatural virtues.
The wearer of turquoise had his
strength increased and his sight pro-
,onged. If he happened to have a Sc
,ious fall the consequences were avert
I'd from him by the cracking and sub
sequent crum bling of the gem, and in
ease Of his illness at any time his tur
quoise became paler and paier, and if
It's possessor died lost its color entirely,
but recovered again on passing into the
hands of new owner. Other precious
gems seem Of late years to have lost all
claim to the former marvellous powers
ascribed to them. but the turquoise
still retains one of its mysterious prop
critics, ard parades it to the present
day.
Sometimes slowly, sometimes sud
denly. it turns pale. becomes spotted
and finally changes from blue to white,
and specimens of this kind are rare and
valuable.
Turouoises are found in Thibet. China
and Mount Sinai, but the handsomest
ones for jewellers purposes come from
Persian mines. They are found inn
bedded in masses of rock and the mines
are more than one hundred and fifty
feet deep, and many laborers are en-
ployed in them, the oldest of whom buy
the gems and sell them in turn to trav-
elers and merchants. Other men buy
the rough stones and polish them be-
fore selling. These, of course, com.
mand high prices.
The stones are divided into three
classes-first. second and third quail
ties. All stones of perfect color and
shape belong to the first class, but
tiny speck of green, which only con-
noisseur can detect, will consign hand
some stone to second-class matter
Then there is hat nndefinable proper.
ty of good turquoise. like the water
of diamond or the luster of pearl.
In a turquoise it is called ''zat" A fine
colored turquoise without the Eat is
not worth much. Among the finest
Jewels of the shah there is a fine tur-
quoise valued at four thousand dollars.
The third-claSS stones are those with
decided flaws and unstable in Persia.
The small prices offered for such there
are more than doubled by the time
they reach Europe. They are cut by
hand and polished on a fine-grained
sandstone. and then on piece of soft
leather with turquoise dust. 1t is quite
the fashiona BILE stone of the present
day, and when set with diamonds no
gem can equal it in beauty. An ultra
society woman is not, happy until she
is the possessor of such jewel.-Cin.
.cinnati Star-Sayings.