The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-09
THE PRECIOUS STONES.
Ancient Superstitions in Regard to
Certain Gems.
Modern Society.

Modern Society.
As England and her visitors have of late
been fairly dazzled with precious stones, 1t
Is not impossible that the ancient super
sut1onS in regard to gems may to some ex-
tent be revived among the overcredulous
Many and quaint were these ancient super
sttlons The Romans firmly believed that
the diamond worn on the left arm would
keep away all Nightmares and ward off in
sanity. Moreover, before drinking wine
from a strange hand they would glance at
their diamond first to see if it were clear
or clouded and moist-the latter state DEM
onstratinS plainly the presence of poison
In the cup.
In many nations the royal diamond has
been regarded as the dwelling place of the
spirit or the king. Especially in regard to
the koh-i1Noor was this the case. and
when 1t fell into the possession of the Brit
ism crown the people Of India gave up all
hope of retaining their ancient kingdom.
The ruby has many virtues, according to
the superstitious. 1t protected dwellings
from tempest and from the encroachments
OF ants. 1t also strengthened the faith of
lovers. Like cures like, so that If ruby lips
they are named prevents them from doing
So But We suspect that this superstition
arose out of woman's very natural desire
that her lover should buy rubieS for her
TO keep her faithful to him.
The sapphire cures boils, heals the blind
and extinguishes fires; This last power is
much discounted by the fact that Richard
de Prestons famous sapphire, which was
hung in old st. Paul's Cathedral, persisted
there In the fire, instead of putting it out.
But then we do not know whether its virtue
may not have been spent in curing many
boils and weak eyes. A sapphire cannot do
everything.
The emerald, like the sapphire, has the
power Of restoring sight, but with serpents
IL possesses the faculty of binding them.
The emerald is better even than the ruby
for keeping, or rather testing, the faith of
lovers. There is verse which runs:
1t is a gem which hath the power to show
If plighted lovers keep their faith or no.
If faithful, 1t is like the leaves of spring;
If faithless. like those leaves when wither-
ing.
Under such conditions a man would be a
fool to present his sweetheart with an en-
erald; hence the superstition was not in
vented by the women.
The topaz is perhaps the most marvellous
of gems. 1t will enable you to fail from a
height of hundreds of feet without hurting
yourself, because it attracts to itself the
stops bleeding. So will most stones-in a
tourniquet. 1t reduces boiling water to
blood heat in two seconds. This in itself
wonderful, too, in that it prevents people
getting drunk. But this may be taken in
two senses. Does this gem create a dis
like for strong drink, or does il enable one
and then go out to take the morning air?
But if the foregoing gems are wonderful,
the crystal is the most occult of all. 1t has
been used from time immemorial for the
purpose of seeing visions, and in the pres
ent day, especially in America, crystal-gaz-
ing is pretty trade. Perhaps the most ia
nous magic crystal is that of DR.. Dee and
Edward Kelly, preserved to this day in the
Ashmolean museum. 1t is said that even
Queen Bess sought unto these wizards that
did peep and mutter-and on weighty mat
tiers of state, too. OF course, the crystal
cures insanity. 1t is strange what num-
Der Of gems do that. Are we to infer, then,
that the believers in this extraordinary
virtue never possessed any of these gems?
Or, if they possessed them, why in the
name of all that is occult did not they apply
the cure they so strongly believed in?