The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-03-16

FOR felicity-Legend Of the Kaab
stone-The Sacred signet Ring.
The orlentaps love Of luxury, splen
1or OF attire and personal adornmen
acts as strong incentive to the easter
teweler in the production Of those ex
quisitely carved and multic0Iored crea
tons over which the modern worlt
raves and marveis. Nor are such deco
rations mere ornaments without 0thel
use or meaning.
The oriental jeweler, seated upon III.
floor Of bis little shop, lnllallng the fra
grant odors OF bis pipe and coffee, con
ceIves his design and jealously envel
ops 1t with mysticism, adding to it the
quaint charm Of symbol and superstl.
tion. The bracelet, the earrings, the
necklace. the clasp, the buckle and the
button grow step by step into a special
ornament according to the rank,
means. tastes aud wants Of the wearer,
an evidence Of class and dignity.
Bracelets are by orientals worn in
pairs. Each hand is provided with one,
as otherwise jealousy Will spring up
between the manual members and evil
deeds VIII follow. Earrings are popu-
lar among both sexes In certain parts
OF the orient The ears are pierced at
birth. The perfOratlons are made un.
necessarily large 50 as not to permit
residue Of gossip. Then ornaments are
offered the ears as consolation. Neck
laces are worn most cOnspicuOusly to
avert the evil eye and to denote dig.
nifty and distinction. Festoon neck
laces seem to have been In vogue from
time immcmorial. and not infrequently
do they adorn the whole chest of the
wearer. In India the men often bor-
row their wives necklaces to decorate
themselves with. Masculine vanity Of
certain sects Of the Perslans far ex-
ceeds that of women, and. aside from
wearing earrings and necklaces, they
almost monopolize the tiny seed pearls
by strlnging them In their boards, each
hair being literally covered with lus-
trous pearl.
Beads are among the earliest forms
of ornaments and are considered po- |
tent charms for felicity. as these are
often cut and sold by priests or sheiks,
who maintain themselves solely by this
means. The pear shaped drop so much
In vogue in Europe and America is of /
oriental origin and has at
tached TO 1t quaint myth. The Kaa-
ba stone in Mecca has this peculiar
shape, and, according to the theory of
the M0hammedans, this stone was the
actual guardian angel who was sent to
watch over Adam in Eden and was
present at his fall. AS punishment
Tor not having more vigilantly exc
,uted his trust the angel was changed
nto stone and hurled from paradise.
Most Mohammedans wear pearl shaped
pendants made of wood or some pre-
'lous stone as a reminder of Allah's
wrath, and these are held among them
II the same esteem as is the cross
mong the Christians.
ArmletS are regarded as caste marks
nd are worn only by women. Anklets
ave healing power and so are worn
ot as ornaments only. Little tipkling
ellis are often attached to these, which
md pleasing sound to an approach
X step and serve to denote the SUI
erlority and rank of the wearer and
nus in passing render due homage.
n Arabian poet describes these as
the awakenerS Of dormant senses"
Rings are worn in great profusion
nd are made of all sorts of metals.
.owever, they invariably have ex-
uisitely carved or openwork shanks.
ven the stones have their symbols
nd are worn accordingly. In the
lent no prejudice exists against 4
,als.
Signet rings were of great importance
nong the earlier orlentals, and even
the present day letters are rarely
herwise signed by those who send
EN-. Thus the authenticity Of all
ders and communications even
erchants' bills, depends wholly upon
impression of a signet ring. The
cupation of the seal cutter is regard
as one of great trust and danger. r,
Ich person is obliged to keep a reg II
er OF every ring seal he makes, and
one be lost or stolen from the party
whom it was cut his life would =
swer for making another just like it.
e less Of a signet ring is regarded as
disastrous calamity, and the alarm
lieh an oriental exhibits ut the loss
the signet can only be understood
a reference to these circumstances.
the seal cutter is always obliged to
er the real date at which the seal
$ cut. The only resource Of a per-
| who has lost his seal is to have
other made with new date and to
lite to his correspondents to inform
m that all accounts, contracts and
to which his former
net is affixed are null from the day
which it was lost-Jewelers' Circu- o.