Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-06-02
Friday, June 2, 1922.
ROMANCE OF THE EMERALD
For Ages Has Held Place as the
Gem Of Spring.
STONE THAT.Is HELD To BEFLAHLEsS
Some Curious superstitions That
Have Hinged Around the Gem
Has Been Held In High Esteem In
Many Aaes and In Many Countries.


Has Been Held In High Esteem, In
Many Ages and In Many Countries
If Jack wishes to tell Jill how per-
feet she is, let him call her "fawless
emerald" Jill can remember that TINS
rule is plural in number; il she thinks
Jack approaches within shouting. dis
tance of perfection, she might en-
courage his wavering heart by using
the same expression. But the frst
user would probably need to explain
the why of the phrase which Is simply
this: en1eralds are invariably iiawed'
and a fawless one is so rare that its
value would easily overshadow N dia-
mond of the same weight ~
4, Pliny, the Roman, told q story OF
an emerald which must have been de-
fective. He does not say that 1t was
but the inference is present. The SELL
er, of course. might nave been suo-
denly conscience-st and disgust
ed with his mad. career of protiteering'
A flute player bought it for six gold
en- denarii.. Then the dealer returned
two of the coins and thereby fufhed
the purchasers temper. i~
5. "By Hercules!"S the man stormed.
HE has done me but a2bad turn in
this, for the Imerit of the store has
been greatly impaired by the ieduc-
tion in price"
Isn't human nature just like that to-
day? 'Hf III o.
Perhaps the most active advertiser
of the stone now is Ireland; but this
all depends on whether the sight of
the name in newspaper or margarine
brings to mind the term, 'Er'erald
Isle" Emeralds are not found /, Ire.
land, nor does the country derive its
pet name, from the greenness of the
grass or Negotiation. Pope, Adrian
gave King Henry II an emerald ring
as the instrument of his investiture
with the dominion of Ireland. If the
ring had been set with ruby, we
would probably be calling ST. Pat
rickIs home the RUBY Isle"
Emerald the Gem of Spring.
In ancient times the four seasons of
the year were each represented by a
stone. The emerald was the gem OF.
spring. To. the Romans it meant
freshness, growth, and the time when
Nature awoke from her long sleep
and arrayed herself in the garment of
gladness. u
There is no color SO nleasing, 70 the
eye as that of sthes semerald,' -Pliny|
wrote. Whoever delights in the YER
dure of herb and leaf must enjoy in
,finitely more the contemplation of
emeralds. No verdure can compare
with theirs. They are the only stones
that charm the eye without wearying
theme' 4
Pliny also praised the stone for its
soft green luster." Heliodcru5 pic
tured IT green as a mead'w in the
spring. Marbodeus. the poet, pre-.
ferred the verse over prose. 1t was he
who fashioned this little codplet:
"The emerald burns intensely bright
With radiance of an olive light"
Seal rings of emerald were popular,
for it was thought that the stone had
the power to strengthen sight.
"If the sight, the old wissacre,
Pliny, declared. has been wearied and
dimmed by intensive porine upon any
thing else. the beholding of this stone
doth refresh and restore it again. L
Emperor Moro, liked the idea, but he
improved upon it. He obtained
light-hued emerald to use as ayl3eye-
piece or sort of opera glass with which
to view the gladitorial contests. Ger
tain authorities say that Nero fokled
himself and that the supposed emer-
aid was really bit of rock crystal.
The old Romans were, somewhat
queer. They held that the stone ben
efted human eyes, but that it would
destroy n serpents sight Even in
medieval times they detained this be-
lief; and, moreover, it Nhad spread to
other peoples. In 1912 an Arabian
gem dealer conducted his own expert
ment
II took stick of wood" he wrote,
attached to the end piece of wax,
and embedded my emerald in this. 7
then brought it near the viper's eyes.
The reptile was strong end vigorous
and even raised its head out of the
vessel, but as soon as 1 approached
the emerald to its eyes, | heard
slight crepitation and saw that the
eyes were protruding and dissolving
into a humor. After this the vipef was
dazed and confused. I had expected
that it would spring from the vessel
but it moved uneas!ly hther and
thither without knowing which way to
turn. All its agility was lost and its
restless movement soon ceased"
supfrstitions of the Romans.
The serpent was regarded as an
evil creature by the Romans who also
believed that nothing evil could re-
main in the presence of the emerald
They deemed the jewel n revealer of
falsehood and treachery. They thought