Precious Stones and Gems: Their History and Distinguishing Characteristics

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Chapter I.— II

III.—

IV.—

1»

—Definition of the Term

"Precious Stone" or Gem

I

—Where Precious Stones are

FOUND ^.

—Precious Stones and their

USES in Bygone Times

—The Working of Precious

Diamond Cutting ... ... 24

The Forms of Precious Stone

I. The Brilliant

2. The Rose

3. Indian Cut

4. Point Cut

5. Portrait Stones ...

6. Step Cut ...

7. Convex Stones ...

Stone Engraving ...,

The Burning of Precious Stones..

The Dyeing of Precious Stones,.

— Precious Stones as Object s

OF Commerce

The first known application c

)f

Diamonds for Ornaments

SECTION II — DIAMQNDS. PAGES. CHAPTER L— The Diamond ... 4^

The Origin of the Diamond ... 65

„ II. — South African Diamonds ... 72

„ III. — Brazilian Diamonds 92

„ IV. — Indian Diamonds 104

V. — Borneo Diamonds 120

VI. — Australian Diamonds 124

VII. — The Diamonds of the United

„ VIII. — Coloured Diamonds, Blue, Red,

>i and Green

... • . •

„ IX.— BoRT AND Carbonado

... ...

„ X. — ^Value of Rough Diamonds

Section Iii— Coloured Stones

... ...

CHAPTER 1.— The Ruby

Burma Rubies

*•• ...

Siam Rubies

... ...

Ceylon Rubies

... ...

Rubies from other Localities

„ II. — The Ruby Mines of Bu

RMA

„ III. — The Author's Connexion with

THE Ruby Mines of Burma...

„ IV. — The Sapphire

Siam Sapphires ...

Burma Sapphires ...

Cashmere Sapphires

Ceylon Sapphires

Montana Sapphires

Sapphires from other Localities...

Ill

PAGES

CHAPTER v.-

-Star Stones u

VI.-

--Spinel and Balas Rubies

VII.-

The Emerald Mines of Egypt...

>iVIII.-

—The True or Oriental Cat's

Eye (Chrysoberyl)

If

IX.-

-Thf Opal

XI.-

The Persian Turquoise Mines

Bone Turquoise, &c

SECTIONIV —PRECIOUS and semi-precious STONES.

CHAPTER I.— The Agate ...

••• ••• ...

II. — Amazonite

••• ••• •••

>i

III. — Amber

... ... ...

j»

IV.— Amethyst

. . • • • • .

n

V. — Andalusite ...

... ... •••

VI. —Aquamarine or

VII. — Avanturine...

... ••• •••

VIII. — Bloodstone ...

... ••• •••

>i

IX. — Carnelian ...

... .•• •••

X. — Chrysoberyl

XI. — Chrysoprase

••• ... •••

XII. — Crocidolite

••• ••• •••

XIII.— Euclase

XIV. Garnet, Carbuncle, and Cinnamon Stone

... ... •••

IV

PAGES

CHAPTER XV. Hematite...

... ••• ...

f9

XVI. — HiDDENITE

... ... ...

XVII.— lOLlTE ...

••• ... •••

XVIII.— Jade

... ... ...

XIX. — Jasper ...

... ••• .

XX. — Labrador

••• ••• ••• l>

XXI. — Lapis Lazuli

.99 ... ...

XXII. — Moonstone,

Selenite, and

SUNSIONE

•• • •••

XXIII. MOROXITE

••• ••• •••

>l

XXIV.— Obsidian

••• ••• •••

3"

XXV. — Oriental Onyx

)9

XXVI. — Peridot or Chrysolite l>

XXVIL— Phenakite

••• ••• ••• l>

XXVIII.— Quartz Cat's

Eye

>l

XXIX.— Rock Crystal

*... ••• ...

3^9

W

XXX. — Sphene ...

l>

XXXI. — Spodumene

IJ

XXXII. Topaz ...

y}

XXXIII.— Tourmaline

XXXIV. — Zircon, Jarcjoon or Hyacinth

APPENDICES

33^

... ... ...

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Portrait of the Author... •.. ... ... Frontispiece,

Sizes of Brilliants Facing page 24

Cape Diamond in Matrix ... ... ... „ 72

Crystal of White Cape Diamond ... „ 80

Crystal of Yellow Cape Diamond ... „ 88

Brazilian Diamond in Matrix (Conglomerate) „ 96

Blue Diamonds „ 136

Sapphire in the Matrix ... ... ... „ 192

Sapphire Mines of Cashmere „ 195

Rough Montana Sapphires and Rubies... „ 200

The South American Emerald in Matrix „ 216

Chrysoberyl Cat's Eye, in the rough ... „ 228

Queensland Opal in the Matrix... ... „ 240

Turquoise, in the Matrix ... ... „ 248

Crystals of Quartz, Amethyst,

Aquamarine, Garnet ... „ 256

Crystals of Brazilian Topaz ... ... „ 328

South African Diamond (as tail piece to Chat, II.) 91

CORRIGENDA.

Page 184, line 4. — For " Mr. Crostwaithe," read "Mr. (now Sir Charles) Crosthwaite."

Page 218, line 22. — From " the late Mr. Greville Williams'' omit •' the late.'"

TO THE READER.

pANY works have been written on the fascinating subject of PRECIOUS Ston es. Authorities on authorities, from remote antiquity to our own day, have been cited as to their value, their uses, and their properties. But, notwithstanding all that has been written, I have arrived at the deliberate conviction, that, as a merchant and dealer engaged for forty-five years in the purchase and sale of gems, I might serviceably offer to the public much information regarding the nature, the sources, and the value of these stones. A practical and popular guide to those who have an interest in ascertaining the genuineness and value of Precious Stones cannot fail to be generally useful.

As an illustration of the difficulties of the subject, it may be stated that Professor A. H. Church, in a lecture delivered before the Society of Arts on April 6lh, 1881, pointed out a number of errors in the identification of a collection of Precious Stones which had been exhibited for years at the South Kensington Museum, although the official description of these stones had been confided to a well-known professor of mineralogy and expert in gems. I

Vll have reason to believe that other collections, on the Continent, if not in this country, contain many specimens of Precious Stones erroneously named.

in the division of family jewels much injustice is often done by persons incompetent to form a correct opinion of their values. A study of this work may serve to demonstrate the difficulty of an accurate discrimination. In all cases, whether for valuation or for probate, it would be wise to submit the jewels to a practised judge, and it is obviously inexpedient to leave the decision to some house agent or mutual friend.

A lady had bequeathed to her some family jewels, consisting of a Sapphire and Diamond suite. As they had passed probate several times, and been valued by one of the first jewellers of the day, there was no doubt in the mind of the legatee of the genuineness of the Sapphires. On being applied to in relation to their value, I had the unpleasant duty of pronouncing the " Sapphires " to be only paste. Had they been genuine they would have realised from ;£'30,ooo to ;^40,ooo.

One often sees the Spinel and the Balas — the one a lively poppy-red, and the other a violet-rose — usurping the dignity of the true Ruby ; and yet the pure Ruby of ten carats is almost beyond valuation, while the other stones, called by the same name, are of only trifling value.

A gem should be a real possession, capable of affording pleasure to the wearer and the spectator, and, with fair usage, retaining an intrinsic and marketable value, undiminished by lapse of time. I have sometimes seen in wear gems so scratched that their lustre has been seriously impaired, and a suspicion was thus excited in the minds of wearers, friends, and dealers, that there was a defect in

VI 11 the hardness of the stones, and consequently in their genuineness. If mounted stones are carelessly kept together and allowed to rub against each other, the Diamonds will inevitably scratch all the other stones, and thus disfigure them. It may be worth while to point out that a small sum expended in re-polishing such stones would restore their original lustre, revive the pleasure derived from the possession of them, and prevent the risk of their being sold as paste or imitation jewelry.

In determining the value of gems, it must be borne in mind that a perfect stone is rarely met with ; and that probably, not even ten per cent, of the stones which are brought into commerce are really of fine quality. In the mineral kingdom, as in other departments of Nature, perfection is almost unknown.

Much study and attention will be required to attain a knowledge of the properties and appearance of gems ; but the subject, so far from being unattractive, is to most persons of' culture one of singular interest.

With objects such as those referred to above, I am publishing the present volume, which is the fifth edition of the original work ; and I hope that in the revised and enlarged form, which it now presents, it may be of some service to those who have occasion to handle Precious Stones as a matter of business, and to the public in general.

It must be borne in mind that this book is not intended to be a strictly scientific treatise, but rather a practical work for those who, whether in the trade or among the public at large, desire to obtain some knowledge of the general characteristics of Precious Stones and Gems.

1 X

In conclusion, I trust that the Goldsmiths' Company, as fathers of the trade, will ere long throw open their fine suite of rooms in Foster Lane, and will not only establish a comprehensive library of books bearing on the study of jewelry, but by giving gratuitous Lectures on Precious Stones and Precious Metals, will offer that aid to the younger members of our trade, which is necessary for a proper understanding of their daily business. To this Company we must also look for aids to the more general appreciation of fine art jewelry, by affording favourable opportunities for exhibitions, and by awarding prizes, similar to those offered by the Turners' Company. This would give an impetus to study to those engaged in jewelry-work, and would enable the public to obtain a more accurate knowledge of, and to take a deeper interest in, a subject which has hitherto remained the property of an exclusive few.

The legacies bequeathed to the Goldsmiths' Company by the famous goldsmiths and jewellers of the iSth, i6th, and 17th centuries, which have since increased in value to an extent almost, inconceivable, without doubt were intended for some such purposes as those to which I have referred. I find that so early as 141 5, a celebrated goldsmith. Sir Drugo Barentine, who was Lord Mayor of London in 1398, and again in 1408, gave " faire lands " to this Company. At the present day, when so much public attention is being devoted to the spread of technical education, it behoves us to sec that the young goldsmith and jeweller is not neglected.

PREFACE OF THE FIFTH EDITION.

■ INCE the publication of the last edition of this work, our knowledge of the sources of many Precious Stones, especially of the Ruby and Sapphire, has been very largely extended. The famous Ruby districts of Upper Burma, closed for ages to the Western World, have been thrown open to commercial enterprise and scientific investigation. This important subject will be found to be discussed in the following pages with a fulness not obtainable elsewhere ; much of the matter in the chapters on the Ruby Mines of Burma having never been previously made public.

Nor are the Burma Rubies the only gem-stones about which our knowledge has been recently enlarged. Discoveries of Sapphires and Rubies have been made in certain parts of Siam, and Cashmere has come to be recognised as Sapphire-producing country. On these subjects the latest available information will be found in the present edition ; whilst in connection with many other Precious Stones much additional and original matter has been added wherever necessary. A description of the Sapphire Mines of Montana has been written since my visit to the locality last December.

XI

Stimulated by the marked encouragement which my labours had previously received, I have endeavoured to make the volume in its present form still more worthy of its popularity ; and with this view, have subjected the entire work to a searching revision.

The early editions of this work contained a chapter on " Celebrated Diamonds," but that portion has been omitted in recent issues, in consequence of my having written a special work on the subject In 1882 I published a volume of some 320 pages under the title of " The Great Diamonds of the World ; their History and Romance." This work, which was most favourably received by the press, is now out of print.

In the earlier editions of my " Precious Stones " there was also a chapter on " Pearls." Some years ago I was induced to send my two sons on a visit to the various Pearl fisheries of the world. The information which I received from them was of so interesting a character, that my attention was forcibly directed to the entire subject of Pearls, and I soon accumulated far too much matter for introduction into a general volume on Precious Stones. Under these circumstances I set myself the task of writing a separate work, devoted entirely to Pearls. This appeared in 1886, under the title of " Pearls and Pearling Life;" and was so well received as to be at present out of print.

Notwithstanding the omission of any notice of Great Diamonds or of Pearls, it will be found that the bulk of the present edition of this work exceeds that of any of the preceding editions, a sufficient proof of the quantity of new matter which has been introduced in connexion with other subjects.

With these additions and improvements, the present edition is sent forth in the conscientious belief that it contains an amount of infoimation on Precious Stones — partly scientific and partly practical — not to be found in any other work in the English language.

1 cannot close this preface without acknowledging my obligations to Mr. W. S. Lockhart for his valuable description of the Ruby mines of Burma (pp. i68 to 176) and to Mr. E. B. Floyer for hU interesting account of the ancient Emerald Mines of Egypt (pp. 222 to 226). I am also pleased to acknowledge the aid which I have received from Mr. F. W. Rudler, Curator of the Museum of Practical Geology, in Jermyn Street, whose mineralogical knowledge has always been cheerfully placed at my service when difficulties of a scientific character have arisen.

lionef Street, London, Febntary, 1892.

Section I. Precious Stones In General

CHAPTER I.

DEFINITION OF THE TERM PRECIOUS STONE OR GEM.

rMONG the infinitely diversified products of Inoi^anic Nature, there are certain mineral substances which form a small class by themselves— standing apart from all others by the possession of such exceptional characters that they have always attracted the attention of persons endowed with taste and refinement. These minerals — the very aristocracy of the Inorganic World — are distinguished as Precious Stones.

The characters which have commended these stones in all ages, for purposes of personal ornament, arc chiefly their brilHahcy and colour, their durability and rarity. It is not sufficient, however, that a stone should possess only one of these characteristics. The mineralogist is familiar

••• •

2 DeJIjiiiion of the Term Precious Stone or Gem,

.•• with .jniany stones that are exquisite in colour, yet far too soft.fo^''^G used for the practical purpose of decoration ; on the'other hand, there nnay be stones of exceeding hardness atrd durability, yet destitute of any beauty of colour or /"^..lustre, and therefore unfitted for personal adornment, f '//•'Colour alone is by no means a necessary property in a . ./ precious stone: the diamond, for example, though presenting in some of its varieties every known tint, may be absolutely destitute of colour ; nevertheless, it possesses the power of breaking up the rays of light which fall upon it, or pass into its substance, into rainbow-like tints of transcendent beauty. The perfect diamond, in fact, unites the properties of the most opposite elements — combining the purity of water with the flash oifire.

Precious Stones are frequently known also as Gems. It should be borne in mind, however, that this term is sometimes restricted by collectors of works of art to engraved stones — that is, to camei and intagli, especially those which have come down to us from classical antiquity or from mediaeval times. It may, therefore, be convenient, in order to avoid confusion, to refer to the precious minerals themselves as Gem-sto?ies rather than as Gems.

It is difficult to arrange the various Precious Stones in the order of their relative value, that order being subject to occasional variation according to the caprice of fashion or the rarity of the stones. Nevertheless it is believed that the following scheme, in which all Precious Stones are grouped in five classes, fairly indicates the relative rank which they take at the present day.

I. The Pearl stands pre-eminent. It is true that this substance, being the product of a mollusc or shell-fish, is not strictly a mineral. It is, however, so intimately related in many ways with the family of true Precious

Definition of the Term Precious Stone or Gem, 3

Stones that it properly claims a place in any classification such as that under discussion.

II. In the second class, and therefore at the head of the group of Precious Stones proper, stands beyond all doubt the Ruby.

III. Then comes the Diamond. Many readers may be surprised to find the Diamond taking so subordinate a rank ; but the time has gone by when this stone could claim a supreme position in the market. At the present day the Jagersfontein Mine, in South Africa, produces Diamonds of pure water rivalling the finest stones that were ever brought to light from the mines of India or ot Brazil.

IV. In the fourth class comes first the Emerald, then the Sapphire, next the Oriental Cat's Eye, and afterwards the Precious Opal.

V. In the fifth class may be placed such stones as the Alexandrite, the Jacinth, the Oriental Onyx, the Peridot, the Topaz, and the Zircon. Some of these, especially the Alexandrite, are so beautiful that they deserve a more extended use in the arts of jewelry than they enjoy at present.

After these stones comes another class, which may be called the group of Semi-^precims Stones, Many of these either lack transparency, or possess it in only very limited degree ; while those which are pellucid are too common to command more than a trivial value. Such stones are frequently used for inlaid work, or similar ornamental purposes, rather than for personal decoration. As examples of such stones may be cited the Agate, Malachite and Rock-crystal.

That branch of Mineralogy which deals with Precious Stones is known in Germany under the special name of

4 Definition of tlie Term Precious Stone or Gem.

Edelsteinkunde, But neither in this country nor in France does it possess any distinctive title. Perhaps it may be best designated in English as " The Science of Jewelry. '* So far from being a trivial or frivolous study, the Science of Jewelry implies a knowledge of all the properties and peculiarities of Precious Stones, such as their physical and chemical properties ; the relation they bear to other minerals ; their shape and structure ; their defects and impurities. This science must, therefore include a competent knowledge of Crystallography, Physics. Chemistry, and Geology. Such knowledge in its entirety cannot be expected to be found outside the laboratory or the cabinet of the mineralogist. There are, however, several comparatively simple means of great value for the identification of Precious Stones, and as these admit of application without any profound knowledge of mineralogy they are given in an Appendix to the present work.

Chapter II, Where Precious Stones Are Found

■RT is a familiar fact that Organic Nature does not present an equal development of life in every part of the world. Each country— or at least each zone of climate — has its own fauna and flora — its peculiar assemblage of animals and plants. No one needs to be reminded that the animals and plants of the tropics are widely diflferent from those of temperate zones, while these again ■differ from those of the Polar regions. But when we turn to the Inorganic world, we fail to detect any similar laws of distribution. Climate, so far as we know, is without sensible effect on the development of minerals and rocks. Many minerals are common to the hottest and the coldest parts of the world ; yet they present no discernible difference whether brought from tropical or from Polar regions. It is true that occasionally there are slight local differences in crystallization, or in other physical characters, sufficient to enable an experienced mineralc^ist to say at once from what district a given mineral has been obtained. But these trivial differences are due rather to geological than to geographical conditions; and the assertion may be confidently repeated

6 Where Precious Stones are Found.

that climatic influences have nothing whatever to do with the distribution of minerals.

Nor is this general rule in any way broken by those exceptional minerals which we distinguish as Precious Stones. It was a pardonable supposition of ancient writers on gems that these beautiful productions of the mineral world should be mainly confined to tropical countries. What more natural than the conjecture that those favoured regions which gave birth to gaily-coloured birds and gorgeous butterflies and flowers of surpassing loveliness should also produce minerals of the rarest brilliancy and beauty ! Yet such a supposition is purely fanciful.

Precious Stones, in truth, are not confined to definite geographical limits or to particular climates, but occur abundantly and in about equal perfection in all latitudes. Nor do the gem stones of one country necessarily differ from those of other parts of the world. The Diamonds of India, for example, are hardly, if at all, to be distinguished, when polished, from those found in the Ural mountains, or in Brazil, or at the Jagersfontein Mine in South Africa. The Emerald of New Granada, again, is. much the same as that which is found in Upper Egypt or at Katharinenburg, in the Urals. The Beryl of Siberia has proved no unequal rival to that of Brazil, and the Amethysts of the Bavarian Palatinate equal those found in the most favoured spots of South America.

It is not, indeed, the geographical position which determines the difference between the relative values of the sites ; nevertheless it is an acknowledged fact that in India, Burma, Ceylon, and Brazil, and of late years in South Africa^ in Siam, and in some of the Western States oT America^ larger gems and a greater abundance of them have been

Where Precious Stones are Found, j

discovered than elsewhere. Australia may, some day, prove a formidable rival to these localities.

The Ancients were wont to ascribe the pre-eminence of certain regions to evaporation from the earth in which thcr Precious Stones are found — an evaporation obviously more intense in tropical countries. It was a supposition pardonably fanciful, that the sunburnt tropics were more favourable to the blossoms of the inorganic world, than the dark skies of the north.

But although modern researches have shewn that Precious Stones are not limited to any defined geographical area, their distribution is yet in a measure circumscribed, inasmuch as they are not met with in all mountain ranges, nor in all geological formations. The most valuable are found in such ranges as are composed of rocks considered to be among the most ancient in the world — in rocks composed of granite, gneiss, porphyry, mica-schist, and calcspar. Sometimes they occur imbedded in the mass of the rock ; at other times, protruding, as it were, from the surface and jutting forth into free cavities. When they are thus found in the very rocks where they were originally formed they are said to be in thtit primitive bed.

Many however, are found far from their primal home, in a derivative or secondary deposit, in diluvial or alluvial soils, in the gravels and sands of river-beds. This last mode of occurrence is perhaps the most frequent for the finer Precious Stones. Far removed from their native home by the force of heavy rains and rushing torrents, they have been loosened and carried onwards, rounded by friction against the debris with which they have been accompanied in their course. It is a strange fact that those stones which have been washed in the currents are generally the finest. Pos.sibly this may be explained by a process of natural

? Where Precious Stones are Found.

selection which has weeded out the faulty stones, and left only those that, by their superior hardness, could survive the rough usage to which they have been subjected. It is their hardness and density that have not only preserved them from destruction, but have enabled many to retain traces of their original crystalline form.

In Ceylon, India, Burma, Siam, Brazil, Australia, Montana, Siberia, and South Africa — from which countries the great majority of our Precious Stones are obtained — they commonly occur in these derivative beds ; and it is interesting to notice how various kinds of Precious Stones are found in company \\\ the same locality, forming as it were a noble society of Gems, rendered still more illustrious by their association with the noble metals — gold and platinum. Lit is noteworthy, however, that the majority of the South African diamonds are unearthed from a rock which is considered by some mineralogists to represent the matrix in which the stones have been developed. ]

The habitat, or native home of eacli Precious Stone, and the conditions under which it occurs, will be specially indicated in this work in the description of the individual gems.

CHAPTEK in.

PRECIOUS STONES AND THEIR USES IN BYGONE TIMES.

AlSTORYand tradition testify to the fact that Precious Stones were valued and preserved thousands of years ago. In India, where the most costly were chiefly found, this was especially the case. Other lands, it is true, possessed Precious Stones, and handed them down from generation to generation, but probably knew less of their true worth or nature. Their transparency and dazzling beauty, their hardness and crystalline forms, must naturally have always excited wonder, and induced men to treasure them as amulets, if iiot to use them as personal ornaments. We know that in the time of Solomon, the love of grace and luxury induced the rich to desire the possession of Precious Stones, and even to seek for them in foreign lands.

In Egypt, in ancient times, many semi-precious stones were worked as scarabjcan gems ; and we learn from the Septuagint, and from Philo, that the robes of the High Priest were set with Ptecious Stones. It is often difficult, in reading an ancient author, to know precisely what stone he intends to indicate, and ordinary translations of technical words are by no means to be trusted. This

JO Precious Stones and their uses in bygone times,

remark applies, for example, to the names of the stones of the breast-plate of the Jewish High Priest, as rendered in our Authorized Version. The names which the Hebrews gave to these stones indicate that they derived their knowledge of them from the Egyptians, who, in common with other ancient races, knew but little of what we understand by Mineralogy. As regards India, Strabo and Pliny tells us that gold and Precious Stones were used for personal adornment, and that drinking cups were formed of precious metals set with Emeralds, Beryl, and Rubies,

From the East the Phoenicians, in their universal traffic, exported costly stones as well as ivory, with Syrian purple and other stuffs, which were known as early as the Homeric period. The songs of Homer contain references to valuable bright stuffs and stones which served for ornaments, without mentioning their special names or qualities. For instance "The witch puts on her costly robe and brilliant earrings;" but their nature is not defined. Eurymachus gives to Penelope an exquisitely worked necklace of gold, ornamented with light amber, bright as the sun. Eurydamas also gives magnificent earrings, such as must have been worn by high-born ladies and princesses in Homeric times.

The precious Onyx and the Sapphire are mentioned by Job, with the Coral, Pearls, Rubies, and Topaz of Ethiopia ; and the place in which some were found appears to have been known by that patriarch of Uz : " He putteth forth His hand upon the rock : He cutteth out rivers among the rocks, and His eye seeth every precious thing.'*

Six or seven hundred years before the Christian Era, the Greeks were acquainted with a multitude of Precious Stones, and the rulers in Greece and neighbouring lands wore ornamental and signet rings set with gems, such as

Ruby and Sapphire. The famous ring of Polycrates (died B.C. 522) was doubtless as valuable to him for its costly stones and workmanship, as for any hidden virtue which it is said to have possessed. Herodotus, and some later Greek authors, mention Theodorus of Samos, the first engraver of stones, as the maker of this notable signet.

In the beginning of the 5th century, B.C., we find among the Greeks, a didactic History of Precious Stones; which indicates that their knowledge of them was not superficial.

Onomacritus, a Priest and Founder of Hellenic mysteries, 500 years B.C., treated of Precious Stones and their mysterious power. Commencing with the bright transparent crystal, he says," Whoso goes into the Temple with this in his hand may be quite sure of having his prayer granted ; as the gods cannot withstand its power." Further, he states, that when this stone is laid upon dry wood, so, that the sun's rays may shine upon it, there will soon be seen smoke, then fire, then a bright flame." This flame was known among the Ancients as holy fire, and they believed that no sacrifice was so acceptable to the gods as when offered through its agency. In like manner Onomacritus sang the praises and supernatural power of the Agate, the Topaz, the spring-green Jasper, Amber, Chrysolite, Coral and Opal.