THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
OF
JEWELS AND STONES
BY
ISIDORE KOZMINSKY
..
FULLY ILLUSTRATED
S9 SPECIMENS IN COLOR AND i i OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
NEW YORK AND LONDON
G:(Jt 11nitkttllotktt 1)u••
19ii
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Copyright, 19ft, by
G. P. Putnam's Son.~
MIIM i10 Ill. U10iUd Sta/.11
of A111erica
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The Great Opal "The Flame Queen"
Kelsey I. Newman Collection
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~734
FEB -4 1924
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To My Dear Wife
This Book is
Affectionately Dedicated
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PREFACE
these pages a sincere attempt is made to blend
I Nmodern
science with the ancient and occult philosophy of the precious, semi-precious and common
stones of the earth. It will be shown that many of the
seemingly absurd narratives of old authors are but
cunningly concealed truths, the. unravelling of which
can be followed with interest and profit along the lines
herein indicated. The ancient masters held that the
influences exerted by the heavenly bodies entered into
harmonious relations with various terrestrial substances.
Hence we have the venerable philosophy of fortunate
stones, planetary gems and "stones of power," which
form a part of the vast department known as talismanic
magic. It is the philosophy of sympathy and antipathy prevailing through nature-atom for atom, stone
for stone, plant for plant, animal for animal, man for
man . This observation was subjected to an orderly
scientific arrangement which for completeness of detail
would compare, in some cases, more than favorably with
the most careful synthesis of modern science. In
order to make easily understood the matter treated and
to secure pronunciations as nearly correct as possible,
it bas been considered advisable to render all foreign
'ID01'tU, ancient and modern, in familiar letters. ·
I have to express my grateful thanks to the friends who
have, in various ways, been helpful to me in regard to
this work.
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PREFACE
To Mr. Kelsey I. Newman, for the use of his unique
collection of opals and precious stones, including the
wonderful opal, "The Flame Queen," and especially for
his co-operation, without which this book could not have
been published.
Likewise to The Right Honorable the Viscountess
Astor, M.P.; Lieutenant Sir Edward MackenzieMackenzie, Bart, for his original Heraldic drawings of
the horoscopes of royal and notable persons from my
charts; Professor Sir William Ridgeway, Sc.D., LL.D.,
Litt.D., F.B.A., of Cambridge University, England;
Miss Kathleen Watkins, for her help in preparing the
sheets for the press; Mrs. Beatrix Colquhoun, for her
paintings of the Flame Queen and other gems from Mr.
Kelsey I. Newman's collection; Mr. and Mrs. C. G.
King, Melbourne, Australia; Mr. and Mrs. Henry T.
Seymour, New York City; Mr. William Howat, Melbourne, Australia; Mrs. S. Kozminsky, Melbourne,
Australia; Mrs. Alice Walker, Melbourne, Australia;
Mr. G. S. Brown, Melbourne, Australia; Mr. G. A.
Osboldstone, Melbourne, Australia; Mr. James Mackenzie, Adelaide, Australia; Mr. M. Susman, Hobart;
Tasmania, and to my wife to whom this book is dedicated.
IsiDORE KoZMINSKY.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA,
January, 1922.
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"Another, ere sM slept, tDa8 8tringing 8tonu
To 'ITUJk6 a necklet-agate, on7JX, sard,
Coral, and moomtone---round her wriat it gleamed
A coil of 8plendid colour, while 8he held
Unthreaded yet, 1M bead to close it upGreen turki8, caNJed 1Jllth golden god8 and scripts."
EDWIN
ARNoLD-"The Light of Asia."
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CONTENTS
CBAPTBB
PAGS
I .-8TUDY OF PRECIOUS STONES IN EARLY
8
TIMES .
11.-THE MosT ANciENT SciENCE
111.-THE EPHOD OF THE HIGH PRIEST
6
IV.-THE BREASTPLATE OF JuDGMENT
12
9
V.-INTERPRETATION OF THE BREASTPLATE
AccoRDING
TO
ANCIENT
PHILO-
18
SOPHY .
VI.-THE STONES OF THE BREASTPLATE AND
THE ZODIAC
VII.-OLD LEGENDS
57
.
VIII .-STONES IN vARIOUS MYTHOLOGIES
IX.-8ToNES AND THEm STORIES
X.-THE
GREATEST
CHARMS
IN
THE
104
WoRLD
PRECIOUS
AND
SEMI-PRECIOUS
GEMS
ARRANGED
IN
ALPHABETICAL ORDER
111
XI.-AGATE-AMAZONITE
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CONTENTS
X
CHAPTER
PAOli
1~
XII.-AMBER-AZURITE
XIII.-THE BERYL FAMILY
187
XIV.-BALAS-cRYSOCOLLA.
151
166
XV.-cHRYSOLITE-cRYSTAL
184
XVI.-THE DIAMOND
XVII.-SouE FAMous AND WoNDERFUL DIA~04
MONDS AND THEIR STORIES
XVIII.-DICHROITE-IOLITE .
~6
XIX.-JACINTH-LoDESTONE
~4
~60
XX.-MALACHITE-NEPHRITE
276
XXI. -OBsiDIAN-oNYx
~86
XXII.-THE OPAL
THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN OPAL
XXIII.-THE FLAME QuEEN
800
.
so~
XXIV.-VARIOUS KINDs OF OPAL
807
XXV.-PEARL
8~
XXVI.-PEARL
888
XXVII.-PmmOT-RuBY
851
XXVIII.-RUTILE-8APPHIRE
86~
XXIX.-8ARDONYX-8UCCINITE
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CONTENTS
xi
PAGE
CBAPTEB
874
XXX.-TITANITE-TOPAZ
882
XXXI.-TOURMALINE-ZIRCON
896
XXXII.-STONES IN SHAKESPEARE's PLAYS
XXXIII.-FoRMS,
ISTics,
CoMPOSITIONs,
ZoDIACAL
CHARACTER-
CLASSIFICATION,
AND PLACES OF ORIGIN
412
•
XXXIV.-GEMS IN HERALDRY, MAGICAL SQUARES
OF ABRA MELIN THE MAGE, CHARUBEL's GEM INFLUENCES,
CouNTRIEs
XXXV.-THE
GEMS OF
4~0
•
INEVITABLE
LAW
OF
TRANS-
431
MUTATION
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ILLUSTRATIONS
PA.GII
THE GREAT OPAL-THE FLAME QuEEN
(In colour)
Frontispiece
Kelsey I. Newman Collection.
RARE OPALS
(In colour)
40
Kelsey I. Newman Collection.
55
HIEROGLYPHICS
A
PERFECT SPECIMEN OF THE
NoBLE
ENGLISH
GoLD
(1844)
96
In the Kelsey I. Newman Collection. Traditionally
stated to have been made from Alchemical Gold.
106
LARGE ScARAB
William Howat Collection.
RARE SCARAB OF RAMESES II-A FAMOUS PHA-
106
RAOH OF THE BIBLE
Mrs. C. G. King's Collection.
106
RARE ANTIQUE SCARAB OF BLACK JASPER
Talismanic Charm-Mercury, Guardian of Sailors.
Mrs. C. G. King's Collection.
TABELL£ CORELLAT£
177
GAZING CRYSTAL ON DRAGON STAND
180
Presented to the Author by the late Judge Casey of
Victoria, Australia.
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ILLUSTRATIONS
XlV
PAGID
198
HoRoscoPE OF KRuGER
HoRoscoPE OF IsABELLA
II
. 199
HoRoscoPE oF NicHoLAs
II
208
HoRoscOPE OF JAMES
II
212
~6
"lNSPffiATION"
Marble group in Central Hall, Art Institute, Chicago.
Signed-Kathleen Beverly Robinson. Memorial to
Florence Jane Adams. Presented by Friends and
Pupils of Mrs. Adams, 1915.
By Kind Permission of The Art Institute of Chicago.
268
ANTIQUE Moss AGATE PATCH Box
Mrs. W. R. Furlong's Collection.
268
Moss AGATE BASKET
William Howat Collection.
OLD MAIORI CHARM OF GREENSTONE KNoWN As
HEI TIKI
~74
.
VENUS, CUPID, AND THE GRACES-A SARDONYX
284
CAMEO BY CERBABA
Newton Robinson Collection.
Sold at Christie's, London, in 1909.
THE ARGONAUTS CoNSULTING HYGIEA
Large and Rare Cameo.
Kelsey I. Newman Collectiop..
OPALS OF WoNDERFUL CoLOUR
288
(In colour)
Kelsey I. Newman Collection.
HoRoscoPE oF ALFONzo
XII
297
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ILLUSTRATIONS
XV
PAGII
OruER AsPECTs oF THE GREAT OPAL-THE FLAME
QuEEN
(In colour)
800
Kelsey I. Newman Collection.
810
SMALL NECKLET OF PERFECT ORIENTAL PEARLS
Kelsey I. Newman CoUection.
HoRoscoPE OF MARY oF ScoTLAND
818
HOROSCOPE OF ELIZABETH OF ENGLAND
819
HOROSCOPE OF HENRY
VIII
BEAUTIFUL CoLOUR GEMS
849
OF ENGLAND
860
(In colour)
Kelsey I. Newman Collection.
SPECillriEN OF RouGH TuRQUOISE
890
(In colour)
Victoria, Australia
402
HOROSCOPE OF SHAKESPEARE
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The Magic and Science
of
Jewels and Stones
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CHAPTER I
STUDY OF PRECIOUS STONES IN
EARLY TIMES
"A t/Htlf of beautg u a jog for-;
It. loflflirw1 incrtKJiu; it tDill Pau into twt/ringneu."
INSPIRATION
AND
KNOWLEDGE:
EXPERIMENTS
ON
SENSITIVE8: GEMS AND COLOUR ATI'RACTIONS: ANCIENT GEM CLASSIFICATION: SCIENCE HERMETIC
AMONG ANCIENT NATIONS: PUNISHMENT OF THE
PEACH TREE: MODERN CLASSIFICATION.
HE study_ of the precious and semi-precious
Tstones
of the earth has commanded the attention
of man from the mists of ages when, according to
Enoch, the angel Azazzel came to the earth plane
to teach him the use of them. Hence man considered
the actual benefit to himself of these stones until
his natural curiosity led him to study more deeply
the marvel of their existence. There can be little
doubt that the indcate<l~
~
_ t _ a~i!_l.nd
that
the pure wisdom of divine inspiration and a clear
faith rendered man's intuition so keen that he was
quite able to know the virtue of various stones without chemical analysis. Dr. Ennemoser has recorded
the effects of precious stones on certain psychic subjects, giving the opinion that "it is not improbable
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
that in the early ages the belief in the virtues of
talismans was induced by similar observations."
This, no doubt, is true and indicates to us that certain
observed phenomena compelled a closer study. We
are then reminded of the experiments which have
been attributed to the schools of Pythagoras and of
the observed effects of certain stOnes-in the hands of
sensitives by Baron Reichenbach in the middle of
the nineteenth century and of the still more recent
experiments in the schools at Nancy. There are
records of these experiments being carried out on
magnetic somnambulists when diamonds, emeralds,
rubies, loadstones, beryls, jaspers and other stones
w~e
_ found
to produce varied and strange effects.
- -- Gems in common with all manifestations of nature
have the power of attracting certain colours to themselves: and so persistent are these colours that it
has been observed that when they are changed by
art they are liable to revert slowly (for the action
of the stone world is slow) to their original colours.
This can be noticed especially with Topaz which
may on this account alone have been identified with
--the stubborn and indomitable Mars. The attraction
of diverse colours by the various chemical compounds
which are cohesive in the various stones must be a
certain indication of vibratory power. Indeed,
the ancients have indicated that the rates of vibration in the gems differ with the needs of the chemical
, entities composing them, and it may as well be
emphasized here that life exists in a gem just as it
does in another form in a plant or an animal. It
need scarcely be repeated that colour is vibration.
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
6
· Colour is crystallized in a gem and immense vibration defies the material senses of man. A violet
amethyst vibrates at the enormous rate of 760
trillions per second whilst a red ruby vibrates at
460 trillions. Hence we can scientifically deJilOnstrate distinct powers by the evidence of known
vibratory action. The people of antiquity classified
gems in a manner different from that of the people............of to-day, for they regarded colour of primary
importance and bracketed stones of similar shades
thus establishing the first points of agreement in
the department of vibratory power. It is inconceivable however, that the great masters were
unacquainted with chemical components, for chemistry was one of the secret arts, and it is well known
that the priests of Egypt experimented secretly in
their temples and that the betrayal of scientific
secrets was followed by the mysterious "punishment
of the peach tree" (supposed to be death from
prussic acid). Modem groupings are arranged with
regard to chemical affinities so far as can be traced
by close analytical investigations and experiments.
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CHAPTER U
THE MOST ANCIENT SCIENCE
...Aftd God -'d. 1M tla~re
1M U,ltU ia 1/u fi"""-' of 1M BltiNft lo
ditNU 1M dar froa 1M taigltt; cmd W "'- 1M for ftg1u. Grul for HGIOIII. cmd
for 41¥. Grul r-•·" Genesis l:lj.
ASTROLOGY: COLOURS OF
THE
BEAVENS.
THE
old science of Astrology was known amongst
the Hebrews as the Wisdom of Foreknowledge
(BOX MAT BA NISSAYON), and with it Was included
Astronomy or Star Knowledge (Box MAT HA BOZZAYON). It is spoken of as of heavenly origin having
been communicated to man by the angels after he
had lost Eden. It was written that:
KoKABEL communicated Astrology, Wisdom of
the Stars.
R.AxiEL or BARADlJ. communicated Astronomy,
Star Gazing.
SBEHAKEEL communicated The Wisdom of the
Clouds.
AmoEL communicated The Symbols of the Earth.
SAMSIEL communicated The Symbols of the Sun.
ScumEL or SAHRIEL communicated The Symbols
of the Moon.
From the observed influences of the Sun and
Moon the old scholars were enabled to classify the
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6F JEWELS AND STONES
7
·~rbs
in the various parts of the
influence of the~
heavens and to formulate special rules, which extended observation rendered more convincing and complete. The simple consideration of the lunar phases
brought grains of knowledge, which included the
calculation of tidal action, eclipses, etc. The unity
of the forces of Nature was then demonstrated in the
actions and influences of the planets and stars, and
the blending of such influences with their zodiacal
positions and aspects. Universal unity was insisted
on and the statements of the ancient scholars have
not
discredited by the revelations of modem
scientific discoveries. The Talmud calls the planets
"moving stars" and sets down that Alexander of
Macedon was pictured with a ball in his hand to
symbolize the spherical shape of the Earth. The
planets were indicated as follows:
been
Mercury the Planet of Mind
the Planet of Beauty
the PlaDet of Contention
Mara
.Jupiter the Planet of Prosperity
Saturn the Planet of Restraint
Venus
is TMStar
is Splendour
isRuddineu
is Benevolence
is The Star of Sabbath
Comets are represented as arrows of flame bearing
messages to mankind.
The various colours ascribed to the planets are:
Sun
Yellow, Golden, Orange
Moon
Mercury
Venua
Mars
.Jupiter
White, Silvery, pale opaleaoent Green
Dove Grey
Delicate Colour Tints, Shades of Green, pale Blue, etc.
Red
Purple
s.tum
Uruua
Black
Mixed Coloun
Neptune
Doubtful
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THE MAGIC AND SCIEN.CE
8
The colours ascribed to the u.Signs of the Zodiac
and the planets associated with them are:
Aries
Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
Leo
Virgo
Libra
Scorpio
Sagittariua
Capricorn
Aquariua
Pisces
White and Red Mixed
White and Lemon Mixed
White and Red Mixed
Green or Ruaset
Red and Green
Black and Blue
Dark Crimlon
Dark-Brown_
Sanguine Green
Black
Sky Blue
Gliat.euiug White
Mara
Venua
Mercury
Moon
SUD
Mercury
Venua
Mara
Jupiter
Satum
Uranua
Neptune
The approximate date of the Sun's entry into the
various zodiacal signs enabled astrologers to select
the Solar Talismanic Gem.
The SUD enters Aries
about March 11
The SUD enters Taurus
about April 11
The SUD enters Gemini
about May It
The SUD enters Cancer
about JUDe U
The SUD enters Leo
about July IS
The SUD enters Virgo
about August 14
The SUD enters Libra
about September 14
The SUD enters Scorpio
about October 14
The SUD enters Sagittariua about November IS
The SUD enters Capricorn about December iO
The SUD enters Aquariua about January tO
The SUD enters Pisces
about February 19 .
This brief statement of the most ancient science
must suffice. It will enable the reader to understand
the philosophy on which the wearing of talismanic
him to delve a little into
jewels rests and may in~uce
the "wisdom of the fathers."
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CHAPTER ill
THE EPHOD OF mE HIGH PRIEST
"And 71et, lJ8 angeh in 80m6 brighter dream1
Call to th6 IOtd when men doth ,~up
& ma71 80m6 manp tlaouglaU traucmd our toOriUd t1wmu
And into glory f-p."
HlllNBY
vAUGIIAN.
THE EPHOD OF THE HIGH PRIEST: THE HEAVENS, THE
GATES, THE CAVEB! THE FOUR WORLDS.
JN the iSth chapter of Exodus we learn that those
that are "wise hearted" and "filled with the spirit
of wisdom" were selected to make for Aaron consecrated garments-a breastplate and an ephod, a
broidered coat, a mitre and a girdle. On the
shoulders of the Ephod (Hebrew, Hepod) which was
to be made "of gold, of blue, and of purple, of
scarlet"-these being the colours of divinity-"and
fine twined linen, with cunning work" were to be
placed two stones, each to be engraved after the
manner of a signet, with six names of the children
of Israel. Authorities generally agree with the
translations in classifying these two stones as Onyx,
and there are very important reasons from an occult
point of view why they should be so identified even
though Josephus accounts them Sardonyx which, he
says, represents the sun and the moon. These onyx
stones were to be wom "for stones of memorial unto
the children of Israel." The ephod was similar to
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10
THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
an upper body-garment of the Greeks (Josephus says
it resembled the Epomis) and may be described as a
kind of waistcoat held by straps which passed over
the shoulders and were twined round the waist with
the cunningly woven band. The two large onyx
stones were set on the shoulder-straps, and on each
stone were engraved the names of the children of
lsrael-"Six of their names on one stone, and the
other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth." In astrology, to which science
perhaps on its more esoteric side we are impelled,
we can quickly recognize the twelve signs of the
Zodiac-six Northern and six Southern-in the
twelve tribes of the children of Israel, more distinctly
emphasized on the breastplate of the High Priest.
The engraving on the two onyx stones, one of which
would necessarily be somewhat lighter in colour than
the other, can never be explained in our prosaic
terms for they were attuned to the whisperings of the
Heavenly Hosts and typified the eternal wanderings
of the Soul.
In my later remarks on the Onyx I have noted the
ancient philosophy regarding the descent of the
Soul through the Gate of Cancer and its ascent
through the Gate of Capricorn. Peter symbolically
represented at the Gate of Heaven, is a veiled allusion
to the stone (Petros) gateway through which the
departing spirits of Earth pass on their everlasting
pilgrimage in search of the pearl above price-the
hidden knowledge of perfect truth-a stone so
gloriously brilliant that mortal eyes can never gaze
on it.
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
11
In earlier Egyptian symbolic lore it is assumed that
the Heavens were of stone, the goddess Hathor
being the Lady of the Turquoise Stones and other
deities being represented by stones cut to forms and
in their natural state. In rabbinical allegory the
Creator, vibrating through the rays of sunrise, is
reverenced as "The Opener of the Gates," and
frequent allusions are made to the gates of tears, of
prayer, of praise, and of repentance. There is an
old Hebrew tradition that one Messiah will come
through the Gate of Capricorn and another through
the Gate of Cancer. Plato writes of the two gateways-one through which the Soul descends, the
other through which the soul ascends, and Porphyry
says that on this account the Egyptians did not
begin the year like the Romans with Aquarius but
with the Moon Sign Cancer.
The Quabalistic Books say that the soul of man
passed through the four celestial worlds in its descent,
receiving from Aziluth, the Chaiah, spiritual animation: from Briah, Neshamah, understanding: from
Jezirah, Ruach, the passions: from Nephesch,
material desires. He enters the world by the Gate
of Generation (the Moon), the watery sign, the
colour of which is indicated as green, and he leaves
the world of Matter for the land of the Immortals
by the Gate of Material Death (Saturn), the Earth
sign Capricorn, the colour of which is black. The
Sun's passage through the tribal signs expressed
on the onyx stones of the Ephod symbolizes eternally
the descent and ascent of immortal man.
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CHAPTER IV
THE BREASTPLATE OF JUDGMENT
to the Ephod was the famous
ATTACHED
HOSHEN-HA-MISHPAT or Breastplate of
Judgment which was of "cunning work,'' fashioned
like the Ephod "of gold, of blue, and of purple, and
of scarlet, and of fine twined linen." It was a
square pouch when doubled, a span in length and a
span in breadth. Josephus writes that there were
"twelve stones upon the Breastplate, extraordinary
in largeness and beauty: and they were an ornament
not to be purchased by men because of their immense
value. The names of all those sons of Jacob were
engraven in these stones, whom we esteem the
heads of our tribes, each in the order according to
which they were hom."
We are told in the iSth chapter of the Book of
Exodus that the Urim and Thummim were put into
the Breastplate. Dummelow believes that these
were two jewels or images engraved with distinctive
characters employed in casting lots. Josephus and
the Septuagint imply that the gems on the Breastplate constituted the Urim and Thummim. Gensenius says that the Urim and Thummim were two
little images which were placed between the folds
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
18
of the Breastplate. Dr. Chambers indicates the
Urim a:.td Thummim as a mysterious contrivance
consisting either of the four rows of precious stones
bearing the tribal signets, or of two images. It is
pointed out that the images of Isis and Osiris, worked
in precious stones, hung on the breast of the Egyptian
High Priest to symbolize truth and justice. The
Urim and Thummim may be identical with the
Babylonian "Tablets of Destiny" which were the
instruments by which the seers of Babylon conveyed
the "urtu" or answer of the gods to the people.
In Babylon the "Tablets of Destiny" were only
effective when on the breast of the god, while amongst
the children of Israel the Urim and Thummim were
only potent when on the breast of the High Priest.
Josephus says that the answer of the Urim and
Thummim was revealed by rays of light, and the
Talmudic account is in harmony with this statement.
It was necessary for accuracy that the oracle
should only be approached by one on whom the
Shekinah or Radiance rested: one :filled with the
splendour of inspiration, naturally gifted in the art
of prophecy, and fitted by the beauty of his thoughts
and his life to draw unto himsea the divine Shekinah:
he must be "covered with the robe of virtue as the
bridegroom decketh himself· with ornaments and
as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." The
Rabbis identified Urim and Thummim as the
"grand and sacred name of God," Urim indicating
"Those whose words communicate light" and
Tbumrnin, "Those whose words are realised,"
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
while the Septuagint renders them as "Revelation"
and "Truth." The generally accepted meaning of
Urim and Thummim is "Lights and Perfections/'
The connection of the twelve zodiacal signs with
the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve stones of the
Breastplate is remarked by Josephus, and the Targum upon Canticles also links them together.
Wilson in "Lights and Shadows of Northern Mythology" draws attention to the life-sized white marble
figure of Aaron robed, wearing the Breasplate showing a sign of the Zodiac sculptured on each of the
twelve precious stones, which figure is placed on the
right side of the High Altar in S. Pietro, Piazza
Bianchi, Genoa.
The Matsebah of Babylon are black pillar stones on
which in three elemental divisions are sculptured the
twelve zodiacal signs by which the twelve Assyrian
gods are symbolized, and the twelve lions on either
side of the steps leading to Solomon's throne represent the Sun in its progress through the signs 6f
Heaven. Josephus mentions that he had seen the
remains of an ancient pillar of stone on which Seth,
foreseeing the great Flood, had engraved the elements
of Astrology which "Adam had received from the
Creator."
"Moses was willing," writes Josephus, "that the
power of the Breastplate should be known not only
to the Hebrews but to all the world. When God
was present the stone on the right shoulder of the
High Priest (the stone symbolizing the soul's descent)
shone with a brilliancy not natural to it. This has
appeared a wonderful thing to such as have not so
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OF .JEWELS AND STONES
far indulged themselves in philosophy as to despise
Divine Revelation. Yet will I mention what is
more wonderful than this: for God declared beforehand by those twelve stones which the High Priest
bare on his breast and which were inserted into his
Breastplate, when they should be victorious in
battle: for so great a splendour shone forth from
them before the army began to march that all the
people were sensible of God's being present for their
assistance. Whence it came to pass that those
Greeks who had a veneration for our laws, because
they could not possibly contradict this called the
Breastplate 'the Oracle.' Now this Breastplate left
off shining iOO years before I composed this book,
God having been displeased at the transgression of
the laws."
Father Kircher in "Oedipus Egyptianus" gives an
engraving of the Tabernacle with the Sun, Moon,
and Planets in the centre and Ephraim with a bull,
M'enasses with two infants, Benjamin with a Centaur,
Dan with a scorpion, Gad with a ram, Assehr with
scales, Simeon with fishes, Reuben with a waterbearer, Zebulon with a fish-goat, lssachar with a
lobster, and Judah with a lion.
The standards of the twelve tribes were given in
the middle ages as follows:
I
)
Iaaachar
Reuben
Judah
Gad
Zebulon
Simeon
Man·-h
DID
Sun or Full Moon
Man's Head or Bu.t
A Lion
An Army of Men
A Ship
A Citadel
AUDicom
An Eagle
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
Napthali
Benjamin
Aaaher
Deer
A Horse
A Tree
The Rabbinical writers generally favour the
following tribal order: Reuben, Simeon, Levi,
Judah, Dan, Napthali, Gad, Assher, lssachar,
Zebulon, Joseph, Benjamin. Tobias ben Eliezer
quotes an old Baraita which said that Zebulon was
followed by Dan. Marbodus places them as follows:
1. Reuben
I. Simeon
S. Levi
~.
Judah
6. Zebulon
6. lssacbar
7. Dan
8. Gad
9. Assher
10. Napthali
11. Joseph
11. Benjamin
placed Srd of the Srd row in the Breastplate
placed Srd of the ind row in the Breastplate
placed Srd of the 1st row in the Breastplate
placed lnd of the 1st row in the Breastplate
placed 1st of the 1st row in the Breastplate
placed 1st of the ind row in the Breastplate
placed 1st of the Srd row in the Breastplate
placed 1st of the ~th
row in the Breastplate
placed 2nd of the ind row in the Breastplate
placed lndoftheSrd row in the Breastplate
row in the Breastplate
placed lnd of the ~th
placed Srd of the ~th
row in the Breastplate
Another old list gives the order as follows:
Reuben, Dan, Judah, Levi, lssachar, Zebulon,
Assher, Napthali, Gad, Simeon, Joseph, Benjamin.
Swedenborg groups the tribes thus:
Judah, Reuben and Gad; Assher, Napthali and
Manasseh; Simeon, Levi and Issachar; Zebulon,
Joseph and Benjamin.
It is unnecessary to quote further lists as I believe
that the one I am now producing will be sufficient
to redeem the confusion. It is in complete harmony
with the order of Jacob's blessings (Genesis XLIX)
and the signs of the Zodiac. It will be noted that
Taurus with the tribe of Reuben leads the Zodiac,--\
and it is related that under this sign the human race 1
1
I
\
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01, JEWELS AND STONES
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came to earth. On ancient zodiacs the Bull as a
solar conception is shown wending his way through
the stars.
1. Reuben
the Defiler
i. Simeon and Levi the Slayers
''Held to" (i. ll., to
8. Levi
the altar)
4. Judah
the Lion's Whelp
6. Zebulon
the Haven
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
lssachar
Dan
Gad
ABsher
Naphthali
J08eph
Benjamin
the Bender
the Adder
the Victor
the Producer
the Comforter
the Redeemer
the Devourer
Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
Leo
Virgo (Argo, the ship,
is in the oollltellation Virgo).
Libra
Scorpio
Sagittariua
Capricorn
Aquariua
Pisces
Aries
The sign Cancer is that of the tribe of Levi as
servants and guardians of the Tabernacle, the name
indicating "held to," i.e., held to the altar.
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INTERPRETATION OF THE BREASTPLATE
ACCORDING TO ANCIENT PHIWSOPHY
I
T is apparent that the identification of the stones
in the Breastplate must present many difficulties.
Lord Arthur C. Hervey in his Dictionary of the
Bible, says: "Whether the order followed the ages
of the sons of Israel or, as seems most probable, the
order of the encampment, may be doubted; but unless
any appropriate distinct symbolism of the different
tribes be found in the names of the precious stones,
the question can scarcely be decided." Dr. C.
Keil in "Biblical Archaeology" says: "The order of
the rows of the precious stones is given in Exodus
28:17-!lO and 89:10-18, but owing to the vacillating
manner in which the early writers designate
and describe the stones we are at a loss to
know how it should be explained." Dr. Deane is of
the opinion that in many cases it is a difficult task
to identify the Hebrew and Greek names used in
these passages with the names of modem mineralogy.
The Rev. J. R. Dummelow comments on the
difficulties of identifying the stones, the meaning of
the Hebrew words being doubtful. Josephus saw
the Breastplate frequently in his day, and in his
description the position of certain stones is changed.
The Hebrew Bible translation also presents differ18
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19
ences. Rosenmuller, the Orientalist, argues as to
the position of the 6th and lith stones, placing the
lith in the 6th and the 6th in the lith. It may
easily be assumed that in its wanderings stones were
lost from the Breastplate and that the replacing of
these stones was not always carried out by men with
a knowledge of the quabalistical import of Urim and
Thummim or even of the stones themselves.
To quote from Dr. Deane: "The variation in the
order of the stones prompts the enquiry whether the
Breastplate which Josephus repeatedly saw and
which Jerome might have seen in the Temple of
Concord was identical with that of ancient times.
H the whole of the original stones were preserved,
the order must have been kept in consequence of the
names engraved upon them. But it is not by any
means unlikely that in the great vicissitudes of the
Hebrew nation some of the original stones may have
been lost and have been replaced by others., More
evidences of this kind would be supedluous.
The First Stone of the Breastplate
Now, the first stone of the Breastplate is a Red
stone. ·According to astrology the Red stone vibrates to the planet Mars and the zodiacal Aries,
therefore its position as the first stone of the Breastplate is natural. In the mystic philosophy of the
Hebrews the Ram "caught in a thicket by his horns/,
the blood of the lamb upon the lintel and side-posts,
etc., and in mystic Christian philosophy the biood
of the Lamb which redeems from wordly sin are
expressed symbolically by the sign Aries, into which
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the Sun enters in the month of Nisan, approximately
~1st
March, the time of the Passover and of Easter.
Not only then must the stone be a red one, it must
be red of the colour of blood. But again one must
not lose sight of the fact that the first stone on the
Plate was engraved not with the name of the tribe
of Benjamin, the true Aries tribe, but with the name
Reuben, a tribe under the lordship of the second sign
of the Zodiac, Taurus. This may be explained by
the fact that the earlier Breastplate of the two began
with the sign Taurus. Agnes Mary Clerke, writing
on the Old Zodiac, says: "So far as positive records
go Aries was always the first sign. But the arrangement is, on the face of it, a comparatively modem
one. None of the brighter stars of the constellation
could be said even roughly to mark the Equinox
much before 1800 B.C.; therefore during a long
stretch of previous time the leading position belongs
to the stars of Taurus. Numerous indications
accordingly point to a corresponding primate zodiac.
Setting aside as doubtful, evidence derived from
interpretation of cuniform inscriptions we meet in
connection with Mithraic and Mylittic legends
reminiscences of a Zodiac and religious calendar in
which the Bull led the way. Virgil's "Candidus
auratis aperit cum cornibus anum Taurus" perpetuates the tradition, and the Pleiades continued
within historical memory to be the first asterism
of the lunar zodiac."
The Egyptian worship of Serapis who is frequently
symbolized by the head of a bull surmounted by a
urreus and disc, and whose colour was of a blood
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!U
red, may be noted. The worship of this god was
introduced into Egypt by the Ptolemies, hut his
name is derived from Ausar-Hapi (Osiris-Apis) and
he represents a blending of the older worship of
Osiris with the Bull Apis which, says Herodotus,
is a fair and sublime reflection of the soul of Osiris.
In this connection Diodorus says that the soul of
Osiris migrated into Apis and thus revealed himself
to men through the ages. Attention is drawn to this
worship to show that in Egypt a hull god was
associated with the colour red, and the "holding
a red rag to a hull" may have its origin in the hullfights of old, in which case however it is clear that
the Martial Red is the colour of irritation.
We can see in the placing of Taurus, the Bull-or
the tribal name Reuben-in the first section of the
Breastplate a desire to harmonize it as far as possible
with an older one, whilst the gem and its colour
represented the sign Aries-the sign of the Ramsymbolically the tribe of Benjamin, engraved as of
:>ld in the last division of the Plate.
The Hebrew word ODEM, signifying redness, is
connected with the Hebrew word DOM, blood, and
the stone to meet these requirements is the Red
Hrematite, the true bloodstone of antiquity, which
is further described in the section of this hook dealing
more generally with the scientific and romantic
aspects of precious stones.
The Hrematite is a true iron stone and in old
astrology Iron is a metal placed directly under the
rulership of the planet Mars and the sign Aries.
We have direct evidence of the use of this stone by
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
the ancient Babylonians, who wore it as an engraved
signet cut in cylinder form. We therefore identify
the first stone of the Breastplate as the Red Hrematite on which was engraved the name of the first
tribe, Reuben.
The Second Stone of the Breastplate
The second stone of the Breastplate is given as
PITDAH, variously interpreted as a Topaz, Peridot,
Yellowish-green Serpentine, Diamond and Chrysolite. The Targums agree that a green stone is
implied and some authorities seek to clear the
mystery by advancing that the stone was of a yellowish-green.
The topaz of the ancients is not the topaz of
today, but is identified with the stone known to us as
the chrysolite or peridot. Traditionally the emerald
is associated with the second sign of the zodiac,
and Apion who wrote much concerning ancient
Egypt and whose story of Androclus and the Lion
echoes through the ages, tells of a gigantic figure
of Serapis seen at Alexandra; this figure, the height
of which was about fifteen feet, was probably composed of glass resembling emerald. The emerald
was sacred to Serapis who-as indicated in the previous chapter-was a Bull god associated naturally
with the zodiacal Taurus. This sign and the colour
green blend truly for green is the symbol of life,
of agriculture and of abundant nature, and amongst
nations of antiquity holy festivals heralded the
return of Spring whose praises are sung by the poets
in the magical language of mythology. The ma11:y
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references to "green trees" in the Bible need only
be noticed in passing.
The Veneralia of old was held once a year amidst
budding plants and flowers, in gardens and on green
lawns in honour of Venus to welcome Adonis returning in radiant beauty from the under-world. The
ceremony took place towards the end of April, when
the Sun had entered the Earth sign of Venus,
Taurus, and it survives in the later May Day
rejoicings.
The gem needed is therefore a green one, and this
is traditionally the correct one for the sign Shor or
Taurus in which Nogah or Venus delights and in
which Lavanah or the Moon exalts. The emerald
was sacred to this period of the year. This gem
was well-known amongst ancient nations, especially
those of Egypt and Ethiopia where the chief emerald
mines were. The children of Israel must certainly
have known of the existence of the emerald which is
mentioned in the Wisdom of Ptah-Hotep who lived
ages before the time of Solomon and more than 1000
years before Hammurabi, the Wise, of Babylon.
"Courtesy in Speech," says this sage, "is rarer than
the emeralds which slave girls find in the stones."
It is recorded that the Egyptians employed many
women at the emerald mines on account of the keenness of their vision, and it is highly probable that
Israelitish women were selected for this work with
captives of other nations. Specimens of emeralds
collected by Sir G. Wilkinson from Mount Zabarah
in Upper Egypt now lie in the British Museum.
Evidence is not wanting to prove that the ancients
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
knew well how to engrave on an emerald, Pliny
states that Ptolemy offet'ed Lucullus at Alexandra
an emerald with his portrait engraved on it.
The tribe Simeon corresponding to the zodiacal
Gemini was en.graved on the second gem of the
Breastplate-although it has no connection with it~
for the reason before noted.
It should be understood that by "emerald" is
meant the precious emerald as we know it or itS
varieties Beryl and Aquamarine. It may be noted
that the Topaz, a gem most generally favoured as
the second stone on the Breastplate, is traditionally
assigned to the opposite sign of the Zodiac, Scorpio.
The hero Gilgames in Babylonian story sees by
the gates of the Ocean a wondrous magical tree which
bore as fruit most precious emeralds. The emerald
as a love stone was closely identified with Venus and
was regarded as particularly fortunate for women,
bringing happiness in love, comfort in domestic
affairs, and safety in childbirth. The evil effects of
the luminaries affiicted or of malefic planets in the
sign Taurus, the latter degrees especially, have been
shown to affect the sight; hence the employment of
the emerald as an eye charm .
. Hathor, the Egyptian Venus, who carries in her
left hand the potent Crux Ansata was saluted as
"The Lady of the Southern Sycamore," a tree which
stood for the living body of Hathor on earth and
which was called the Sycamore of the Emerald.
The Rosicrucian John Heydon of the 17th
Century describes his meeting with the spirit
Euterpe on the plains of Bulverton Hill one sweet
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OF mWELS AND STONES
25
summer evening. He describes her as "a most
exquisite divine beauty of decent stature; attired,
she was in thin loose silks, but so green that I never
saw the like for the colour was not earthly. • • •
Her rings were pure entire emeralds for she valued no
metal."
Similar legends of green fairies, green fields, and
~en
lights are connected with the sign of Venus
terrestrial, Taurus.
The emerald, then, is the second stone of the
Breastplate, and on it was engraved the name of the
tribe of Simeon.
The Third Stone of the Breastplate
The third stone of the Breastplate is simply
expressed by the word BAREKETH which has
been variously rendered as Emerald, Ruby, Carbuncle, Amethyst, Rock Crystal; Green Olivine,
Green Feldspar. Its true meaning is "flashing,"
which the Targumic translators express as "brilliant."
The Hebrew BARUK corresponds to an Arabic word
meaning "to gleam, to flash;" the Assyrian word
BARAKU and the Aramic BURUK have the same
meaning, with which may be identified the Punic
BARCAR, surname of the Carthaginian general
Hamilcar; the Syriac BORKO and the Chaldean
BARKAN can only be rendered "brilliant." There
is a Sanskrit word MARKATA, meaning "flashing,
sparkling," which corresponds to our word "marble," literally, "the sparkling stone," Latin MARMOR, cognate with the Greek MARMAROS from
MARMAIRO to flash, shine, sparkle. Hence the
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
Flashing Stone may be identified as marble, and this
traditionally answers the required conditions. In
astro-philosophy marble is connected with the sign
of the columns, Gemini-8imeon in association with
Levi-and is known as the Day House of the planet
Mercury. The Midrash Bemidbah gives the colour
of this sign as white, and Francis Barrett expresses
it as "glittering."
The author remembers long ago taking some really
glittering specimens of white marble, unstained by
the hand of time, from an Egyptian mummy-case.
Even at the present day pieces of white marble are
buried with the dead body in some countries of the
world, and the marble tombstone is universally
used as a monument over the buried ashes which the
ascending man has thrown aside as the serpent throws
his old skin.
The shining marble is the emblem of spiritual
resurrection which is symbolized in the sign of the
Twins (Gemini). Mercury as the Egyptian Tehuti
or Thoth, or the Greek Hermes, is ever connected
with the spirits of the dead in the Hall of Judgment
and, in harmony with the brilliant flashing white
stone, the everlasting uplifting and spiritual progress. The sign Gemini but lightly veils the peculiar occult meaning associated with twins and
connected names in hermetic philosophy. From
Cain and Abel many may be enumerated including
Simeon and Levi whom we find implicated in the
massacre of the defenceless people of Shihem for
· which crime they drew upon themselves their
father's curse. Greek legend gives Amphion, skilled
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
27
in music and learning, and Zeuthus, who labours and
follows the chase. The latter by hard labour rolled
huge boUlders together to build up the walls of
Troy, whilst the former but struck the strings of
the lyre given to him by Hermes and the great rocks
followed him-a symbol of the triumph of mind
which Hermes promises to his disciples. Simeon
and Levi killed the Shechemites to avenge their
sister Dinah; Amphion and Zeuthus drove Dirce,
bound to a bull, to her death to avenge their mother
Antiope. In the legend of the Roman twins,
Romulus kills his brother Remus as Cain killed
Abel.
The twin stories are well illustrated in the legend
of Castor and Pollux, the "great twin brethren,"
sons of Jupiter and Leda. The former was mortal,
the latter immortal, but so attached were they to
each other that none ever saw them apart.
In these stories the mysterious union of the Soul
and the Body is being continually forced forward,
and sleep-which the old masters called a tenth part
of death-is indicated in this legend of the Dioscuri
when Pollux divides his immortality with his brother.
Sanchoniatho or Sanchuniathon-who lived when
Gideon judged Israel, says that Thoth of the
Egyptians, Taaut of the Phrenicians, Thoyth of the
Alexandrians, Hermes or Mercurius, was the inventor of letters, and took religion from the unskilful management of the vulgar forming it into a
rational system; and "when Saturn came from the
southern parts of the Earth he made Taaut, the son
of Miser (identified as the Mizraim of the Bible),
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THE MAGIC AND SCTENCE
King of all Egypt, and the month Thoth began-the
Egyptian year and coincides with ·Tisri or Thishri
which began the Jewish year and with Tisritu which
began the Chaldean.
To continue further might lead outside the
province of this book, and the plea for this digression
is the endeavour to elucidate the hidden import of
the various departments of the sacred Breastplate
by the searchlight of the philosophical stories of our
antique fathers.
Thoth or Hermes engraved all knowledge on two
pillars or columns, and the Hermetic schools say
that all knowledge is contained in the words, letters
and continuations engraved on the two tables of
stone. This writing of God graven upon the tables
constituted the Commandments, five of which, and
five is the number of Mercury, were written on each
stone, the complete ten indicating the Hidden
Power of God-identified in the Sepher Yetzirah
as the Path of Resplendent Intelligence and the
Light which, too intense for the material eye of
man, is around the Throne of the Supreme.
The association of marble with Hermes, the Guide
of the Human Race, is traditional, and evidence
favours it as the third stone of the Breastplate
engraved with the name of the tribe of Levi.
The Fourth Stone of the Breastplate
Nofek the fourth stone of the Breastplate, has
been identified with the emerald, carbuncle, jasper,
red garnet, ruby carbuncle, almandine garnet and
ruby. Two of the Targums classify it as emerald,
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
i9
possibly referring to a stone similar in colour to the
emerald. It is well known that all green stones were
called emeralds by a large section of the ancient
public, just as all red stones were called rubies, etc.,
hence much confusion followed . Dr. Emil Hirsch
says that Nofel,c (the correctness of which word has
been doubted in some quarters) must have belonged
to the green stones. In corresponding chrysoprase
with "celestial love of truth" Emanuel Swedenborg
draws attention to Exodus XXVIII. 18, indicating
his identification of that gem as the fourth stone of
the Plate. This gem which is of a soft green colour
resembles the tender hue of moonlight. The Midrash
Bemidbah gives the colour of Nofek as sky blue, the
Egyptians according to Muller as green, and the
astrological, in considering Cancer the Mansion of
the Moon, a moonlight green. The chrysoprase
was anciently translated as "austerity directed
against vice" which harmonizes agreeably with the
traditional attitude of chaste Diana against evildoers.
The Boat of the Moon in ancient Egypt is pictured
as a disc within a crescent, and the association of the
moon (which was said to be in its Mansion in the
watery Cancer) with the waters of the Earth was
well known to the ancients and is referred to frequently in works on magic and astrology. In this
connection may be mentioned the Egyptian story
of a few thousands of years ago which is known as
"The Legend of the Green Jewel" told to the Pharaoh
Khufu by the Prince Khafra:
Pharaoh Sneferu, weary and sighing for amusement
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
or relaxation from affairs of State, was advised by
his scribe to go rowing with the loveliest women of
his harem on the lake. "I will go with thee, august
One,, said the scribe, "the green banks with the
trees and flowers, the splash of the water under the
oars will charm thine eyes and bring thee happiness.,
For the excursion twenty beautiful young women
were selected (twenty-was a number of the negative
or female side of the Moon, quabalistically expressed
as "the Awakening,). They rowed the Pharaoh's
boat with oars of ebony and gold, singing sweetly
as they went, and his heart was glad. But with the
turning of the boat the helmswoman's hair was
touched by her steering oar and a green jewel she
wore fell into the water. She became silent and
raised her oar from the water, the other women doing
likewise. "Why cease?, asked the Pharaoh. "Let
us continue., · They answered: "0 Pharaoh, the
steerer has stopped and her oar is raised from the
water!' "Why is this so?, questioned the Pharaoh.
"0 Majesty, my beautiful green jewel has sunk
beneath the waters., "What of that?, he repli~.
"Continue. I will present you with a new jewel.,
"0 Majesty,, said the girl, "no jewel can replace my
own green jewel., So the Pharaoh turned to his
scribe. "What can we do?, he asked. "This girl
has lost her green jewel and will have no other.,
The scribe uttered magical words over the lake and
the waters divided as two walls. Between these
walls the scribe descended and, having found the
jewel, came up again into the boat, gave the green
jewel to the helmswoman and spoke to the waters
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81
which closed up again.. The Pharaoh was gratified,
giving rich gifts to the scribe at whose power all
marvelled.
When the Pharaoh Khufu heard this legend from
Prince Khafra he enjoined that offerings should
grace the sepulchres of the Pharaoh Sneferu and his
great scribe, the magician. This allegorical story,
like many others of the kind, is full of hidden
meaning and the connection of this boat with its
twenty female rowers, its two (unit of the Moon)
Dlustrious Ones, the Pharaoh and the Scribe, the
green vegetation on the banks of the lake, the lake
itself, the division of the waters and the green jewel
make the meaning especially clear to students of
symbology.
In astrological enumeration from the earliest time
the sign Cancer was said to rule the great oceans,
the deep blue of which may have influenced the
Midrash Bemidbah in its allotment of colour, and in
certain hermetic ceremonies connected with the
soul's entry into matter through the Gate of Cancer
from the blue ocean of the incorruptible Heavens.
The zodiacal Cancer, the Mansion of the Moon,
is associated with the worship of Diana in her varied
forms, and Diana-at one time a plebeian goddess
only-was for a long period worshipped by the plebeian populations who used to hang her image to trees
to increase their growth. Cancer is the sign of the
people, and the Moon "which delights in this sign"
represents their varying moods. In the Acts of
the Apostles it is related that Demetrius, a silversmith, and others made silver shrines of Diana
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THE MAGIC AND SCTENCE
(silver astrologically is the metal of the Moon)
resenting the attempt of Paul to prejudice her
worship, with the famous cry "Great is Diana of the
Ephesians." Diana was worshipped as the goddess
of Light by the Romans and whether as Artemis in
her changing attributes, Selene, Luna, Leucophryne,
Petamia, Munychia or Amarynthea, her inBuence as
a moon deity remains. Her face resembles that of
her twin brother Apollo to a very marked degree,
and her hair like his is caught up in a knot above
the forehead indicating the inBuence exerted by the
Moon in its relation to the Sun, in the movements of
the waters of the Earth.
That chrysoprase as we know it today was used
in very early times is clearly proved by the Egyptian
jewellery discovered in excavations. Hard as the
stone is, the ancients knew how to cut it, various
intagli of ancient origin existing today to prove their
skill. The apple-green hue of the chrysoprase is
attractive, and it is probable that it was the stone of
which fifty specimens were sent to Ashkalon as part
of the tribute. Its inclusion in this department of
the Breastplate is the result of much research, and it
harmonizes with astrological tradition. This stone
was inscribed with the name of the tribe of Judah.
The Fifth Stone of the Breastplate
In placing Shoham in the position of Sapir in the
fifth division of the Breastplate, traditional philosophy is harmonized. The fifth zodiacal sign Leo is
not blue. It is the mansion of the Sun, and old
almanacs symbolize it as a raging lion. The Mid-
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rash Bemidbah gives the colour as black but generally
authorities agree that it is a shade of red, especially
during sunrise and sunset, and a yellowish-red at
noonday. The eleventh zodiacal sign Aquarius is
given as sky blue by most authorities, and it is
generally accepted. It has a mystic connection
with the heavens, and without doubt its gem is the
Sapir. In the Zodiac the signs Leo and Aquarius
are exactly opposite, and on the Breastplate the
stone for the former is second of the second row. and
for the latter second of the last row. Accepting this
view no difficulty will be experienced. It might
also be considered that the tribe of Judah is the
tribe of the Lion, although for reasons previously
stated, the name of this tribe is engraved on the
fourth stone.
Accepting the Shoham then as the fifth stone of the
Breastplate we have yet to identify it. The Hebrew
Bible, the Authorized Version, Josephus, the Vulgate,
Marbodus, Dr. Deane all translate it as Onyx,
and Dr. Ginzberg half agrees with them. Dr. Emil
A. Braun, the archreologist, traced Shoham to the
Arabic SACHMA, blackness. "Of such a colour,"
he writes. "are the Arabian Sardonyx which have a
black ground colour." However. this species can
hardly be called true Sardonyx defined by Pliny as
"candor in sarda," graphically rendered by King as
"a white opaque layer superimposed upon a red transparent stratum of the true red Sard." The ancient
and modem methods of imitating this gem are identical: A Sard is put upon a red-hot iron block with the
result that the part nearest the heated mass is
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transmuted into a white hazy layer upon which the
Cameo artist works
It seems that the name Onyx amongst ancient
peoples was indifferently applied to both Onyx and
Sardonyx, but in the case of the fifth stone of the
Breastplate there seems to be no doubt that the
Sardonyx is the Stone. The sign Leo astrologically
rules the Heart in the human body, which in the
Grand Man is symbolically the Sun, and the Sard
is of the colour of the Heart. By ancient correspondence then..;., the Heart, Leo, the Sun, the Sard, the
Sardonyx, and the fifth department of the Breastplate are clearly connected.
The Carnelian, Sard, and Sardonyx were most
extensively used by the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans
and other peoples of antiquity, and many specimens
have been found engraved with various devices:
finely worked Egyptian scarabei, antique lntagli
and Camei. The Sardonyx has been called a
"royal stone," and the sign of the Lion is intimately
connected with royalty. The winged, humanheaded lions of Nineveh are emblematical of the
Sun, and Daniel describing his vision connects the
Winged Lion with the heart of Man:-(Ch. VIT. 4}.
In the Egyptian texts frequent allusion is made
to the heart or HATl of Osiris. The HATl represented vitality, warmth, control, and silently within
it were impressed the actions of its owner during
his earth-life. It was to his HATI, lying on the
Balance before the "Shining God," the attendant
deities and the forty and two gods in the great
Judgment Hall, that the shuddering soul cried out
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of the intense silence: "0 heart of mine, testify not
against me," words frequently impressed on Scarabei
and regarded as magically potent.
A symbolic image constructed by the Magi at
the period of the Sun's passage through the sign of
the Lion, took the form of a crowned king enthroned,
wearing a deep yellow robe, a globe at his feet and
a raven by his heart. The crowned king, his yellow
robe, the raven and the globe symbolize the Sun and
its manifestations, and the Heart-the Sun of Mansymbolizes the Solar sign Leo. Anq_ther symbol
of the Magi, shows a crowned woman in a fourhorsed chariot (four being the negative or female
side of the Sun), a mirror in her right hand, a staff
in her left, and a burning flame on her head. These
emblems were directed to be engraved in the Hour
of the Sun, the Sun being in Leo, on a carnelian
stone. The famous seal of Solomon and Davidthe Mogan Dovid-was most potent when engraved
on a Sardonyx, a Carnelian or a plate of gold (metal
of the Sun).
All conditions necessary for this stone of the
breastplate are fulfilled in the Sardonyx stone which,
engraved with the tribe of Zebulun, filled the fifth
place.
The Sixth Stone of the Breastplate
The sixth stone of the Breastplate is, without
doubt, the Jashpeh accepted by the Vulgate,
Marbodus, Dr. Emil Hirsch and Dr. G. Deane.
Translated correctly enough as Jasper, it is placed in
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the twelfth division in the Hebrew and Authorized
Versions.
From an astrological point of view the Yaholom
has no claim on the sixth House whilst Jashpeh
undoubtedly has. The latter is the third stone of
the second row of the Breastplate and the former is
the third stone of the fourth row. In astrological
science they are opposite in the Zodiac, the Jashpeh
belonging to ·the celestial Virgo and the Yahalom to
the celestial Pisces. The colours are given in the
Midrash Bemidbah as "Mixed," and this is more
correct than the "black speckled with blue," set
down sometimes for the sign Virgo, but which scarcely
expresses the aspect of Nature personified in the
goddess Ceres. The Jasper stone has not lost its
identity in the march of time, and there is no reason
to doubt that the Aspu of the Assyrians, the Jashpeh
of the Hebrews, the Jaspis of the Greek, or the
Yash of the Arabs is any other than the Jasper, as we
know it today. The Panther stone of the Targums
of Onkelos and Jonathan is the well-known and very
beautiful Egyptian Mottled Jasper so greatly
esteemed in the ancient world. The Jasper takes a
very brilliant polish and is quite of the crystal
brilliance indicated in the sacred books. It was
the gem of the angel Raphael, emblematic of strength,
courage, virtue and wisdom, and it is associated
with a variety called the Graminatias, the markings
of which resemble-to a very marked degree in some
specimens-the letters of the Alphabet. Thus, it
is the stone of Hermes or Thoth, the mercurial god
who, possessed of illimitable knowledge, communi-
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cated it to the earth-bound spirit known as Man, by
signs in the Heavens, in the air, in the sea, on the
earth, in the flowers and stones of the earth, by
omens, by hints and by incidents, but never--on
account of his promise to Apollo-by spoken words.
Jerome calls the Jasper "the stone of spiritual
graces," and from Hermes to Christ called Son of
the Virgin, this stone descends with all its spiritual
attributes. It is associated with the Virgins of
Egypt who provoked the words set down in the eighth
chapter of Jeremiah: "The children gather wood and
the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead
their dough to make cakes to the Queen of Heaven."
The Jasper was a stone sacred to the Virgin Mary
in Christian mysticism, and to the Son of the Virgin;
and symbolically the Virgin of the Skies is ever
immaculate, ever sublime and pure. The association of the sixth sign of the Zodiac with all virginity
is further exemplified in the cult of the Virgins of
Vesta. Corresponding with the sixth sign of the
Zodiac these virgins were six in number, and the
age of girls selected for the service could not be less
than six years. The poets tell the story of the
beautiful Astrrea, the holy Virgin, who in pity
remained with men after the gods, provoked by
man's wickedness, had departed in anger; remained
with them until she was forbidden to gaze on a world
defiled with crime and misery, and with bandaged
eyes was led away to Heaven where her symbolic
form stands eternally, scales in one hand, sword in
the other. One gift she left with man-the gift
of Hope which has as its emblem the unpretentious
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Jasper stone. The Virgin Astrrea is familiar as the
goddess of Justice, and her connection with Mercury-astrologically known as Lord of the Virginis apparent. Her special degree of the Zodiac is
given as the twenty-third ("Zodiacal Symbology :•
page 96), which is a degree of sympathy, and for
the correct administration of justice, deep and
generous sympathy is surely necessary.
According to Swedenborg and other mystical
writers the Virgin symbolizes all chaste love, "affection for good, charity towards others, lovers of
truth, spirituality and sympathy, and the kindness
of men to one another, as opposed to the cruel malice
of war and destruction which is likened to false
reasonings, lies and opposed to Divine Providence."
The Zebulon is the Haven into which they "who
are weary and heavy laden" may enter, and it is
significant that the Son of the Virgin dwelt in
Capemaum which is upon the sea coast in the borders
of Zebulon and Nephthalim (Matt. 4. 18).
Leah thanks God for "a good dowry :• and saying
that now her husband will dwell with her because
of her six sons, called his name Zebulun. In several
ways a good dowry is associated with the sign Virgo,
which is related to learning and commerce, will,
patience, persistence and the reward of honest work.
About the constellation of Virgo is the Argo or
Ship of the Heavens, which star-lighted is ever
gliding on the blue waters of the Celestial Harbour.
A story of the loss of the Jasper from the Breastplate is told in the Talmud, and after a long search
for another to replace it one was found in the posses-
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sion of Dama, son of Nethinah, and purchased from
him for about £60 in our money.
It is quite conceivable that stones were lost from
the breastplate, and it was no doubt the replacing
of them that caused so much confusion. Jasper
as the sixth stone of the Breastplate is easily identified
and the tribe of lssachar was inscribed upon it.
The Seventh Stone of the Breastplate
The seventh stone of the Breastplate is given as
Lesham, variously rendered as Ligure,Agate,Jacinth,
Hyacinth, Amber, Sapphire, Turquoise, Opal. The
gem needed must, according to Dr. E. G. Hirsch,
be "brilliant and of intense lustre." The Midrash
says that the stone was "white like the colour of
antimony." The colour in the Midrash Bemidbah
is given as sapphire blue, and by astrological authorities generally as dark crimson or tawny. The sign is
the airy home of the planet Venus: and its colour can
be more correctly gauged from the colours identified
with the planet itself, which are given as follows: yellow, lemon yellow and pale blue, art tints in general,
white and purple, white and shining, white in the
morning, reddish in the evening, changeable, etc.,
Gesenius translates LESHAM as Opal, and Dr. M.
H. Breslau accepts his reading as correct. The Opal is
given for the seventh stone in translations from the
Hebrew Bible, and this is most probably the correct
one. This beautiful gem was in great repute in ancient
times, and Pliny in lauding its charms tells us that
it was found in India, Egypt, Cyprus, Thasos and
other places. It is found recorded on Antique Clay
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Tablets whereon is impressed catalogues of treasures
taken from conquered cities. Its softness and delicacy rendered it easy to cut and carve, and specimens of opal intagli have been found. Mr. King
mentions one in the Praun collection, of mediocre
antique Roman work which was engraved with the
heads of Jupiter, Apollo and Diana surrounded by
nine stars. The same author mentions a big opal
set in a quabalistically inscribed ring of gold with
astrological symbols. The midrashic "white like
the colour of antimony" may fairly describe a
common variety of opal. Antimony is a brittle
flaky metal of bluish-white colour and crystalline
texture. No gem can exhibit "the brilliant and
intense lustres" more than the precious opal which
is not only brilliant and lusterful but beautiful,
tender and comprehensive of all the colours of the
rainbow. What gem can answer so to the Talmudic
identification of the qualities of Venus, viz., Splendour? The Venus of Libra is more ethereal than
the Venus of Taurus and is well presented in the
charming statue of the Venus of Medici, that of
Taurus being expressed in the figure known as the
Venus of Milo. ·This ethereal Venus is the immaculate glorious woman whose absolute beauty
the greatest poets, writers, painters, sculptors and
musicians have striven to express in words, in form,
in colour and in sound. Thus is Venus the noble
cogency of divine pure love which has been striving
through all the ages to make the world a paradise
and to bring man back again to the Eden he has
lost. No blood sacrifices stained the altars of this
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lovely goddess, and the ancients delighted in bringing to her temples sweet blossoms and fragrant
spices for incense. So great was the charm and
wonder of this Heavenly One that Momus, the god
of Sarcasm, who spared neither god nor man, died
of vexation because he could find in her nothing to
ridicule, nothing to blame, nothing to jeer at, for
before such pure beauty criticism and ridicule must
be mute. As Venus Urania she arises amidst the
foam of the sea (the occult import serving but to
intensify the beauty of the legend) with a blue sky
above her head and peaceful sunlit waters at her
feet, a symbol of that eternal love which unites the
elements and spreads the lustre of true harmony
wherever are to be found those wise enough to
know it. Socrates wrote that he was uncertain
whether there was one Aphrodite or two, and doubtless the philosopher recognized the various phases
of the goddess when blended with, or oorrupted by,
anything less than the conception of pure idealism
in all its expressions. The ancients called ·the opal
"Cupid"-a worthy tribute to the sublime beauty
of his glorious mother. One might compare the
opal to the union of Thaumas (Wonder), the Son
of the Earth, with Electra (Brightness), a daughter
of Oceanus, and with their child Iris (Rainbow).
lssachar is the tribe of the Balance, "an ass
bending between two burdens." The ass in the
East today as it was in ~e
days of the Bible is
regarded as an emblem of constancy, patience,
endurance and stolidity, and frequent allusion is
made to it in sacred writings: "Speak, ye that ride
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on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk
by the way." (Judges 5. 10.) Josephus replies
with vigour to the assertion of Apion that the Jews
worshipped an ass's head. In the mythology of the
Egyptians the good and evil essences are symbolised
by two wild asses, and mention is made in "The
Book ·of the Dead" of the duel between the ass and
its "eater," the night serpent. The ass also as a
symbolic animal of Jupiter represented Justice in
the ancient world, hence its association with the
Balance becomes clear. The tribe lssachar, this
"servant of tribute," is symbolic of absolute truth
for "a false balance is abomination to the Lord:
but a just weight is his delight." (Prov. 11. 1.),
and "He that speaketh truth showeth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit." (Prov. li. 17 .)
The entry of the Son of the Virgin into Jerusalemthe city of Virgo-riding on an ass, as told in that
chapter of parables, Matthew i1, is not devoid of
symbolic meaning. Hermes or Thoth is the recorder
of the scales in the Egyptian Hall of Judgment and
he may also be said to ride upon the scales for the
sign Libra follows the sign of the Virgin. Libra
has been described as the most sensitive sign of the
Zodiac, the opal is its ideal gem and the opal is the
gem for the seventh division of the Breastplate and
on it was engraved the tribe of Dan.
The Eighth Stone of the Breastplate
The eighth stone of the Breastplate is Shebo, rendered as Agate by the Authorised Version, the Vulgate, Marbodus and others.
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Gesenius gives the derivation of Shebo from a
root which means "to take prisoner,, and his illustrious pupil, Julius FUrst, connects it with a root
meaning "to glitter., Dr. Deane derives it from
another meaning "to obscure, to dull,, and expresses the opinion that the problem "cannot be
solved by etymology alone., He believes SHEBO
to be some variety of crystallised quartz. Dr.
Breslau in translating SHEBO as Agate has good
supporters. The variety known as Banded agreeably fits in with the demands of the planet Mars
through the sign of its expression Scorpio, termed
the sign of the Serpent. Its wayy lines typify the
undulations of the serpent, the lines of a fortress
or the restless waves of the sea. The opinion has
been expressed that SHEBO may have some connection with the Indian Serpent of the Underworld
-Sesha or Shesha, and the connection may be
further extended to the huge serpent which slays
and is slain by Thor as told in the Song of Vala.
The sign Scorpio is in astrology the sign of death,
the dead and all connected therewith. It is expressed by the Serpent of Eden in that magical
third chapter of Genesis, a chapter that has demanded the special study of mystical philosophers
for ages. The sign Scorpio is also symbolized in
the person of the goddess Serket, pictured as a
huinan-headed scorpion or as a goddess with scorpion
head-dress. She protected the Canopic Jars which
contained the embalmed viscera of the departed.
Aesculapius, the god of medicine, was worshipped
under the form of a serpent at Epidaurus, and in the
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Vatican statue he is represented leaning on a staff
around which is coiled a serpent; statues of his
daughter Hygieia show her with a serpent in different attitudes. In those and numerous other serpent
stories all associated with the sign Scorpio to a
greater or lesser degree, the majesty and the mystery
of life and death are philosophically implied.
The traditional colour of the sign Scorpio is given
as brown, a shade of brown well describes the agate
stone. The Midrash Bemidbah gives gray which,
though not in agreement with other authorities,
certainly does indicate a species of Agate.
Dan is described in the Book of Genesis as "a
serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that
biteth the horses' heels" (the sign following Scorpio,
Sagittarius-the sign of Gad) "so that his rider shall
fall backward." The tribe was a mystical tribe
possessing the knowledge of white magic and of
black (Judges XVIII. SO). The wisdom of the
serpent is symbolized in it-"Dan shall judge his
people."
The eighth stone of the Breastplate was the
Banded Agate, and on it was engraved the tribe
of Gad.
The Ninth Stone of the Breastplate
The ninth stone of the Breastplate is Achlamah .
which, with few exceptions, is identified as the
Amethyst-beyond doubt the correct identification.
The Midrash Bemidbah gives the colour as purple
which is the dominant shade of this beautiful gem.
Purple is also one of the chief colours associated
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with the planet Jupiter which in astrology is termed
the Lord of Sagittarius, the ninth sign of the Zodiac.
This sign is connected with. rulers and people in
authority from very early times; Josephus mentions
that Joseph wore "purple and drove in his chariot
through all the land of Egypt." The Amethyst was
a royal stone and purple a royal colour the right to
wear which was bestowed by the King on inspired
men who, like Joseph, were revealers of dreams.
In the Book of Daniel also Belshazzar promises
that the man who reads for him the "writing on
the wall" shall be clothed with purple, shall have
a chain of gold about his neck and shall rule as
the third in the kingdom. This promise he fulfills
when Daniel, "the prince of astrologers," told him
what he would know. A similar promise is made
by Darius, the son of Hystaspes, as a reward for
the solving of his questions regarding the strength
of Wine, Kings and Women. It is related in the
Book of Esther that the same honour is bestowed
on Mordecai by the King Artaxerxes.
In old Hebraic philosophy it was held that whoso
honoureth the prophet honoureth God. Purple is
the colour signifying royal dignity and imperial
power: "to be hom in the purple" is to be hom
essentially fortunate and, under the elevating in1luence of the planet Jupiter, Aclamah-according to
Dr. Hirsch-seems etymologically to imply the
idea of being strong. Lord Arthur Hervey and
several other writers hold that the Hebrew word
is a verbal one from the root HALOM, to dream.
In astrological deductions Sagittarius is the sign
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of dreams, prophecy and philosophy, and in its
divine aspect it is referred to the wise centaur Chiron
who tended the young hero Achilles. Sagittarius is
the sign of the Horse and of Horsemen, and its
connection with the tribe of Gad .is not hard to
understand. Aben Ezra writes on Targum authority
that Jupiter is best expressed by the name Gad,
and Dr. AHred Pearce remarks that in modem
Hebrew TZEDEK, justice, was also translated as
Jupiter "because of the just character of persons
hom under his influence." Gad, David's seer, is
mentioned in ~ Samuel, 1 and ~ Chronicles, and
the prophetic nature of this son of Jupiter may
well stand as a living symbol. Gad is heralded by
Leah thus: "A troop cometh," and "she called his
name Gad."
The Amethyst has ever been a gem symbolizing
spirituality in its highest degree, and by the virtue
of its power it opposed evils, drunkenness, and the
sin of distorted appetites. Indeed, the Amethyst
was considered a sign of such holiness that evil was
always courted by one wearing it whilst overindulging
in eating and drinking. It was cut into sacred
scarabei by the Egyptians and Etruscans and is
frequently found engraved. Pliny writes of its
fitness as a sealstone, and Mr. King mentions a
large pale Amethyst, signed, in the Pulsky collection, on which is engraved the head of a Syrian King.
The Amethyst has been frequently quoted as a
stone of the celestial Aries, even ancient writers
commenting on its sympathetic Aries vibration.
The mistake arose from confounding the Babylonian
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Mars with the Mars of the Greeks and Romans.
The Babylonian Mars of Centaur form is clearly
identified with the sign Sagittarius.
The Amethyst was the ninth stone of the Breastplate, and on it was engraved the name of the
tribe of Asher.
The Tenth Stone of the Breastplate
Regarding the tenth stone of the Breastplate
there is a general disagreement amongst authorities,
some preferring simply to give ·its Hebraic name
THARSIDSH without attempting its meaning.
The tenth division of the Breastplate is the division of the zodiacal Capricorn, the colour of which
is generally regarded as black, the colour of the
planet Saturn, and which according to Dr. Simmonite, William Lilly, Madame Blavatsky and others,
is, esoterically, green. The Targums describe the
stone Tbarshish as of the colour of the Great Sea,
or sea colour. This is found in the Serpentine
variety of a translucent deep green, oily colour
capable of receiving a high polish. The colour of
the Egyptian and Arabian Serpentine {or HYDRINUS) is deep and a little heavy. Many intagli
and camei of antique origin are found cut in Serpentine; t.hese specimens include Egyptian scarabei
and Babylonian cylinders of about 5,000 years ago,
clear evidence that the ancients knew the stone,
appreciated it and worked it.
The sign Capricorn is a strange one, symbolizing
the Gateway of Heaven through which men pass
when life on earth is done. Hence it expresses the
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mystery of the deep seas which were compared
with the seas of space in sacred philosophy. Amongst
others, Manitius recognizes Capricorn as a sailor's
sign:
But tDAen rec«ling Capricorntu •Aotu
TM .tar t1lat in Au tail'• briglal mmmit glow,
TMn •laall th6 natiH dar6 1M 41lf'll MU,
liN, qurning ingloriotu - ·
A lcardt~.io
Rev. Mr. King writes of a cast from a gem engraved with a "double-headed Capricorn with an
owl's body standing upon and holding in his forefoot
a rudder: in allusion to the doctrine laid down by
Manitius that the star in the sign's tail is the proper
horoscope of mariners and pilots. Or it may typify
the usually fickle temper of one hom under the sign.
This sign likewise presided over all the space within
tide-mark, the alternate domain of sea and land;
a dominion expressed by the half terrestrial, half
marine composition of the figure. The region peculiarly under him" (that is, the region astrologically
ruled by Capricorn) "was the West of Europe."
(This is speaking very generally.) "The owl's body
is given him perhaps as the attribute of Pallas, the
designer of that prototype of navigation, the Argo."
Godfrey Higgins writes of the "whimsical sign
called Capricorn which in the Indian Zodiac is an
entire goat .and an entire fish: in the Greek and the
Egyptian the two are united and form one animal."
The place of dazzling brilliancy, called by the
Greeks "The Milky Way" is the path of the souls,
and is referred to by Macrobius, Cicero and other
writers. The author of the "Anacalypsis" writes:
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"The Milky Way is placed immediately under that
degree of North Latitude which is called the Tropic
of Cancer, and the two tropics of Cancer and Capricorn have been called 1by the astrologers "The Gates
of Heaven or the Sun," at each of which the Sun
arrives in his annual progress. The Southern Gate
is called the Tropic of Capricorn, an amphibious
animal, half goat, half fish in our present zodiacs,
but in the most ancient zodiacs of India it is described as two entire beings-a goat and a fish.
Here, in this goat-fish sign Capricorn, are the mermen and mermaids, and the half-animal, half-fish
beings of the sea. Of the tribe of Asher it is said:
''Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall
yield royal dainties," (Gen. 49. ~0),
a statement
very much in agreement with the sign Capricorn.
Again in Deuteronomy {88. ~4)
we have, according
to the Authorized Version, "Let Asher be blessed
with children: let him be acceptable to his brethren,
and let him dip his foot in oil"; this passage, however,
may be closer translated as follows: "More than all
the children be Asher blessed: he shall be the most
favoured of his brethren and bathe his feet in oil."
The tenth Mansion of the Zodiac, the natural
'CUome" of Capricorn, is the House of fame, honour,
reputation, credit, authority and dignity.
His mother called him Asher because she said,
"the daughters will call me blessed," Asher being
the Hebrew word for "blessed." A close translation
ol verse 17, Chapter 5 Judges, would read: "Asher
remained on the seashore and abode near his bays."
In all these Biblical allusions to the tribe of Asher
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there is nothing out of harmony with the sign Capricorn; in fact, in every line the connection is clearly
marked.
The tenth stone in the Breastplate is the Serpentine and on it was engraved the tribe Naphtali.
The Eleventh Stone of the Breastplate
For reasons stated the Sapir is placed in the
eleventh division of the Breastplate instead of the
SHOHAM, and we thus have complete harmony
between the eleventh sign of the zodiac, Aquarius,
the eleventh division of the Breastplate and the
Sapir stone which is translated as Sapphire in the
Hebrew Bible, the Authorized Version, the Vulgate; as Lapis Lazuli or Sapphire by Mr. Wodiska;
and as Lapis Lazuli by Dr. Hirsch, Rev. J. R.
Dummelow, and others. The Targums indicate
a stone of blue colour, and that this is the
Lapis Lazuli there is no reason to doubt. In ancient
times the Lapis Lazuli was termed SAPPHIRUS;
Pliny describes it accurately as "opaque, sprinkled
with specks of gold/' and many antique intagli in
this stone have been found. The Lapis Lazuli was
a very highly esteemed stone amongst the old world
peoples, who called it "The Stone of Heaven,"
"The Gem of the Stars," and the Zemech Stone
connected with all things heavenly. Traditionally
it is the stone on which was engraved the law of
Moses. In a quabalistic "Piut" is written: "0, how
dreadful is the place of the heavenly abode; for there
the light dwelleth with him: and above the firmament is as a precious stone, as the appearance of
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the Sapphire stone which forms the glorious throne,
and thereon He who is clothed with light is seated."
A close translation of ·Ezekiel 1. 26, reads: "And
above, the vault that was over their head was like
the appearance of a sapphire stone, the likeness of a
throne: and upon the likeness of the throne was a
likeness as the appearance of a man above it."
Chapter X. 1, similarly treated, reads: "Then I saw
and behold, on the vault that was above the head
of the Cherubim, there appeared over them something like a sapphire stone, something similar in
appearance to the likeness of a throne."
The connection· of a blue stone with the blue
heavens is consistent with ancient philosophy, and
authorities agree in connecting this colour with the
sign of the mighty heavens-Aquarius. According
to tradition Moses, the law-giver, was hom under
this sign. Akers in his "Introduction to Biblical
Chronology" gives the date of this event as A. M.
8819, Adar third, year of the Julian period 2987,
which answers to Thursday, February 18th, 1727
B. C. At that time the sun would be in the Celestial
Aquarius. Aquarius is the water-bearer, and the
incident of the striking of the rock from which water
gushed forth is mystically associated with it. In
the Mythologies this waterbearer is Ganymedes,
son of Tros, King of Troy, whom the gods, impressed
by his beauty, carried away whilst he was tending
the flocks on Mount Ida, in order that the Lord of
Olympus might have a lovely cup-bearer.
In astrological deductions Aquarius is the sign of
friendship--"Naphtali bringeth pleasant words.'.'
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It is also the sign of hopes and desires: Of Naphtali
he said, "0 Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full
of the blessing of the Lord, take thou possession of
the West and the South." (Deut. 88. !8). Then
again, in the Septuagint Naphtali is referred to as
"a spreading tree yielding leafy branches" and the
tree raising branches heavenwards is an Aquarian
symbol.
The law of Moses is spoken of as the "tree of
Life" which contains the secret of actual and absolute immortality.
Now we are, according to periodic astrological
deductions, at the Gate of the age of Aquarius, all
the world is undergoing the process of change, and
finally all the humanitarianism of Aquarius will
replace the accumulation of evil thoughts that lay
by the Gateway. Then will Naphtali prevail, his
captivity will be over, and the slaves will hang up
their chains amongst the sacred cypresses, for the
Comforter will come.
The Lapis Lazuli then, is the stone of the eleventh
division of the Breastplate and on it was engraved
the name Joseph.
The Twelfth Stone of the Breastplate
Regarding the classification which places Jashpeh
in the twelfth division of the Breastplate much controversy has arisen, and the consensus of opinion is
against it.
Dr. Emil Hirsch holds the opinion that Jahalom
should replace JASHPEH, and in this surmise he is
by no means alone. Astrologically Jashpeh has
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nothing in common with the last sign of the Zodiac
-Pisces-the colour of which is given as "glistening
white" by the Midra8h Bemidbah. It has been
more minutely described as "a white glistening
colour like a fish just taken out of the water" by
William Lilly and Dr. Simmonite. There is little
doubt that the stone was of a white glistening
colour. Y AHALOM is rendered as Diamond by
the translations of the Hebrew Bible, the Authorized
Version, by Mr. Cattelle, Dr. Ginzberg and others;
but although the Diamond is mentioned by Pliny,
it could not have found a place among the stones of
the Breastplate as they were large stones all engraved
with tribal names. To this treatment the diamond
is not adapted. The YAHALOM is without doubt
white crystal which is of a glistening colour and
traditionally associated with the twelfth sign of the
Zodiac.
Diodorus writes that an artist named Satyreius
cut on a small crystal a most exquisite and lifelike
portrait of Queen Arsinoe, the beauty of the work
amply excusing the miniature stone on which it was
engraved. It is related that Nero, his star falling,
in his rage against the world and mankind, smashed
to pieces two costly crystal cyphi or bowls on which
Homeric subjects were wonderfully engraved. Articles in crystal still exist to demonstrate its extensive
use by ancient nations. Fauno, in his 1558 edition
of "Roman Antiquities," mentions that during the
building of a chapel of the King of France in St.
Peter's, the marble coffin of Maria, wife of the
Emperor Honorius, was discovered. Little remained
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
of the body, but the jewels of the Empress were there,
and amongst them were a talismanic plate of gold
engraved with the names of the Archangels (Michael,
Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel), in Greek letters, about
thirty vases and other articles in crystal, and an
exquisite Nautilus shell lamp of pure crystal mounted
on gold-no doubt the special charm of the Empress.
The sign Pisces, the sign of "the fish with the glittering tails," is symbolically represented by two fishes,
which ancient story tells us were Venus and Cupid
thus metamorphosed to escape the giant Typhon
in his fury. In Babylonian story it is told that the
fish-god Oannes-the Dagon of the Book of Samuel
--came out of the Erythraean Sea "which borders
upon Babylonia" to teach men how to live, to
make laws, to worship, to soften their manners and
to humanize their lives. Thus, the fish-god was
the teacher of the hidden mysteries, and the sign
Pisces has always been associated with occult science
and hidden things. Mummified fish have been found
in the Egyptian tombs, and Clermont Ganneau
describes a pair of fish-gods keeping watch over a
mummy. Isis as the Great Mother is symbolized
with a fish on her head. The old Egyptian town of
Esna, nearly 600 miles from Cairo, was called by
the Greeks Latopolis on account of the worship of
the Latus fish by the inhabitants, and an interesting
old Zodiac can still be seen there amongst the famous
ruins. The Babylonians accepted the fish as the
symbol of the Resurrection, and the ninth chapter
of the Book of Luke describes how 5000 people were
fed by 6 loaves of bread (symbolical of Virgo) and
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two small fishes (symbolical of Pisces), a connection
clear enough to the student of the mysteries. The
fish was the symbol of the Messiah, and was adopted
by the early Christians as the sign of Christ. The
Roman Catholic church today has its fish days, and
the Piscina is the basin that holds the Holy Water.
The tribe of Joseph is the tribe of the twelfth
division of the Breastplate and the twelfth zodiacal
sign, Pisces. Joseph in the Book of Genesis is the
inspired prophet who reads the meaning of the
famous symbolic dreams of The Butler, The Baker
and The Pharaoh; who has his divining cup, and
who was named by the Pharaoh, ZAPHENATHPA'NEACH, which has been translated as "Saviour
of the World" by one writer, but more nearly as
"God, the Living One has spoken" by Dr. Dummelow, and as "God spake and he came into Life,"
by Dr. E. A. Wallis Budge.
~1\
1Jl~
.Y~»l
According to Talmudic story it was this Pharaoh
who said that he saw the colours of rulership about
Joseph. Joseph and his brethren are symbolical of
the complete Zodiac. JOSHUA is the Son of the
Fish (NUN the Hebrew word for "fish" is probably
connected with the Egyptian NAR), and Jesus has
his fishermen, "fishers of men." The sign Pisces is
the sign of hidden secrets and is mystically symbolized by a key. On the external plane it is the
sign of increase, in which is concealed the mandate
"Increase and multiply."
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The connection of the sign Pisces with the twelfth
division of the Breastplate is, as in the previous cases,
beyond argument. The stone is the glistening crystal
on which was engraved the name of the tribe of
Benjamin.
In reference to Joseph's Dream of the Sun, Moon
and Eleven Stars which made obeisance to him,
Philo Judaeus says:
"The students of sublime wisdom now say that
the Zodiac, the greatest of all the circles in Heaven,
is studded with twelve animals from which it has
derived its name. And that the Sun and the Moon
are always revolving around it and go through each
of the animals, not indeed with equal rapidity, but
in unequal numbers and periods, the one doing so in
80 days and the other in as near as may be a twelfth
part of that time. Therefore he who saw this Heavensent vision thought that he was being worshipped by
eleven stars, ranking himself among them as the
twelfth so as to complete the whole circle of the
Zodiac."
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CHAPTER VI
THE STONES OF THE BREASTPLATE AND
THE ZODIAC
"HNJ~¥n'•
golden alpho.btJt-
And 1&8 that run.t may r«Ul."
YoUNo.
THE
foregoing chapter dealing with the identification of the stones of the Breastplate has
necessitated study and research, and the classification reproduced in the table following rests on a
secure base. Many of the scholars of the past
when endeavoring to render Hebrew stone names
into our own language were hampered by a none too
technical knowledge of the gems themselves, whilst
many of the later writers were handicapped by lack
of astrological knowledge so essential in a matter
of this kind. This will be sufficient to explain the
numerous contradictions regarding the identification
and allotment of the famous stones by whose agency
the psychic priests communicated with the angels of
God.
It has already been explained in Chapter V why
the tribal names do not agree with the signs of the
Zodiac and the stones on which they were engraved.
Some remarks of Philo Judaeus may with advantage
be re-quoted here: In reference to the Breastplate he
writes: "Then on his chest there are twelve precious
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THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE BREASTPLATE.
Hebrew Name
of Stone
1. Odem
I. Pitdah
8. Bareketh
f. Nofelt
6. Shobam
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Modern Name
of Stone
cW
Banded Agate
Name Engraved
on Stone
Colour
1. Reuben
I. Simeon
8. Levi
f. Judah
6. Zebulun
6. laacher
7. Dan
8. Gad
9. Aaher
10. Naphtali
11.
J~h
II. BenJamin
Aries
Taurus
Red Haematite
Emerald
Marble
=praae
Jnyx
Juhpeh
Leaham
Shebo
Achlamah
Tharahiah
11. Sa'
11. J:~om
Equivalent Sip
of Zodiac
Gemini
Cancer
Leo
V!rso
Ltbra
Scorpio
Sagittaritll
Caprioom
Aquarius
Piacea
Amethyst
Serpentine
LapiaLuuli
Crystal
A~roximate
.
Red
Green
White
Green
Red
Mixed
White and Purple
Brown
Purple
Sea colour
Blue
Gliatening White
Date of
un's En:f into
the Zodiac& Signs
March list
~ril
list
yllnd
June lind
July l8rd
August ttth
September hth
October ltth
November l8rd
December 10th
January 10th
February 19th
stones of different colours, arranged in four rows of
three stones in each row, being fashioned so as an
emblem of the Zodiac. For the Zodiac also consists
of twelve animals and so divides the four seasons of
the year, allotting three animals to each season.
And the whole place is very correctly called the
Logeum since everything in Heaven has been created
and arranged in accordance with right reason and
proportion: for there is absolutely nothing there
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59
which is devoid of reason. And on the Logeum he
embroiders two woven pieces of cloth, calling the
one Manifestation and the other Truth. And by
the one which he calls Truth he expresses figuratively
that it is absolutely impossible for falsehood to.
enter any part of Heaven but that it is entirely
banished to the parts around the Earth dwelling
amongst the souls of impious men.
The Baraita of Samuel deals with astronomical
and astrological philosophies, and in the 6th Chapter
there is a detailed account of the instruction of
scholars of Egypt on the original places of the planets
and the zodiacal divisions. This Samuel was a
physician and astrologer, and his remarks on the
administration of medicines, the times for operations,
etc., are much the same as those given in the best
astrological treatises of today. He considers the
last four days of the moon as an especially risky
period for important operations. This Baraita of
Samuel i$ a work of the 8th Century.
Talmudic writers say that besides the twelve
tribal names, those of the patriarchs Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob were at the top of the Breastplate,
and at the end the words, "The tribes of Jeshurun."
Others say that the final words were "The tribes of
Israel;" Maimonides says, "The tribes of God."
The reason given for these additions was that it was
necessary for the entire alphabet to be employed
so that the officiating High Priest could construct
words from the letters, names and colours of the
stones of the Breastplate, and reply in this way to
all questions asked. Some of the Rabbis say that
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
six letters were on each stone, made up of the tribal
names, the names Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and
the words "Tribes of Jeshurun." Thus the whole
of the stones contained 72 letters-the number of
Shem Ha Meforash. The number 72 is employed
in the mysteries, and is given in "Numbers, their
Magic and Meaning" as the number of the Angels
and of Mercy. In verses 19-!U of 14th Chapter of
Exodus the names of the 72 Angels of the name of
God are concealed. It is a martial talismanic
number, lightly cloaking the waxing and waning of
the Moon.
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CHAPTER VIT
OLD LEGENDS
"Within that awful rolumtr liu
Th1 my,Urg of mymriu ."
Scorr.
THE LEGEND OF THE SHAKIR: THE RING OF SOLOMON:
RABBI LOW BEN BEZALEL: AND HIS GOLEM: THE
AUTOMATON OF ALBERTUS MAGNUS: DIOCLETIAN
AND THE OSTRICH: PRECIOUS STONES AS GIFTS:
MAGICAL STONES: METEORITES: PRECIOUS STONES
OF THE BUDDHISTS.
forbidden to use metal in the engraving
I Tofwas
the stones of the Breastplate, neither was it
permitted to mark them with pigments or paint.
The work was done by the magical Shamir which
had the power of eating into the hardest substances
at the will of its holder. In the evening light of the
first Friday this seventh of the ten marvels of Creation followed closely by the Stylus, the knowledge
of writing, and the two tablets of stone destined to
bear the commandments of God, was given to mankind. It was no larger than a barley grain, yet its
· power was intense: iron lying near it was shattered
and stones were sliced like the leaves of a book.
Moses, after tracing the tribal names with his forefinger on the Breastplate, simply held the Shamir
over them and the letters were as by magic cut
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clearly into the stones without trace of fracture or
ftaw. The Shamir disappeared with the earth-death
of Moses, and was not heard of again until the time
of Solomon. When the occasion came to build the
temple the priests reminded the King that it was
not lawful to fashion the stones for the Holy Building with instruments of iron. "What then shall I
do?" enquired the King. To this one of the priests
answered: "0, great King, when the world was
created the Shamir was created also, and with it
Moses was enabled to fashion and engrave the
stones of the HOSHEN-HA-MISIIPAT." "But
how can I obtain this wonderful Shamir?" asked
Solomon. "What is there difficult for thee who
knowest the secrets of Heaven and Earth?" replied
the priest, at the same time asking Solomon to
compel two demons, a male and a female, to come
before him. The King, taking this advice, conjured
the demons and bade them declare unto him the
hiding-place of the Shamir. This they were unable
to do, and they begged the Master-Magician to
release them and obtain the secret from the Prince of
the demons, Ashmadai. Further they told the
King that amongst certain mountain ranges Ashmadai had sunk a deep hole which he filled with
water and screened with a great stone sealed with
his magical seal. In the dawn of each day he raised
himself to Heaven where he learned heavenly wisdom,
descending in the evening as the light faded to learn
the wisdom of earth. Then he would break the
seal, drink of the water, rebind the seal and go his
way again.
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Having dismissed the demons, Solomon sent his
disciple Benaiah (the son of Jehoiada) with his own
magical chain and ring on both of which was engraved the Divine Name, and some skins full of
wine. Benaiah skilfully released the water from
the pit of Ashmadai, leaving the wine in its place .
. As evening was falling the Prince of the Demons
returned; the seal being intact, he raised the stone
and to his surprise found wine where water had
been. Murmuring, "Is it not set down, 'Wine is a
mocker, strong drink is noisy; and whosoever indrank
dulgeth therein will never be wise'?", h~
deeply and fell asleep. Then Benaiah, stealing forth
from his hiding place, bound him with King Solomon's chain. Ashmadai awoke and in rage attempted
to break the chain; Benaiah called to him: "Desist,
for the holy name of God hinds you, and you are
compelled to come with me to Solomon the King."
Brought before Solomon, Ashmadai asked: "Why
have you brought me to you? Is not the whole world
big enough for you that you would have me also?"
"Of thee I want nothing," answered the King, "but
for the building of the Temple I must have the
Shamir." "Then ask the Prince of the Sea and his
servant the Moorfowl," came the answer. "And
what does the Moorfowl with the Shamir?" asked
the King. "Splits the barren mountain rocklands in
order that the seeds of the trees and plants which
he drops into the crevices may mature and render
these places beautiful and agreeable to the wants of
man; and then he brings it back to the Prince of the
Sea who trusts his oath." Armed with this infor-
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THE MAGIC AND SCffiNCE
mation a search was made for the moor fowl's nest,
and this when discovered was found to contain the
bird's young. The searchers covered the young
birds with glass so that the mother-bird might see
but not reach them. The ruse succeeded. The
bird flew away and shortly afterwards returned with
the Shamir, placing it on the glass which split
asunder. At that moment the emissary of King
Solomon rushed from his hiding place and took the
Shamir from the nest of the frightened bird, which
thereupon killed itself because it had broken its
oath to the Prince of the Sea.
There is another legend which states that the
Shamir was brought from Paradise-where it had
rested since the time of Moses-by an eagle, for
Moses specially intended that the Shamir should be
employed in the building of Solomon's temple.
When the building of the temple was completed
Solomon released Ashmadai, having proved his power
over him. Solomon thus acquired authority over
the world of Demons, and in the "Arabian Nights"
the "Story of the Fisherman and the Genii" tells of
a demon who was bottled and bound for ages by
this Magician King. The Arabs say that King
Solomon received instructions from the archangel
Gabriel regarding the place where the Shamir was
hidden. These and other legends connected with
this wonderful Shamir have attracted the scientific
philosopher. The traditional belief that it was a
worm can be accepted if we connect the Greek
SMIRIS, the emery of the ancient glyptic artists,
with the Hebrew SHAMIR, for then the worm would
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be regarded as minute worms or grains so tough as
to be capable of abrading and polishing hard substances. The word SHAMIR does not imply the
common or garden variety of worm which is expressed in Hebrew by other words. It is traditionally related that the four angels of Earth, Air, Fire
and Water came to King Solomon, each giving him
a jewel, with the instruction that the jewels be set
in a magical ring which would symbolize and define
his power over the elements. The Arabians say
that the metals used in the construction of the
magical ring were brass and iron-metals of Venus
and Mars. Solomon summoned the good genii by
tracing his command with the brass or Venus portion of the ring, and he compelled the evil genii to
attend him with the Mars or iron portion. Astrologically Venus and Mars are the two planetary
principles which control the emotions and passions
of all the world. It is further assumed that the
four jewels of the ring were set on the famous double
triangles called the Shield of David and of Solomon,
which symbolically represented things of earth in
relation to things of Heaven. When Solomon went
to bathe, it was his custom to give the ring to Am.ina,
one of his wives, for safe keeping, for it is not permitted to wear the talisman when washing the
body. One day Sakhr, a powerful evil spirit, appeared in the form of Solomon and thus obtained
from Amina the magical ring. Thereupon Sakhr
sat on the throne of Solomon and ruled for forty
days and forty nights while the King wandered
about, unknown and forlorn. However, the evil
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
spirit could not maintain the form of King Solomon
for longer than forty days and forty nights, so he
threw the ring into the sea, thinking as he saw it
sink that Solomon was deprived forever of his power
over the elements. But he had forgotten that
water was one of the elements, and the Angel of
the Waters caused the ring to be swallowed by a
fish, which was later caught by some fishermen who,
surprised at its exceptional beauty, carried it to
King Solomon. The King, acting on impulse, cut
the fish open, and finding the ring, regained his
power over the elements once more.
Passing on to the 16th Century of the Christian
era we come to one of the great masters of the
Quabalah-Rabbi Low Ben Bezalel of Prague. He
is spoken of in the ancient capital of Bohemia as
the greatest Bal Shem of his time. Many legends
concerning him are extant in Bohemia. He made
a Golem, an automaton figure to which he gave life
by the simple act of placing under the tongue a
chann or Kemea which was exactly like the SHEM
HAMPHORASCH engraved on King Solomon's
ring. It was the Rabbi's custom to take the Kemea
from under the tongue of the Golem every Friday
at sunset. Once he neglected to do this, and the
Golem becoming furious and swelling to a gigantic
size, rushed to the old synagogue, spreading destruction all around. The hymn welcoming the
Bride of the Sabbath had not been sung. The Golem
entered the Synagogue, stalked towards the Ark
and was about to destroy it when Rabbi Low Ben
Bazl~
ran to the figure and tore the Kemea from
I
I
.
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
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beneath the tongue. •The Golem trembled, quivered
and fell in atoms to the ground. An automaton
similar to that of the Rabbi was made by Albertus
and destroyed in terror by his pupil, Thomas Aquinas.
It is related that the Roman Emperor, Diocletian,
while on a hunting expedition, came upon a young
ostrich. He had it put in a glass case and taken to
his palace. For three days the mother-bird followed,
trying in vain to break the glass and release her
young. After many fruitless attempts she went
away and returned with what is described as a
THUMARE (a name easily identified withSHAMIR)
or magical worm. This she dropped on the glass
cage which split into fragments in the same way as
the glass which covered the nest holding the young
of the moor fowl.
The belief that the gift of a precious stone
brought great good to the receiver was, and
still is, a popular Eastern conviction. It echoes
from the Book of Proverbs to the great new age into
which the world is now entering: "As a precious
stone appeareth a prize in the eyes of him that
obtaineth it: whithersoever it tumeth it prospereth."
(Proverbs XVII. 8.) The blessedness of giving has
always been lauded by the masters who constantly
enlarge on the magical power gained by the act, for,
say they, "God gives."
,
The gem given should always be carefully considered especially in accordance with the philosophy
laid down in these pages which is held to be a true
presentation of ancient laws. The wish of the giver
then, it is assumed, is translated into the gem which
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
eip:resses the wish, translated in concrete form so
that whenever the receiver gazes on it, realizes it,
the wish of good fortune begins to bear fruit and
'~hitersov
it turneth it prose~th."
(.- The
Talmud relates that Abraham had a magiearJewel which
he wore suspended about his neck; some writers state
that it was a pearl that would re-appear at the time
of the Messiah; it was however his own natal stone
which, when worn, enabled him by the touch of his
hand to heal the sick-a practice which has endured,
naturally with varied success, through the ages.
The gem in the ring of Aaron was said to shine out
brilliantly when the Elohim favoured the nation;
and we are told that when the gem and the wearer
were in harmony the brightness or otherwise of the
stone would indicate faithfully the conditions surrounding him. In the writings of Bishop Epiphanius
a fourth century ecclesiastic of Jewish descent, there
is a passage commenting on the Breastplate in which
he repeats a still older belief that the stones all turned
red when war and defeat faced the Children of Israel.
Some Quabalistical writers maintain that various
colours indicating answers to the many questions
asked were reflected from the stones over the whole
plate; others say that the stone having reference to
the tribe or to the direct question alone, gleamed out
its special colour; thus, for military triumph the
symbol would be expressed by the beaming of the
Haematite; for bountiful production of the fruits of
the earth the Emerald would flash its message of
comfort; for success in matters connected with
education the Marble would shine; for promise of a
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
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good water supply the sparkle of the Chrysoprde
would suffice; for the well-being of royalty the illumination of the Sardonyx would promise well; for a
good harvest the Jasper would glisten; for success in
negotiations with neighbouring nations the gleaming
of the Opal would augur well; for protection from ·
epidemics the glaring of the agate would be accepted
as a favourable omen; for prophetic truth the radiation of the Amethyst would stand; for the welfare of
cattle the Serpentine would vibrate; for the realization of hopes the Lapis Lazuli would electrify like
the deep blue of the Heavens in serene weather; for
success in secret negotiations the Crystal would
throw off its flashes of light.
According to the legends in the Targumin, Noah
lit up the Ark with a stone of marvellous brilliancy;
this is considered by some students to denote the
Sun at noonday, by others it is called a Carbuncle.
The Manna of the wilderness, it is said, fell from
Heaven accompanied by a rain of the most precious
and beautiful stones: this is merely an allegorical
expression of the "opening of the Heavens," although
some more material writers indicate a fall of meteorites. Meteorites were held in especial reverence
and were termed BETHEL or House of God by the
old Jews, and Baetylus by the Greeks and Romans.
They were assumed to carry all glorious influences
from the Heavenly spheres and to bear the blessings
of God. Pliny mentions a curious stone which he
terms AMIANTHUS and which is not affected by
the action of fire. This substance, he says, effectually counteracts all noxious spells, especially those
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
wrought by magicians. It was considered a bad
mistake to barter for a talismanic gem, that being
in itseH a crystallization of the sublime forces, and
being holy does not admit of barter. Pliny tells of
Ismenius the great fluteplayer of his time, who loved
to display numbers of gems: he set his heart on
obtaining a beautiful emerald-his talismanic gemon which was engraved a figure of Amymone (one of
the Danaides), the gem being offered for sale in
Cyprus for six golden denarii; he sent his messenger
to purchase it for him, and this man on his return
informed Ismenius that the jeweller had agreed to
take two golden denarii less than was originally
asked; on learning this the musician exclaimed: "By
Hercules, he has done me a bad turn in this, for the
merit of the stone has been greatly impaired by this
reduction in price."
The seven precious minerals of the Buddhists are
stated by Sir Moiner-Williams K . C. I. E. to be:
1.
I.
S.
4.
Gold . .
Silver.
Pearls.
Sapphires or Rubies.
5 . Cat.seyes.
6. Diamonds.
7. Corals.
The list varies and Lapis Lazuli is given instead
of pearls by some authors. There are also seven
royal treasures amongst which is. the jewel stone
NORBU which throws its rays for several miles on
the darkest nights.
Apollonius of Tyana" described by Barrett as one
of the most extraordinary persons that ever appeared
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in the world, received during his travels in India from
the sage larchus seven rings each of which contained
a jewel symbolical of one of the planets. One of these
he wore every day, according to the planetary order
of the days of the week, and to the virtue of these
gems-which larchus is stated to have received from
Heaven-Philostratus, the biographer of Apollonius,
attributes his long life, his strength and his attractions. The following were the gems inset in the
rings which Apollonius wore, one on each day of
the week:
Sunday
Monday
Day of the Sun Diamond (In a ring of gold)
Day of the Moon Cloudy Crystal (? Mooll8tone)
a ring of silver)
Tuesday
Day of Mars
lbematite (In a ring of iron)
Wednesday Day of Mercury Pink Jasper (In a ring of silver)
Thursday Day of Jupiter Carbuncle (In a ring of tin)
Friday
Day of Venus
Coral (In a ring of bronze)
Saturday Day of Saturn Onyx (In a ring of lead)
an
Justin Martyr had a deep reverence for this great
disciple of Pythagoras and in his writings he expresses
wonder at the potency of the talismans of Apollonius,
which calm the fury of the sea, hold back the winds of
Heaven, cause wild animals to become tame;-"Our
Lord's miracles are held to us only by tradition, but
the miracles of Apollonius are uncountable almost,
and truly were evident enough to charm all those
who saw them."
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STONES IN VARIOUS MYTHOLOGIES
THE DWELLING PLACE OF INDRA: 'l'HE SERPENT KING:
THE CHARIOT OF SURYA: SURYA'S TEMPLE: RAMA
AND THE BRIDGE OF ADAM: THE AVATARAS: THE
TEMPLE CAVES OF KANHARI: NECKLACE OF THE
KING OF MA.ABAR: JAIPAL'S NECKLACE: THE BUDDHIST TWELVE HEAVENLY JEWELS: THE TREASURES:
THE OFFERINGS OF THE FOUR DEVA SAGAS: THE
BLACK STONE OF MECCA: ROLAND AND THE JEWEL
OF THE FOREST KNIGHT: IRISH CHARM STONES:
DENDRITES: GARDEN CHARMS.
or the North Pole, the abode of the
MERU
great lndra who, according to the Rigveda,
"fixed firm the moving Earth, made tranquil the
incensed mountains, who spread the wide firmament, who consolidated the Heavens," is symbolically presented as a shining mountain of jewels .
and precious metals.
The Lord of Patala (the infernal regions), Seshanaga, known as the King of the Serpents, is pictured in the Bhagavad-Gita (Revelations) as:
"Of appearance gorgeous and brilliant. He has a
thousand heads and on each of them is set a crown of
glittering gem stones. His neck is black, his body is
black and black are his tongues.
"Like torches gleam his eyes: yellow-coloured are the
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borders of his robe: from each ear hangs a sparkling gem
stone: his extended arms are adorned with jewelled
bracelets: his hands hold the holy shell, the radiant
weapon, the war mace and the lotus."
Surya is the great Sun to whose chariot is harnessed seven green horses driven by the charioteer
Arun, the Dawn. In his account of the Temple
of Surya, Hort quotes the following from a very
old traveller: "The walls were of red marble interspersed with streaks of gold. On the pavement
was an image of the radiant Divinity, hardly inferior
to himself in splendour: his rays being imitated by
a boundless profusion of rubies, pearls and diamonds
of inestimable value, arranged in a most judicious
manner and diffusing a lustre scarcely' endurable
by the sight." The Hindu work AYEEN AKBERY
is also quoted by the same author·. In it the temple
of Surya is thus described: "Near to Jaggernaut
is the Temple of the Sun in the erecting of which
was expended the whole revenue · of Orissa for
twelve years. The wall which surrounds the edifice
is one hundred and fifty cubits high and nineteen
·cubits thick: having three entrances. At the Eastern
Gate are two very fine figures of elephants, each
with a man upon his trunk. On the West are two
surprising figures of horsemen completely armed,
who having killed two elephants are seated upon
them. In front of that gate is an octagonal pillar
of black stone . fifty cubits high. Nine flights of
steps lead to an extensive enclosure, in which is a
large dome constructed of stone, upon which are
carved the Sun and the Stars: and around them is
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a border on which is represented a variety of human
figures expressive of different passions: some kneeling, others prostrate: together with a number of
imaginary strange animals."
Rama's monkey army is said to have built a
bridge of rocks, called the Bridge of Adam, from
the western point of India to Ceylon. Krishna,
the eighth Avatara or incarnation of Vishnu, is
represented in magnificent dress adorned with garlands of wild flowers and with strings of ~stly
pearls around his ankles. His complexion is blue,
as is also the large bee usually depicted flying above
his head. The Avataras are all adorned with gems,
flowers and loose gauze cloaks interwoven with
gold and silver and colours, while they hold various
symbols such as the Holy Shell, the axe, rings, etc.
The antique Temple Caves of Kanhari at Salsette
contain remarkable stone carvings, some of the
statues cut from the main rock being fifteen feet
high. Of these sacred figures some are adorned
with helmets, others have jewelled crowns, others
great masses of hair. The famous necklace of the
King of Maabar was composed of rubies, sapphires
and emeralds, and the necklace taken from Jaipal,
the Hindu King, by Mahmud (1001 A.D.) was
made up of pearls, rubies and various precious
stones, the whole being valued at over 600,000
dollars. These necklaces were regarded as religious
objects. Buddha was worshipped symbolically as a
black square stone, and the ancient Zodiac of the
Buddhist has been known as the Twelve Heavenly
Jewels. This is symbolized as:
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An antelope or horse (in the place of Aries)
A bull
Twins
Crab
Lion
Virgin
Scales
Scorpion
Bow and arrow (in the place of Sagittarius)
Elephant (in the place of Capricorn)
Waterbearer
Swastika (in the place of Pisces)
The Zodiacal Treasures of the King are:
The Elephant
equalling CapricorD
The Horse
equalling Aries
The Beautiful Jewel
equalling Libra
The Wife
equalling Virgo
Holy Guide of the House
equalling Aquarius
The General
equalling Sagittarius
The Swastika
equalling Pisces
Mr. Samuel Beal, B.A.R.N., etc., gives the following account of the offering of the Alms Dish in
his "Buddhist Records of the Western World":
"The four Deva Sagas coming from the four quarters each brought a golden dish and offered it.
The Lord sat silently and accepted not the offerings
on the ground that such a costly dish became not
the character of a hermit. The four Kings casting
away the golden dishes offered silver ones. Mterwards they offered vessels of Po-Chi (crystal),
Liu-Li (Lapis Lazuli), Ma-Nao (Carnelian), Ku-Chi
(amber), Chin-Chu (ruby), and so on. The Lord
of the World would accept none of them. The
four Kings then returned to their palaces and
brought as ari offering stone patras of a deep
blue colour and translucent. On their again pre- .
senting these the Lord to avoid accepting one and
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rejecting the others joined them all in one and
thus accepted them. Putting them one within
the other the Lord made one vessel of the four.
Therefore four borders are to he seen on the outside
of the rim of the dish."
Black stones have been repeatedly mentioned in
the history of man. We have seen them in the
transition of Aglauros, in the Buddhistic devotion,
and in the Biblical narratives. These Matsebah
have been found engraved with the twelve signs of
the Zodiac, sometimes symbolized as the twelve
Gods of Assyria. Gramaldi in "Zodiacs and Planispheres" mentions a black stone which exhibited
ten out of the twelve zodiacal signs and ten decans
out of the thirty-six. It was found near the Tigris
in Bagdad, and is perhaps the oldest zodia(!!J,lJilonument extant, its date being sef<Iown -afiSiO years
before the Christian era. But the most famous of
all black stones is the HAJER-ALASVAD which
is now set into the south-east comer of the KA'BAH.
The story of this sacred relic is told very completely
by Hadji Khan and Wilfred Sparrey in "With the
Pilgrims to Mecca": Having determined to form
man in his own image, the Creator called the angels
Gabriel, Michael and lsrafil, each at a different
time, requesting that they should bring for his
purpose seven handfuls of earth from seven earth
strata, and seven colours. But the Earth cried
out that the anger of God would one day fall on her
through the wickedness and folly of man, and so the
angel departed without accomplishing the work.
God then sent the Angel Azrail who, listening to
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no appeal, remorselessly carried out his divinely
appointed task. God then made Azrail the Angel
of Death, who ever after separated the souls of
men from their useless bodies. The Earth was
then set down between Mecca and Tayef where,
having been pressed to a proper degree by the angels,
it was shaped as a man by the Creator. The mass
was then left for 40 years, being visited only by
the Angels. But the angel Edris who, "from being
of those that are nearest to God, became the Devil,"
grew furious because he knew that man was designed
to be his master. So with a vow that he would
always oppose him, Edris kicked the image of
earth which responded with an empty sound. Then
the Creator breathed into the image His own Spirit
and Man arose. He was given Paradise to inhabit,
and out of his left side Eve was taken. When
Man fell and was found no longer worthy of Eden,
a peculiar stone fell too and, says the narrative,
"this stone became the most cherished possession
of the Muhammadan world." The story continues:
"It (the stone) was restored to Paradise at the
Deluge, after which it was brought back to earth
by Gabriel and given to Abraham who set it in the
south-eastern comer of the Ka'bah which he is
said to have built. There it remained till the
Karmatians overturned the fundamental points of
Islam, bearing it away in triumph to their capital.
The citizens of Mecca sought to redeem the stone
by offering no less than 5000 pieces of gold for it.
The ransom was scornfully rejected by the impious
sectaries. Some ~i years later, however, they sent
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hack the stone voluntarily, covering their discomfiture by declaring it to he a counterfeit. The
dismay of the Meccans was allayed when they discovered that the stone would swim on water, that
being the peculiar quality of the stone they had
lost; so they were satisfied that the true one had
been returned to them. At first the stone was
whiter than milk, hut it grew to he black by the
sins of mankind. All believers, whatever may he
the cause to which they attribute the change of
colour, agree that the defilement is purely superficial, the inside of the stone being still as white
as the driven snow. The silver box wherein it lies
is about twenty inches square and is raised a little
more than five feet from the ground. A round
window having a diameter of some nine inches is
kept open to enable the pilgrims to kiss or touch
the treasure within, the treasure being known as
"the right hand of God on Earth." In colour it is
a shining black; in shape hollow like a saucer,
presumably the result of the pressure of devoted
lips. If a pilgrim fails to touch the Stone he must
make a reverential salaam before it and pass on.
Special prayers are also said. The guide accompanying the authors recited the following lines
from the Fortuhul Haremeyn before leaving:
''Think not that the KA'BAH was made from the
earth: in the body of the world it took the place of the
heart. And the stone you call the Black Stone was
itself a ball of dazzling light. In ages past the Prophet
said it shone like the crescent moon until at last the
shadows falling from the sinful hearts of those that
gazed on it turned its surface black. Now since the
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amber gem that came to the earth from Paradise with
the Holy Ghost, has received such impressions on itself
what should be the impressions which our hearts receive? Verily, whosoever shall touch it being pure of
conscience, is like unto him that has shaken hands with
God."
Other accounts state that the stone is about seven
inches in diameter, oval and irregular, made up
of a number of smaller and variously sized pieces,
which inclines one to the opinion that it was at
one time shattered by some hard blow and afterwards put together again. The most recent descriptions of the stone of Mecca agree that it is
of a dark reddish-brown colour with a brown border
seemingly of pitch and small sand stones, the whole
being set in a band of silver.
The most wonderful thing regarding the history
of this relic of Islam is that one little stone, the
Black Stone of Mecca, should have such powerful
attraction for over ~,0
of the inhabitants
of the world.
Included in Guerber's "Myths and Legends of the Middle Ages" is the following story of Roland
and the Jewel:
"Charlemagne learning that the Robber Knight
of the Ardennes had a precious jewel set in his
shield called all his bravest noblemen together and
bade them sally forth separately with only a page
as escort in quest of the knight. Once found they
were to challenge him in true knightly fashion,
and at the point of the lance win the jewel he wore.
A day was appointed when, successful or not, the
courtiers were to return, and, beginning with the
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lowest in rank, were to give a truthful account
of their adventures while on the quest. All the
knights departed and scoured the Forest of the
Ardennes, each hoping to meet the robber knight
and win the jewel. Among them was Milon, accompanied by his son Roland, a lad of fifteen, whom
he had taken as page and armour-bearer. Milon
had spent many days in vain search for the knight
when, exhausted by his long ride, he dismounted,
removed his heavy armour and lay down under
a tree to sleep, bidding Roland keep close watch
during his slumbers. For a while Roland watched
faithfully: then, fired by a desire to distinguish
himself he donned his father's armour, sprang on
his steed and rode off into the forest in search of
adventures. He had not gone very far when he
saw a gigantic horseman coming to meet him and
by the dazzling glitter of a large stone set in his
shield he recognized him to be the invincible Knight
of the Ardennes. Mraid of nothing, however,
the lad laid his lance in rest when challenged to
fight, and charged so bravely that he unhorsed his
opponent. A fearful battle on foot ensued, each
striving. hard to accomplish the death of the other.
But at last the fresh young energy of Roland conquered and his terrible foe fell to the ground in
agony. Hastily wrenching the coveted jewel from
the shield of the dead warrior, the boy hid it
in his breast. Then riding rapidly back to his
sleeping father he laid aside the armour and removed all traces of a bloody encounter. Soon
after Milon awoke and resumed the quest, when
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he came upon the body of the dead knight. He \
was disappointed indeed to find that another had
won the jewel, and rode sadly back to court to be
present on the appointed day. In much pomp,
Charlemagne ascended his throne amid the deafening sound of trumpets. Then seating himself he
bade the knights appear before him. Each in turn
told of finding the knight slain and the jewel gone.
Last of all came Milon. Gloomily he made his
way to the throne to repeat the story that had
already been told so often. But as he went there
followed behind him with a radiant face young
Roland, proudly bearing his father's shield in the
centre of which shone the precious jewel. At the
sight of this all the nobles started and whispered
that Milon had done the deed Then when he
dismally told how he too had found the knight
dead, a shout of incredulity greeted him. Turning
his head he saw to his amazement that his own
shield bore the gem. At the sight of it he appeared
so amazed that Charlemagne set himself to question
Roland, and thus soon learned how it had been
obtained. In reward for his bravery in this encounter Roland was knighted and allowed to take
his place among the paladins of the Emperor. Nor
was it long before he further distinguished himself,
becoming to his father's delight the most renowned
among all that famous company."
The Irish Charm stones used to charm away
vermin, are about one inch in thickness and about
four inches long. The Australian natives carried
magical stones which could never be seen by women.
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Certain stones known as Dendrites exhibit markings which take the form of trees, grass, moss, etc.
(see Moss Agate). The ancients considered them
fortunate for prosperity in farming and in general
affairs of life. Brigadier General Kenneth Mackay
mentions in his book, "Across Papua," various
carved stones which were employed by the natives
as garden charms.
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CHAPTER IX
STONES AND THEm STORIES
STONES. These were stones used
ABRAXAS
by the Gnostics or Knowers who existed in the
early ages of Christianity. "Amongst this Christian
philosophic sect." writes King. "the figure of
Abraxas was held in high esteem. They used it as a
teacher in obedience to whom t hey directed their
own peculiar transcendental inquiries and mystic
doctrines: as a token or password amongst the
initiated to show that they belonged to the same
sect: as an amulet and talisman: and lastly as a seal
for their documents., The figure of Abraxas was
composed as follows: Cock•s Head. Human Body.
legs formed like serpents. In one hand he holds the
whip of power. in the other the shield of wisdom.
These are the five mystical emanations symbolically
expressec-the Sun. the Inward Feelings. Awakened
Understanding. Dynamis (Force). Sophia (Wisdom).
Basilides, the Egyptian who is supposed to have
founded the sect. is criticized in the writings of
Augustine because he "pretended the number of
the Heavens to be 865. the number of days in the
year :• Hence he glorified a "sacred name" as it
were. namely the word ABRAXAS. the letters in
which name. according to the Greek methods of
enumeration. make up that number. The principal
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Sard,
. The Alectorius or as Camillus
has it, the ALECTORIA, is said to be
stone never bigger than a large bean, which stone
taken from a cock. When this stone becomes
perfect, says Leonardus, the bird will not drink.
The Alectorus is said to be a stone like Crystal,
and very bright. It is related that Milo of Croton,
the great wrestler and strong man of the ancients
who lived in the year 520 B. C., carried a specimen
with him always and only lost his strength when he
lost the stone. I ts virtues were many: it gave a
wife favour in her husband's eyes; it banished thirst,
bestowed eloquence and persuasive power, brought
domestic peace, harmony, victory and honour. As
the stone is attached to the zodiacal Scorpio it may
have been a white topaz but identification is uncertain.
BEZOAR STONES
"EM7PIIing tAat frHI 1M bod11 from anJI ailmme il CtJll«l 1M BftOtlr
of tAat ail-e."
LmNABD'U8, "Mirror of Stones."
These stones the name of which is derived from the
Persian P AD-ZAHR, poison-expelling (Zahr, poison;
Pad, to dislodge) are concretions found in the stomach
of the stag or goat, and are credited with great
medicinal virtues, being said to dislodge poisons
and to remove poisonous diseases. In India and
Persia the belief in the virtue of Bezoars is very
widespread; it is said that those taken from the
stomach of the wild goat of Persia (Caprea Acyagros),
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lor
their weight
especially if large specimens, are sold
in gold. Dr. Anthony Todd Thomson\. M.D., quotes
Gamer, an old writer, who gives \the following
curious origin of the Bezoar which he obtained from
the Arabians: "When the hart is sick and hath eaten
many serpents for his recoverie, he is brought into
so great a heate that he hasteth to the water and
there covereth his body unto the very ears and eyes
at which distilleth many tears from which the stone
(the Bezoar) gendered." These Calculi are composed Chiefly of superphosphate of lime. but concretions of phosphate of ammonia or malgilesia are
as a
also found. The Bezoar was highly es~md
remedy for diseases of the bladder and kidneys. Dr.
Anthony Todd Thomson says that the belief in the
curative power of these Bezoars "affords arl ~diton
to the many thousand proofs of the influepce of
mind over body, and how truly efficacious Imagination may prove in removing disease."
:
It was usual to bind the Bezoar to the part affected
where that was possible. In China the MO-SOH
or Bezoar was credited with the power of renewing
youth and bestowing beauty, and similar beliefs
prevail in parts of India. The Malays obtain this
stone from monkeys and porcupines, and its magical
virtues are held in great esteem. Known as the
GULIGA the Bezoar is exported in great quantities
from Sarawak to Hindustan especially, where it is
used as a remedy for asthma. It is said that the
Guliga is procured from a red-coloured monkey of
the Semnopithecus species, and the Guliga Landak
which is rarer and more highly valued from
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Jean Baptiste Tavernier (Baron
ring his travels in the East in the
became acquainted with the Bezoar
describes in his writings. "Genuine
stated, "if placed in the mouth spring
themselves to the palate, or if placed
make the water boil."
The Draconite is described as
lliant gem which must be cut from the
·
dragon if its lustre and virtue are
Philostrates writes that the seekers
• •"'--'Ull.l'-"' weave certain letters in gold into
and infuse opiates into the letters.
lured out of his cave by musical charm
to the power of the soporific robe. Imhe does so the Indians rush on him and
off his head take from it gems of bright
indescribable virtues. But a dragon has
the man and his weapons and drawn
his den. The Draconite is associated with
Scorpio and is partly, if not wholly ,
ROS or HYDROLITE. This is a wellwater stone and within its crystal cover
usually be seen clearly. Marbodus says
stone "ceaseless tears distils." The Enhysaid to be a cure for gout and affections of.
, and a charm for bestowing inspiration and
of thought. The water contained within
is said to be highly poisonous if taken
. The stone is under the zodiacal Pisces.
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GNOSTIC STONES. Besides th\e figure of the
mystic Abraxas the talismanic stones 1of the Gnostics
were engraved with various devices.\ A large loadstone in the King collection is engraved with a
figure of Venus dressing her long hair. ,Venus stands
for the mystic Sophia or Achamoth ,and as such
represents Truth.
ffiiS. The "Iris resplendent with the crystal's
sheen" which the "swarthy Arabs glean" is now
known as Rainbow Quartz. The iridescence is
produced by the reflection of light from. the cracks
in the stone. The same effect is prod(tced if the
crystal is first subjected to heat and then plunged
quickly into cold water. The Iris obtained its name
from the beautiful companion of Juno, who travelled
on the rainbow with wings extended clothed in
glorious colours, radiant lights around her head.
She was the guide and helper of the souls of women
released from their bodies.
LAPIS ARMENUS, or Armenian Stone, is a
copper carbonite used as a medicine against infection. It is related in Arab books that a solution
of this substance will retain its power for 10 years.
In the East copper has been long used as a safeguard against cholera, and it has been observed
that workers in copper mines have enjoyed immunity
from the disease. Dr. Richard Hughes notes the
value of copper in Asiatic cholera, adding: "There
is now abundant evidence of its efficacy both among
the workers in the metal and in those who have
wom a plate of it next the body during the prev-
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
alence of the epidemic." The Lapis Armenus,
compositions, is under the rulership
like all copeJ~
of the planet Venus.
LAPIDES FULMONIS. These Thunder stones
which are believed to be formed by the lightning
in the clouds (see Obsidian) are known by the
peasants of' Calabria as CUOGNI DI TRUONI.
The traditipnal belief is that they are plunged by
the Jightnipg stroke six feet into the earth and
that every time it thunders they are drawn one
foot nearer' the surface. After the sixth or seventh
thunder storm it is said that the stones are raised
to the surface. The peasants test them by suspending them above a fire, attached to a blue
thread; if the thread does not bum the stone is
adjudged a true thunder stone and is carefully
treasure? as a potent talisman against the lightning
stroke.,
LAPIS MEMPIDTICUS. This stone of Memphis
is described as a sparkling round body of about
the size of a hazel-nut. It is mentioned by Pliny
as deadening the pain of surgical operations if
taken in wine and water beforehand. H it be
reduced to powder and applied, according to Dioscorides, as an ointment to that part of the body
to which a surgeon was about to apply either fire
or the knife, it produced insensibility to pain. This
is an early instance of the recorded action of a
local anaesthetic.
LUZ or LUEZ. This is said to be a stone or
indestructible bone in the human backbone. Dr.
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John Lightfoot, a great Hebraic scholar of the 17th
century, details the following legend:
"How doth a man revive in the world to come?, was
asked by the Emperor Hadrian of Rabbi Joshua Ben
Hananiah. "From Luz in the backbone,', he made
reply and then went on to demonstrate this to the
Emperor. He took the bone Luz and put it into water,
but the water had no action on it. He put it in the fire
but the fire consumed it not. He placed it in a mill,
but could not grind it. He laid it on an anvil, but the
hammer crushed it not.',
MANDARIN,S JEWELS. Each of the nine
Khioupings or Mandarins of China proclaims his
rank by a distinctive button of about an inch in
diameter worn at the top of his cap and distinguishing dress and insignia. The chief officers wear a
ruby on the cap. They are divided into civilian and
military sections.
The military wear a robe on which is embroidered
a unicorn, the girdle being adorned with a jade
clasp set in rubies. The civilian mandarin is distinguished by a crane embroidered on both back
and front of the robe.
Those of the second order wear a coral button
in their caps. The military are distinguished by
an embroidered lion and a gold girdle clasp inset
with rubies, the civilian by a golden pheasant.
Those of the Third Order wear a sapphire in the
, cap. The Military display a leopard and a clasp
of wrought gold, the Civilian a peacock.
Those of the Fourth Order wear an opaque blue
stone in the cap. The Military display on their
robes a tiger and silver button clasp, the Civilian
a wild goose.
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Those of the Fifth Order have their caps adorned
with a crystal, the Military their robes with a
bear and a plain gold clasp with silver button, the
Civilian a silver pheasant.
Those of the Sixth Order wear on their caps an
opaque white shell. The Military adom their
robes with a tiger-cat and clasp of mother-of-pearl,
the Civilian with an egret.
Those of the Seventh Order wear on their caps
a wrought gold button . The Military robe displays a bear and has a silver clasp, the Civilian a
Mandarin duck.
Those of the Eighth Order wear a plain gold
button on their caps. The Military have on their
robes a seal and a hom clasp, the Civilian a quail.
Those of the Ninth Order wear on their caps a
silver button. The Military are distinguished by
a rhinoceros and a clasp of buffalo hom, the Civilian
by a long-tailed jay.
MEDIAN STONE. This is a mysterious gem,
possibly symbolic, which is described as of black
colour. Marbodus says " 'Tis white to heal us,
black to slay our foes." It would then be symbolical
of Black and White Magic.
MOWCIDTE. Mr. King is of the opinion that
the Molochite is clear green jade, and so he agrees
with Pliny's description of the stone, "opaque of
hue with the vivid green of the emerald." Its
virtue protected babies from harm, gave luck and
beauty and opposed the spite of witchcraft.
OPIDTES. Ophites or Snake Stones are stones
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of black or grey colour described by Orpheus as
"black, hard, weighty, portentous balls surrounded
by furrowed lines in many a mazy bend." It is
variously described. There are in India snake
charmers called Sampoori who assert that they
can extract the snake stone from the head of a
snake, but these assertions are unfavourably commented upon by some Indian authors. Still, it
has been shown by Sir J. Tennent in his work on
"Ceylon" and by Buckland in "Curiosities of
Natural History" that some striking cures from
snake bite have ostensibly been effected by the use
of a so-termed snake stone which is said to absorb
the poison if applied to the bite with a little blood
before the poison has had time to invade the system.
Some authentic cures are quoted, notably that of
a man bitten by a Cobra; in this case the man was
saved by "two small snake stones the size of a
large pea." The snake stone, it is said, clings for
a short time to the wound and then drops off.
It is reported to be composed of some vegetable
substance; the Cobra stone, according to Farra day,
the distinguished chemist, is but charred bone filled
with blood a number of times and then again charred.
In England and Scotland snake stones strung together used to be given to cattle to chew if bitten
by vipers. The stone was considered to be a very
potent charm against the evil blasts of occult forces.
Albertus Magnus carried a stone which guarded against epidemics, evil magic and the bites of
serpents, and by the aid of which he was able to
attract serpents.
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ORITE. This stone is described as black and
round. H mixed with the oil of roses it will cure
fatal wounds, protect from wild animals and prevent childbirth.
OVUM ANGUINUM. The Ovum Anguinum is
described by Pliny as a Druidic badge the size of
an apple, surrounded by a gristly crust covered
with protuberances like the suckers on the arms of
a cuttle fish. The story goes that at a certain
season of the year a crowd of snakes are found
intertwined and bearing above them the magical
Ovum, which the hunter had to catch in some soft
material before it tumbled to earth, for if it did
so it would lose its power. As soon as the hunter
seized the magic stone the serpents rushed after
him and his fate was sealed if they reached him
before he crossed a flowing stream.
PANDARBES. Philostratus relates how Chariclea escaped unharmed from the funeral pyre on
which she was condemned to perish by the jealous
Arsace by secretly wearing the wonderful ring of
King Hydrastes. In this ring was set a stone
called Pandarbes which was engraved as a talismanic charm against the fury of fire.
PANTHEROS. It is probable from the description, given by old writers, that it was a mottled
brown Egyptian Jasper Opal. It was said to protect the wearer from enemies, wild animals and
fear, which last, according to the healthy philosophy
of the Rosicrucians, is the greatest of the vices
and the gateway of weakness and failure.
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PmLOSOPHER'S STONE. The Philosopher's
Stone is also known as Lapis Philosophorum, the
Eye of the Philosophers, the Egg of the Philosophers.
French writers call it "Pierre Philosophale," and
German writers "Der Stein der Weisen." In the
Rosicrucian mysteries it is known as "The Stone of
the Wise," "The Sacred Stone," "The Stone of
Wisdom," etc. In spite of the assertions made by
over-sanguine critics as to the fallacy of the Philosopher's Stone on the material plane, scientistsmystic and material-have never ceased to search
for a substance so precious. Phillips {Transmutasays that "this transmutation
tion of Metals, 170~)
is what the Alchymists call the Grand Operation or
Secret of finding the Philosopher's Stone which they
give out to be so curious an Universal seed of all
metals. If any metal be liquefied in a vessel, and
this 'Power of Perfection' be thrown into the mass
it will transform it into gold or silver."
Some of the philosophers call it "The Stone,"
Noster Lapis, "The. Sublime Stone," "Our Stone."
It is related that King Henry VI granted "4 successive
Patents and Commissions" to several knights and
Mass Priests to find "The Philosopher's Stone."
In his recent work on Alchemy, H. Stanley Redgrove,
B.Sc., F.C.S., etc., writes: "We must not assume
that because we know not the method now, real
transmutations have never taken place. Modem
research indicates that it may be possible to transmute other metals (more especially silver) into gold,
and consequently we must admit the possibility that,
amongst the many experiments carried out, a real
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transmutation was effected." Timbs (Alchemy and
Chemistry) emphasizes the fact that many of the
opinions of the alchemists have been vindicated.
He specially notes the condition of Allotropism or
the quality which certain bodies possess of assuming
two marked phases of chemical and physical existence. "This shatters the opinion," he writes, "on
which our absolute repudiation of the doctrine of
transmutation was based." Dr. Colange explains
Allotropy as that branch of chemical science which
takes account of the different sets of properties
possible to one and the same body. Organic solids
occur under one of the three conditions, viz., the
crystalline, as the diamond; the vitreous, as glass;
the amorphous or shapeless, as clay, chalk, etc.
But there are many bodies any one of which without
undergoing a change in chemical composition may
yet appear under one of the above three conditions
with striking changes in physical and even chemical
properties while still retaining, so to speak, its
chemical identity. Thus, ordinary white phosphorus may by the application of heat be converted
into a hard amorphous substance which is its allotrophic form. An excellent paper on "Allotrophy or
Transmutation" was read before the British Association at Sheffield, England, a few years ago by Dr.
Henry M. Howe. In it Dr. Howe dealt at greater
length with what has been previously advanced on
the subject. Since the discovery of Radium and
the extensive experiments of the late Sir William
Ramsay, Mr. Cameron and others in the department
of transmutation and disintegration, modem science
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has projected itseH into the Halls of Alchemy and
has joined hands with its parent science to search
for that which the world of a few years back regarded
with ignorant ridicule. In the space at disposal it is
impossible to enter into details of the numerous
accounts of successful alchemy recorded. A number
of these will be found in Dr. Franz Hartmann's
works and in the excellent works on the subject by
H. Stanley Redgrove and others. Perhaps the
case noticed by Dr. Franz Hartmann is one of the
most romantic. It came before the court at Leipsig
on August 9th, 1715 and is reported in the acts of
the judicial. faculty of that town. A gentleman
came late one night to the Castle of Tankerstein
where the Countess of Erbach resided. He said
that having accidentally killed a deer which belonged
to the Palatine of Palatia he was being pursued, and
therefore he asked protection. The Countess hesitated, but being impressed with the stranger's
appearance she ordered that a room be given him.
He remained in the castle several days, and then
being granted an interview with the Countess, he
thanked her for her protection in return for which
he offered to transmute all her silver into gold.
The lady was incredulous but, her curiosity overcoming her, she gave the stranger a silver tankard
which he melted and with a stone transmuted into
gold. The Countess sent the gold to a . goldsmith
in the town, who having tested it pronounced it to be
the purest gold. Mter this she asked the adept to
transmute all her silver into gold. This he did and
receiving the lady's thanks as he tendered his own,
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departed. The Countess's husband, a great spendthrift, serving as an officer abroad, hearing that his
wife by some means had suddenly become wealthy
returned home quickly. He demanded the gold for
himself but the Countess would not surrender it.
Thereupon the Count brought his wife before the
Court, claiming that as Lord of the territory (Dominus Territorii) on which the Castle belonging to
his wife was built, all treasure found upon the land
was his. He asked that the Court should order the
gold to be sold and that after new silver had been
purchased for his wife the balance of the money be
paid to him. The defence urged that as the gold
had been artificially produced it could not come under
a law relating to buried treasure; again that the silver
had been transmuted into gold for the sole benefit
of the Countess. The Court was asked to allow the
lady to retain the gold thus obtained and judgment
was given in her favour.
A Perfect Specimen of the English Gold Noble (1844) in the Kelsey I.
Newman Collection. Traditionally Stated to have been Made from
Alchemical Gold
Some years ago a medal was exhibited in the
Imperial Treasury in Vienna, which had been partly
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transmuted into gold by the stone used by the monk
Wenzel Seiler who had been ennobled by Leopold I
with the title Wenzeslaus Ritter von Reinburg.
Recent tragic events make its present whereabouts
doubtful. It is traditionally stated that the true
Philosopher's Stone was hung in the Ark by Noah
to give light to life and radiance to the world after
the Flood-darkness. This legend is a parable
expressing the highest truth, for the Philosopher's
Stone that carries light into the darkness of materialism is the true Stone of the Wise. Among the discoveries made in the search for the Philosopher's
Stone the following are given by Dr. Brewer; the
invention of Dresden porcelain by Botticher, that of
gun powder by Roger Bacon, of the properties of
acids and various substances by Prince Geber, of
the nature of gases by Van Belmont, of salts by
Dr. Glauber, etc.
POLISH STONES, POLAND STONES, POLES'
STONES. It has frequently been stated that the
Poles originated the wearing of birth stones, but this
practice is a very remote one and was recommended
by ancient philosophers long before the Polani came
to Polska. The Poles are naturally gifted with fine
imagination and psychic intuition, therefore they
readily absorbed the spiritual philosophies of the
Jewish wanderers who received asylum in Poland.
The fondness of the Poles for beautiful gems is
proverbial and the spread of the knowledge of the
occult virtues found to exist in these beautiful
crystallizations was more marked in Polska than in
any other country. It is also not to be wondered
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at that so many of the lists given are incorrect.
In this book an endeavour is made to set right the
many errors that have so naturally crept in. Usually
the Poland Stones are doubtfully classified as
follows:
THE MONTHS
January
Garnet, emblem of CODBtancy.
February Amethyst, emblem of sincerity.
March
Bloodstone, emblem of courage.
April
Diamond, emblem of innocence.
May
Emerald, emblem of love success.
June
Agate, emblem of health and longevity.
, Carnelian, emblem of contentment.
July
August
Sardonyx, emblem of married happiness.
September " Chryaolite, emblem of protection from insanity.
Opal, emblem of hope.
October
November Topaz, emblem of fidelity.
December Turquoise, emblem of proaperity.
The emblems of the stones are fairly correct.
THE PLANETS
Saturn
Jupiter
Mars
Sun
Venus
Mercury
Moon
Lead
Tin
Iron
Gold
Copper
Quicksilver
Silver
Turquoise
Carnelian
Emerald
Diamond
Amethyst
Loadstone
Crystal
The metals of the planets are correctly given and
do not appear ever to have been disputed. The
Turquoise of Saturn is correctly the Odontolite or
Bone Turquoise. The Emerald is a stone of Venus,
the Amethyst a stone of Jupiter, the Loadstone a
stone of Mars. The Crystal has often been admitted
as influenced by the Moon although it is more
acceptable for quabalistic considerations to identify
it with Neptune.
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THE ZODIAC
Aries
1.
!.
S.
4.
Cancer
6.
Leo
Taurus
Gemini
6. Virgo
7. Libra
8. Scorpio
9.
10.
11.
It.
Ruby
Topaz
Carbuncle
Emerald
Sapphire
Diamond
Jacinth
Agate
Amethyst
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius
Onyx
Pisces
Jasper
Beryl
The confusion here is very marked and the reader is
referred to the chapters dealing with the High Priest's
Breastplate.
RINGS BEARING STONES OF INVISIBILITY. Perhaps the most famous of these rings
is the ring of Gyges, the shepherd King of Lydia,
described by Plato and Herodotus. When the stone
was turned inwards the wearer w.as rendered
invisible. By its aid Gyges assassinated King
Candaules and seized his wife and children. It is
related that Otnit, King of Lombardy, wore a ring
given him by his mother, which had power similar to
the ring of Gyges, as well as the special virtue of
preventing the wearer from losing his way. Nizami,
the poet of Persia in the early 18th century, tells the
story of a shepherd, a story similar to that of King
Gyges. Another ring of invisibility is the ring of
Eluned or Sunet in the old romance of Ywaine and
Gawaine.
RING OF POPE INNOCENT ill. It is related
by Matthew Paris that Pope Innocent ill, well
knowing the love that the English King John had
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for jewels, sent to him four gold rings set with
precious stones. The Pope comments on the emblematical character of the gift, saying: "The rotundity
of the rings signifies eternity, for we pass through
time to eternity. The number four which is a
square number indicates the firmness of mind which
is neither depressed in adversity nor elated in
prosperity. It signifies the four virtues which make
up constancy of mind, viz., justice, fortitude, prudence, temperance. The material signifies wisdom
from on high which is as gold purified in the fire.
The greenness of the Emerald moreover denotes
faith; the blueness of the Sapphire, hope; the redness
of the Gamet, charity; the brightness of the Topaz,
good works. In the Emerald, therefore, you have
what to believe, in the Sapphire what to hope for,
in the Gamet what to love, and in the Topaz what
to practise. So that you ascend from one virtue to
another until you see the Lord in Zion."
RING OF REYNARD. In the story of Reynard
the Fox, said to have been written by Hinreck van
Alckmer though in reality it was written in the 15th
century by Hermann Barkhusan of Rostock, Reynard believes himself possessed of a famous ring
set with stones of red, white and green. The white
stone cured all diseases, the red rendered night as
bright as day, and the green made the wearer
invincible. The story introduces Rabbi Abron of
Trent who was wise above men, who spoke every
language and knew the nature of every kind of herb,
animal, and precious stone.
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RING OF SOLOMON. Solomon, according to
Rabbinical tradition, gazed on the stone of his ring
and immediately knew everything concerning worldly
affairs and much concerning heavenly. This ring is
the subject of many legends.
ROCK CRYSTALLIZATIONS. Certain hairlike substances are found enclosed in crystals. They
are also termed "penetrating minerals" and comprise Rutile, Asbestus, Actinolite and Tourmaline.
These acicular crystals are called in France Fleches
d'Amour (Love's Arrows). They are also known as
Venus's Hair Stone, Thetis's Hair Stone, Pencils of
Venus, Cupid's Arrows, Cupid's Net, The Goddess's
Tresses, etc. These specimens cut and polished are
interesting and beautiful, and have always been
esteemed as charm stones for ensuring a growth of
beautiful hair, for beauty, for grace, for skill and
fascination in dancing, etc.
SAGDA. A mysterious ocean stone which
fixes itself to the keels of ships. A protection against
shipwreck, it will cling to the ship so long as the
timbers are not cut. It is said to be of dark green
colour, similar to Prase.
SAKHRAT. The Mohammedans say that the
Sakhrat is a marvelous stone of green colour which
reflects the deep blue tints on the crystal vapours of
the heavens. The possession of the merest fragment of this holy stone bestows on the possessor the
knowledge of all the secrets of the Universe.
SALAMANDER'S WOOL. Asbestos is so termed. It is also known as Mountain Flax, and IS
believed by the Tartars to be the root of a tree.
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SARCOPHAGUS. The word is derived from
the Greek SARX, SARKOS, flesh, and PHAGO, to
eat. A stone found at Assos in Troas. Used by
the ancients, it was said to consume an entire dead
human body with the exception of the teeth in 40
days. It was known as Lapis Assius, and is noted
by Pliny. Sarcophagi were generally employed
throughout the ancient world.
SAURITE. The Saurite is said to be a stone cut
from a green lizard with a sharp reed knife.
SCORPION STONE. This may have been a
stone of the agate class but its composition is obscure. It is mentioned by Orpheus who says that
if the hunter Orion had known of its existence he
would have given all the stars to gain this remedy
for his fiery pain. It healed the wounds of arrows,
the stings of insects and the bite of the scorpion.
TOAD STONE. That the toad "wears a precious
jewel in his head" was a profound belief in the
Middle Ages, and a belief much commented upon in
the works of writers of that period. Francis Barrett states that the stone of the toad was a cure for
toothache. It was also given as an antidote for
poison. In this latter connection it is said that if
set in an open setting and worn on the finger it
burnt the skin if poison were near. According to
Fenton, a writer of the 16th century, "There is to
be found in the heads of old and great toads a stone
they call Borax or Stelon, which being used as rings
gives forewarning against venom." The toad was
believed to have a natural fear of man, throwing out
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poison at the sight of him. In some parts of the
world the stone is said . to be extracted from the
head by numerous cunning means. It is generally
described as a species of black pebble. One of the
special virtues of the Toadstone was to protect
children from molestation by the fairies. It was
also a cure for diseased kidneys and stomach disorders. According to Praetorius, the Prince of
Alveschleben was given a ring of this land by a
Kobold Brownie or Nixe as a house talisman to
safeguard the fortunes of his family. A large toad
is said to have dropped a black stone on to the bed
of the wife of the Elector of Brandenburg after
the birth of her son. Friedrich Wilhelm I ordered
his jeweller to set the stone in a ring, which ring has
always been worn by the head of the House of
Hohenzollem as a symbol of prosperity, protection
and good fortune. It was recently stated that the
loss of this toadstone during the war was regarded
as an evil omen for the ruling house.
WORLD STONE. The World Stone or Axial
Loadstone of the Earth is included in the philosophic
mysteries of the old Rosicrucians.
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CHAPTER X
THE GREATEST CHARMS IN THE WORLD
"A Uc«u«l King il•aid to MH Mllr«l 1M boat of 1M Sun in 1M f of 1M 8CG1'Cib."
.
Da. WALLis BUDGz.
l
~ TE will now turn to the ancient land of Egypt
l' V and dwell awhile on the sacred Scarabaeus
which was, without doubt, the most popular and
venerated charm of antiquity. The Scarab was a
copy in steatite, faience, obsidian, goldt beryl,
crystal, haematite, cornelian, jasper, amethyst, turquoise, lapis lazuli, granite, serpentine and other
stones, of the large black beetle, scarabaeus sacer.
It was known in ancient Egypt as Khepera (he
who turns), and besides symbolizing the eternal
return of the Sun after the passing of the night
reign, it represented the everlasting progress of
life and as such was not only inserted in the position
of the heart in the bodies of the dead but was placed
in the tombs also. It was worn by those living
on earth as a symbol of everlasting life and good
luck, being specially prepared as a talisman by the
priests of the various temples. The Greeks called
it the Cantharus or Heliocantharus, the Latins
the Scarabaeus. Throughout Egypt this sign of
immortality was ever before the people. It was
used in government offices bearing the Pharaoh's
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cartouche (oval case in which his name was inscribed), was carried in battle by soldiers, was
worn by the people generally throughout the land.
It entered into their very lives, reminding them
-of the power of the deathless spirit, ever progressive,
active and vital, moulding dull matter to its will.
Hence the scarab was the ideal luck charm, the
mere sight of which reminded man of his divine
origin, and it was said that the soul of Ra impressed
the seemingly inert matter which made up the scarab,
giving it a life which ages could not destroy.
Gene#ally strange stories connected with scarabs
are explained in every way but the correct one.
The ancient Egyptians were until the time of their
decline essentially a religious people, and their
knowledge of the continuity of life may be one
reason for their existence as a nation for so many
thousands of years-an existence only terminated
by excess of luxury and the dominance of materialism
by which so~ many great nations have been destroyed.
Four diverse species of the scarabaeus or Ateuchus
Sacer have been identified in the hieroglyphical
inscriptions, viz., 1. Ateuchus Semipunctatus; ~.
Ateuchus Laticollis; 8. Ateuchus Morbillosus; 4.
Ateuchus Puncticollis. Professor Flinders Petrie
recognizes other varieties of beetles. Misses Brodrick and Norton, in their useful and concise "Dictionary of Egyptian Archaeology," observe: "The
Scarabaeus is remarkable for the peculiar position
and shape of its hind legs which are placed very
far apart and at the extreme end of the body.
This is to enable the insect to roll the ball of refuse
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
containing its eggs in:to some place of safety. At
first these balls are soft and shapeless, but as they
are pushed along by the scarab's hind legs they
become firm and round, and increase in size until
they are sometimes an inch and a half in diameter.
This insect is looked upon by the Arabs as an
emblem of fertility."
The Egyptians saw in the number of its toes
(thirty) the days of the month; and the time it
took to deposit its ball was compared to a lunar
month. The passage of the ball was compared
to the sun and its operation on the earth'. Being
regarded as of the male sex only, the scarabaeus
symbolized, according to Horapollo, the self-begotten, the self-created. The god Khepera is the
father of all the gods, the self-created one identified
with the god NEB-ER-TCHER. A hieratic papyrus
in the British Museum is thus translated by Dr.
Wallis Budge: "I developed myself from the primeval
matter which I made. My name is Osiris, the
germ of primeval matter. I have worked my
will to its full extent in this earth, I have spread
abroad and filled it . . . . I uttered my name as
a word of power from my own mouth and I straightway developed myself by evolutions. I evolved
myself under the form of the evolutions of the
god Khepera and I developed myself out of the
primeval matter which has evolved multitudes of
evolutions from the beginning of time. Nothing
existed in this earth (before me). I made all things.
There was none other who worked with me at
that time. I made all evolutions by means of that
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Large Scarab
WUiiam Howat Collection
Rare Scarab of Rameses ll, a Famous Pharaoh of the Bible
Mrs. C. G. King's Collection
.
Rare Antique Scarab of Black Jasper
Talismanic Charm-Mercury, Guardian
of Sailors
Mrs. C. G. King's Collection
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soul which I raised up there from inertness out of
the watery matter."
Large numbers of funereal scarabs have been discovered in different substances, the best being
formed from a hard green basalt or a serpentine.
These were suspended on a gold wire from the
neck of the mummy, or attached to a heart on
which were the symbols for life, immovability,
preservation.
Ornamental scarabs were very' largely worn. Dr.
Wallis Budge says of these: "By an easy transition the custom~
of placing scarabs on the bodies
of the dead passed to the living, and men and
women wore the scarab probably as a silent act
of homage to the Creator of the world who was
not only the god of the dead but of the living also."
It has been suggested that scarabs were used
for exchange or barter, but Mr. Percy E. Newbury
("Scarabs") points out that such contention "is
not supported by the inscriptions or by any of the
scenes depicted in the monuments." He continues: "But we do find that during the Hyksos
B.C.) and later under Amenhetep
period (cira-~70
ill (circa 1400 B.C.), the Khetem or 'seal' is
given as a measure of value, although here it is
probable that it was not the seal itself that is meant
but the impression of 'i t upon another substance.
Polyaemus relates that the Athenian general Timothe\18, being in want of money to pay his troops,
is-sued his own 'seal' for coin, this substitute
being accepted by the traders and market people,
trusting in his honour. This can only mean that
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
impreaaion8 of his signet on clay or some other
substance were put into circulation as representatives of value and were so received by the sellers.
It is in the impression of a seal or stamp upon a
piece of gold or other metal that we have the origin
of coined money." The inscriptions, mottoes and
symbols on the Egyptian scarabs are diverse
and numerous. A large number have the names of
the Kings;~ue,
members of the Royal Household, Public O(ficers, etc. One rare· specimen in
the British Mus'ewn is adorned with the name of
the very ancient I{wg NEB-KA-RA; another has
the name KHUFU. ·n.t:. de Morgan describes one
of Lapis Lazuli bearing the name NE-MAAT-RA
(Amanemhat ill) found at Dahshur. The Cairo
Museum has a beautiful Q\leen's scarab, found
also at Dahshur, on which is "The Royal Wife
White Crown."
who is joined to the Beauty of ~e
Many bear the seal of the famo'll5 Thothmes lll
(MEN-KHEPER-RA), the Ram~se,
Shashanq,
and all the kings of Egypt. The ~uen
of Amenhetep is called on the scarabs "Th)e Royal Wife
Thyi," and "The Great Divine Wife ~ity1
beloved
of Isis." Amenhetep IV is inscribed "Lor of the
Sweet Wind." The Queen of Rameses II is "mmortalized as "The Royal Wife UR-MAAT-NEI ERURA, daughter of the Great Chief of the
eta!'
The horse of Amenhetep IT is shown in a scar b of
yellow jasper with his name "Firm of Hea ~";
this scarab is now in the British Museum. Man
have inscriptions denoting office, such as "The
Royal Sealer and General, SA-NAB," "The Super-
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intendent of the Meat Department, HOR-ANKH,"
"The Scribe of the Army, NEFER-IU ," "The
Director of Stores, SEHETEP-AB-RA," "The Chief
Secretary of the Great Prison, SA-SEBEK," "The
Superintendent of the Labour Bureau, ANTEF ,"
"The Superintendent of the Royal Temple,
AAHMES," "The Mayor of Heliopolis, BEN son
of MA," "The Superintendent of the Gold Workers,
HAAIU ," "The Superintendent of the Granary of
Amen, AAHMES," "The Hereditary Mayor and
Priest," "The Governor of the Royal City," "The
Vezir Paser."
On some motto and charm scarabs are ANKH
NEFER, Life and Beauty; NEFER MAA, Beauty
and Truth; An Eye; Two Fish; A Fish and a Scorpion (perhaps astrological); The Lotus; Flowers;
Monkeys; Uraei, etc. Besides these there are the
famous Heart Scarabs, Mystic Scarabs, and those
known as Hunting and Historical Scarabs. But
whatever the Scarab has stood for, it was primarily
a symbol of good fortune, long life and divine protection. Its universal popularity has made it the
greatest charm in the world. So great was its
fame that it travelled beyond the Egyptian borders
to other lands.
Next to Egyptian, the most famous scarabs were
those of Phoenicia (especially in green jasper), those
of Greece, and those of the Etruscans who carved
them out of hard stones such as the Sard, Agate
and Carnelian, engraving them with exquisite figures, in fine intaglio style, usually of the gods and
goddesses · of ancient Greece, sometimes accom-
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panied by Etruscan inscriptions or words and encircled with an engrailed or guilloche margin. When
we consider the Egyptian Priests' practice of speaking "words of power, into these scarabs, we have
cause for additional wonder at the recorded act
of the great Law-Giver in striking the rock instead
of speaking to it, as he had been commanded.
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CHAPTER XI
AGATE-AMAZONITE
AGATE
"By 1M nulaing Jring«l bonk
Wlalr• lf'O'ID8 1M Ulillow and 1M oriM daM
M11 lliding claariot 8lag1.
Tl*k Ht tDit.\ ag€JU."
MwroN.
The name occurs as agath, agget, agot, agat,
agett, J.gott, aggat, aggot, achate, etc. The
great Greek philosopher and scientist, Theophrastus, in his writings "Of stones," says
that the agate obtained its name from the river
Achates-now known as the Drillo-in Sicily, because near its banks the first specimens were found.
Dr. Bochart derived the name from the Hebrew
word NAKAD, meaning "spotted." Most authorities agree that this stone was the eighth stone in
the Breastplate of the High Priest and that it was
known in Hebrew as SHEBO. In Rabbinical
writings there is an allegorical story of the discussion in Heaven of the import of the lines in Isaiah
(Chap. 64 v . li) "And I will make thy windows
of agates," but it is a matter of considerable doubt ·
if the Hebrew word KADKOD can correctly be
rendered agate. In the controversy between Judah
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and Ezekiel, sons of Rabbi Hayya, in the same
writings the former calls it a beryl, the latter a
jasper, and the voice of God said "Kadkod will
include both of these," in allusion to the unity of
all things.
The agate is a variegated chalcedonic variety of
quartz, fonned of successively attracted coloured
layers, and is remarkable for the beauty and peculiarity of the patterns. Lines or bands run
through the stone: when these are straight or ribbony
the agate is called the "ribbon agate"; when they
are zigzag it is known as the "fortification agate"
because of its resemblance to a fortification; when
the lines follow the form of an eye the term "eye
agate" is often employed. In this last fonn it was
considered an excellent instrument for the seer
or prophet to hold, as it symbolized the third eye
now known as the Pineal Body. Clearly the gray
tint of the eye of stone approaches in colour the
matter of the human eye. The importance of this
peculiar organ, which lies upon the corpora quadrigemina of the brain in front of the cerebellum,
was held in great respect by ancient scholars who
regarded it as the organ of occult sight; of inner
perception and intuition. This hidden eye is bigger
in a child than in an adult, and in the woman it
is bigger than in the man. There is little doubt
that the ancients regarded these markings on the
agate stone as symbolic of the faculties of the high
spirit of man, of prosperity in peace, and protection
in war. The ring of Pyrrhus is recorded by Pliny
as representing in its natural colours Apollo with
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his lyre standing amongst the nine Muses, each
with her correct attribute. The Muses and their
attributes as indicated in their statues are as follows:
1. Calliope, the muse of epic poetry. A tablet and styl111, or a
roll of paper.
1. Clio, the muse of history. An open acroll.
S. Euterpe, the muse of lyric poetry. A flute.
•· Melpomene, the muse of tragedy. A tragic maak, the elub of
Hercules or a sword.
5. Terpsichore, the muse of choral dance and song. A lyre and
the plectrum.
e. Erato, the muse of erotic poetry. The lyre.
7. Polyhymnia, the muse of sublime hymn. PeDJive and medita.
tive, carries no attribute.
8. Urania, the muse of astronomy. Stall and globe.
9. Thalia, the muse of comedy or idyllic poetry. A comic maak,
a shepherd's stall or a wreath of ivy.
The Rev. C. W. King mentions that agates are
still found "adorned with designs which one feels
the greatest difficulty in admitting to be the mere
fortuitous result of the arrangement of their shaded
strata, so exactly does that result imitate the
finished production of art." He instances the ''Egyptian Pebble" in the British Museum which shows
the head of the poet Chaucer covered with the
hood, a faithful portrait even more remarkable when
it is considered that the specimen was just broken
in two pieces and not even polished. A specimen
in the Galleria of Florence shows in the markings
of yellow and red a running Cupid. Such curious
markings are continually exhibiting the silent,
magical symbols of Nature by the aid of which
the great but humble philosophers of ancient days
read the messages of the Divine. Many and various
are the virtues ascribed to the agate by the ancient
masters, and when considering these it is well to
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remember their passion for making meanings obscure in order that the hidden secrets might be
successfully guarded. The "pleasant scent of the
agate"-obtainable most truly by rubbing together
two polished specimens-is lauded by Pliny, and
Orpheus recommends that the ''changeful agate"
be steeped in wine to improve the flavour. Powdered and bound on wounds, it healed them, and
Rabbi· Benoni of 14th century fame advised that
an agate be held in the mouth to quench thirst and
soothe fever. It was regarded as a charm against
poisons, which no doubt accounts for its being used
to form vases, bowls, cups, and vessels for holding
foodstuJfs, specimens of which are still found in
more or less perfect state in the excavations. Mr.
King mentions the Carchesium or two-handled
agate cup of Charles the Bold (presented by that
King to the Abbey of St. Denis) which was used
to hold the wine at the ceremony associated with
the coronations of the kings of France. It was
stolen in 1804, the year Napoleon Buonaparte was
crowned Emperor at Paris, and was not used, therefore, at his coronation-a significant circumstance
in the career of this man of Destiny who, with his
innate love for the occult must have known long
before this event that the agate was his birthstone. Shortly after the vase was recovered uninjured, but its jewelled setting had been removed
from it, never to be seen again.
The agate, especially the eye agate, was reputed
as a cure for tired eyes, also bestowing on the
wearer strength and health, and inclining him
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to grace and eloquence. As one of the seven sea
gems, a banded agate was credited with the power
of taking away the terrors of the ocean, while to
dream of one was held to denote a sea journey.
Being astrologically connected with the death sign
· Scorpio, it was potent in seeking divine aid in this
life and in the life to come. It rendered the wearer
agreeable, gave him the favour of God, if he employed
it as a holy instrument it turned the words of his
enemies against themselves, rendered him-symbolically speaking-invisible, gave him victory and
induced happy dreams. It was a chann against
lightning, thunder, tempests, and all wars of the
elements. Albertus Magnus gives it efficacy against
eruptive skin diseases; the Mohammedans engraved
on it the symbols of Hassan and Hussein, the
grandsons of the Prophet of Islam, and placed it
round the necks of children to protect them from
falls and accident. They also mixed it, in powdered
form, with certain fruit juices and administered it
as a cure for insanity. It was also prescribed for
haemorrhage, the spitting of blood, boils, ulcers,
gravel and affections of the spleen and kidneys.
Used as a powder it hardened tender gums and
arrested bleedings. Some Arabian writers advise
against the use of powdered agate as an internal
medicine unless carefully blended with other substances. An agate wom about the neck banished
fear, indigestion and lung troubles. It was recommended by Dioscorides as a charm against epidemics
and pestilential diseases. It protected from the
bites of serpents and insects, and was bound to
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the horns of oxen to induce a good harvest. It
was said to have been the "fortune stone" of the
Trojan hero ..Eneas, protecting him in war, voyages
and stonns.
The agate is always adorned with a system of
bands which exhibit variety in hue, shade and
tint. The Chalcedony (See Chalcedony) is more
compact and regular in colour, the two stones
therefore being easily distinguishable. Swedenborg
sets the agate down as the symbol of the spiritual
love of good. It is astrologically attached to the
martial sign Scorpio.
ALABASTER
"Why &hould a man whtne blood il warm within,
Sit like hil grandftre, cut in alabalter , ..
Sll.UBSJ>EAB.E.
The Greek ALABASTROS was derived from
Alabastron, a town in Upper Egypt where this
beautiful white massive variety of gypsum was
found. It was used by the ancients for fashioning
perfume bottles, the vials to hold oil for anointing
kings, priests, initiates into the mysteries, etc . .
These articles were commonly called alabastra, and
the name continued in use long after other materials
had replaced alabaster in their manufacture. The
quarries of Hat Nub and those near Minieh supplied
ancient Egypt with the material which· was compared by ancient masters to the purity of the soul.
No doubt this accounts for its use in holy works,
~nd
in the making of sarcophagi, statues, etc. In
the Book of Matthew we read of the woman having
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an alabaster box of very precious ointment. In.
Mark "she brake the box and poured it (the ointment) on his head." In Luke we are told that "a
woman in the city brought an alabaster box of ointment,'' etc. ''Box" is a mistranslation; the "box"
holding the oil was an alabastrum, and this "oil
of holy ointment compound after the art of the
apothecary," as set down in the Book of Exodus,
was put in the alabaster vases which were sealed in
such a way that the tops had to be broken in order to
release the liquid. This was seemingly done to
prevent evaporation. 'Many of these vases have
been found amongst the ruins, together with other
Egyptian vases called Canopic jars in which were
placed the embalmed viscera of the departed. On
the covers of these canopi were drawings of the heads
of the genii of the dead known as the four children
of Horus-Kesta, Hapi, Tuamutef, and Qebhsennuf.
A vessel surrounded by receptacles for holding a
number of alabastra was called an ALABASTRO-
THECA.
Pure specimens of .alabaster were also employed as
milk-stone talismans. Oriental alabaster, known as
the Algerian onyx, is a solid crystalline carbonate of
lime, precipitated from water in stalagmitic form.
This Oriental alabaster is considerably harder than
true alabaster which is easily scratched. Pliny
writes of columns of alabaster over thirty feei in
height. In ancient times · it was regarded as a
species of onyx, and was inade into cups, vases and
other utensils. Pliny says that it was "of the colour
of honey, opaque and spirally spotted." There are
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also specimens in colour brown mixed with lemon,
and others of the colour of the finger-nail.
Leonardus regards alabaster as the right substance
for preserving unguents, and Dioscorides employed
it in medicine. It was used as a charm against
accidents, especially whilst travelling, for securing
public favour, for success in legal affairs, etc.
It may be mentioned that the beautiful sarcophagus of alabaster which was found by Giovanni
Belzoni in 1817 in the tomb of Seti I (circa 1400
B. C.) and purchased by Sir John Soane for £!000
sterling, now rests in the Soane Museum in Lincoln's
Inn Fields, London. It is adorned with texts and
scenes from the Book of the Gates. In this old
Book the names of the Twelve Gates of the Tuat, or
underworld, and of the Guardians of the Gates are
given. The denizens of each section are identified,
as well as their petition to Ra and his responses.
The Book of the Gates, rich in magical formulae, is
one of the oldest books in the world.
·
Alabaster proper and Oriental alabaster are under
the zodiacal Cancer.
ALEXANDRITE. The Alexandrite is a variety
of the chrysoberyl. This remarkable gem was
discovered about 60 miles from Ekaterinburg, on
the birthday of Czar Alexander II of Russia, from
whom it obtains its name-The Horoscope of that
Emperor indicates the stone as a symbol of misfortune
to him.
The alexandrite presents the curious phenomenon
of changing its colour according to the different rays
of light to which it is exposed. By daylight the gem
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is of a charming olive or emerald green tint, which
changes in artificial light to a columbine or raspberry
red. The stone is favoured by Rusia~
on account
of its blend of national colours, red and green. These
mixed colours are distinctly Aquarian. No mention
seems to have been made of this peculiar variety of
chrysoberyl in ancient writings, and it stands as a
herald of the new Aquarian Age into which we are
now moving. The Alexandrite has been described
as an emblem of loyal regard, and to dream of it is a
symbol of struggle and progress. It is under the
zodiaeal Aquarius.
AMAZONITE OR AMAZON STONE. The
Amazon Stone is a green variety of Feldspar. The
name is said to have been derived from the Amazon
River, but no specimens have been found there.
The meagre evidence available about this stone
certainly does not favour its connection with the \
Amazon River in any way. This river was named
the Amazon in the 16th century by the Spanish
explorer Orellana in consequence, it is said, of an
encounter he had with a band of women warriors on
its banks. He called the mighty stream the Amazon
after the women described by Herodotus, Diodorus,
etc., and the Amazon stone also was named after
them. In a letter to the author (1905) the late
Comte de Glenstrae wrote: "It is to the Amazons led
by Myrina (Diodorus Siculus) that we owe the establishment of the Samothracian mysteries which their
Queen founded after aiding Isis and Horus in the
war against Typhon, as the Amazons of an earlier
date had aided Neith (Athene) and Amoun against
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the usurpation of Chronos. I have always had a
great admiration for the Amazons, and few again
have noticed that the coins of the seven cities of
Asia (Apocalypse) bore generally the figure of an
Amazon as each of those cities was said to have been
founded by one of their Queens. There is much in
their symbolism. That story of their breasts being
amputated is nonsense, being refuted by every
monument. As Sanchoniathon says, "the Greeks
confused nearly every legend." It was said that the
Amazons had their right breasts singed off, the better
to enable them to draw their bows; but the" word
Amazon does not mean "without breast," nor does
it appear to have any connection with the word
"mazos" meaning "a breast." There does not seem
to be any reason to doubt that the Circassian word
"Maza," the moon, explains its origin. The Amazons of Thermodoon in Asia Minor are termed
"worshippers of the moon." The Amazons were
votaries of the ''chaste Diana" in one of her attributes, and no male was allowed to live among them.
No matter by what name she is called, Diana is a
moon goddess and a woman's goddess, and no male
was allowed to offend her modesty. Actaeon who
saw her bathing was charmed into a stag, and fell a
victim to his own hunting dogs, while the hunter
Orion, ardent in his passion for Eos, the Morning,
was slain by the "sweet arrows" of Diana.
Thus, the Amazon stone received its name from
the romantic Amazons or worshippers of Maza, the
moon. It is under the Zodiacal Cancer.
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CHAPTER Xll
AMBER-AZURITE
AMBER
"Pr«ty, in amber to ob161'fJ6 the form~
Of hair~,
or ltraw, or dirt, or grub1, or fJJOf'fM!
TI&B thing11, we know, are neither rich nor rare,
But t.D01Ider how the devil they got there."
PoPB.
Amber is a fossil vegetable resin which has
undergone change owing to chemical action.
The name is derived from the Arabic word AMBAR.
Amber is also known as Succinum (a word derived
from the Greek Succum, juice) on account of its
vegetable origin. At one time it was also known by
the Oriental word Karabe, straw-attractor. Hashmal was its name in Hebrew and by the Greeks it
was known as ELEKTRON, from· which our word
electricity has been derived. That painstaking
scholar of the 17th century, Dr. Philemon Holland,
thus translates from the 87th Book of Pliny: "To
come into the properties that amber hath; if it bee
well rubbed and chaufed between the fingers, the
potentiall faculty that hath within is set on work
and brought into actuall operation whereby you
shall see it to draw chaffe, strawes, drie leaves, yea
and thin rinds of the Linden or Tillet tree after the
same sort as the loadstone draweth yron." According to Callistratus it ·is good as a preventative of
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delirium, and as a cure for strangury if taken in
drink or attached as an amulet to the body. This
last author gives the name CHRYSELECTRUM
to an amber of golden colour which presents most
beautiful tints in the morning, attracts flame with
the greatest rapidity, igniting the moment it
approaches fire. Worn upon the neck, he says, it is
a cure for fever and other diseases, "and the powder
--' of it either taken by itself or with gum mastick in
water is remedial for disease of the stomach."
The writer has had strong evidence of the efficacy
of amber in the cure of asthma, hay fever, croup and
various diseases of the throat, and knows a number
of medical practitioners who are convinced of its
beneficial action. A well-known chemist also assured him that his wife had suffered from asthma
all her life until five years ago, when she expressed
a desire to wear a string of amber; since wearing
this she has not experienced the slightest symptom
of her former trouble. The writer has an amber
necklet, the beads of which are mud-coloured and
cracked after having been worn for a few months
by a lady suffering from hay fever. There is no
doubt of its curative influence, no doubt that ancient
observation was correct, and the statement in some
modem medical text books that amber has "absolutely no curative value" is difficult indeed to follow. It is remarkable that distilled amber yielding
a pungent, acrid but not unpleasant oil, known as
Oil of Amber or Oil of Succinite, is recognized as a
potent ingredient in various embrocations. It is,
therefore, hard to reconcile the statements that
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while amber has "absolutely no curative value,"
Oil of Amber has. Mr. C. W. King says: "Repeated experiments have proved beyond doubt
that the wearing of an amber necklace has been
known to prevent attacks of erysipelas in a person
subject to them." He also writes of its efficacy
"as a defender of the throat against chills."
Ancient writers said that amber eased stomach
pains, cured jaundice and goitre, and acted against
certain poisons, Camillus Leonardus recommending
it as a cure for toothache and affections of the teeth.
In the Middle Ages it was used as a charm against
fits, dysentery, jaundice, scrofula and nervous
affections. Thomas Nicols, a 17th century writer,
says: "Amber is esteemed the best for physic use,
and is thought to be of great power and force against
many diseases, as against the vertigo and asthmatic
paroxysmes, against catarrhes and anthreticall pains,
against diseases of the stomach and to free it from
strlferings and putrefactions and against diseases of
the heart, against plagues, venoms and contagions.
It is used either in powder or in troches, either in
distempers of men or of women, married or unmarried, or in the distempers of children." The
dose formerly administered for coughs, hysteria,
etc., was from ten to sixty grains.
Amber cut in various magical forms was extensively used as a charm against the evil eye,
witchcraft and sorcery. It was and still is used as
a mouthpiece for cigar and cigarette holders and
smoking pipes, etc. Its employment in this capacity was originally talismanic, for it was implicitly
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believed that amber would not .only prevent infection, but would act as a charm against it. Francis Barrett, in his work on Natural Magic, says that
amber attracts all things to it but garden basil or
substances smeared with oil. In China today
. amber is greatly esteemed, being used in the making
of certain medicines, perfumes, and as an incense
which use dates back to the Bible times. In such
esteem is amber held in the East that the Shah of
Persia is said to wear a block of amber on his neck
to protect him against assassination. Perhaps no
legend has been more ridiculed than the one which
relates that amber was the solidified urine of the
lynx; but the old writers Sudines and Metrodorus
show that the lynx was not an animal but a tree
from which amber is exuded, and which was known
in Etruria as a Lynx. Pliny repeats from Ovid's
Metamorphoses the tradition among the Greeks
that amber was the tears of the Heliades (Phaethusa,
~le,
Lampetia), the Sun Maidens, who harnessed
the steeds of the Sun to the chariot when their rash
brother Phaethon set forth on his fatal journey.
The horses of the Sun were wild and strong, fire
flew from their nostrils, and the youthful charioteer
was not strong enough to keep them to their rightful
course. The chariot, as its speed grew faster,
became luminous, electric and fiery, the hair of the
driver caught fire, the earth began to smoke and
burn, Libya was parched into a waste of sand,
Africa was afire, rivers were dried up, vegetation was
destroyed, and the heat was so intense that the
inhabitants of the stricken countries changed from
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white to black. Gaea, in fear for the earth, called
on Jupiter for protection, who, with a lightningbolt, struck the chariot, hurling the "stricken waggoner,, as Shakespeare calls him, lifeless into the
River Eridanus-(the Padus or Po)-at the mouth
of which river were found the Electrides Insulae
(Amber Islands). The three sad sisters were transformed into poplars, and their tears of amber never
ceased to flow. "To these tears,, says Pliny, "was
given the name of Electrum, from the circumstance
that the Sun was usually called Elector., It requires but little thought to unveil this beautiful
allegory which told the exact truth even while the
nature of amber was disturbing the minds of scholars,
its vegetable origin being doubted.
The old story that amber was a concretion formed
by the tears of the birds is a variation of the Phrethon legend which Thomas Moore has so gracefully
rendered in "The Fire Worshippers.,
"Around thu 8hall glUten tM lot!eliut o~
That ewr the 80f'1'0U7ing 8eo-bird hath twpt."
That amber is found containing the material
remains of extinct insects, etc., is alluded to by
Pope in his lines quoted at the head of this chapter.
That it was especially well known and esteemed in
the ancient world can be accepted without the
slightest doubt. Amber beads have been found
in the tombs of Egypt as far back as the 6th dyof the ancient Empire, a dynasty
nasty (B. C. 8~0),
which ruled in old Chern long before the time of
Joseph. HASHMAL as the Hebrew for amber has
been doubted by some scholars who take it to
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signify the metal electmm, a substance combination
of 4 parts of silver and one of gold, used by the
Greeks, and from which some of their coins were
struck; but other authorities accept it as indicating
amber which was known long before electmm was
compounded.
Delitzsch believes the Hebrew
HASHMAL to be derived from the old Assyrian
word ESHMARU, and the connection is a very
probable one. The Rabbis· employ other words to
express amber., as for example, KEPOS HAYARUDIN, amber of the Jordan. This occurs in a
curious passage in which Rabbi Nathan states that
if honey were mixed with the amber of the Jordan
it became "profane." Honey, according to Porphyry, is a symbol of death, and hence could not
be mixed with amber which is a symbol of life.
This would be as repulsive to the Rabbinical mind
as the violation of the command: "Thou shalt
not seethe a kid in its mother's milk" would be.
Libations of honey could only, according to Porphyry, be offered to the terrestrial gods. Philo
Judreus in Book ill explains the matter as follows:
"Moreover it also ordains that every sacrifice shall
be offered up without any leaven or honey, not
thinking it fit that either of these things should be
brought to al~.
The honey perhaps because the
bee which collects it is not a clean animal, inasmuch
as it derives its birth, as the story goes, from the
putrefaction and corruption of dead oxen, or else
this may be forbidden as a figurative declaration
that all superfluous pleasure is unholy, making
indeed the things which are eaten sweet to the taste
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but inflicting bitter pains difficult to be cured at a
subsequent period, by which the soul must of necessity, be agitated and thrown in confusion not being
able to settle on any resting-place." In addition,
the lines of Virgil, Georgie IV, may be considered:
"Hil moll&er'• yr«:~
M pefjorm8 with CMI:
TM tlmpll !MiU, and adlwu with yrarm-:
Four alta,., railu: from Ail Mrd lu cull8
For ilaughtlr, jour tA1 jairul of Ail bulU:
from Ail female llore lu took,
Four
All fair and all unknowing of 1/u f10ke.
Nin~
morning• lAine•, with •acrifiu and prafl'l'••
TM fJWJII'I atonld, lu to 1/u gra171 r~,.
BMold a prodigfll for, from within
TM brokm boweZ. and 1M bloaUd •kin,
A buaing noi81 of beu Ail '"" alarm.:
BlraigAI ilm~IAf'OU{h
1M 8idu Mllfl&bling - ·
Dark M a cloud, lh'fl makla whuling flight,
TAm on a nlig'hboring ""• duclnding,ligAI:
'Ub a large cltullr of black grapu IA'fl •how,
And trUIU a large dependmce from 1/u bough."
DaYDa'a Tiu.ni.ATION.
"'if••
We must again look to symbology if we desire to
understand the meaning. Of old the Bee was a
symbol of the Soul, and by the laws of Mohammed
bees were admitted to the joys of Heaven. The
votaries of Ceres adored the Moon under the symbol
of a bee-a symbol appearing on some of the Greek
coins, notably on · those of Ephesus where Diana,
goddess of the Moon, was worshipped and whence
the cry, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians," reached
the ears of Paul (Acts XIX). Porphyry writes:
"The Moon presiding over generation was called a
bee and also a bull, and Taurus is the exaltation
of the Moon." He adds symbolically: "But bees
are oxbegotten, and this appellation is also given
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to soul proceeding to generation." ("Cave of the
Nymphs.") The explanation of the veiled mystery
is that the Moon at the full is the symbol of the soul,
the emblem of which is a bee. It comes from the
body of a bull or Taurus, the second sign of the
zodiac, in which as Porphyry observes she is in her
exaltation and powerful; Taurus is the earth sign
of the planet Venus in the guise of the goddess of
Generation, and as the soul enters the world, new
hom, the waters of the Jordan are needed to purify
it as, when it leaves the body, water was left for it
to wash off the emanations of its deserted covering.
Further into the mysteries it is unnecessary to go.
The veil of Isis hides the truth, and only he who will
strive to understand heavenly wisdom can hope to
pierce that veil.
Amber has been placed under the sign Leo, the
sign of the Sun, by some of the old masters, while
others have allotted it to the sign of Venus (Taurus),
to which it more probably belongs. It is very soft,
is easily cut with a knife, and burns freely. Large
quantities are found on the coast of the Baltic,
which the Greeks called in consequence the Amber
Sea. In Oriental story Amberabad (Amber City)
was a city of Jinnistan (Fairy Land).
To dream of amber was said to denote a voyage,
and according to the philosophy of the Quabalah the
indication was of some kind of movement or change.
Amber has been imitated in preparations of Mellite, Copal and Anine, also by a blending of sulphur
and gutta percha at high temperature, etc., but
Mellite is infusible by heat, burning white. Copal
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catches fire and falls from the instrument on which
it is heated in flat drops, while the general attracting
power of most substitutes falls far short of the true
substance.
AMETHYST
TmmuoN.
The amethyst is a species of transparent, violetcoloured quartz, the name of which is derived from
the Greek AMETHYSTOS, from the traditional
belief that this stone possessed the power to oppose
the effect of the fumes of intoxicants, an opinion not
entirely shared by Plutarch. Amongst the Greeks
and Persians an amethyst bound on the navel was
said to counteract the evil effects of wine. The
amethyst is described by Trevisa in the 15th century as "purple red in colour medelyd wyth colour
of uyolette," and in Sir Philip Sidney's "Arcadia,"
we read:
"TM bloodu
•hafu of Cupid:•
t.DGr
With amatiiU they headed ar1."
The stone is found under the names ametist,
ametiste, amatites, amaethist, and it was not until
about the middle of the 17th century that its present
form began to be adopted. To enjoy the full vibrations of the amethyst an old custom recommended
that it be worn on the third finger of the left handa practice at one time followed by medical practitioners-and some form of ancient belief demanded
that the amethyst must come in contact with the
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left hand before its action could be appreciated and
understood.
It is well known that the magic of the ancient
Egyptian temples included the art of magnetism,
and the action of various mineral substances on the
magnetized patient has also been noted by the more
modern investigators including Dr. Babbitt, Baron
Reichenbach, Dr. Ennemoser, Dr. Edmonson and
Dr. de Lignieres. Stones of the earth have been
especially employed by these scholars with results
of such marked importance that the contention of
the ancients regarding the amethyst as a charm·
against drunkenness, deserves respect. To be e«ective in the induced magnetic sleep, stones had to
be placed in the left hand. Connected with the
ancient belief in the sobering power of the amethyst
is the beautiful allegorical legend telling that Dionysius, enamoured of a graceful nymph, pressed his
love upon her, but Diana intervened, transforming
her into a purple amethyst. In respect for the
transformed nymph Dionysius vowed that whosoever wore the amethyst would be protected from the
evils of intoxicating wines.
The amethyst was worn in ancient Egypt, and a .
scarab cut from a specimen was held in great esteem by soldiers who carried it on the field of battle
as a charm against death by the shafts and swords
of war. This practice was carried far into the
Middle Ages, and many amethysts were worn for
the same purpose in this last terrible war of nations.
When worn by a Bishop of the Church, the amethyst is a glyptic symbol of heavenly understanding.
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Swedenborg likens it to a "spiritual love of good,''
and Dr. Brewer writes of purple shades, indicating
"love of truth even unto martyrdom." It is stated
by Patrick in "Devotions of the Roman Church,"
that the wedding ring of the Virgin Mary and Joseph .
was of amethyst or onyx. Mr. King writes that
this ring, exhibited in the Abbey St. Germain des
Pres, is engraved "with two nobodies-probably
liberti-whose votive legend: 'Alpheus with Aretho' is but too plainly legible in our Greek-reading
times." The ring, having been saved at the burning
of the Abbey in 1795, was secured by General Hydrow and given to the Imperial Russian Cabinet.
In what is described by Camillus Leonardus of
the 16th century as one of the magical books of
King Solomon, a charm for gaining influence over
princes and nobles is a rider on horseback holding
a sceptre, engraved on an amethyst and set in double
its own weight in gold or silver.
The amethyst has always been regarded as symbolical of the pioneer in thought and action on the
philosophical, religious, spiritual and material planes.
The virtues ascribed to this stone are many. It was
regarded as a charm against witchcraft, poison and
evil thoughts; it was an aid to chastity, a power
against all forms of over-indulgence and a strengthener of the mind; it was a charm for securing the
favour of princes, rulers, churchmen, people of
wealth, influence and power, people .with prophetic
ability, poets, travellers, publishers, etc. It would
strengthen the wisdom, faith and religion of the
wearer and aid in prayer and in dreaming. H
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bound to the left wrist the amethyst enabled the
wearer to see the fur.e in dreams; to dream of the
stone itseH indicate success to a traveller, clergyman, sailor, philosopher, teacher or mystic, also
protection, faith and fruitful thoughts. For pains
in the head (headache, toothache, etc.), it was
recommended that an amethyst be immersed in hot
water for a few minutes, taken out, dried carefully
and gently rubbed over the parts affected and the
back of the neck.
Almost all authorities agree in translating the
Hebrew ACHLAMAH as amethyst and in identifying it as the ninth stone of the High Priest's
Breastplate. It was the seventh precious stone
which the sage lachus gave to Apollonius of Tyana
as an emblem of piety and dignity.
Many writers on the subject of planetary influences have placed this gem under the celestial
Pisces, the fishes, because anciently Pisces was one
of the mansions of Jupiter; but the sign of the Fishes
is transparent and glistening in hue whilst in the
nature of kinship a fiery gem belongs to a fiery
zodiacal sign. In this direction the fiery Mars,
as ruler of the sign Aries, has been confused with the
Babylonian and Assyrian MARDUK or MERODACH. Marduk or Merodach represented the
planet Jupiter, and to him Nebuchadnezzar addresses his songs of praise: "Merodach, the great
lord, the senior of the gods, the most ancient has
given all. nations and people to my care." "I supplicate the king of gods, the lord of lords in Borsippa, the city of his loftiness." "0, god Merod8Cj:h,
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great lord, lord of the house of the gods, light of
the gods, father, even for thJtt high honour, which
changes not, a temple have I built," etc. The
''house of the gods" is the ninth celestial house,
naturally· the sign Sagittarius, and in the Quabalah
the ninth heavenly sphere is the Primum Mobile,
the star-decked Heaven. (See "Numbers, their
Meaning and Magic.'') The name Merodach or
Marduk is a corruption of Mardugga (the sacred
son), and because they saw the life-giving orb rising
from the sea, the ancient Chaldean masters accounted Jupiter his first offshoot, hailing him as
"Marduk:"-"Marduk, first hom of the mighty
deep, make us pure and prosperous." The giving
of prosperity is ever an attribute of Jupiter, and the
measure and the source of the gift are shown in
the nativity or map of the heavens at a person's
birth.
An effective talisman for the protection of horses
and their riders was a winged horse cut on an
amethyst. The ancients connected the amethyst
with the ninth celestial mansion-the mansion of
Sagittarius-and there is no reason for allotting it
to any other.
ANATASE. The name is derived from the Latin
ANATASES, elevation. It was so named from the
length of its chief axis. This mineral is composed.
of Titanic acid which crystallizes in fine, transparent
stones of brown, dark blue or black, of adamantine
lustre. The anatase, which equals the opal in
hardness, cannot be traced in ancient writings.
It is rarely used in jewellery. In harmony with the
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philosophy of gem influence it is connected with the
sign Sagittarius.
ANDALUSITE. This stone, first discovered in
Andalusia, derives its name from that rich mineral
province of Spain-the ·Tarshish of the Bible, the
Tartessus of ancient geography, the Bretica of the
Romans. Its colours are light bottle-green, pearl
grey, flesh and pink. It is extremely dichroic, showing the twin colours red and leaf-green-the red
gleaming from the stone in antithesis to its common
hue. The Andalusite is as hard as the garnet or
zircon. Professor Dana moistened specimens with
nitrate of cobalt, after which they assumed a blue
colour. This mineral may have been known to the
ancients, but identification is difficult. Ancient philosophy would connect it with the zodiacal Aquarius.
APATITE. Apatite is a mineral which obtained
its name from the Greek word APATAO, to deceive,
because it deceived old students who confounded it
with aquamarine, chrysolite, tourmaline, etc. Abraham Werner (the author of the Neptunian theory
that all mineral substances were once contained in
watery solution), first demonstrated in the 18th
century the true nature of apatite which is a phosphate of lime with fluorite and chloride of calcium.
The lustre varies from transparent to opaque, and
is vitreous to sub-resinous. It is much softer than
tourmaline, its degree of hardness being but 5;
for this reason it is but little used in the manufacture
of jewellery. Its colours are pale sea-green, bluegreen (in which colouring it is sometimes called
Moroxite), yellowish-green (in which colouring it is
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185
often called Asparagus stone), yellow, violet, white,
grey, brown, red, colourless, and transparent.
Professor Judd, F.R.S., found a concretion specimen
of apatite when cutting a mass of teak wood-a
particularly rare find. ~
agreement with the
ancient system the apatite is astrologically under
the zodiacal Pisces.
APOPHYLLITE. Apophyllite is a hydrous silicate of potassium and calcium which obtains its
name from the Greek word APOPHULLIZO, to
exfoliate, because it falls in leaves before the blowpipe. It is extremely soft, being from between
4 and 5 in Mobs's scale. The stone is found in a
variety of colours-milk-white, greyish, green, yellow, red, pink. It is s~ldom
used by jewellers.
The apophyllite is under the sign Taurus.
AQUAMARINE. (See BERYL.)
ASBESTOS. The word is derived from the Greek
ASBESTOS, inconsumable, and is identified with
the Amianthus (impollutible) of the ancients.
It is a variety of hornblende, of a fine and fibrous
texture, of which Marbodus wrote:
"Kindled once it no extinction know
But with etm~al
flame incrtJIJ.ring glmD8.
Hence with good came tlu Greeb A1butcn na?M.
B«:awe onctJ kindled nought can fJU811Ch iU jla?M."
The incombustibility and weak heat conducting
qualities of asbestos render it extremely useful as a
protection against fire. The ancients used it for
the wicks of their temple lamps, and in order to
preserve the ashes of the departed their dead bodies
were laid on asbestos before being placed on the
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
funeral pyre. Cloths of asbestos were thrown in
the flames for the purpose of cleaning them. So
fine and flaxy is the mineral that gloves have been
made of it. Asbestos is under the zodiacal Gemini.
AVENTURINE. Aventurine or goldstone is a
quartz of a brownish, semi-transparent character,
spangled with spots of golden-yellow mica. This
stone is identified with the stone called by Pliny
the "Sandaresus"-"of stars of gold gleaming from
within." The name Aventurine (per adventura, by
accident), arose, it is said, from an accident in a
Venetian glass factory, where a workman found
that eight parts of ground glass, one part protoxide
of copper and two parts of oxide of iron well heated
and allowed to cool slowly, produced the peculiar
appearance admired in the real gem to even better
effect. The aventurine variety of quartz is under
the zodiacal Leo.
AXINITE. The name Axinite is derived from
the Greek AXINE, an axe, on account of the sharp
and axe-like form of the crystals. The axinite is
about the same degree of hardness as the Spodumene
or the demantoid garnet (6.5 to 7). It is pyroelectric and highly vitreous. The colours vary
between pearly-grey, clove, brown, honey-yellow,
violet, plum-blue. The axinite is under the zodiacal
Sagittarius.
AZURITE. Azurite is a blue copper carbonate
obtaining its name from its colour. It is kindred
with malachite, from which it differs but slighily.
Some mineralogists call it blue malachite. It is
under the zodiacal Libra.
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CHAPTER XIll
THE BERYL FAMILY
THE BERYL FAMILY: SOME LARGE SPECIMENS: VAUQUELIN,S DISCOVERY: THE CELESTIAL SIGN OF THE
BERYL FAMILY: OLD MINES OF KLEOPATRA: WOMEN
SEARCHERS OF EGYPT: THE CANOPY OF HOLOFER-
:r..'EB:
STARS OF THE PLEIADES: EMERALD AND THE
EYES: POPE JOHN XXI AND HIS ASSERTION: THE
SERPENT,S GAZE: TAURUS, SCORPIO AND THE STORY
OF EDEN: THE TRUE VENUS: REPTILES OF OVERINDULGENCE: cmcE AND THE SWINE: DIANA, GODDEBS OF THE MOON: YmTUEB ASCRIBED TO THE
EMERALD: ESMERALDA: THE DRAGON OF THE EMERALD MINE: PRESCOTT,S STORY: PIZARRo'S LARGE
EMERALD: THE TRICK OF PEDRAZA: INDIAN BELIEF:
APOLLONIUS OF TYANA AND THE EMERALD
OF
IARCHUS: THE EMERALD IN ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSoPHY:
SWEATING
EMERALDS:
EMERALDS
IN
OLD
EXCAVATIONS: ESTEEM OF THE ROMANS: PERSIAN
BELIEFS: ALBERTUS MAGNUS, CARDANUS AND THE
PHILOSOPHY OF THE MASTERS: MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS, STONE IN BRAZIL: HINDOO BELIEFS: THE
HEAVEN OF THE MUSLIMS: THE INHABITANTS OF
PARADISE: PARACELBUS AND THE EMERALD: EARLY
CHRISTIAN EMBLEM: BERYL IN MAGICAL RITES: "THE
TEMPEST••:
RECOMMENDATION
OF
LEONARDUS:
WATER DIVINATION: STORY OF THE RING OF POLY-
137
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CRATES: FISH AND RING STORIES: HERODOTUS AND
OLD WRITERS ON THE RING OF POLYCRATES: PHILIP n
AND THE FATAL RING OF SPAIN: SPAIN'S DEFEAT BY
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE BURIAL
OF THE ILL-OMENED RING: GIFT OF POPE ADRIAN
VIII TO HENRY 11: EMERALD OF KING ARTHUR:
POPE INNOCENT's PRESENT TO KING JOHN: SWEDENBORG'S EMERALD CORRESPONDENCE: THE FALSE
AQUAMARINE AMONGST THE BRITISH CROWN JEWELS:
THE FATAL EMERALD OF RUSSIA.
BERYL
"What ring• of Eamm yriu hi8 fingttr•laold,
Gold lUck• the fingttr8, bttryllkck• the gokl."
PABNBLL.
The name beryl is derived from the Greek and
Latin BERYLLUS; some say also from the Persian
BELUR. Some of the old fashions of writing
the name are included in the following: beril, beryll,
berall, birrall, byral, byrrall, byralle, berial, beryall,
bureaU, beryl stone.
Dr. Holland's rendering of Pliny's remarks on
the beryl (Chapter 86) is interesting: "Many are
of the opinion that beryls are of the same nature
that the emeraud, or leastwise verie like: from
India they came as from their native place, for
seldom are they to be found elsewhere."
Beryls are pale green stones coloured by iron.
Some very large crystals have been found. Professor Rutley mentions one specimen found at
Royalston in Massachusetts, which weighed nearly
~%tons.
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EMERALD
"A• tohm an -old grun encluu'd
Inflaming gold, from the brig/at ma88 acquiru
A nobllr lnu, more delicate
to
rig/at."
J. PmuPs.
The name in days of old was variously written:
emeraud, emeraude, emraud, emeroyde, emmorant,
emerant, ameraud, emerode, emrade, hemerauld,
smaragdus. The derivation is from the old French
word ESMERALDA, through the modem French
EMERAUDE; Greek SMARAGDOS, Latin SMARAGDUS.
Amongst some large sized emeralds Professor
Dana notes one in the cabinet of the Duke of
inches long by
Devonshire, which specimen is i~
about i inches in diameter; a finer specimen weighing six ounces, once in the possession of Mr. Harry
Thomas Hope; one formerly in the Royal Russian
collection, 4M in. in length, 1i in. in breadth, 16~
pounds troy in weight; another weighing six pounds,
which is 7 in. long and 4 in. broad.
Dr. Holland's translation of Pliny (Book 87)
is as follows :
"True it is that we take great delight to behold green
hearbes and leaves of trees but this is nothing to the
pleasure we have in looking upon the emeraud, for
compare it with other things, be they never so green, it
surpasseth them all in pleasant verdure."
The Emerald is the beautiful green variety of
the beryl family, coloured by chromium.
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AQUAMARINE
"OM enlire done of a ua-water green knotDn bg 1M nawu of.tJff'UJrine."
STow. CBBON. 1598.
The word is derived from the Latin AQUA,
water, and MARE, the sea. It was known under
various forms: aigue marine, ague marine, aque
marine, agmarine, etc. In colour the aquamarine
is pale blue, bluish green and light sea-green.
Here may be mentioned the Golden Emeraldan emerald of charming golden colour, and the
Rose Beryl named Morganite after the late J.
Pierpont Morgan.
The whole beryl family is classified under the sign
Taurus. Their crystalline form is hexagonal (sixsided}, and six is the traditional number of Venus,
whose earth house or mansion in astrology is the
heavenly Taurus. Beryllium enters largely into their
composition, and because of the sweetness of its
salts this element is also termed Glucinum {Greek
GLYKYS, sweet). Glycina was first discovered
by the great chemist Vauquelin while experimenting
with emeralds in 1797. Much confusion has arisen
amongst authors on the subject of gems and the.
Heavens, from confounding the beryl with the
tourmalin~
distinctly Mercurial gem. The beryl,
aquamarine and emerald present only colour shade
differences. It is more difficult, however, to find
really fine emeralds than it is to find other varieties
of the same family. The emeralds found in the
workings of the old Kleopatra mines, whose very
existence was at one time doubted, are of the lighter
or beryl variety. These gems were much sought
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after in ancient times, the Egyptian women being
esteemed the best searchers "because of their superior
eyesight.'' There is no doubt, as before noted,
that the sex was considered as well as the sight,
and the selection of women "daughters of Venus"
for this work was not without design.
The splendour of the canopy of purple and gold
under which Holofemes, the Assyrian general,
rested was enriched according to the Apochrypha
with emeralds and precious stones (Judith X. i1).
This symbol of Assyrian luxury-considering the
accredited virtue of the emerald amongst the ancients-was of evil import to the leader of the army
of N abuchodonosor, the "King of all the earth."
Astrology notes that a person hom in the sign
Taurus, especially from the !!0° to the 80° amongst
the nebulous stars of the Pleiades, or with violent
stars in that sign at birth, has his sight always
affected to a greater or lesser extent, hence the
accredited virtues of the emerald as an eye stone,
and no pharmacy of the Middle Ages would have
thought of omitting it from its dispensary. As eye
stones the stones of the beryl family have always
been held in high esteem, Pope John XXI affirming
that a diseased eye treated with an emerald became
sound again. It was not claimed that the emerald
would restore lost sight, but it was regarded as
extremely potent in eye disease, injury or trouble
of any kind. Sometimes it was sufficient, especially
in the case of inflamed eyes, to bathe the eye in
water in which emeralds had been steeped for six
hours; at other times the stone was reduced to the
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finest powder, an extremely small quantity .of which
was placed in the eye at stated intervals, Tom
Moore sings in Lalla Rookh:
"BlimUd like 1erpm18 tDMn tMg gau
Upon tM MMroli:l virgin blou."
The tradition that when a serpent fixes its eyes
on an emerald it becomes blind is echoed from
Hebrew philosophy, and Ahmed Ben Abdalaziz in
his "Treatise on Jewels" has it that the lustre of
emeralds makes serpents blind. As this ancient
statement has occasioned some mirth and ridicule
amongst those swayed by surface considerations it
may be as well to consider the matter from another
point of understanding. The symbolist will at
once perceive the hidden parable: in astrology,
serpents have been classed under the Scorpion of
the zodiac, and the Venusian Taurus in the zodiac
is opposite to the Scorpion. In the story of the
Garden of Eden it is the Scorpion (snake) who
tempts Eve, and her fall is held by occult students
as a symbol to compel Man to exert his highest
strength to enable his triumph over the lowest
to be complete. The zodiacal Scorpio is accursed
on its lower expression, and is symbolical then of
the corruption which can menace virgin purity.
Man on the lowest borderlands to which overindulgence will ever draw him has been faced by
serpents and reptiles whose immaterial lives exist
only in those dark realms. The story of Circe and
the Swine finds its parallel in the power of the
pure and beautiful Venus to expel even by her
symbolic emerald lust, envy, malice and grossness,
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to destroy the serpent's gaze and to call the blind
and sufiering Man back to his peaceful Heaven
again. So, as the Moon in astrological philosophy
is exalted in Taurus, Diana the goddess of the Moon
is the friend of chaste women. In Cutwode's
"Caltha Poetarium, or the Humble Bee," written
in 1599. Diana adorns the heroine with an emerald
ring .
. It can easily be seen why the emerald is the
emblem of true happiness and the preserver of chastity, and why it was said to fracture if chastity were
violated: to one taking vows of chastity and breaking
them, the emerald could never appear the same
again-before his spiritual vision it would be broken
and shattered. Leonardus said that the emerald
protected women in childbirth, and most old writers
are impressive in warning men to wear one as a
charm against spiritual and mental weakness.
The Peruvian goddess Esmeralda was said to
reside in .an emerald as big as an ostrich egg, and
it was the custom of this little Venus in her symbolic
emerald egg to receive emeralds as ofterings from
her devotees who also, it was said, sacrificed their
daughters to her.
Stevenson ("Residence in South America"}, writing of the emerald mine of Las Emeraldas, says:
"I never visited it owing to the superstitious dread
of the natives who assured me that it was enchanted and guarded by an enormous dragon who
poured forth thunder and lightning on those who
dared to ascend the river." It is peculiar how the
symbols of mankind coincide: the dragon is another
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of the zodiacal Scorpio varieties ever opposite
Taurus, and was of old regarded as the agitator of
thunders, lightnings and earth commotions. Prescott, in his ''History of Peru," tells us how the
Spaniards after murdering the trusting Indians
raided their dwellings and seized their ornaments
and precious stones, for this was the region of the
esmeraldas or emeralds. One of the jewels that
fell into the hands of Pizarro was as large as a
pigeon's egg. Fra Reginaldo di Pedraza, one of
the Dominican missionaries, told the Spaniards
that the method of proving the genuineness or
otherwise of emeralds was to try if they could be
broken with a hammer; Prescott adding: "The good
Father did not subject his own jewels to this wise
experiment, but as the stones in consequence of
it fell in value, being merely regarded as coloured
glass, he carried back a considerable store of them
to Panama.'' The Indians held that the emerald
protected against poisons and cleansed man from sin.
As an emblem of Eternal Spring, Iarchus included
the emerald in the mystic necklace of Apollonius
of Tyana. In Rosicrucian philosophy it is advised
that if'an emerald set in a ring of gold be placed
on the solar finger of the left hand when the Sun
entered Taurus, the wearer would attain his cherished aim and be enabled by the sweating of the
stone to detect poisons. Experiment has shown
that heat causes the emerald to lose water but
does not affect its colour, hence the reports of the
"sweating" emerald cannot be set aside as mythical.
Specimens of the beryl family have been found in
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tombs and in old excavations, and there is little
doubt that the stones "of the colour of transparent
sea-water" found by the old Romans at Cyprus
belonged to it. The Romans greatly esteemed the
emerald as an eye stone and a natural specific for
ophthalmia, holding that what healed and calmed
the spiritual eye would heal and calm the natural
eye. The Persians applied ashes of burnt emeralds
to ulcers with curative effect. They said that the
emerald brought mental tranquility, cured unnatural thirst, stomach troubles, jaundice, liver
troubles, obstructions, gravel, stricture, bodily pains
and epilepsy. Albertus Magnus also recommends
it as a cure for epileptic attacks. Mystics have
always regarded the emerald as of the highest
worth. It is spoken of by Cardanus as an ideal
gem for divinatory purposes-no doubt because of
its pure spiritual import. Aristotle writes that an
emerald hung from the neck or worn on the finger
protects from the "falling sickness." ( ~c 1 :·-" '
The ancient writers held that all kinds of divination were helped by the emerald, and when worn
during the transaction of honest business it gave
favour to the wearer. In Brazil, medical students
their
on becoming doctors of medicine wore ~n
fingers rings of emeralds as an indication that they
had received their diploma. The lighter emerald,
or beryl, bound man and wife together in mutual
love, and raised the wearer to success and honour.
Among the Hindoo philosophers the emerald held
its place as a gem of the zodiacal Taurus, and in
the First Heaven of the Muslims the tents of the
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faithful are represented as studded with emeralds,
pearls and jacinths.
Mr. E. W. Lane ("Modem Egyptians") writes
that the inhabitants of Paradise are said to be
clothed "in the richest silk, chiefly of green, and
all superfluities from their bodies will be carried
off by perspiration which will diffuse an odour
like that of musk"-a plant recognized by old
astrologers as belonging to the sign Taurus. Paracelsus wrote that the emerald was in sympathy with
the metal copper-also recognized as the chief metal
of Venus. Mr. King notes a fine emerald, a quarter
inch square, belonging to the earliest Christian
periods, on which is cut a fish, which besides being
an early Christian emblem is symbolical of Venus
and later of the Virgin. Venus is exalted in the
Zodiacal sign of the Fishes which enters largely
into the Christian mysteries. The beryl was used
in magical rites as an instrument for foretelling
future happenings. For special magical purposes
the stone was held in the mouth when-says Freeman, writing in the early part of the 18th centurya person may call an elemental and receive satisfaction for any question he might ask. In this
connection one is tempted to think of the delightful
Venusian spirit Ariel in Shakespeare's "Tempest."
Again the beryl is recommended by Leonardus as a
charm against diseases of the throat and jaws.
In the "water divination" of the Middle Ages a
beryl stone was suspended just to touch the surface
of the water in the bowl, and it answered questions
by automatically striking the edges of the vessel.
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It was also thrown into a shallow dish of water,
information Being gathered from the reflections seen
in sunlight in the water.
Herodotus tells the story of the Thalassokrat
(Sea-king) Polycrates of Samos whose never-failing
fortune so alarmed his friend and ally, the Pharaoh
Amasis of Egypt, that he wrote to him begging
him to sacrifice something he valued most highly
to propitiate the fateful Nemesis, goddess of retribution. In obedience to this request Polycrates,
with many regrets, threw from a boat his precious
emerald ring into the sea far from the shore. Some
few days afterwards a fisherman caught a fish so
large and shapely that, thinking it a prize for the
King, he took it to the palace of Polycrates. When
the cook was preparing the fish for the King's table
he found within it his master's emerald ring. Amasis,
when informed of the incident by Polycrates, was
greatly concerned as it foretold to him a fatal end
for the Thalassokrat, with whom he broke off negotiations and alliances. Polycrates, being induced
by his crafty enemy the Persian satrap Oroetes to
visit him, was seized and crucified. The story is
discredited by some historians-notably Grote-but
this is not the only story of a fish swallowing a ring
or some other article of value. The legend of
Solomon's ring has been already alluded to. Mr.
King collecting evidence from Herodotus, Pausanius,
and other old writers finds that the ring of Polycrates was a "signet of emerald set in gold, the
work of Theodorus of Samos." That famous father
of the church, Titus Flavius Clemens, better known
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as Clemens Alexandrinus, says that on the emerald
ring of Polycrates was engraved "a musical lyre."
A fine quality emerald bearing a similar device was
found about fifty years ago in a vineyard at Aricia,
and that this may have been the famous ring is
not impossible.
In the reign of Philip II, of Spanish Armada
repute, there appeared in Spain a strange ring of
gold, in the centre of which was an emerald cut
so as to contain a ruby surrounded by diamonds.
This curious ring is said to have been the symbol of
misfortune wherever it came. The church which
received it as a gift from the King was destroyed
by fire; the fatal ring, rescued from the fire, was
placed in a museum that was badly damaged by
lightning; whilst again in the possession of the King
of Spain, Spain was defeated in the war with the
United States of America. Then this ring of illomen was buried in an iron coffin in a secret place.
Its evil influence can readily be accounted for in
the light of occult philosophy-the ruby is a stone
under the Celestial Leo, the emerald is under
Taurus. These signs form the evil square, being
counted in astrological science 90° apart. A square
aspect is always accounted an evil one. The admixture of the beautiful crystal symbols was unfortunate. Spain again is under the celestial Sagittarius, and would not hold gems of Taurus. Philip
IT himself had an evil influence on Spain. Astrologically neither the emerald nor the ruby would
be in harmony with his nativity and the diamond
would be fatal.
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John of Salisbury states that Pope Adrian VIII
confirmed the right to hold and govern Ireland on
Henry IT of England with the gift of a rare emerald
set in a ring of gold, and the Papal bull or seal.
The right to bestow all islands was claimed by
the Pope by virtue of the laws of Constantine. It
is curious in connection with this historical transaction that Ireland and the emerald come under
Taurus, and that the right of Henry II as sovereign
of Ireland is confirmed by the Papal Bull!
Tennyson in "Elaine.. says that Arthur, "the
glorious King..
"Had on hu cuira~1
tDOm our Lady'• Head,
Canled of one emerald centred in a aun
ray1, that lighten'd a1 he breathed."
Of'"""
The beryl was the symbol of undying youth, the
emerald of· incorruptibility and triumph over sin,
the aquamarine of social uplifting. One of the
four rings sent by Pope Innocent III in the year
li05 to King John of England was an emerald which,
wrote the donor, is the emblem of faith. To dream
of beryls is said to denote happy news to come;
to dream of aquamarines is interpreted as symbolical
of loving friendships; to dream of emeralds is set
down as a sign of worldly benefit and goodness.
The Angel of the beryl family is the inexpressibly
beautiful and tender Anael. Emanuel Swedenborg
says that the beryl signifies ''the good of charity
and faith or the spiritual love of truth; the emerald
the appearance of the divine sphere of the Lord in
the lowest heavens; the emerald family as indicating
the sphere of divine love and wisdom ...
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The wonderful aquamarine which adorned the
crown of James IT of England has been recently
found to be merely a piece of coloured glass. This
fact was recently communicated by Sir George
Younghusband, so well known as the keeper of the
Jewel House in the Tower of London. It is presumed that the real stone was replaced by this
imitation, but how and when is a matter of speculation. The whole emerald family were regarded as
stones of fortune for King James n.
Before closing this account of the beryl family it
may be interesting to recall the fatal emerald of
Russia. This large and beautiful gem was given to
Peter of Holstein-Gottorp (afterwards Peter ITI),
by Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. Peter was assassinated. Emperor Paul wore it next and was
strangled. Alexander n then had the stone newly
set and it fell from his finger after his assassination.
Alexander Ill would not wear it, but Nicholas IT,
allured by its beauty, did. Who now has the fatal
emerald?
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CHAPTER XIV
BALAS--cRYSOCOLLA
BALAS: BLOODSTONE: BONE TURQUOISE: CAffiNGORM,
AN ANCIENT CAUTERIBER: CARBUNCLE: THE PATH.:.
WAY OF THE FOURTH HEAVEN ILLUMINATED THE
ARK OF NOAH: "A BURNING GEM": THE MAGICIAN
OF KING KAJATA: THE LUSTROUS
CAR~UNLE
OF
CEYLON: NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE'S STORY: YmTUES
OF THE STONE: A CAPTAIN'S TALISMAN AT GALLIPOLI:
CARNELIAN
AND
THE
BARD:
SENSITIVENESS
OF
THESE STONES: BARD INTAGLI: ALARIC THE GOTH
AND HIS CARNELIAN: MADAME BLAVATSKY AND THE
SHAMANS OF TARTARY: OCCULT YmTUES OF THE
CARNELIAN: MEANING IN ROSICRUCIAN MYSTERIES:
MOSLEM
TRADITION.
OPALESCENCE:
CATSEYE,
LORE. OF
THE
ITS
CURIOUS
CATSEYE:
RABBI
BEN ADOULAH's ASSERTION: THE EYE OF BELUS:
CEYLONITE:
SIGNET
OF
CHALCEDONY:
DARIUS:
PERSIAN
EARLY
.
ALBERTUS MAGNUS:
PLINY'8
OF
ST.
OF
ST.
DO~:
STEPHEN:
CYLINDERS:
IDENTIFICATION
BY
DESCRIPTION: STONE
YmTUES
OF
THE
CHALCE-
CHALCEDON'Yf{: CHERT: CHIASTOLITE: STONE
PEREZ
BOULT'S
JAMES:
AND
THE
PLUNDER:
PEDRO
THE
BLOOD-RED
THE
CRUEL:
CROSS:
STONE
OF
MIGUEL
MARSHAL
COLUMBUS:
CHRYBOBERYL, ITS VffiTUEB: CRYSOCOLLA, A MUSICAL
CHARM.
161
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BALAS. See SPINEL.
BLOODSTONE. See HAEMATITE and JASPER.
BONE TURQUOISE or Odontolite. Bone turquoise is often mistaken for true turquoise. It
is really fossil teeth or bones coloured blue by the
action of phosphate of iron. Its organic difference
can easily be seen under a good glass. ODONTOLITE is under the influence of the zodiacal Capricorn; it is a degree less in hardness than the true
turquoise, being in this respect equal to apatite
and lapis lazuli.
BORT. (See DIAMOND.)
CAIRNGORM or SCOTCH TOPAZ.
"0 Cal«lonia, IUm and wild!"
Scoft.
The mountain caimgorm, the name of which
comes from the Gaelic CARNGORM, meaning
Blue Cairn, is between the shires of Aberdeen,
Banff and Inverness, and it is there that the caimgorm stones are mostly found. The stone is a variety
of quartz of a fine smoky yellow or brown colour.
It is found in other places than the Caimgorm
Mountains, and has usurped many of the attributes
of the true topaz. It is remarkable for its brilliance
and beauty, and was known to the ancients. According to Pliny, this stone was used by old physicians for cauterizing affected parts of the body by
directing the sun's rays through it after the manner
of a "burning glass." It was carried in times of
epidemics as a protective charm, and it was held
to bestow a degree of craft and subtlety on the
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wearer. As a martial stone in harmony with Scotland, it was set in the head of dirks·and other knives,
and adorned the Highland dress. The Cairngorm
was considered a. talisman against venereal diseases,
sore throats, etc.
It is under the zodiacal Scorpio.
CARBUNCLE
"The Carbuncle
Which from it lUCia a flaming liglal
And radiancy ejectetla
That in tlas ~ef'JI
darken niglal
The ~e·
1 to it dir«:t«l."
DBAnoN.
The name Carbuncle is derived from the Latin
CARBUNCULUS, diminutive of CARBO, a coal.
During the past centuries it has been written as charbucle, charbokel, charbokll, cherbukkill, carbokyl,
charboncle, carbunculum, karboncle, carbunacle,
carbuncle stone. Of it Dr. Wilkins writes: "It is believed that a carbuncle does shine in the dark like a
burning coal, from whence it has its name."
The carbuncle is the Iron Alumina Garnet known
as Almandine or Almandite, which varies in colour
shades from red, ruby red, columbine red to brownish red. The name is said to be derived from the
town of Alabanda in Asia Minor where, according to
Pliny, the Carbunculi Amethystozontes were cut.
Dr. Holland's translation of the passage relating to
the carbuncle in Pliny, Book XXXVIT, is as follows:
"Amongst these red gems the rubies otherwise called
carbuncles challenge the principall piace and are esteemed richest; they have their name in Greek of the
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
likenesse unto fire, and yet fire hath no power of
them which is the reason that some call them apyroti." The apyroti is our pyrope which indicates
"fiery" in Greek. It is a magnesia alumina garnet
and was, as it now is, cut en cabochon. Specimens
chosen for this purpose are from deep to black red.
Almandines form the pathways of the Fourth
Heaven (Dar as-Salam) of the Muhammedans; and
the traditional symbol of the Ark illuminated by a
large carbuncle stone occurs in the Rabbinical writings. To students of the mysteries this must ever
appeal as a forceful and subtle symbol of man's immortality and sublime power. Leonardus writes of
the carbuncle "brandishing its fiery rays on every
side and in the dark appearlng like a fiery coal." "It
is regarded," he says, "as the first among 'burning
gems.' " That the carbuncle gave out a glowing light
without reflection is frequently repeated by ancient
authors, and the Palace of the Magician in the Russian story of King Kajata was hewn out of a single
carbuncle which lit up the whole surrounding district. Sir E. Tennant quotes from a Chinese work
a narrative which tells that "early in the 14th century
the Emperor sent an officer to Ceylon to purchase a
carbuncle of unusual lustre which was fitted as a ball
to the cap of the Emperor of that country. It was
upwards of an ounce in weight and cost 100,000
strings of cash. E&ch time a grand levee was held at
night the red lustre filled the palace, and hence it was
designated the Red Palace Illuminator.''
Nathaniel Hawthorne's beautiful story of ''The
Great Carbuncle" in his "Twice-told Tales" is based
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155
on the Indian tradition which is, he says, "too wild
and too beautiful to be adequately wrought up in
prose." Nevertheless the author does so with oldworld charm: "Some few believe that this inestimable stone is blazing as of old, and say that they have
caught its radiance like a flash of summer lightning,
far down the valley of the Saco. And be it owned
that many a mile from the Crystal Hills I saw a
wondrous light around their summits and was lured
by the faith of poesy to be the last pilgrim of the
Great Carbuncle."
. In the Middle Ages the carbuncle was worn as a
charm to protect the wearer against the plague, and
it was said to protect travellers on long voyages by sea
from drowning, and by land from accidents. It was
also credited with the power of resisting poisons, of
averting evil thoughts and dreams. It was an uplifter of the soul and a preserver of the health of the
body. When its lustre changed, the death of the
wearer was indicated. In addition to being the stone
of undying hope and the dispeller of sadness, the
Indians and Arabs credit it with protecting from
wounds and harm in the midst of battle. A story
was told to the author by the mother of an Australian
Captain hom, according to astrology, with the Sun
rising in the sign of the Archer. This officer wore
at the author's suggestion a ring of carbuncle. At
Gallipoli he, with a few men, was cut off by incessant gunfire which, although directed their way, did
not injure them and from which they were eventually
rescued. During this ordeal the Captain looked often
at his calm, flame-burning ring, the unearthly
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brightness of which seemed to him an emblem of
salvation.
Emanuel Swedenborg compared the carbuncle
with the good of celestial love, and it was regarded
as a heart stimulant by some old medical writers.
It represents the red arterial blood and is connected
with the fiery sign of the zodiac Sagittarius. A
great part of Australia is much influenced by this
sign according to astrology and large quantities of
extremely beautiful almandines-which were at one
time mistaken for rubies and termed "Australian
rubies"-have been already found.
To dream of the carbuncle was said to indicate
acquirement of wisdom.
The carbuncle is under the zodiacal Sagittarius.
CARNELIAN
"Let not tM Mtue t!a. dull Carrulian lliglat,
liglat."
Although it 1hine tDit1a but a fe~
MAJmoDt18.
The Carnelian obtains its name from the Latin
word Carnis, flesh, which describes its colour. The
Sard (Greek, Sarx, flesh) called by Swedenborg and
the ancients the "sardine Stone," of a deeper brownish red is said by Pliny to have been named from
Sardis in Asia Minor. Carnelian is also written
carnelian, cornelien, and camelion. Woodward in
his "Natural History" (1695) alludes to the ancient
Roman tradition that the pale red carnelians were
called females and the deeper colours males. The
yellow carnelian was anciently regarded as the female
loved by the Sun. These gems are extremely sensi-
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157
tive, being affected by oils and acids. It has been
demonstrated from olden times that carnelians exposed to the rays of the sun were brightened and
heightened in colour, a result which could not be
obtained by ordinary heat. The carnelian and sard
were greatly used in all ages, and many beads, charms
and ornaments have been found in the old lands.
The writer had in his possession two beautiful Etruscan scarabs of sard-one bearing a portrait of
£sculapius and the snake, the other portraying
Venus disrobing-neither of which had suffered much
from the attacks of time.
Mr. King describes a sard intaglio showing an
Ibis stepping out of a nautilus shell, seizing a snakea symbol of the eternal war between the Sun, represented by the Ibis, on the stone of the Sun, and the
earth moistures, represented by the snake. Another
from the Rhodes collection represents Venus showing
Cupid how to use the bow, appropriately cut on a
sard or heart stone; another, also cut on sard, shows
Cupid riding on a lion---:-symbol of the Sun and the
heart (organ of the Sun in astrophilosophy).
Alaric the Goth entered the city of Rome with
his victorious army August !l7th in the year 410 A. D.
His birthday cannot be ascertained with any degree
of certainty, but it may have been somewhere near
that time for he wore on his finger a large carnelian
talismanic ring on which was engraved: "Alaricus
Rex Gothorum.''
Madame Blavatsky relates stories of the Shamans
of Tartary who carried carnelians under their left
arms, and by employing these stones in certain ways'
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THE MAGIC AND SCffiNCE
they were enabled to separate the astral from the
physical body. The carnelian was used by them in
certain magical work and was reputed to be a stone
of wonderful power. It is significant that these
Shamans carried the carnelians on their left sides,
near the great Sun of the human body-the heart.
Madame Blavatsky herseH possessed a carnelian to
which special virtue was attached. She was hom
when the Sun was in the sign of the Lion, and the
carnelian was therefore one of her chief talismanic
gems. The carnelian was called the Stone of the
Martyrs. It is said to bestow the power to see into
the astral plane if, when placed before a light for
about four minutes, it is steadily gazed upon. Considering the powerful effect the Sun has on the carnelian, it were best that, if phenomena of this order
are to be obtained through the agency of such an
instrument, the stone be first exposed to the rays of
the Sun. It is inadvisable, however, to look directly
at the sun with the naked eye.
The carnelian is said to bring content to the
wearer, and Albertus Magnus said that it made the
soul happy, drove away the evil effects of sorcery,
witchcraft, enchantment and fear. It was the stone
of the victor and of victory, and was used as a charm
against bad temper-for bad temper according to the
masters is a form of black magic. Black magic was
evilly directed in the light of a waning moon, and it
was detected by the varying sheen of the protective
carnelian or sard. Also in dreams the stone was a
symbol that evil thoughts were being directed against
the dreamer. It represented the magical force of
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Faith and the weakening folly of scepticism in the
Rosicrucian mysteries. Medicinally the stone was
used to stop bleedings, and in the Middle Ages it was
administered in powdered form. At this period it was
stated that the yellow variety was the gem for Dies
Solis or Sunday. Both the carnelian and sard are
attached to the zodiacal Leo, the Mansion of the
Sun~
and the connection apart from tradition is
proven scientifically by the effect of the solar rays on
the stone itself. It is said to promote coolness in
argument and dignity in dispute, and the Muhammedan tradition tells that Muhammad held that to
procure contentment and blessings, it was necessary
with right mind to Allah, to wear a carnelian.
CATSEYE
"Tlw CabltJI il 0111 of tAl jftDill of whiM tAl Sifllllolul are upiCiallr
proui.."
'fi:NNENT'a ''CBYLON.''
The catseye is a chalcedonic quartz, translucent,
of various colours-yellow-green, yellow-brown, hyacinth-red, grey~
green-grey, etc. It is of a peculiar
opalescence, resembling the eye of a cat, when
cut en cabochon, an effect produced by amianthoid
asbestos filaments which run parallel through
the stone. The virtues ascribed to the catseye are many. It was said to put colour into
pale faces, to give pleasure to the mind, to relieve
the soul of melancholy, to cure chronic disorders
and wasting diseases, and to keep the wearer from
financial distress and ruin. It is said to have been
successfully employed in relieving croup and asthma.
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THE MAGIC AND SCmNCE
Pressed on to the forehead between the eyes it aided
thought and helped foresight. Carried by those
with Capricorn rising in the horoscope, or with
the Sun, Jupiter or Venus in Capricorn, it is credited
with especial value as a charm for success in speculative ventures. Enwrapped in women's hair, it
was employed as a birth charm, and if calcined
and applied to wounds, said Rabbi Ben Adoulah,
it healed them. Further, it cured inflammations
of the eyes, if lightly rubbed on the closed lids.
To dream of a catseye was said to warn of treachery.
It was the Eye of Belus in old Assyria, and a talisman which made the wearer invisible to his enemies.
Old Indian masters advise that the specimen wom
be as perfect as possible, saying that bad stones
should not be worn at all.
The Catseye is attached to the sign Capricorn.
CEYLONITE. (See SPINEL.)
CHALCEDONY
"With lu.,e fair il 1M Calcfdlm grq.Md."
1\UaaoDtJB.
The chalcedony obtains its name from Chalkedon in Asia Minor, and appears written as calcedony,
calsydoyne, calcidoine, chalcedun, calcideny, chalcidonye, calcedon, calchedonie.
This stone includes a number of varieties such as
carnelian, sard, agate, catseye, prase, plasma,
heliotrope, chrysoprase, moss agate, onyx, sardonyx,
homstone or Chert, and flint. Chalcedony is
classed under the great Silica family. It is translucent, waxy, white, pale grey, light brown or bluish.
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The Blue Chalcedony is identified with the ancient
Sapphirine-a stone confused with our sapphire.
Mr. King says that the "finest Persian cylinder
known, engraved with the usual type of the King
fighting with the lion, was formed out of this variety:
the signet doubtless that once graced the wrist of
some Darius or Artaxerxes of the latter days of
the Persian monarchy.,
It is said that Albertus Magnus first identified
the chalcedony of today in the 18th century, although according to many authorities this was not
done until the 15th century at the very earliest.
The ancient chalcedony is classed amongst such
stones as the Leucachates ·and Cerachates. Pliny
describes the ancient chalcedony as of "green mixed
with blue as the feathers of the peacock,s tail or of
the pigeon,s neck,, and Holme quoting from Pliny
in the Armoury, 1688, says: "The chalcedon or
calchedoine, being well chafed and warmed, will
draw a straw or a rush to it., The calcedon described by Pliny was not found in his time, but our
chalcedony was greatly used in fine art work in
all ages. A chalcedony showing tiny red and
brown spots has been termed the stone of St. Stephen,
in allusion to the martyrdom of that Saint as described in Chapter 7 of the Acts.
The chalcedony is a symbol of enthusiasm, and
is the emblem of Victory Divine amongst the jewels
of the Rosicrucians. It has also been termed the
Mother Stone, and under the name of Leucachate
was sacred to Diana. It protected the voyager
on the ocean tracts from tempests and terrors,
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THE MAGIC AND SCmNCE
drove away evil spirits, banished sadness and
melancholy, secured public favour and protected
the wearer in times of political revolutions.
The chalcedony is under the zodiacal Cancer.
CHALCEDONYX. The chalcedonyx is really a
chalcedony adorned with lines of white and grey.
It is included in the zodiacal Cancer.
CHIASTOLITE
"On Ia«- 11!1aiU lwean a 1p4rlding crou •he VJOrB."
Pon:.
The Chiastolite obtains its name from the Greek
word CHIASTOS, crossed. It is also known as
Macle, from the Latin Macula, a spot. It is a form
of Andalusite found in certain metamorphic rock.
During the process of crystallization certain impurities of a carbonaceous nature are dispersed
across the stone which displays from this cause
different forms of cross, tessellated or lozengeshaped markings, which show out curiously when
the stone is cut or broken. The hardness of the
stone is not great-specimens sometimes being as
low as 8 in Mohs' scale. The colour varies from grey
to yellow, pink, red, white, and deep brown.
The chiastolite is reported to have been first
found in Andalusia in Spain, at which place legend
says St. James suffered martyrdom. A further
amplification of this legend tells that the origin
of the chiastolite dates back to that time when it
sprang into being just where the Apostle laid his
hands on the rocks. At the time of Pedro the
Cruel of Spain {14th Century), a peasant, by name
Miguel Perez, found a rare specimen of this stone
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over an inch in diameter, exhibiting two crosses, the
most marked being of a rich dark red hue. Wishing
to obtain this remarkable gem as a present for
his ally Edward the Black Prince (whose title, be
it said, was not bestowed from the colour of his
armour but as Froissart says, ''from the terror his
arms inspired"), Pedro ordered the peasant to
bring it to him. When Perez was ushered into his
presence the King demanded the gem under pain
of death. The terrified peasant, after faltering for
a few moments in nervous fear, at length held out
the gem for the King to take. As Pedro was about
to seize it, the blood-red cross met his gaze and
he fell in a swoon on the palace floor. The stone
seems to have disappeared for a long period, and
it is believed to have been discovered in the possession of Philip V of Spain who carried it as a
jewel charm till his death when it was hung about
the neck of the statue of St. James in the St. Jago
di Compostella. Marshal Soult, having plundered
the Cathedral during the Peninsular War, gave
the stolen stone to Napoleon Bonaparte, who presented it to Murat. Astrologically, the chiastolite
would not be a fortunate stone for Pedro, Soult,
Napoleon, Murat or the Black Prince-notwithstanding the latter's name. It would be a fortunate
stone for Philip V.
It is quoted as a fact that when Columbus sailed
on his voyage of discovery to America he wore a
charm of chiastolite. The historical Chiastolite
of Spain is said to be at the present time in the
possession of the French family De Bodts.
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The cbiastolite is a symbol of prudence, faith,
caution and sincerity. To dream of one is a sign
of struggle, delay or limitation. It is a stone of the
zodiacal Capricorn. Chiastolite is also written as
cbiastolith and cbiastolithe. The name was bestowed on it in the year 1800. Some very fine
specimens have recently been found in South
Australia.
CHRYSOBERYL
"Timt~
will run back and JlllcA tM Age of Gold."
MnJroN.
The name is derived from CHRYSOS, golden,
and BERYLLOS, beryl. Suitable stones are cut
into catseyes of opalescent gleam. The chrysoberyl
is harder than the topaz, and is composed of alumina
and glucina. The colours of the stone are asparagus
green, grass green, greenish white. The Alexandrite
variety changes its colours in real and artificial
light.
The chrysoberyl was credited as a charm against
evil spirits and a disordered imagination, against
deceit, craft and conspiracy. To dream of a chrysoberyl was a warning against waste. It is under the
zodiacal Pisces.
CRYSOCOLLA. This hydros copper silicate derives its name from the Greek CHRYSOS, gold,
and KOLLA, cement. It obtained its name from
its resemblance to a gold solder known and used
by the ancient Greeks. It is a very soft, light substance, varying in colour from a blue-green to a
sky or turquoise blue. The texture is enamel-
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like, and the occurrence is earthy and massive.
Chrysocolla is a musical charm, to dream of which
was favourable for musicians, florists and singers.
It is under the zodiacal Taurus.
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CHAPTER XV
CHRYSOLITE-CRYSTAL
CHRYSOLITE:
"EVENING EMERALD,: THE ANCIENT
AMIANTHUS: BANISHER OF EVIL INFLUENCES: STONE
OF INSPIRATION: "THE PRECIOUS STONE,: CHRY80PRASE: STONE OF DREAMS AND HAPPINESS: BAD
EFFECT OF EXCESSIVE LIGHT: CINNAJriON STONE:
CITRINE OR FAUIE TOPAZ: ITS TALISMANIC VIRTUES:
COAL: BLACK DIAMONDS: "HAULING OVER THE
COALS": TAX ON COAL: FIRST COAL LICENCES:
PROCLAMATION AGAINST THE USE OF COAL: FIRST
COAL
EXPORTED
CORAL:
TO
OLD BELIEF:
PARIS:
THE NATURE OF
TREVISA
ON THE CORAL:
CORAL SPECIES: PERSEUS AND THE MEDUSA: THE
WORK OF THE SEA-NYMPHS: THE RISING OF THE
LOVE
GODDESS:
THE
EVIL
EYE:
FASCINATION:
ROMAN CUSTOM: CORAL AND HEALTH: DISPELLER
OF
EVIL
SPmiTS:
HARTMANN'S
THE
WYTCHES'
ASCRmED
INCUBI
TESTIMONY:
TO
STONE:
CORAL:
AND
SUCCUBI:
BARTHOLOMEUS
MYSTICAL
CUSTOM
OF
DR.
AND
PROPERTIES
OLD GREEK
SAILORS: LEMNIUS AND CORAL: THE GEM OF THE
GARDEN
OF
EVERLASTING
LIFE:
A
17TH
CEN-
TURY PRESCRIPTION: THE STONE OF THE DANCERS:
CORUNDUM: CORDIERITE: CROCIDOLITE: CRYSTAL:
EARLY USE ON SCARABEI, ETC.: TRIAL OF PSYCHE:
THE ETHIOPIAN KING AND THE CRYSTAL TOMBS!
166
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THE HAPSBURG CRYSTAL VASES: CRYSTAL IN CHINA
AND JAPAN: THE TALISMAN OF CONCENTRATION:
THE MEDICINE INDIANS: AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINALS
AND THE CRYSTAL: RAIN STONE: THE CORADGEE:
CRYSTALLOMANCY AMONGST THE NATIVES OF AUSTRALIA: CRYSTAL BALLS AND THE BUN's RAYS: DR.
BABBITT's REMARKS ON THE CONVEX LENS: HYDROLITES: THE THffiD EYE: AN ANTIQUE SEAL RING:
CRYSTALS IN THE HIGHLANDS: Sffi WILLIAM RIDGEWAY
ON
CRYSTALS:
SWEDENBORG'S
STONE
OF
TRUTH.
CHRYSOLITE
. to land
"When morning ro~e,
We haul'd our bark, and moored it on tM mand,
Where in a beauteotu grotto' 8 cool recess
Dance tM green Nereid8 of the neighboring 1eas."
HoMER. (Pope's Translation.)
The Chrysolite obtains its name from the Greek
CHRYSOS, gold, and LITHOS, a stone. This
gem is of a light greeny-yellow; when deep olive
green it is known as a Peridot, when yellowishgreen as True Olivine. Among the ancients the
Chrysolite was our topaz. Its name, literally
"Golden Stone," indicates the beautiful golden topaz
so highly esteemed by gem-lovers, which, we are
told, derives its name from that mysterious Island
of the Mists which Pliny calls Topazion. Dr.
G. F. Herbert Smith writes of the variety peridot
as bearing the pretty name of "the evening emerald,"
and the most charming specimens resemble the light
green of the sea waters near the shore, illuminated
by the setting sun. This gem appears to be the
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Amianthus of post-Biblical writers, known as "the
gem of miracles," which drove away the spirits and
inBuences of evil, protected against obsession, dissolved enchantments, and the phantoms of the
night, gladdened the heart with hope, strengthened
the soul, inspired thought, banished illusion, despair,
madness, aided the faculties of inspiration and
prophecy.
In the History of Monsieur Ouft.e-quoted by
Brand-it is advised: "To expel phantoms and
rid people of folly, take the precious stone chrysolite,
set it in gold, and let them wear it about 'em.''
Francis Barrett says that it is good for the lungs
and cures asthmatical complaints; also that when
held under the tongue it cures fevers, aids prophecy,
bestows eloquence and inspiration. The peridot
was known as "the" precious stone, and was often
valued more than the diamond.
The hardness of the chrysolite is from 6 to 7 on
Mohs' scale. It is under the zodiacal Pisces.
ClffiYSOPRASE
The chrysoprase derives its name from the Greek
ClffiYSOS, golden, and PRASON, a leek. It is an
apple-green chalcedony, the colour being caused by
oxide of nickel. The chrysoprase was esteemed the
perfect stone of dreams in ancient Egypt, Greece
and Rome. It was believed that if one condemned
for any offence whatever held a chrysoprase in his
mouth he would escape punishment. It was a
stone for the voyager on deep seas, a kindler of the
imaginative faculties, a banisher of greed, selfishness
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and carelessness. It was the stone of happiness and
enterprise, awakening slumbering faculties. It
calmed irritability, the pains of gout, and, bound
to the left arm, it prevented or cured the stone.
It was the stone of prudence, adaptability and
versatility, rousing to action, progress and adventure.
To gaze into the chrysoprase was said to strengthen
the eyes, especially when the Moon was passing
through Taurus and Cancer. In many ways the
chrysoprase was a religious symbol. In its Hebrew
name of NOFEK it was the fourth stone of the
Breastplate, and as the tenth jewel of the Rosicrucians it was the symbol of strength, moral and
physical, and of invisible power. Swedenborg sees
in it "the supreme heavenly love of truth," and the
Fathers see "triumph over sin;" Its symbology
is reflected to the gateway through which the soul
passed when entering the sphere of earth, and its
dream influence was like an angel's smile. Light
in excess has an unfavourable eftect on this stone,
robbing it of its colour. Introduced into England
in the reign of Ann, it was much loved by the
Queen. It enjoyed great popularity during the
times of the 8 Georges, and was a favorite gem of
Queen Victoria.
The chrysoprase is under the zodiacal Cancer.
CINNAMON STONE. (See ESSONITE.)
CITRINE
Citrine is a clear light yellow quartz crystal,
obtaining its name from its citron tint. It is correctly called False Topaz, and incorrectly Brazilian
Topaz. It presents no cleavage like the topaz.
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It is also known as Spanish topaz and Occidental
topaz. The citrine was carried as a protective
talisman against miasmatic exhalations, plague
epidemics, eruptive diseases, evil thought forms,
alcoholic and other forms of indulgence. It was
also employed as a charm against the bites of snakes,
venomous reptiles and insects, and against scandal,
libel and treachery.
The Citrine is under the zodiacal Scorpio.
COAL
SWEDICNBOBO.
Coal derives its name from the Anglo-Saxon
word KOL, to kindle. It is a well-known solid
black combustible substance, the remains of old
forests and earth vegetation which chemical action
has changed chiefly by the elimination of oxygen and
hydrogen. Many dyes, acids, gases, flavourings,
etc., are obtained from this important product.
Amongst these are tar, coke, creosote, carbolic acid,
naphtha, sal-ammoniac, ammonia, various explosives, drugs, mineral vanilla, etc. Dr. Brewer
explains that to "haul over the coals" is historically
and literally true: "At one time," he says, "the
Jews were 'bled' whenever the Kings or barons
wanted money, and one very common torture,
if they resisted, was to haul them over the coals of a
slow fire to give them a roasting." Sir Walter
Scott alludes to this practice in "Ivanhoe." Professor John Henry Pepper, writing on "Coal and
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Coal Mines," introduces the following interesting
details: ''In olden time, before a cargo of coals
could be discharged from a collier, it was necessary
to obtain the permission of the Lord Mayor who,
for a certain consideration, granted the required
permission. This much honoured magistrate and
his worthy coadjutors, the aldermen, with the
common councihnen and livery called the Corporation were permitted to lay a tax upon the "black
diamonds" that amounted to something like £50,000
per annum. In 1880 the heaviest of the coal duties
were abolished: and since that time the trade has
assumed gigantic proportions which have made
it the marvel of the civilized world. The first
licences to dig coals were granted to the burgesses
of Newcastle by Henry III and in 1281 a very good
trade existed in that fuel. A proclamation in the
reign of King Edward I shows the introduction
of coal as a substitute for wood, and a charter of
Edward II indicates that Derbyshire coal was used
in London. In the same reign coals were first sent
from Newcastle for the benefit of those trades which
required fuel: and in 1816 a petition was made from
Parliament to the King praying His Majesty to
forbid all use of the new and pestilent fuel called
"coals," which was acceded to, and a proclamation
made, commanding all use of coals to cease and
determine, and threatening all who burnt coals to be
mulcted, and on a second offence to have their
furnaces demolished. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth the burning of stone coal was again prohibited
during the sitting of Parliament. At a subsequent
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period, about 1648, coals were once more placed
under a ban. . . In 15i0 Newcastle coal was first
exported into Paris."
A p ·ece of coal was carried by thieves in the belief
that it would protect them from detection, and
help them to escape when pursued. To dream of
coals is indicated as a symbol of disappointment,
trouble, aftliction and losses, except if the coals be
burning brightly when the symbol gives promises of
uplifting and advancement, for the fire symbol of
Mars is rousing to action the coal symbol of Saturn.
Coal is under the celestial Capricorn.
CORAL
"In 1M pku«l infant IH iU 7JOWM' cpond
Wlun firlt 1M coral jilll AillittU hand."
SPBAGUII.
Coral is a carbonate of lime effected by gelatinous
marine mollusks known as "polypi."
For long ages coral was supposed to be a marine
plant of which Trevisa wrote in 1495: "Corall is
gendred in the Red See, and is a tree as long as it is
coveryd with water, but as it is drawen out it
torneth into stone," and Jordan in 1699 tells us
that "coral also being a plant and nourished with
this juice, turns to a stone." The name is derived
from the Greek word Korallion, and is found written
as corale, corral, correll, curalle, curroll, quyral, etc.
The various speeies have been set down as follows:
Pink Coral
Red Coral
White Coral
Black Coral
Blue Coral
Yellow Coral, etc.
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In more modem times species have obtained
names from their appearance. Thus:
Brain Coral
Cup Coral
Mushroom Coral
Organpipe Coral
Star Coral
The appeal of coral to the poet finds expression in
some charming legends:
Ovid (Metamorphoses) wrote that Perseus, after
he had cut the head from the body of the dreadful
Medusa, laid it on the branches of the trees which
grew by the sea shore; but the power never departing, turned these branches, as it had turned every
other living thing, into stone. The sea nymphs
drew these fossils beneath the waves and they
became the coral seeds. A variation of this legend
tells that the blood which fell from the bleeding
head on to the shrubs, flowers and trees turned them
into seeds of coral which the sea nymphs drew beneath the waves. It arose again in flower-like
beauty with Venus when she emerged in all her glory
from the sea, symbolical of the exaltation of Venus
in the zodiacal Pisces, and in this connection also
concealing a deeper meaning. No gem has been
more employed as a charm for averting the fell
spell of the evil eye than the innocent coral which
was credited with the power of destroying the first
stroke of the glance, after which it-like the drawn
fang of the serpent-was rendered incapable of
injury. Scot writes in "Discovery of Witchcraft:"
"The coral preserveth such as bear it from fascination or bewitching and in this respect corals are
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
hanged about children's necks." Pliny mentions
that the Romans hung on babies' cradles and around
their necks pieces of red coral as an aid in teething
and an influence against the falling sickness and infantile diseases. Plato says: "Coral is good to be
hanged about children's necks, as well to rub their
gums as to preserve them from the falling sickness.
It hath also some special sympathy with Nature,
for the best coral, being worn about the neck, will
tum pale and wan if the party that wears it be sick,
and comes to its former colour again as they recover
health." Brand mentions a similar idea in the
"Three Ladies of London," 1584: "Coral will look
pale when you be sick.'' Little bells were also attached in the Middle Ages to children's coral charms
in order to ward oft evil spirits, storms and pestilence,
and scare away the Furies; this same belief exists in
Japan, China and other countries. It is a fact that
coral is aftected by the health of the wearer; some
writers say that it becomes spotted or stained when
the illness is of a serious nature. It was regarded
as a very potent charm for women. In Italy the
coral was also called the Witch Stone, because it
was said to protect women from the wizards and
men from the witches. In connection with these
Paracelsus writes: "They are the outgrowths of an
intense and sensual imagination of men and women,
and which Rabbinical traditions relate in an allegorical manner, are connected with Adam (the
animal Man), and Lilith, his first wife. They are
afraid of red corals as dogs are afraid of a whip:
but the brown corals attract them. Red corals are
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disagreeable to monsters, Incubi, Succubi, Phantasm.ata and all evil spirits, but brown corals are not,
and they delight in them." In commenting on
this Dr. Franz Hartmann, a physician of note and
distinguished writer, says that he knew of cases of
melancholy, depression of mind, hypochondria,
etc., that had been successfully treated by the
wearing of red corals, while other articles employed
for the same purpose had no effect, the cure therefore
not being merely attributable to the belief of the
patient. He concludes: "The ignorant will find
it easier to ridicule such things than to explain
them."
A curious passage in Bartholomeus ("De Proprietatibus Rerum," 1586) is of interest: "Wytches
tell that this stone withstondeth lyghtnyng, whirlewynde, tempeste and stormes fro shyppes and
houses that it is in. The Red Corall helpeth ayenst
the feudes, gyle and scome, and ayenst divers
wonderous doyng and multiplieth frute, and spedeth
begynnyng and ending of causes and of nedes."
Oriental mystics warn against the wearing of dull,
dirty or discoloured specimens. The pure coral
was deemed a protection from plague, poison,
storm and tempest. In a house it charmed away
disharmony, envy and evil influences. It banished
evil dreams and the "terrors of the night," wild
animals, the lightning stroke, witchcraft, epilepsy,
stomach complaints, night sweats, etc. It was
a cure for sores, diseased gums, whooping cough,
disorders of the spleen, teething troubles, troubles
of the feet and toes, madness, etc.
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It is interesting to note that natural corals in
the form of vegetable growths were, and in some
places still are, tied to fruit trees to ensure their
fertility, and that women of ancient times wore
such specimens as charms against sterility. Thus,
"she who hath risen from the sea foam," Venus,
was regarded as employing the moistures so needed
in perfecting the material dresses of the animal,
mineral and vegetable worlds when entering earth
conditions: and the ancient masters held that such
examples of the doctrine of Sympathies, Similitudes,
Signatures and Correspondences guide man to a
correct knowledge and understanding of the mysteries of Nature. The ancient Greeks attached
coral to the prows of their ships to protect them
from the onslaughts of sea and storm. Lemnius
says: "Bind corall to the neck, it takes off turbulent
dreams and allays the nightly fears of children."
The gem of the Arabian Garden of the Everlasting
Life-Jannat al Khuld-is the yellow coral.
To dream of red, pink and coral of beautiful lustre
is said to denote recovery to the sick and good
health to any one, but ill-conditioned specimens
symbolize the opposite. As a cardiac stimulant,
for stopping hremorrhages, warding off contagion,
etc., the old physician Rulandus (Medicina Practica, 1564) prescribed half a drachm of powdered
coral.
The following 17th century prescription was administered as a cure for colic, purging and vomiting,
and is given here as of especial interest:
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Amongst the Spaniards it was usual at one ti:rJ].e
for conjurers and jugglers especially to wear tightfitting coral-coloured costumes. · Good specimens
of coral are greatly esteemed by dancers. It is
especially a luck gem of the ballet, the sign Pisces
of the Zodiac, under which all corals are placedruling the feet.
CORUNDUM. Also written at earlier periods
as coriundum, corundon, corindon. (See under
Ruby, Sapphire.)
CORDIERITE. See IOLITE.
CROCIDOLITE. Also written Krokydolite, krocidolite. This stone was named in the year 1881,
from the Greek KROKIS, a variation of KROKUS,
the nap of woollen cloth, and LITHOS, a stone.
It is well described as an asbestiform variety of
homblend of indigo-blue, leek-green or goldenbrown colour-the latter variety being also known
as Tiger's Eye. When cut en cabochon this stone
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has a fine chatoyant effect. There is little doubt
that the ancients knew of this stone of the asbestos
family under the zodiacal Gemini. It was regarded
as a fortunate stone for people of literary or mercurial tendencies, and as a nerve and lung soother.
Held against the temple when the Moon is passing
through the sign Gemini, in good aspect to Mercury, it would assist thought and mental speculation.
CRYSTAL
The crystal obtains its name from the Greek word
KRUSTALLOS, ice. It is a pure and transparent
variety of Quartz, so called because of its resemblance to clear ice. In literature it appears as
cristalla, crista!, crestal, kristall, cristalle, christall,
chrystal. Webster writes that the English spelling
was gradually changed to CRYSTAL between the
15th and 17th centuries. We have evidence of
its early use by man, Egyptian scarabei and Babylonian cylinders having been found, dating back
as far as 1500 B.C. In the trial of Psych~ta
beautifully symbolic legend-Venus gives this graceful lover of Eros the magical vase of pure crystal
with the request that it be filled with the waters
from the Fountain of Forgetfulness. The Fountain
waters flowed through a narrow channel at the
summit of a steep mountain, and they murmured:
"To attempt is to perish. Be warned. Be warned.
To attempt is to perish; fly from us." Psyche
saw two caves, one on each side of these icy waters,
and in these caves were two terribl' dragons. With
the precious vase in her trembling hands, the faithful
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lover prayed for help in her perilous task. Jupiter
heard her prayer in pity, for love had been kind
to him, and he sent his eagle to her. The eagle
drew the vase from Psyche and, filling it with the
waters, brought it to her. Then she ran to Venus,
thinking that pitying love would exact no more.
"Thy witchery has gained thee these waters," said
the Goddess, "I have another test for thee.,
The King of the Ethiopians showed the messengers of Cambyses amongst other wonders the
tombs of pure crystal in which could be seen the
bodies of the departed, perfect in form and feature.
In the imperial vault of the Hapsburgs in the Church
of the Capucins, Vienna, there are 150 crystal
vases, gold mounted, with a crown on the top of
each, which contain the hearts of the Royal members
of the Family. This practice dates from Duke
Francis who, dying in Switzerland, directed that
his heart should be preserved and sent to Vienna.
In China and Japan the crystal is called SINSHO.
The Japanese know it also as Tama or Jewel of
Perfection, and it is used by them for making ·
crystal balls and beautiful objects of art. It is
cut in the shape of a ball, esteemed in Japan as
the Stone of Concentration, and several in a family
will sit round gazing at a specimen in which they
see guidance and help in the path of life. In China
it is also known as CHING, and symbolized as
an upright triangle of three suns, it has always
been highly esteemed. It .is cut with great patience
into figures o.. deities and sacred objects. The
Chinese regard it as a talisman of concentration
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
and perseverance; it recalls to them the magnificence
and immensity of what man calls space, this "jewel
of perfection" which the Japanese also term "Breath
of the White Dragon."
The Medicine Indians of South America say that
a holy spirit is in the crystal, and for this reason
the sacred stones ·must not be seen except by initiates. The aboriginals of Australia and Tasmania
regarded the crystal in a mystic way. It was known
by the Murray tribes as Katto and Maako. The
South Australians generally termed large crystals
Kanwenmuka, and smaller specimens Kanyappa.
It is the Teyl of the West Australian, the Leeka
and Heka of the Tasmanian and it is called Tendeagh by the East tribe and Mughramallee by the
South. The late Mr. James Bonwick says that
the natives usually wore the crystal in its bag,
suspended from the neck; he gives their song of
magic as follows:
Kano Kano wimmari
(]izard)
Kano Kano Kanwemub (crystal)
Kano Kano Makkitya
(flint)
Kano yeruka Makkitya
Makkitya mulyeria.
Mr. Bonwick also gives instances of the prevalence
of Crystallomancy amongst the aboriginals, the
use of the Rain Stone, the Coradgee Stone which
was wrapped in hair and was not to be seen by a
female, "not always a simple white stone, it was
more commonly a quartz crystal." He says further
"Some men, by proper use· of this magical agency
(the crystal) could work wonders." Thus, the
crystal has been employed by savage and civilized
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Gazing Crystal on Dragon Stand. Presented to the Author by
the Late Judge Casey of Victoria, Australia
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man mall ages. It was said to enclose within its
bright form all the knowledge and secrets that have
ever been; if worn during sleep it banishes evil
dreams and spells, and guards the wearer against
sorcery, witchcraft, secret enemies and evil thoughts.
It was said to indicate the presence of poison by
clouding or by breaking-hence its employment
in the manufacture of precious goblets by the
ancients. It was employed as a preventive of
watery, wasting and infectious diseases, tumourous complaints, blood impurities, heart, bowel and
feet troubles, renal affections, etc. Pliny recommends it as an external medicine for women when
in the form of fine powder mixed with honey.
With regard to the employment of crystal balls
and lenses for medical purposes, this venerable
author says: "I find it asserted by physicians that
when any part of the body requires to be cauterized
it cannot be better done than by means of a crystal
ball held against the sun's rays"; it is interesting
to compare this statement with a more recent
one made by the late Dr. E. D. Babbitt, M.D.:
"Sunlight can lubricate and even vesicate the skin
without causing much pain or without leaving
any permanent scars like those formed by sinapisms,
moxas, lancings, etc. Many a tumour which under
the old system is cut out without even reaching
the cause, is destroyed by concentrating the light
upon it through a convex lens."
Many beautiful crystals bearing intagli of a large
size have been discovered. Mr. King mentions two
choice specimens of Valerio il Vicentino and his
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
rival Geo. del Castel Bolognese. Some crystals
have been found encasing drops of water very
much like the spirit in the spirit-level. These are
known as Hydrolites or, as Pliny writes them, Enhydroa. They are mentioned by the poet Claudian
as"A meam unf«Wt«l pmt in111'f!ll4l round,
A lruGf&t foum br hDrdm«l tlKIUr• bound.''
Mr. King received information that miners in
California have died from drinking the water from
a hydrolite, and this circumstance exhibits the
subtle action of some of the stones attached to the
sign of the Fishes. The crystal, wrongly but frequently termed ''beryl" stone, is highly esteemed
as an instrument for heightening the imagination
and bringing out the gazing power of the third
eye previously mentioned. Mr. William Jones
gives an illustration of the seal of a divination
ring from Licini's "Antiqua Schemata." It shows
a half nude woman holding a serpent in her left
hand, the head of which is bending towards a crystal
ball held by a nude man, his right leg resting on a
wooden stand, his left stretching towards an altar
on which the sacred fire is burning. The female
bends over the male who gazes intently into the
crystal ball. The work is full of expression and
force.
In the Highlands of Scotland large pieces of
crystal were used for charms, and cattle were given
to drink water which had been poured over crystals.
Similar crystals were employed for the protection
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of cattle in Ireland, a fine specimen being still kept
by the Tyrone family.
The sign Pisces is the natural 1m celestial
House, ruling large cattle. It is also the sign of
occult and mysterious things and of the elevation of
Venus. Thus, all the legends, stories and philosophies connected with this bright stone of the sign
Pisces are easily understood. Professor Sir William
Ridgeway, of Cambridge, England, in his work,
4
'The Drama and Dramatic Dances of Non-European Races," draws attention to the fact that
"crystals have always been and are still regarded as
the most amuletic of precious stones, and comedians
also are frequently cut into faceted shapes by
the Arabs and others. The diamond and spinel
are both octahedral. The Japanese are especially
fond of rock crystal, one of their favorite amulets
being a double gourd cut out of such a crystal."
Swedenborg recognized in the crystal "Divine Truth
in all its brightness" and truth certainly has its
correspondence in the clear glistening magnetic
crystal.
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CHAPTER XVI
THE DIAMOND
.ABNO'rl''S OBSERVATION: EXTREME HARDNESS: BOYLE
.AND DU FAY PROVE ELECTRICAL QUALITIES: DR.
KUNZ .AND PHOSPHORESCENCE: SIR WILLIAM CROOKS
ON RADIUM .AND THE DIAMOND: EXPERIMENTS IN
ARTIFICIAL PRODUCTION BY MARDEN, MOISSAN AND
CROOKS:
SIR
CHARLES
PARSONS'
CONCLUSIONS:
''SEARCH FOR THE ABSOLUTE": DISCOVERY OF A
LARGE DIAMOND AT JACOB'S FARM ON THE ORANGE
RIVER!
SIR
WILLIAM
WODEHOUSE'S
PURCHASE:
DIAMONDS IN MUD BRICKS: AUSTRALIAN DIAMONDS!
FIRST DIAMOND BROUGHl' TO EUROPE! GOLCONDA!
BRAZIL:
FLORENTINE
DEMONSTRATION
OP
THE
TRUTH OF BOETIUS'S BELIEF AND NEWTON'S DE•
DUCTIONS: BOYLE'S EXPERIMENTS AT HIGH TEMPERATURE: AVERANI PROVES THE FORCE OF THE
SUN'S RAYS ON A DIAMOND: EASILY BURNED BUT
UNAFFECTED
BY
ACIDS:
GNOME
ROSICRUCIANS:
THE
GNOMES OF THE
LEGENDS:
MANDEVILLE ON THE DIAMOND:
SIR
RABBI
JOHN
BENONI,
BOETIUS DE
BOODT AND THE HINDU WRITERS:
EB-SINDIBAD
OF
THE
SEA
AND
THE
VALLEY
OF DIAMONDS: SIMILAR STORIES: EL-KAZWEENEE:
MARCO POLO: MR. MARSDEN'S OBSERVATIONS: GOLCONDA: LITTLE PRINCESS MARY'S DIAMOND MARRIAGE RING: LORD LISLE'S DEATH DIAMOND: THE
184
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
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DIAMOND HEART RING OF MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS:
QUEEN ELIZABETH AND SIR WALTER RALEIGH: DIAMOND SAVES THE LIFE OF QUEEN ISABELLA OF
SPAIN:
EX-PRESIDENT
KRUGER'S
UNLUCKY DIA-
MOND:{KING ARTHUR AND THE DIAMOND JOUSTS: THE
AFFAIR OF THE DIAMOND NECKLACE: INDIAN DIAMOND CUTTERS: LOUIS VAN BERGHEM: tCHARLEMAGNE's DIAMOND CLASP: HERMAN THE LAPIDARY:
PERUZZI: CLEMENT BIRAGO AND JACOPO DA TREZZO
ENTER THE SERVICE OF PHILIP II: POPE HILDEBRAND
SENDS A DIAMOND RING TO WILLIAM OF NORMANDY:
THE DIAMOND SWORD IN THE TALE OF THE YELLOW
DWARF: THE ZODIACAL SIGNS OF THE DIAMOND: THE
DIAMOND IN LOVEANtL¥ABRI.A.GE: )30RT.
DIAMOND
"The litely diamond drink. thy purut ra1J•·"
TBOIIBO)f.
The diamond derives its name from the Greek
ADAMAS, ADAMANTOS, adamant. It has
been written at various times as dyamawnte,
dyamamaunt, dyamant, diamant, diamownde, dyamonde, dyamount, diamonde, diamont, dimond,
dymauntz, and adamant stone. It is but pure
crystallized carbon, and Arnott (Physics, 1880),
writes: "The diamond has nearly the greatest lightbending power of any known substances, and hence
comes in part its brilliancy as a jewel." It is remarkable also for its extreme hardness and for its
variety of colours-steel, white, blue, yellow,
orange, red, green, pink and black. This "prince
of gems" in days of old was considered the royal
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
stone which only a prince was privileged to wear.
The highly electrical properties ascribed by the
ancients to the diamond were proved in the 17th
and 18th centuries by the chemists Boyle and
Du Fay, and Dr. Kunz has demonstrated today
that all diamonds "phosphoresce when exposed to the
rays of radium, polonium, or actinum, even when
glass is interposed." In a paper read to the Royal
Society, London, November 6th, 1914, the late Sir
William Crooks said: "Many substances become
coloured by direct exposure to radium, the colour
depending on the substance. Diamond takes a full
sage-green, the depth of tint depending on the time of
exposure to the radium. In addition to the change
of colour the diamond also becomes radio~ctve,
continuously giving off e&, {j, 'Y rays. The acquired colour and activity withstand the action of
powerful chemical agents and continue for years
with apparently undiminished activity. Removing
the surface by mechanical means removes both
colour and radio-activity. The appearance of an
auto-radiograph made by placing an active diamond
crystal on a sensitive photographic plate and the
visual examination of its scintillating luminosity
suggest that there is a special discharge of energy
from the comers and points of the crystal."
The several experiments for the production of
diamonds by artificial means have since 1880 been
conducted by some eminent scientists, notably
Professor Marden, Professor Henri Moissan and Sir
William Crooks. For many years Sir Charles
Parsons has been working closely at the problem,
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and the main conclusions arrived at by this scholar
were communicated to the Royal Society, London,
in 1918. They were as follows:
That graphite cannot be converted into diamond
by heat and pressure alone within the . limits
reached in the experiments;
That there is no distinct evidence that any of the
chemical reactions under pressure have yielded
diamond;
That the only undoubted source of diamond is
from iron previously heated to high temperature
and then cooled.
That diamond is not produced by bulk pressure
as previously supposed, but by the action of gases
occluded in the metal and condensed into the centre
on quick cooling.
In connection with these experiments it will be
found interesting to read Balzac's "Search for the
Absolute," in which it is told how after many ruinous attempts to produce a diamond by artificial
means one, self-formed, is found in the old chemist's
laboratory after his death. The worth and romance
of the old mines of Brazil and India are dwelt on by
many of the writers of the past, and although diamonds were discovered in South Mrica in the 18th
Century, yet no important discoveries were ~ade
until 1867, when a large stone was found by children
of a Dutch farmer, Mr. Jacobs, not far from their
farm near Hopetown on the Orange River. Not
knowing what the stone really was and attaching no
value to it, Mrs. Jacobs gave it to Mr. Schalk van
Niekerk, a neighbour, who entrusted it to Mr.
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
O'Reilly, a hunter and trader, ·asking him to submit
it to some mineralogist for an opinion. Mr. O'Reilly
took the stone to Colesberg and showed it to Mr.
Boyes, the acting colllDlissioner for that district, at
whose suggestion it was submitted to Dr. W. G . .
Atherstone of Graham's Town. Thanks to his
mineralogical knowledge, Dr. Atherstone proved the
stone to be a diamond. It was exlnoited in Paris
in March, 1867, as ''The ;First Mrican Diamond
Discovered,'' and was purchased by tlle Cape
Governor, Sir Philip Wodehouse, for £600. Sir
Philip sold it to Garrards and it has changed hands
several times since then. The weight of this stone
was !1 carats. The famous Du Toit's Pan was
found through a Boer farmer actually discoveriBg
diamonds in the mud bricks of which his house was
built.
As early as 1866, Mr. C. W. King expected that
quantities of diamonds from Australia would reach
the world's markets, and there is no doubt that this
expectation will be realized when those p8.rts of the
vast Commonwealth from which many diamonds
have already come, have been thoroughly tested and
proved. In 1885 several companies were working
at Bingera, a township in New South Wales, 860
miles from Sydney, and many small but pure hard
stones were found. The writer has handled some
few specimens of fine blue white from Bingera,
ranging from a quarter to half a carat after cutting.
The hardness of the Australian gem-which may
well add another point to Mohs's scal~h
counted
against it, but modem cutters will not consider this
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189
a bar especially if su1:1icient quantities be submitted
- for treatment. Gold has also been found at Bingera
and, ·as Mr. King writes: "The observation made of
old by Pliny .that the diamond always accompanies
gold has been fully borne out by the experience of
. succeeding ages." The first Australian diamonds
were found in New South Wales, at Reedy Creek,
near Bathurst, in 1851. In 1869 during a gold rush
near . Mudgee some fair diamonds were found by the
miners. Professor Liversidge of Sydney describes
the occu:iTence of diamonds ~t Bingera "as being
situated in a sort of basin about four miles long and
four miles wide, hemmed in by hills on all sides,
save on the North. An old river-drift, probably an
ancient bed of the river Horton, rests upon rocks of
D~vonia
or Carboniferous age, and is associated
with basalt by which it appears to be overlain. In
some places the materials of the drift are compacted
together into a conglomerate, so that the mode of
occurrence of the diamond at Bingera strikingly
res~bl
that at Mudgee. The minerals composing
the gravels are also generally similar in the two cases,
though points of difference are not wanting. Some
of the diamonds are clear and colourless, others have
a pale straw tint. Thousands have been found in
this district, as well as in many other localities of
New South Wales." The gravels enclosed agate,
sapphire, ruby, zircon, jasper, rock crystal, garnets,
grey corundum, ilmenite, tounnaline, gold and tin.
Mr. A. R. Pike who, with his partner, Mr. John
O'Donnell, has had much experience with Australian
diamonds at lnverell, New South Wales, writes in-
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
terestingly concerning them. "With slates and diorites from the bed-rock, gold is found in the wash, ..
in addition to its diamond output. Rich yields of
alluvial gold have been won from the Gulgong district. The wash deposit of this field also carries
diamonds and a special class of semi-precious gems.
They embrace sapphires in large numbers and vario~
tints; cornflower, blue, green, dark blue, straw,
yellow, and blood-red are plentiful. The red sapphires in many cases are true rubies of the desired
pigeon-blood colour. Unfortunately all the sapphires represent small flat fragments and are too
small for cutting purposes." A few months ago the
writer picked out about a dozen fair but small diamonds for a "fossicker" from a little bag of different
stones that he had found in Spring Creek, Beechworth, Victoria.
It is recorded that dia.Jnonds .were first brought
to Europe from the first known of the mines of
( Golconda, the mine of Sumbulpour, in 1684. The
~ mines of Brazil were discovered in 172ft Boetius
de Boodt asserted in the year 1609, his belief in the
inflammability of the diamond, and in 1694 the
Florentine academicians demonstrated the truth of
Boetius' belief and Newton's deductions-Sir Isaac
Newton having based his similar conclusioris on the
refracting power of the diamond in 1676. Boyle
discovered in 1678 that when the diamond was submitted to high temperature it ejected a pungent
vapour in which a part of it was consumed. In
1696 Averani experimenting with the concentrated
rays of the sun on the diamond demonstrated that
r
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"it was exhaled in· vapour and entirely disappeared
.. while other precious stones only grew softer." That
the diamond can be burned is easy of proof, as is
also the fact that acids have no effect upon it.
The gnomes figure in the elemental system of
Rosicrucian philosophy, being described as small
_people who guard the mines and treasures of the
earth, the precious stones and the metals. They
are robust little fellows of a brown colour, and their
sympathy extends to philosophic minds amongst
both miners and scholars. They hate frivolity, for
they are serious little fairies. Comte de Gabalis
details an argument with their Prince who came to
the upper earth in respect to the will of the Irish
sage Macnamara. Macnamara has sympathy for
the gnomes whom he calls "the unhappy guardians
of treasures," in the mystical chapters on "The
Irreconcilable." There are numerous legends of the
Gnomes, the meanings of which are not difficult to
interpret if the mind of the student is :filled with the
desire to know. It is said that these little fairies
suffer much, and that when they grieve for those
they have loved and lost their tears change into
diamonds, which remain as the jewel emblems of
pure and unselfish grief. That great old English
traveller of the 14th Century, Sir John Mandevillea copy of whose MS., said to date from the time of
the author, is in the Cottonian Library-wrote that
the diamond shoWd always be worn on the left or
heart side of the body, and that it is possible for a
diamond to lose its occult virtue after being handled
by evil people: for in the human body there is more
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
potency for good or ill than is ge~raly
understood.
There are many stories of misfortune and discord
following the possessors of stolen diamonds. Ample
evidence exists that substances handled by diseased
persons are quite capable of conveying their symptoms to others. The Diamond, ever a symbol of
purity, was regarded as a charm against all evil,
but-said the philosophers-it must not be touched
by evil, by lemures, incubi, succubi or by the formed
or formless devils of the material and super-material
spheres. In this philosophy it is advised that a
woman about to give birth to a child should refrain
from wearing diamonds. Rabbi Benoni wrote in the
14th Century that the diamond was capable of
producing somnambulism and spiritual ecstasy, a
suggestion which was acted on in the last century
by experimenters at Nancy. According to Boetius
de Boodt, diamonds were of different sexes, and
some Hindu writers classified them as masculine,
feminine or neuter.
In the Mani Mali it is stated that:
an ill-shaped diamond carries danger
a dirty
diamond carries grief
a rough
diamond carries unhappineaa
a black
diamond carries trouble
a S-cornered diamond carries quarrels
a 4-eomered diamond carries fear
a 6-comered diamond carries death
a 6-comered diamond carries fortune
However, the three, four and five cornered diamond would not be reckoned evil in a :Bawless stone
of good colour. It is asserted by some of the Hindu
masters that diamonds, according to their colours
and qualities, appealed to the taste as sweet, sour
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
198
and salty. Marbodus calls the diamond a potent
magical charm for protecting the sleeper from evil
dreams and the child from the dreaded goblin. The
fifth Arabian Heaven, the Garden of Delights,
Jannat al-Naim, is said to be composed of the purest
diamonds.
In the second voyage of Es-Sindibad of the Sea
(commonly known as Sinbad the Sailor) in the
"Thousand and One Nights,'' E. W. Lane's translation, the hero finds himself in the Valley of the
Serpents: "Then I arose and emboldened myself
and walked in that valley: and I beheld its ground
to be composed of diamonds, with which they perforate minerals and jewels, and with which also they
perforate porcelain and the onyx: and it is a stone
so hard that neither iron nor rock have any effect
upon it, nor can anyone cut off aught from it or
break it, unless by means of the lead stone. • .
I then walked along the Valley, and while I was
thus occupied, lo, a great slaughtered animal fell
before me, and I found no one. So I wondered
thereat extremely: and I remembered a story that I
had heard long before • • • that in the mountains
of the diamonds are experienced great terrors, and
that no one can gain access to the diamonds, but
that the merchants who import them know a stratagem by means of which to obtain them: that they
take a sheep and slaughter it, and skin it, and cut
up its flesh which they throw down from the mountain to the bottom of the Valley: so descending,
fresh and moist, some of these stones stick to it.
Then the mercllants leave it until midday, and birds
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
of the large kind of vulture and the aquiline vulture
descend to that meat, and, taking it in their talons,
fly up to the top of the mountain: whereupon the
merchants come to them and cry out at them and
they fly away from the meat. The merchants then
advance to that meat, and take from it the stones
sticking to it: after which they leave the meat for
the birds and the wild beasts and carry the stones
to their countries. And no one can procure the
stones but by means of this stratagem." In his
notes and comments on this passage, Mr. Lane says:
"Though I believe that there is no known substance
with which the diamond can be cut or ground except
its own substance, I think it not improbable that
the Eastern lapidaries may be acquainted .· with
some ore, really-ol" supposed by them to be-an
ore of lead, by which it may be broken, and that
this is what is here called "the lead stone" or "the
stone of lead." It is well known that those diamonds unfit for any other purpose than that of
cutting or grinding others, are broken in a steel
"mortar." In further notes on "The Valley of Diamonds," Mr. Lane added the following: "El-Kazweenee after describing the diamond, saying 'It
breaketh all other stones except that of lead (el-usrub,
a bad kind of lead): for if it be struck with this the
diamond breaketh,' "-relates as follows: "To the
place in which the diamond is found no one can
gain access. It is a valley in the land of India,
the bottom of which the sight reacheth not: and in
it are venomous serpents which no one seeth but he
dieth: and they have a summer abode for six months,
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and a winter abode (where they hide themselves) for
the like period. El-Iskender (either Alexander the
Great or the first Zu-1-Karneyn} commanded his
men to take some mirrors and to throw them into
the Valley that the serpents might see in them their
forms and die in consequence. It is said also that
he watched for the time of their absenting themselves (or retiring into their winter quarters) and
threw down pieces of meat, and diamonds stuck to
these: then the birds came from the sky and took
pieces of that meat, and brought them up out of
the valley whereupon El-lskender ordered his companions to follow the birds and to pick up what they
easily could of the meat." The valley or valleys
of diamonds we also find described by other writers,
among them Marco Polo, in his account of the
Kingdom of Murphili or Monsul. Mr. Marsden
observes: "This is no other than Muchli-patan or,
as it is more commonly named, Masuli-patam: the
name of a principal town by a mistake not unusual,
being substituted for that of the country. • • It
belongs to what was at one period termed the Kingdom of Golconda, more anciently named Teligana.
Golconda, of which Masulipatam is the principal
seaport, is celebrated for the production of dia~
monds." In the astronomical observations of Mr.
Topping, printed in Dalrymple's Oriental Repertory,
mention is made of the famous diamond mines of
Golconda at a place named Malvellee, not far from
Ellore. Caesar Fredericke who was at Bijanagar in
1667 mentions that the diamond mines were six
days' journey from that city. Es-Sindibad's adven-
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
ture in the Valley of Diamonds has been amply
illustrated by the learned writer from whom the
above remarks are borrowed, and by Hole. The
following is an extract from Marco Polo's Travels:
"In the mountains of this Kingdom (Murphila) it
is that diamonds are found. During the rainy
seuon the water descends in violent torrents amongst
the rocks and caverns, and when these have subsided
the people go to search for diamonds in the beds
of the rivers, where they find many. In the summer,
when the heat is excessive and there is no rain, they
ascend the mountains with great fatigue as well as
with considerable danger from the number of snakes
with which they are infested. Near the summit,
it is said, there are deep valleys full of caverns and
surrounded by precipices amongst which the diamonds are found, and here many eagles and white
storks, attracted by the snakes on which they feed,
are accustomed to make their nests. The persons
who are in quest of the diamonds take their stand
near the mouths of the caverns and from thence
cast down several pieces of flesh which the eagles
and storks pursue into the valleys and carry off with
them to the tops of the rocks. Thither the men
immediately ascend, drive the birds away, and recovering the pieces of meat frequently find diamonds
sticking to them." Mr. Marsden transcribes from
Hole's ingenious work part of a quotation from
Epiphanius, upon which he remarks: "Thus it appears incontrovertibly that, so early as the fourth
century of our era, the tale of the valley of diamonds
and the mode of procuring the precious stones from
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it was current, divested, it is true, of the extraordinary incident of the adventurous sailor's escape,
hut in conformity with what was related to Marco
Polo-with the exception of the scene being laid in
Scythia or Western Tartary where, in fact, diamonds
are not found. The question of locality," he adds,
"is however determined by another Oriental navigator Nicoli di Conti, who visited the coast of the peninsula in the 15th Century. . ." Hole observes
that a story somewhat resembling this of the Valley
of Diamonds is recorded in the travels of Benjamin
of Tudela and that the translator supposes it to
have been borrowed from "The Thousand and One
Nights." "However," he adds with better judgment, "I rather suspect that the account of Benjamin
of Tudela and of Es-Sindibad were derived from
. ,,
some common ongm.
Perhaps the smallest diamond ring mentioned was
placed by Cardinal Wolsey on the tiny finger of
the little Princess Mary, aged just two years,
daughter of Henry VIII, on October 5th, 1518, on
the occasion of her marriage with the baby Dauphin
of France, son of Francis I. The baby bride's dress
was of cloth of gold and her black velvet cap sparkled
with jewels. Another historical diamond ring was
that sent to the imprisoned Lord Lisle, giving freedom and forgiveness-an act so unexpected that it
caused the unfortunate man to die of joy. The ring
sent by Mary, Queen of Scots, to Queen Elizabeth,
is described by Mr. William Jones, quoting from
Aubrey, as "a delicate piece of mechanism consisting
of several joints which, when united, formed the
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
quaint device of two right hands supporting a heart
between them. This heart was composed of two
separate diamonds held together by a central spring
or Kauoa
e·21)·21J·
Kruger's Diamond was once in the possession of Chaka, the Zulu chief,
killed by his brother who was in turn murdered. It is stated that this
stone changed owners 15 times, tragedy following each posseuor.
which, when opened, would allow either of the
hearts to be detached. Queen Elizabeth kept one
moietie and sent the other as a token of her constant
friendship to Mary, Queen of Scots, but she cut off
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her head for all that." Another story of Elizabeth,
quoted by Fairholt, is that Sir Walter Raleigh wrote
HoBOIICoPE
ol' lfwiELLA. II
t
Q~4t)·
This Queen was saved from assassination when the dagger of her woulc!be murderer glanced off the diamond she wore.
on a window with his pointed diamond ring: "Fain
would I rise, but that I fear to fall," the Queen
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writing beneath with her ring: "If thy heart fail
thee, do not rise at all." Very different was the
experience of Queen Isabella who was saved from
death by a diamond. Ex-President Kruger's diamond had a bad history that did not change with
its different holders. [In allusion to the Diamond
Jousts instituted by King Arthur, Dr. Brewer says:
f'He named them by that name since a diamond was
the prize. Ere he was King he came by accident to
a glen in Lyonnesse, where two brothers had met
in combat. Each was slain, but one had worn a
crown of diamonds which Arthur picked up, and
when he became King offered the nine diamonds
as the prize of nine sevr~!
jousts-'one every year,
a joust for one.' Lancelot had won eight and
intended to present them all to the Queen when all
were won. When the knight laid them before the
Queen, Guinevere in a fit of jealousy flung them
out of the palace window into the river which ran
below.''
The affair of the Diamond Necklace is familiar
to readers of history and romance. It attracted the
perceptive mind of Dumas who moulded it into an
interesting story, but of its reality no doubt has ever
been entertained. The Prince Cardinal de Rohan,
having entertained a secret affection for Queen
Marie Antoinette, the Countess de Lamotte to
forward her own nefarious designs persuaded him
that the Queen reciprocated his passion. By thus
working on the Cardinal's feelings, Madame de
Lamotte managed to relieve him of some sums of
money, and succeeding so well in this way, she and
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her husband resolved on a more imposing venture.
Louis XV had had made a wonderful diamond necklace which he intended as a present for his favorite
Madame Du Barry. Before it was ·finished Louis
had passed away, and his favourite had been driven
from court. The necklace which was made by
Boehmer consisted of 500 magnificent diamonds, the
whole when completed being valued at 1,800,000
livres. Madame de Lamotte represented to the
Cardinal the Queen's desire for this handsome necklace, asking him as Her Majesty was at the time
unable to pay the amount. of the purchase money,
which she said amounted to £700,000 sterling, . to
become security for her for this amount. This he
gladly consented to do, and added his name to the
forged signature of the Queen. On February 1st,
1786, the Cardinal carried the precious jewel to
Versailles, whence by arrangement a messenger
from the Queen was to take it. The next day, as
arranged by Madame de Lamotte's husband, an
accomplice dressed in the uniform of a court official
entered the Cardinal's apartments at Versailles and
muttering several times "De par la Reine" (in the
Queen's name) relieved the trusting Cardinal of
the necklace. It was afterwards broken up and
disposed of by these three conspirators, in England
it is believed. Some time afterwards Boehmer, not
receiving his payment, applied to Marie Antoinette
for his money. She denied all knowledge of the
aft'air. Boehmer thereupon brought the case before
the Parlement de Paris in 1785, and in May, 1786,
after a trial of 9 months, the Cardinal, Monsieur de
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Lamotte and his accomplice were acquitted, hut
Madame de Lamotte was sent to prison for life,
each shoulder being branded with the letter V
(Voleuse, thief).
The Indians were the first to polish a diamond
with its own dust, but their cutting only consisted
in burnishing the original facets or concealing defects
by a number of new and smaller ones. Louis van
Berghem is credited with being the first to cut and
polish diamonds with their own dust in 1456, but
both Emanuel and King refer to four large diamonds
which adorned the clasp of the Emperor Charlemagne
1878, and to numerous cut specimens of older date
set in church monuments. Emanuel mentions the
skillful Herman who worked in the year 1407.
Towards the end of the 16th Century, Peruzzi invented the double cutting known as "Brillants
recoupes," and of late years the modem cutters
have reached a high degree of artistic excellence,
producing the most beautifully cut specimens the
world has seen. Clement Birago and Jacopo da
Trezzo were the first to engrave upon the diamond,
and both "enriched in the service of Philip IT."
In giving the Papal Sacred Banner and Blessing to
William of Normandy when about to invade England after the excommunication of Harold, Pope
Hildebrand sent a diamond ring, said to enclose a
hair from the head of Peter the Apostle. In the
Comtesse d' Anois' pretty fairy story, "The Yellow
Dwarf,'' the mermaid gives the captive King an allconquering sword made from a single diamond,
which rendered invincible anyone who carried it.
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The. diamond is astrologically under the sign of
the Sun Leo, and has power especially in Aries and
Libra. To dream of diamonds was considered symbolical of success, wealth, happiness and victory,
and its reputed power of binding man and woman
together in happy wedlock has made it a favourite
stone for engagement rings, and in some countries
for wedding rings.
BORT or BOART is the name applied to imperfect
greyish or blackish specimens which are powdered
and used for cutting and polishing diamonds and
hard gems, among other purposes.
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CHAPTER XVll
SOME FAMOUS AND WONDERFUL DIAMONDS
AND THEm STORIES
THE XOH-1-NOOR: PITT OR REGENT: THE ORLOFF: THE
SANCY: THE BLUE HOPE: THE PAUL THE FIRST: THE
DRESDEN:
THE
NIZAK:
THE CUMBERLAND:
THE
NAPOLEON: THE EUGENIE: THE POLAR STAR: THE
SHAH: THE MOON OF THE MOUNTAINS: AKBAR SHAH,
OR THE SHEPHERD'S STONE: THE RIVER OF LIGHT:
THE GRAND MOGUL: THE GRAND TABLE: THE NASSAX:
THE PIGOTT: THE PACHA: THE TUSCANY: THE STAR
OF ESTE: THE WHITE SAXON: THE GREAT WHITE:
THE MATTAM: THE STAR OF THE SOUTH: THE ENGLISH DRESDEN: THE DE BEERS DIAMONDS: THE STAR
OF SOUTH AFRICA: THE JUBILEE: THE STAR OF
AFRICA OR THE CULLINAN: THE BRAGANZA: THE
TIFFANY: STAR OF MINAS: THE ARABIAN "DEATH":
THE MOONSTONE •
. "JtNNJl.
Of ricA Gl'ld e;;a:qWiU form: tMir fiGltu gr«<l."
Ss.ul:aPmAD.
THE XOH-1-NOOR
famous stone is said by Dr. Brewer to have
T ms
been found in the Golconda mine in the year
1650, but Dr. G. F. Herbert Smith states that
it was known as far back as 1804, "when it fell into
the hands of the Mogul emperors, and legend traces
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it back some four thousand years previously." Mr.
Emanuel says that the Hindu accounts "deduce it
from the time of the God Krischna," while Mr.
King states that it was turned up by a peasant
when ploughing in a field 40 miles distant from
Golconda, "and was in its rough state fully as large
as a hen's egg." The traveller Tavernier saw it
amongst the jewels of the great Mogul King Aurungzebe. This was after it had been badly cut and
unskillfully reduced by Hortensio Borgio from 798
carats to 186h6 carats. According to Tavernier
its original weight was 78~
carats. Borgio's work
so angered Aurungzebe that he deprived the unfortunate cutter of all his possessions, grudgingly
allowing him to escape with his life. The Koh-iNoor had an evil reputation amongst the Hindus
who held that it "produced inordinate greed, viciousness and various misfortunes on the King who possessed it." In 1789 Nadir Shah sacked Delhi and
took the gem from Mohammed Shah, naming it the
"Koh-i-Noor," or "Mountain of Light." Returning
victorious to Persia, Nadir Shah was murdered by
his officers. One of these, Ahmed Shah Doorannee,
founded the Mghan kingdom, and the last of his
dynasty Shah Sujah was starved into surrendering
the stone to Runjeet Singh. The latter when dying
sent it to the Temple of Juggernaut. His successors,
however, would not let it remain there, and when the
British annexed the Punjaub in 1849 it was presented
by Lord Dalhousie on behalf of the East India Company to Queen Victoria and, writes Mr. King,
"within ten years the usual consequences of its pos-
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SC~"'E
session were manifested in the Sepoy revolt and the
all but total loss of India to the British Crown in
which beams its malignant lustre, lighting up a
very inauspicious future for that region, fated ever
apparently to be disturbed by the measures of ignorant zealots at home and the plots of discontented
and over-powerful allies in the country itself."
The Koh-i-Noor was recut in 186i by Mr. Coster of
Amsterdam, losing 80 carats in the cutting. The
weight of the stone is now given as 106h6 carats,
and its value is estimated at £100,000 sterling, by
Dr. G. F. Herbert Smith, and at £1i0,664 Sterling
by Dr. Brewer. It was believed that all diseases
could be cured by the water in which the Koh-i-Noor
had been placed. The stone could never be fortunate for India according to astro-philosophy because India is a Saturnine country ruled by the
celestial Capricorn. It is more fortunate for England because England is a martial country ruled by
the celestial Aries.
PITT OR REGENT DIAMOND
This famous gem, bought in Golconda from an
Indian merchant by William Pitt, grandfather of
the Earl of Chatham, and said to have been originally stolen, was found at Gani-Puteal, 150 miles
from Golconda in 1701. Mr. Pitt gave £i0,400
sterling for the gem which weighed 410 carats, and
returning to England he had it recut at a cost of
£5,000 and two years' work. In this process the
weight of the stone was reduced to 168J.i carats,
the fragments when sold returning £i,OOO over the
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cost of cutting. Possession of this gem worried
Mr. Pitt who sold it to the Due d'Orleans, regent
of France, whence it obtained the name "Regent,,
for £185,000 sterling. It was stolen from the
Garde-Meuble when the Sun was in the Diamond
sign Leo, August 17th, 179!!, and was mysteriously
returned. Napoleon Bonaparte, who had the Sun
in the sign Leo-the sign of France-at his birth,
had the Regent set in the pommel of his sword. It
was exhibited at the French Exhibition in 1855,
and is now shown in the Apollo Gallery of the
Louvre, Paris. During the attempted advance on
Paris in the late war, it is stated that one of the
French ministers took the Regent with him to
Bordeaux whence the danger being passed, it was
afterwards returned to its honoured place in the
capital city of France. Its value is stated at £480,000 sterling.
THE ORLOFF DIAMOND
This gem was stolen by a French soldier from a
temple near Trichinopoli in Mysore, where it was
set as an eye stone in the statue of Brahma. The
weight of the stone, which is rose cut, is 194% carats.
The soldier sold it to an English ship's captain for
£t,ooo-Mr. Emanuel says £t,soo-and the captain
sold it to a London dealer for £1!!,000 sterling. It
was afterwards sold to Prince Orloff, whence it
obtained its name, for £90,000 sterling, and an
annual pension of £4,000. The Prince presented
it to Empress Katherine who had it set as an ornament at the top of the imperial sceptre. This large
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diamond was a stone of ill omen for Russia, a country
ruled by the celestial Aquarius and opposed to the
diamond sign Leo. When we reflect, in harmony
with celestial philosophy, that the late Czar Nicholas
or NICHOLAS n
e·~29
The Jut of the Czar's to whom the ancienta would colllider the diamond
a symbol of ill omen.
II, the last of the Romanoff's, had the sign Leo in the
lith heavenly mansion at birth we can only see in
the Orloff' diamond the symbol of sorrow and restraint.
THE BANCY DIAMOND
Few historical objects surpass the beautiful Sancy
Diamond in romance and importance. Its origin is
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involved in uncertainty prior to the early 15th Century. The first definite account concerning the
famous gem states that after the battle of Nancy,
January 5th, 1477, it was taken from the dead
body of Charles the Bold, by a Swiss soldier. Charles
adorned his dress with many diamonds, the Sancy
holding the place of honour. The soldier not knowing the value of the gem he had stolen sold it to a
minister of religion for a gulden. The minister sold
it some years later to a dealer in Lucerne for 6,000
ducats. King Manoel, known as the Fortunate, of
Portugal, purchased it in 1495, two years before
he dispatched the navigator Vasco da Gama, on his
voyage of discovery. Don Antonio, known as Prince
of Crato and King of Portugal in partibus, sold the
gem to Nicolas de Harlai Sieur de Sancy, whence it
obtained its name. As the friend and treasurer of
Henry IV of France, the Sieur in order to aid the
King to protect his crown, raised a loan for him on
the security of the stone, from the bankers of Metz.
The servant entrusted with the safe delivery of the
diamond being waylaid by robbers, swallowed his
master's precious gem to protect it; the thieves in
fury at being unable to discover the stone, on the
person or in the baggage, of the loyal servant,
murdered him. The Sieur evidently knew what his
messenger would do in an extremity, and he afterwards. recovered the gem from the body of the
murdered man. It was next sold to the English
Crown when it was worn by Queen Elizabeth. It
remained in possession of the Crown, and is mentioned in the Tower inventory of March iind, 1605,
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until the reign of James II, who took it when he
fled to France to seek asylum at the court of the
Grand Monarque. James then sold the Sancy to
his sympathetic friend Louis, for £25,000 sterling.
Another account states that the Sancy came into
the possession of Cardinal Mazarin who had it
recut and included amongst the twelve famous diamonds in the Crown of France, known as the Mazarins. Robert de Berquem says that Queen Henrietta
Maria proudly wore it ("Merveilles des Indes,"
1669). Louis XV it is recorded, wore the Sancy at
his coronation in 1715, and his Queen, Maria Lesczynska, daughter of the dethroned Polish King,
Stanislas, afterwards wore it as a necklace pendant.
When Marie Antoinette became Queen of France
she had this royal pendant taken from the necklace
and mounted in brooch form. With the tragic end
of the unhappy Queen some uncertainty follows the
wanderings of the Sancy. It is stated that the
widow of Charles IV of Spain gave it to the "Prince
of Peace," Manuel de Godoi, Duke of Alcudia.
One account states that Godoi sold it to Napoleon,
another that Godoi's son after vainly endeavouring
to induce Louis XVIII to purchase it in 1822, sold
it to Prince Demidofl'. The Prince sold it to Monsieur Levrat, Director of the Society of Mines and
Forges of Grisons, Switzerland, for £!4,000. A dispute over the price led to an action at law and a
verdict in favour of the Prince on June 1st, 1882.
The stone was afterwards purchased by Sir
Jamisetjee Jeejeebhoy in 1865, from the family of
Prince Demidofl'. It was sent from Bombay to
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London by Messrs. Forbes & Co., the agents for
Sir Jamisetjee Jeejeebhoy, and was exhibited by
M. M. Bapst at the Paris Exposition of 1867.
During the tour of King George (when Prince of
Wales) in India, the Sancy is said to have been worn
at the Great Durba by the Marajah of Puttiali.
In 189! the beautiful gem passed into the possession
of the Astor family it having been purchased by the
Hon. William Waldorf Astor for his wife, Mary,
daughter of James W. Paul, Esq., of Philadelphia,
U.S. A. It now passes into the hands of the Right
Hon. Viscountess Astor who wore it on taking her
seat as the first lady elected as a member of the
House of Commons. The writer is indebted to Lady
Astor for her kindly interest in this book, and for a
presentation of a handsome volume on the Sancy
Diamond by William Waldorf Astor, published in
189!. The Sancy Diamond is described by Dr.
Smith as of an almond shape, covered all over with
tiny facets by Indian lapidaries. The weight is
given as 58~
to 58% carats.
Considered astrologically a diamond would be
unfortunate for Charles the Bold who was born at
Dijon lOth November, 1485. It would be considered
fortunate for Henry IV of France in whose horoscope
the planet Jupiter was ascending in the sign Libra.
Jupiter being in the 12th Heavenly Mansion would
be considered fortunate for secret negotiations and
diplomacy, and it is worthy of notice that the Sancy
Diamond should be employed as a powerful helper in
these very matters. The sign of the Lion, the sign
of France, is also on the Mid Heaven of the King's
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nativity, and Leo is distinctly a diamond and Royal
sign. It was a truly fortunate gem for King James
HoBOBCOPII .
OJ' JAIIU
II
...
e·2l) •2:r) •
The ancients would consider the diamond a symbol of fortune and
adventure for this King.
II of England whose horoscope is here shown with
the Royal Lion ascending.
THE HOPE DIAMOND
Dr. G. F. Herbert Smith says of this gem that it
is of "a steely or greenish blue, not the royal blue
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colour of the glass models supposed to represent it."
If the accepted history of the stone be true, it must
be regarded as a strange specimen. It was stated
to have been discovered at the Kollur mines, and
to have been purchased by Tavernier in 1642. In
1668, Tavernier interested Louis XIV in the gem so
much that he purchased it. Mter this the fortunes
of the great traveller began to change. His son
defrauded him of a large sum of money, and he was
later, being a Protestant, compelled by the Edict of
Nantes (1685) to fly from France and seek protection
in Switzerland. Thence he went to Berlin, where the
Elector of Brandenburg offered him the Directorship
in a projected East India Company. In the endeavor to find a road through Russia to India,
Tavernier left Berlin, but he succumbed to fatigue
and financial worry soon after, dying, it is said, in
want, in his 84th year at Moscow. Mter wearing
this diamond at a Court Ball, Madame de Montespan
lost the favour of her Royal lover. It was a stone of
ill fortune for Marie Antoinette, to whom, however,
all diamonds were unfortunate. Mter the tragic
death of Louis XVI and his Queen, the stone was
stolen with the French regalia. Mterwards it is
stated to have been stolen from Fals, the Dutch
gem cutter, by his son. Fals died a broken-hearted
man, and his son, after selling the gem to Francois
Beaulieu, went insane and killed himself. Beaulieu,
after selling the stone to Daniel Eliason, a London
dealer, died suddenly the following day. Mr. Eliason sold it to Mr. Thomas Philip Hope, the banker,
in 1880 for £18,000 sterling. Mr. Hope's grandson,
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Lord Henry Francis Hope, married the Australian
actress, Miss May Yohe, in 1894. This lady wore
her. In 1901
the diamond and misfortune f~lowed
Lord Hope was glad to sell the stone to Mr. Weil, a
London' diamond merchant, who, without waiting
for its influence to affect him, sold it immediately
to Mr. Simon Frankel, jeweller, of New York, who
suffered financial hardships consequent on the difficulty of :finding a purchaser. At last he sold it to
Mr. Jacques Colot, a French dealer in gems, and
with it went his troubles also. Monsieur Colot
quickly sold the gem to the Russian Prince, Kanitovski, and, it is stated, became insane and died
mysteriously a few weeks afterwards. The Prince
lent it to Mademoiselle Lorens Ladue of the Folies
Bergeres, with whom he was in love. As she wore
it one night on the stage the Prince in a mad fit
shot her. A few days later he was himself stabbed
to death by some members of a secret political club.
The Blue Terror next came into the possession of
the Greek jeweller, Simon Montharides, who, after
having sold it to the Sultan, Adbul Hamid, was
killed by accident with his wife and two children
whilst driving. Abu Sabir, the Sultan's lapidary,
was entrusted with the polishing of the jewel, and
whilst he had it he accidentally destroyed a large
pearl belonging to Abdul Hamid, who ordered him
to be severely flogged and cast into prison. A little
later the keeper of the Sultan's jewels was found
murdered, and his successor was hanged by a mob
in a street of Constantinople. The Sultan's favourite,
Salama Zubayba, incurred his anger by wearing the
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blue gem and the infuriated ruler shot her as Prince
Kanitovski had 'shot Lorens Ladue. All diamonds,
however, would be unfortunate for Abdul Hamid.
The diamond then fell into the hands of the Turkish
revolutionary party and was sold by them to Senor
Habib, a rich Spaniard, who was drowned in the
wreck of the French mail steamer, Seyne, off Singapore. The gem was not lost with its owner, and
was later sold to Messrs. Cartier Bros. of Paris and
New York by Monsieur Rosenau, a well-known
diamond merchant. In 1911 it was bought by Mr.
Edward McLean, proprietor of the "Washington
Post," for £52,000 sterling, from Cartier Bros.
It is said that both Mr. and Mrs. McLean were
doubtful about the wisdom of purchasing this stone
which, according to report, had been
of ill o:q;~.en
previously refused by the Court of England on
account of its evil reputation. Misfortunes quickly
followed the new owners, culminating with the tragic
death of little Vinson Walsh McLean, their only
son, who was knocked down and killed by a motor
car close to his father's estate. Mter leaving the
possession of the McLean family this stone found a
purchaser in Monsieur de Hautville. Within three
months the same peculiar misfortune which had
befallen its previous owners befell them. Madame
de Hautville, sharing the same fate as little Vinson
McLean, was killed by a motor car whilst crossing a
street in Paris. Following on this the eldest son,
having taken poison by mistake, died in terrible
agony. Madamoiselle de Hautville was accidentally
drowned and the younger son whilst out shooting
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was blinded by the explosion of his gun. Quickly
the de Hautvilles parted with this peculiar gem of
ill omen. Where will it next find a home? The
weight of the Hope diamond when sold by Tavernier
to Louis XIV was 67 carats; its present weight is
44,% carats. It presents a curious psychical study
and an undeniable evidence of fatal influence which
it would indeed be difficult to explain away.
THE PAUL THE FIRST
This diamond is described as a brilliant red,
weighing 10 carats. It was one of the Russian
Crown jewels, being purchased by Emperor Paul
the First for 100,000 roubles. It was a stone of
ill omen for both Paul and Russia. He was murdered
in 1801, and in his nativity the planet Neptune was,
as in that of Marie Antoinette, in the sign Leo,
accompanied by unfortunate planetary afBictions.
• THE DRESDEN
The Dresden diamond which is in the Green
Vaults at Dresden is described as of the purest
apple-green colour. Authorities differ as to its
weight, which is variously given at 40 and 48,%
carats. It is stated that the gem was purchased
by Augustus the Strong in 1748 for 60,000 thalers,
but this Augustus died of an old wound in 1788.
It was probably his son Frederick Augustus ill
who died at Dresden in 1768.
THE NIZAM
This gem which belonged to the Nizam of Hyderabad was, to judge by its particular native
cutting, probably employed in certain sex mysteries.
Its weight is 840 carats, and strangely enough, it
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fractured just before the Indian Mutiny.
diamond is not a stone of hannony for India.
The
THE CUMBERLAND
Mter the battle of Culloden {1746) the city of
London presented this diamond, which weighed
82 carats and cost £10,000, to the Duke of Cumberland. During Queen Victoria's reign the stone
was claimed by the City of Hanover, to which
place it was sent by the Queen's command.
THE NAPOLEON
This diamond which was bought by Napoleon
Buonaparte for £8,000 sterling was wom by him
when he married Josephine in 1796.
EUGENIE
This gem was purchased by Katherine IT of
Russia, who gave it to Potemkin. It is a very
pure gem of 51 carats. Napole~m
III gave it to
Eugenie as a wedding gift. Mterwards it came
into the possession of the Gaekwar of Baroda.
THE POLAR STAB
This brilliant jewel formed one of the chief ornaments in the Russian regalia. The weight is given
as 40 carats.
THE SHAH
The Shah diamond was given to the Czar of Russia by the Persian prince Chosroes in 1848. It is
a flawless, pure gem which originally weighed 95
carats and was engraved with the names of three
distinguished Shahs of Persia. In the recutting
this engraving was eliminated and the stone reduced to 86 carats.
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MOON OF THE MOUNTAINS
Nadir Shah, having stolen this gem from Delhi,
it was after his assassination taken by a soldier
who sold it to Shaffras, an Armenian. It was
included in the Russian Crown jewels. Many
diamonds adorned the regalias of Russia, but they
are no more fortunate to Russia than they are to
India.
AKBAR SHAD, SHEPHERD'S STONE
This gem belonged to Akbar, the Great Mogul,
and was formerly engraved with Arabic writing.
Mter having been lost for some years it was identified as the Turkish Shepherd's Stone. It originally
weighed 116 carats, and was reduced by cutting
in the elimination of the engraving to 71 carats.
It was purchased by the Gaekwar of Baroda for
£!8,880 sterling.
RIVER OF LIGHT
This beautiful rose diamond of 186 carats was
seized by Nadir Shah at Delhi. It adorns the Per:..
sian regalia and is known as the Darya-i-Nor, or
River of Light.
GRAND MOGUL
This remarkable diamond was seen by Tavernier
amongst the jewels of the Emperor Auranzeb in
1665, five years after its recorded discovery in the
Golconda mines. Its original weight is given as
787 carats by some records and as 78~
by others.
This was greatly reduced in cutting to a rose shape
by Hortensio Borgio when, it is said on account of
numerous flaws, it -lost 547 carats. Tavernier describes it as "rounded rose cut, taller on one side."
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The present whereabouts of the "Grand Mogul"
is unknown.
THE GRAND TABLE
This gem is also recorded by Tavernier who saw
it at Golconda in 164i. Its weight is given at
somewhat over i4i carats. Where it now is, is
not known.
THE NASSAK
This gem which came from the Deccan loot was
sold in London in 1887. Mr. Emanuel, into whose
possession it came, sold it later to the Duke of
Westminster for £7 ,iOO sterling. Its original pearshaped form was altered to triangular, an operation
which left the weight at 78% carats.
THE PIGOTT
Lord Pigott obtained this stone in India in 1775,
and disposed of it for £80,000 sterling. The weight
is given as 47~
carats. Ali Pacha, the last owner
of the gem, left instructions to destroy it at his
death, and his wishes are said to have been respected.
THE PACHA
This brilliant of 40 carats is mentioned as having
been acquired by Ibrahim Pacha for £i8,000 sterling.
Very little seems to be known about it.
THE TUSCANY
This yellow-tinged stone, of double rose cut and
188U carats, was formerly in the possession of the
Dukes of Tuscany. Mr. King states that, being
mistaken for a piece of yellow quartz, it was purchased for a trifle at a bric-a-bric stall in Florence.
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STAR OF ESTE
This diamond which weighs ili}i carats is mentioned by Dr. Smith "for its perfection of form
and quality." It belonged to the ill-starred Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
WHITE SAXON
The White Saxon is a square gem, 48~
carats
in weight, for which Augustus the Strong is said
to have given a million thalers.
THE GREAT WHITE
This large, clear diamond is also known as the
Imperial or Victoria. Its weight before cutting
is given as 457 carats, and after cutting at 180
carats. The Nizam of Hyderabad purchased it
for £!0,000 sterling in 1884.
THE MATTAM
The Mattam is a pear-shaped diamond of the
purest water, recently-and probably still-in the
possession of the Rajah of Mattam. Found in
176o-Dr. Smith says 1787-at Landak, Borneo,
it is held responsible for much worldly trouble.
Its weight is stated as 867 carats. Mr. Emanuel
says: "The Dutch Governor of Batavia offered two
gun-boats with stores and ammunition complete
and £50,000 sterling for it: but the offer was refused,
the Rajah replying that on its possession depended
the fortunes of his family." Its genuineness is
doubted by Dr. Smith.
THE STAR OF THE SOUTH
This most perfect brilliant was discovered at
Bagagem in July, 1858. It is said to be the largest.
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Brazilian diamond yet found. It weighed 254~
carats in the rough, and 125~
carats when cut by
Mr. Coster of Amsterdam. Although not perfectly white, it is regarded as one of the finest large
diamonds of the day. £40,000 sterling was paid
for it before cutting.
THE ENGLISH DRESDEN
This brilliant was also found at Bagagem in Brazil
four years after the "Star of the South." Its weight
carats, which was reduced
before cutting was 19~
in cutting to 76~
carats. Its present form is an
egg-like oval drop.
THE DE BEERS DIAMONDS
These were discovered in the famous De Beers
carats in the
mine; the first, a pale yellow, 4i8~
rough, i8~
when cut, in 18Ss;. the next 608~
carats, of similar hue, in 1896. Some others weigh
80i, 409 carats, etc.
THE STAR OF SOUTH AFRICA
This gem was found in the Vaal River diggings
in 1869. Weight before cutting was 8~
carats,
after cutting 46~
carats. It is triangular in shape,
and was bought by the Countess of Dudley for
£25,000 sterling.
THE JUBILEE
This faultless brilliant was found in the Jagersfontein mine in 1895. Before cutting, its weight
was 684 carats; after cutting, i89 carats. The
Jubilee was exhibited at the Paris Exhibition of
1900.
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THE STAR OJ!' AI'RICA
This remarkable stone was discovered in the
Premier mine near Pretoria, January iiith, 1905.
It was named the "Cullinan," after the chairman
of the Premier Company, Sir T. M. Cullinan.
It was renamed the "Star of Mrica," at the desire
of King George V. Dr. Smith writes as follows
with regard to it: "The rough stone weighed
80i57,4 carats (about 1~
lbs.): it displayed three
natural faces and one large cleavage face, and its
shape suggested that it was a portion of an enormous
stone more than double its size: it is transparent,
colourless, and has only one small flaw near the
surface. This magnificent diamond was purchased
by the Transvaal Government for £150,000 sterling
and presented to King Edward VII on his birthday,
November 9th, 1907. Messrs. I. J. Asscher & Co.
of Amsterdam, cut from this a drop brilliant 5163-2
carats, a square brilliant 80~
~ats,
another
drop brilliant 9i carats, a square-shaped brilliant
e carats, a heart-shaped stone 18% carats, two
marquises 8~
and 1134 carats, an oblong stone
carats, and 96
6% carats, a drop brilliant 4~
small brilliants weighing together 7% carats: the
total weight of the cut stones amounts to 1086~
carats." The large drop brilliant adorns the sceptre,
the large square brilliant the crown. The "Star
of Mrica" comes from the mine to adorn the regalia
of the British sovereigns. It has no record of evil,
no doubtful past, nor is it tainted with evil desires,
violence or sorrow.
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THE BRAGANZA
This stone, the weight of which is given as 1680
carats, is in the Portuguese regalia. It is believed,
on good grounds, to be a large white topaz.
THE TIFFANY
This orange-tinted brilliant which was found at
Kimberley, South Africa, in 1878, is in the possession of Messrs. Tiifany. Its weight is given as
1i5% carats.
STAR OF MINAS
This stone was discovered at Bagagem in Brazil,
in 1911. Its weight in the rough is given as 174%
carats.
THE ARABIAN DEATH
The first Earl Lytton became possessed of a
fine diamond on which were engraved certain Arabic
words, and his death which took place soon after
he had obtained possession of it has been attributed
to its malignant influence. The gem was bequeathed by Earl Lytton to Madame Ia Comtesse
Greffuhle, who showed it to a learned Indian Prince
who was in Paris at the time. After reading the
mysterious Arab words the Prince told the Comtesse that it was a stone of death, and advised her
not to keep it. The lady, desiring to end the power
of the stone for mischief, threw it into the river
Seine from the Pont N euf.
THE MOONSTONE
The famous novel by Mr. Wilkie Collins entitled
"The Moonstone,, is based on the histories of "the
magnificent stone which adorns the top of the
Russian imperial sceptre, once the eye of an Indian
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Idol," and the Koh-i-Noor. Some writers confuse
this Moonstone with the well-known orthoclase
feld-spar. The following extract from the Prologue of Mr. Collins's book states: "The earliest
known traditions describe the stone as having been
set in the forehead of the four-handed Indian God
who typifies the Moon. Partly from its peculiar
colour, partly from a superstition which represents
it as feeling the influence of the Deity whom it
adorned, and growing and lessening in lustre with
the waxing and waning of the Moon, it first gained
the name by which it continues to be known in
India to this day-the name of the Moonstone.
A similar superstition was once prevalent, as I
have heard, in ancient Greece and Rome: not
applying, however, as in India to a diamond devoted to the service of a god, but to a semi-transparent stone of the inferior order of gems supposed
to be affected by the lunar influences-the Moon,
in this latter case also, giving the name by which
the stone is still known. The adventures of the
Yellow Diamond began with the 11th century
of the Christian era. At that date the Mohammedan
conqueror Mahmoud of Ghizni crosSed India: seized
on the holy city of Somnauth and stripped of its
treasures the famous temple . . • the Moon
God alone escaped the rapacity of the conquering
Mohammedans. • • • An age followed another
until the first years of the 8th Christian century
saw the reign of Aurungzebe, Emperor of the
Moguls. At his command havoc and rapine were
let loose. • . • The shrine of the four-handed
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God was polluted • • . and the Moonstone
was seized by an officer of rank in the army of
Aurungzebe • • • The warrior who had committed the sacrilege perished miserably. The
Diamond fell into the possession of Tippo, Sultan
of Seringapatam, who caused it to be placed as
an ornament in the handle of his dagger-and
after, General Baird himself found the dead body
of Tippo under a heap of slain." (See Koh-i-Noor,
Regent, Orloff.)
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DICHROITE-IOLITE
DICHROITE:
DIOPTASE:
STATITE:
EPIDOTE:
DISTHENE:
ESSONITE:
EMERALD:
EUCLASE:
EN•
FLINT,
THE STONE OF EARLY MAN: ITS USE IN ANCIENT
EGYPT: ETHIOPIAN ARROWS: THE ELF DART: FAIRY
STONE: CHIAS, THE FIRST TO PROVE THE FLASHING
OF STRUCK FLINT: ITS USE IN THE PREVENTION OF
NIGHTMARE: "HOLEY" STONES: BUTLER AND THE
HOLLOW FLINT: THE MARA:
IARITIES: DANA'S
HARMONY
THE GARNET: PECUL-
CLASSIFICATION: SUCCINITE, A
CHARM:
GROSSULARITE,
A
HEALTH
CHARM: PYROPE OR BOHEMIAN GARNET:
LARGE
SPECIMEN IN SAXON REGALIA: EMPEROR RUDOLPH's
SPECIMEN: A TALISMAN OF FRIENDSHIP: HOPE AND
PSYCHIC DEVELOPMENT: SPESSARTITE, A PRAYER
CHARM: ANDRADITE, A BANISHER OF UNWORTHY
THOUGHTS: SPECIMENS
FOUND ENGRAVED
WITH
ANGELS' NAMES: OUVAROVITE: GARNETS AFFECT
MAGNETIC NEEDLE: GREENSTONE: GROSSULARITE:
HAEMATITE: SOTACUS'S CLASSIFICATION OF HAEMATITE VARIETIES AND THEIR ACCREDITED VIRTUES:
DANA'S
CLASSIFICATION:
PLINY's
RECOMMENDA-
TION: USE IN ANCIENT TIMES: MUMMY's HEAD-REST:
ANDREAS BALVANCENSIS'
GALEN'S
IDEA:
STENCH STONE:
PRESCRIPTION: HIDDENITE: HORNSTONE:
HYACINTH:
VIRTUES
OF
THE
HYACINTH:
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JACINTH VARIETY: THOMAS DE CANTEMPRE'S DESCRIPTION: OPINIONS OF LEONARDUS AND DE BOODT:
FRANCIS BARRETT'S COMMENTS: OBSERVED CHANGES
IN
THE
STONE:
AVICENNA'S COMPARISON: THE
HYACINTH IN THE GARDEN OF PEACE AND AMONGST
THE ROSICRUCIAN JEWELS: HYDROPBANE: HYPERSTHENE: IOLITE.
DICHROITE. (See IOLITE.)
DIOPTASE. The name is derived from the ·
Greek DIA, through, and OPTOMAI, to see.
This pretty emerald-green copper silicate was named
in 1801 by Hauy, who found on looking through it
cleavage directions. As the crystals are usually
so small Dioptase, which is of about the same
degree of hardness as lapis lazuli, is seldom used in
jewellery. According to ancient philosophy, dioptase would strengthen the sight of those who gazed
upon it, and benefit if worn on the neck in throat
troubles. Astrologically, dioptase is under the
celestial Taurus.
DISTHENE. (See KYANITE.)
EMERALD. (See BERYL.)
ENSTATITE. Named from the Greek ENSTATES, an opponent, because of its infusibility
blow-pipe and its resisting power against
before
acids. It occurs in various colours-grey, brown,
yellow, colourless, and chiefly green; hence it has
been erroneously called the Green Garnet. The
Enstatite is a silicate of magnesium, and is scarcely
as hard as the opal, yet it is found with the diamond,
hardest of stones. It is esteemed as a talisman in
the
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examinations, arguments, debates and all contests
in which the mind is employed. The Enstatite is
under the celestial Gemini.
EPIDOTE. This stone is named from the
Greek EPIDOSIS, increase. It was first used by
Hauy ("Mineralogie," 1801), as ''lit qui a recu un
accroissement," but-writes Dr. Smith-"not on
very precise crystallographical grounds." There are
several varieties, chief among which is the Pistacite,
or true Epidote, of a yellow-green colour like the
nut of the Pistachio. The epidote is nearly as hard
as the garnet. According to ancient philosophy it
may be used as a charm for fruit and cereal growers.
The epidote is under the celestial Taurus.
ESSONITE. From the Greek ESSON; also,
known as Hessonite and more familiarly amongst
jewellers as Cinnamon Stone. It is a garnet of the
Lime Alumina order, of a reddish brown or cinnamon
colour, and granular structure. This stone is often
confounded with the Hyacinth and other varieties
of the Zircon with which it is found. It is regarded
amongst ancient philosophers as a protective talisman for virgins hom between August !4th and
September !Srd. The Essonite is a gem under the
celestial Virgo.
EUCLASE. The name is derived from the
Greek EU KLASIS, easily fractured. It is a silicate
of aluminium and beryllium and is related to the
emerald. Westropp says: "The euclase is of the
same chemical composition as the emerald." ("Manual of Precious Stones.") It is a very rare and expensive mineral, glassy and extremely brittle.
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The euclase closely resembles the aquamarine in its
varying shades of pale blue and pale green. Sometimes it is found quite colourless. It is frequently
found with topaz, and is of the hardness of the
beryl. As a love talisman it is advised that it be
worn in the rough. The euclase is under the
celestial Taurus.
FLINT
''So nubbom jlinb tMir inward hearl corac«Jl
TiU arl and fore~
th' untDilling 1p0rb retJMl."
CoNoBEVE TO DRYDEN.
Flint derives its name from the Greek PLINTHOS, a brick. It has been written at various
times as vlint, vlynt, flent, fiend, flynd, flynt,
flynte. Flint is described as an "intermediate between quartz and opal, consisting almost entirely
of silica with a little lime, oxide of iron, water, carbon
and sometimes traces of organic matter." Mr.
G. R. Porter says that flint is silica "in a state nearly
approaching to purity." ("Porcelain and Glass,"
· 18Si.) Today it is classed amongst the varieties
of chalcedony and is found in various coloursgreyish white, grey, black, light brown, red and
yellow. It is semi-translucent, breaking with a
well-defined shell-like fracture. This mineral was
extensively used by aboriginal man in the making
of implements, weapons, magical instruments, etc.,
and many fine worked specimens are still found in
all parts of the world. Mystery and magic are
associated with the flint which was used in ancient
Egypt for fashioning scarabs and making the first
incision in a dead body, prior to embalming. The
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Ethiopian Arrows noted by Herodotus were, as
discovery has proved, arrow heads of flint. The
Elf Arrow-head or Elf Dart with a hole drilled
through it was regarded especially in Scotland and
Ireland as an effective talisman against poison,
witchcraft, and the evil wishes of enemies. Sir
Edward Mackenzie, Bart. built his charming little
story "The Romance of the Elf Arrow" on these
beliefs. Robert Gordon, of Straloch, who wrote
in the year 1654, relates that a friend of his while
out riding on horseback was struck on the top of his
riding boot by one of these fairy stones. In this
case there is no doubt that the horse's hoof caused
the incident, but chance was not admitted by the
old masters who would regard the hoof of the horse
as the instrument made use of by the mischievous
fairies.
Pliny relates that Chias being the first to demonstrate the fire flashing of struck flint, was given
the name of Pyrodes. Aubrey states that it was an
old custom to hang on a string a flint with a hole in
it "to hinder the nightmare." "It is best of all,
they say, hung about their necks, and a flint will do
it that hath a hole in it. It is to prevent the night
mare, viz., the Hag, from riding their horses
which will sometimes sweat at night. The flint
thus hung does hinder it.'' Another writer, Grose,
quoted in Brand's "Antiquities," says: "A stone
with a hole in it hung at the bed's head will prevent
the nightmare. It is therefore called a Hag Stone
from that disorder which is occasioned by a Hag or
Witch sitting on the stomach of the party afBicted.
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It also prevents witches riding horses: for which
purpose it is often tied to a stable key."
"Hang up Hookl and Sheer• to IlCari
H mctJ th6 H o.g that ridu th6 flltlre ."
These flints were called Holy or Holey Stones in
the North of England, also Ephialtes stones, Night
Mare or Witch Riding Stones, and Butler mentions
the chasing away of evil spirits by hollow flint.
The "Mare" of Night Mare is derived from the
Saxon Mara, an incubus, which attacked during
sleep, depriving the victim of movement · and
speech. The Mara or Mare is an order of vampires. Hebrew MARIA, an evil spirit against
which the flint is a charm. As a correspondent of
flint, Emanuel Swedenborg gives Truth. Its connection with the ninth heavenly mansion is well
defined. Flint is under the celestial Sagittarius.
GARNET
"Without th6 aid of yoruler goltUn globB
Lon '"'' th6 garnet'• ltutrtJ."
SIIAllT.
The garnet derives its name from the Latin
GRANATUS, grain-like. Mr. King gives Granatici, from its resemblance to the scarlet pomegranate blossom. It is found written as garnet,
gernet, garnette, garnat, garnet or garnat stone.
The mineral group passing under the general
name of garnet exhibits some distinct peculiarities
which, adopting the classification given by Professor
James Dana, can be considered under three heads,
as follows:
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ALUIONA GARNET
The sesquioxide base is chiefly aluminium.
(a)
IRON ALUIONA GARNET
Shades of colour: Red, ruby red, hyacinth red,
columbine red, brownish red. Precious garnet is
translucent, common is not. Example, Almandine
or Carbuncle. Astrologically classed under. the
celestial Sagittarius.
(b)
LIME ALUIONA GARNET
Shades of colour: Pale green, cinnamon, amber.
Example: Essonite or Cinnamon Stone is cinnamon
coloured; Grossularite (Latin GROSSULARIA, a
gooseberry), is pale green; Succinite (Latin SUCCINUM, amber}, is of the colour of amber. The
Grossularite is a health talisman, the Succinite a
charm for securing harmony and success in dealing
with employees. They are both under the Celestial Virgo.
(c)
MAGNESIA ALUlriiNA GARNET
Shades of colour: Deep red changing to black
and green. Example: Pyrope. Under the celestial Aquarius.
The Pyrope or Bohemian Gamet derives its name
from the Greek word PUROPOS, fiery, and is known
to Pliny as Apyroti. It is a stone of the same hardness as the beryl and is commonly called the "Cape
Ruby," or the "Arizona Ruby." In the regalia of
Saxony, set in the Order of the Golden Fleece, is a
large pyrope, 468~
carats in weight, and that
strange Emperor Rudolph II under whose patronage
Tycho and Kepler worked at the Rudolphine
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(Astronomical) Tables, is said by De Boodt to have
possessed a specimen worth 45,000 thalers. One
as big as the egg of a pigeon lies in the Green Vaults
at Dresden. Large pyropes are, however, rare.
Swedenborg corresponds Pyrope to "good," and it
is regarded as a talisman of faithfulness and stability, of hope, of happiness and true friendship.
Its influence is said to aid psychic development and
occult understanding. It is a health stone, and
in the East is regarded as a banisher of plagues and
poison, changing colour, it is said, when danger or
mishap of any kind threaten the wearer.
(il)
MANGANESE ALUMINA GARNET
Shades of colour: Red, brownish red, hyacinth
red. Example: Spessartite or Spessatine. Under
the celestial Virgo.
The Spessartite obtains its name from SPESSART
in Germany. It is sometimes called the Brown
Garnet, but is little used in jewellery. The Spessartite is a prayer charm for the uplifted soul.
ffiON GARNET
The sesquioxide base is chiefly iron.
LIME IRON GARNET
Shades of colour: Various.
Example: Andradite, named after the Portuguese
mineralogist D'Andrada. In the variety called
Topazolite (so named after the topaz), the colour
is wine yellow, in Jelletite it is green, and in Melinite
and Pyreneite it is black or grey-black. The
Aplome (named by Hauy after the Greek word
APWOS, simple), is red. The Kolophonite,:named
after Kolophon in Ionia, is coarse, granular, resinous
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and frequently iridescent. Green Andradite has
been termed the "Uralian Emerald" and the Olivine (wrongly so-called under this head). Brilliant
specimens have been named by jewellers DEMANTOlD. A dark, almost black, andradite showing
a gleam of red was much used in mourning jewellery.
This is the stone which Leonardus said drove away
pestilential airs and banished unworthy thoughts.
It was a binding charm for friends. It protected
from epidemics and the lightning-stroke, and lent
favour to the desires of the native. Specimens have
been found engraved with the names of angels in
Chaldaic, Hebrew, Greek and other ancient languages. It is under the celestial Aquarius.
CHROME GARNET
The sesquioxide base is chiefly Chromium.
Shades of colour: Emerald green.
Example: Ouvarovite, Uvarovite or Uwarowite,
after the Professor of that name of the late Russian
Imperial Academy at Petrograd. This variety will
not, like other varieties, yield to the blow-pipe.
It is a hard stone and few specimens large enough
for cutting have been discovered. It is under the
celestial Aquarius.
Many specimens of ancient engraved garnets
have been found. Friction produces in the stone a
positive order of electricity which has a perceptible
effect on the magnetic needle.
GREENSTONE.
GROSSULARITE.
(See JADE.)
(See GARNET.)
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HAEMATITE
"The HaematiJ.8, named by the Gruklfrom blood,
Benignant Nature fO'/"TTWl for morliJltJ' good."
MAluloDtlll.
The Haematite obtains its name from the Greek
HAIMATITES, blood-like. It is a specular iron
ore of reddish, brown, steely gray, and iron black
- eolours. Commercially it is spelt Hematite, though
it is also written as Ematite, Emathites, Emathitis.
Sotacus, described by Pliny as one of the most
ancient writers, classified five varieties of haematite,
as follows:
1. Ethiopic, which he said was a remedy for bums
and infiamed eyes. It is probable that this is the
Ethiopian Stone, a hard species of flint. (See under
FLINT.)
i. Androdamus, or Conquerer of Man, which is
given as a remedy for bilious attacks. This stone
is described by Sotacus as "very black and heavy,"
and by Marbodus as "silvery white with the hardness of a diamond." ·n would seem that each writer
is describing a different stone. Sotacus' description would imply a species of iron stone, that of
Marbodus may stand for a corundum or even a
diamond, and man may be subdued by either the
iron stone or the diamond.
8. Arabian, recommended for stomach troubles
and bums.
4. Elatite, or when burned Melitite.
5. Mixed.stone for eye troubles.
The varieties given by Professor James D. Dana
are:
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1. Specular Iron. Lustre perfectly metallic.
!. Micaceous Iron. Structure foliated.
S. Red Hematite. Submetallic or unmetallic
brownish red.
4. Red Ochre. Soft and earthy and often containing clay.
5. Red Chalk. Firmer and more compact than
red ochre and of fine texture.
6. Jaspery Clay Iron. A ha~,
impure, siliceous,
clayey ore, having a brownish-red jaspery look and
compactness.
7. Clay Iron Stone. The same as the last, the
colour and appearance less like jasper.
8. Lenticular Argillaceous Ore. An oolitic red ore
consisting of small flattened grains.
9. Martite. Martite is hematite in octahedrons,
derived, it is supposed, from the oxidation of magnetite.
Pliny says that Haematites are found in mines and
when burned have the colour of Minium. (Minium
of today is our red lead of commerce, Red Oxide of
Lead). He recommends it for affections of the
bladder and for the healing of dangerous wounds,
bites of serpents and as a check to female disorders.
It seems probable in these enumerations that he
refers to Loadstone (q. v.), for he says "the sanguine Loadstone called Haematite."" The Haematite and the Loadstone were used in Babylon,
Assyria and other ancient lands as far back as !000
B.C. Amongst the specimens handled by the
author was one notable Haematite intaglio cylinder
of very fine workmanship-an old magistrate"s
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seal of great antiquity. The ancient Egyptians
generally selected Haematite as a fitting pillow
(Urs) for the head of the Mummy to rest upon.
On it were often cut verses from Chap. CLXVI
of the "Book of the Dead"-the Per em Hru or
Coming forth by Day.
An old 17th century writer, Andreas Balvacensis,
advances the curious idea that the Haematite was
made of "dragon's bloud," and Holme in his "Armoury" says that it is called a Stench stone, for
its accredited virtue of stopping the flow of blood.
Generally the old writers· of the Middle and later
ages followed Galen in prescribing Haematite for
inflamed eyes and headaches, and he was undoubtedly learned in the wisdom of the Egyptians and
the old medical philosophies mentioned by Sotacus.
Several modes of use are mentioned; one was to
mix the powdered stone with honey and apply it
to the eyelids, another was to rub the smoothed
stone lightly over the lids. The Kidney Ore Haematite which has a strong metallic silky lustre and is
formed somewhat like a kidney, was recommended
for external application over the region of that
organ when ill conditions prevailed. This application of a Mars substance for the cure of a Venus
affection is technically dealt with in works devoted
to medical astrology, ancient and modem. The
Haematite is under the celestial Aries.
IDDDENITE. (See Spodumene.)
HORNSTONE. Homstone obtains its name from
the Anglo-Saxon STAN. It is a fragile variety
of flint, and is known in its more impure state as
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Chert. It bad some reputation as an eye stone
in certain parts, and is regarded as under the celestial
Taurus.
HYACINTH
"Tlw Ultuad of 8~
. • . OOIIIainetl - - - of jat:itdlu
cmd tlifferrnJ kind. of ..
TAe 6t1l Vogage of E.-Sindobad of the Sea.
i,._,....
The name of this stone is derived from the youth
Hyakinthos. It has been written at various times
as hiacinth, hiacinthe, hyacint, hiacynth, hyacinthe, hiacint, etc. The true hyacinth, which is
not to be confounded with the sapphire, the hyacinthus of the ancients, is a brilliant zircon (q.v.)
of a transparent red or ruddy cinnamon colour.
It is found with a garnet of similar hue which is
also called hyacinth but which shows structural
differences and is classified under the name ESSONITE (q.v.). The peculiar granular nature of this
hyacinth can be seen, even when cut, under an
ordinary lens. It is said in ancient story that
Apollo caused the death of the lovely and beloved
youth Hyakinthos when throwing his disc, and
that from the blood which fell to the ground a
lovely flower sprang. The myth symbolizes the
fertility of Nature and was celebrated by the festival
Hyakinthia, which expresses the grief of Apollo
over the precious life he had taken and the subsequent joy when the flower gave promise of the
return of the slain one in harmony with Nature's
immortal moods. The gem hyacinth was considered
a charm against bowel disorders, as a mental tonic
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and a strengthener of the mind against all kinds
of temptation. It promised bountiful harvests
to the farmer and filled the Cornu Copia of the
Virgin Goddess. The name JACINTH, usually
applied to the yellow variety of the gem, is a contraction of hyacinth, and appears as Iacincte, Iacynkte, lassink, Jacounce, Jagounce, Jacincte,
Jacynct, Jacynth, etc. Like all the Zircon family
these stones are electric and attract fluff and exhibit phosphorescence. Thomas de Cantempre describes the jacinth as a stone of yellow colour which
protected the wearer from melancholy and poison,
drawing to him the love of God and man. Leonardus
said that it brought sleep to the tired brain and
gave wisdom and protection in times of pestilence.
De Boodt also recommends the gem as a cure
for insomnia, advising that it be worn enclosed
in a small bag of brown material suspended just
over the solar plexus. Francis Barrett in the section
of his book devoted to Natural Magic says: "The
jacinth also possesses virtue from the sun against
poisons, pestilences and pestiferous vapours: likewise it renders the wearer pleasant and acceptable:
conduces also to gain money: being simply held in
the . mouth it wonderfully cheers the heart and
stre~ghn
the mind."
So in ancient astrology these stones which are
under the celestial Virgo have these powers: Wisdom and Prudence, Worldly Gain, Wealth. It is
said that so powerful were these gems of the zircon
family that one wearing them could pass unharmed
through places infected with fever and pestilence.
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Mystic authors wrote that the jacinth grew dull
when stormy weather was approaching, and bright
with the promise of fine weather; similarly it indicated the degrees ·of health of the wearer (Virgo
is a sign of health and sickness}. Cardanus $ays
that in tempestuous weather the hyacinth assumes
"the ruddy tint of. a glowing coal." As an amulet
against plague it was said to change colour when
touched by affected persons. Avicenna (Ibn Sina},
the famous Arabian philosopher of the lOth century
compared the action of the jacinth with that of
the magnet. Paracelsus says that it is distinctly
under the government of the planet Mercury. In
old Polish pharmacies a jacinth was kept set in a
mount of silver, ready to be used to avert mortification in cases of accident. Held against the forehead
it was reputed to give clearness of thought and
calmness of mind. Swedenborg corresponds it to
"intelligence from spiritual love and in an opposite
sense, intelligence from infernal love which is seHderived intelligence." To dream of the hyacinth
is interpreted as protection in approaching worries;
to dream of the jacinth indicates triumph. Jacinths
are placed with almandines in the Dar as Salam,
the Arabian Garden of Peace, and amongst the
Rosicrucian jewels the hyacinth represents the true
knowledge of absolute love and the triumph over
the crude elements of earthly understanding. These
two zircon varieties are under the celestial Virgo.
HYDROPHANE. (See OPAL.)
HYPERSTHENE. The name is derived from
the Greek HYPER, over, and STHENOS, strength.
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It is also written as Hyperstene. It is a stone of
the Pyroxene group, a silicate of magnesium and
iron. Its colours are brown-green, grey or greenblack, pinchbeck brown. Its hardness is about
the hardness of lapis lazuli. The hypersthene is
under the celestial Scorpio.
IOLITE. The iolite derives its name from the
Greek ION, violet and LITHOS, a stone. Hauy
named it the DICHROITE (DIO, twice, CHROA,
colour). It was known also as the Cordierite, and
more familiarly as the water sapphire. It is a
silicate of alumina magnesia and protoxide of iron.
It possesses extraordinary dichroism, the smoky
blue and yellowish-grey being easily seen with the
naked eye. This circumstance induced Hauy to
name it DICHROITE. Viewed in two directions
it presented different colours. These colours are
shown to advantage in stones cut for ornament.
In 1758, Sir James Hill wrote a "History of the
Iolithos or Violet Stone," a work now most difficult
to obtain. The iolite is a stone of friendship and
friendly help. . It benefits the eyesight and is an
aid to high thoughts. It was also written as yolite,
iolithe. It is of about the hardness of quartz.
· The iolite is under the celestial Aquarius.
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CHAPTER XIX
JACINTH-LODESTONE
IACINTH: JADE: JARGOON: MATURAN DIAMOND: JASPER:
THE LYDIAN STONE OF THE ANCIENTS: THE HELioTROPE OR BLOODSTONE VARIETY: THOMAS NICOLS
AND ARTIFICIAL INFUSIONS: ST. ISIDORE ON THE
JASPER: LEGEND OF THE CROBB: NUMBER FIVE AND
THE STONE OF THE VIRGIN: RARE WORKS IN JASPER:
GALENUS ON ITS VIRTUES: THE ANODYNE NECKLACE:
THE JASPER AMULET OF NECHEPBOS: THE WHEEL
OF EZEJtiEI·: JASPER SIGILS: TRALLIANUS AND THE
JASPER: MOTTLED JASPER, A CHARM TO PROTECT
FROM DROWNING: ZODIACAL REFLECTIONS: THE
STONE OF VICTORY: VAN BELMONT'S EXPERIMENTS:
THE JASPER AMONGST THE JEWELS OF THE ROSICRUCIANS. JET: KAURI GUM: KOLOPHONITE: KUNZITE: KYANITE: LABRADORITE:
LAPIS LAZULI:
COLOURS AND NAMES: PERSIAN LAJWARD, ITS
VIRTUES: ITS PLACE IN THE BOOK OF TH.E
DEAD: THE COMMANDMENT STONES: LAPIS LAZULI IN
CHINA: KATHERINE U AND HER PALACE ROOM: A
STONE OF THE ALCHEMISTS: LIMONITE: LODESTONE:
PLINY'S STORY OF ITS DISCOVERY: HOW TERMED BY
TITUS CARUS LUCRETIUS: THE STONE OF HERCULES:
LEGEND OF THE PHOENICIANS: THE AGE OF THE
MARINER's COMPABB: CONSTRUCTION OF ONE BY
THE CHINESE EMPEROR HOU.ANGTI: PAUBANIAB AND
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THE STONE IMAGE OF HERCULES: A CRAMP STONE:
A DIVINATORY INSTRUllENT: THE PLAN OF PTOLEMY
PHILADELPHUS!
PROFESSOR NOAD AND THE POWER
OF THE LODESTONE: BARRETT'S "ANTIPATHIES":
STORY OF CLAUDIANUS: MAGNET AND THE ONION.
JACINTH. (See HYACINTH.)
JADE. See (NEPiffiiTE.)
JARGOON. The Jargoon or Jargon, by which
name it is known in France, is derived from the
Italian GIACONE. It is a greyish or smoky variety
of the zircon (q.v.}, which so closely resembles the
diamond that it is often sold by unscrupulous dealers
for the more precious gem. In allusion to this,
Sir A. H. Church in his work on "Precious Stones"
says: "The diamond and the jargoon do not improve
or bring out each other's qualities for they have too
many points in common." The jargoon, however,
is nearly three degrees softer than the diamond and
more easily injured. It is usually brilliant and rosecut. At Matura in Ceylon where it is found in fair
quantities it is frequently termed the "Maturan
Diamond." The jargoon is frequently used set as
a talismanic charm against plagues and disease, for
which purpose it was esteemed greatly in the Middle
Ages in the East and in Europe. Worn on the little
finger, set in a ring of silver, it was reputed to help
the physician to correct diagnoses especially if,
when in doubt, he held the stone against his forehead,
at a point between the eyes. The jargoon is under
the celestial Virgo.
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JASPER.
•·J~
11oM lipiJia 1M diftfll lnd1 o/IU Word ia iU liUral
'"'"• wGflllt1«111/ro. tiN
iA ill ,u;tul-..:·
SwuJQIBOBO.
dift"',.
Jasper derives its name from the Hebrew YASHPHEH, Greek IASPIS, Arabic YASB. It is
found written as jasp, jaspre, iaspere, iaspar. It
is a hard siliceous mineral of dark, dull colours,
chiefly red, green, yellow and black. In the variety
termed RIBAND the mixed and striped colours form
in concentric irregular zones. Ruin Jasper occurs
in darker shades of browns and yellows, giving the
appearance of venerable ruins. The lapis Lydius
or Lydian Stone of the ancients-our basanite,
commonly known as Touchstone-is a velvety black
flinty jasper, used as much today as ever it was, for
ascertaining the fineness and quality of gold and
precious metals, and says Bacon, "Gold is tried by
the touchstone and men by gold." Its connection
with Mercury is shown in the Greek story of the
transformation of the betrayer Battus into Touchstone by the God. The Heliotrope or so-called
Bloodstone variety is green with spots of red. Pliny
enumerates ten varieties, giving preference to the
purple and rose-coloured. Marbodus in the Lapidarium writes of seventeen species all differing in
colour, the best of all being the bright translucent
green. The jasper was held in high favour by the
ancients and Babylonian seals as old as 1,000 years
before the Christian era have been found. The
THET or Buckle of Isis was made chiefly of jasper.
In those times the stone was found in quantities in
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the vicinity of the historic town of On or Heliopolis.
Thomas Nicols, writing in the 17th century, protests
that the Egyptians knew how to infuse artificial
colours into this gem: "It is ascribed by way of
glory to the King of Egypt that the first adulteration
of jasper by tincture was from him, but the glory of
this praise, if I be not mistaken, doth even become
his shame." St. Isidore of Seville (16th century)
writes of the green jasper as "shining with the
greenness of glory," and this variety-commonly
known as bloodstone because it is spotted with red
specks resembling drops of blood-is regarded as an
essentially religious substance, and is associated with
the old Easter ceremonies. There is an old legend,
frequently retold, that the green jasper lying at the
foot of the Cross at the Crucifixion received the blood
drops from the five wounds of the dying Christ,
which drops were forever impregnated in the stone.
Five is the number which in mystic writings is
identified with the planet Mercury, and the significance of the blood of the Son of the Virgin in the stone
of the Virgin will be understood by those who search
for truth beneath the mantle of parable. Mr.
William Jones in "Finger Ring Lore" gives an illustration of a Christian octagonal-shaped ring of the
8rd or 4th century, set with a red jasper in which is
cut in intaglio a shepherd and his flocks: the import
of this is clear enough. A jasper bust of Christ in
which the red spots are so manipulated by the skilful
artist as to represent drops of blood is mentioned by
Professor James Dana as being in the royal collection
at Paris. "Some indeed assert," writes Claudius
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Galenus, the famous physician of the second Christian century, "that a virtue such as is possessed by
the green jasper which benefits the chest and mouth
of the stomach if tied upon it, is inherent in precious
stones. . . . I have had ample experience having
made a necklace out of such gems (jaspers}, and hung
it round the neck, descending so low that the stones
might touch the mouth of the stomach, and they
appeared to be of no less service than if they had been
engraved in the way laid down by King Nechepsos."
This is the famous anodyne necklace so valued,
especially in England, and the source of which the
distinguished physician Dr. William Cullen ascribes
to Galenus. Several books are credited to King
Nechepsos (circa 600 B. C.). Galenus alludes to
this King's jasper amulet which took the form of a
rayed dragon. This dragon form symbolizes the
mystery of the three zodiacal signs-Virgo, Libra
and Scorpi~knw
to students of Rosicrucian
philosophy as the Wheel of Ezekiel, and personified
in Pallas Athene or Minerva, the embodiment of
wisdom, syn1pathy and strength. Galenus carried
as his talismanic gem a jasper engraved with a man
carrying a bundle of herbs, as an aid to his judgment
in indicating various diseases-a power long ascribed
to stones under the celestial Virgo. A similar sigil
is given by the ancient Israelitish Rabbi Chael:
"A man with broad shoulders and thick loins, standing and holding in his right hand a bundle of herbs
engraved on a green jasper is good against fevers and
if a physician carries it about with him it will give
him skill in distinguishing diseases and knowing the
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proper remedies. It is also good for hremorrhoids
and quickly stops the flow of blood." The same
authority recommends for good luck in buying and
selling "Aquarius cut on a green jasper," which is
also termed "a stone of good counsel for traders (all
trade is under Mercury, the ruler in astrology of the
signs Gemini and Virgo). A man's head facing and
a bird holding a leaf in its beak, cut in jasper, was
held to give riches and favour; a hare cut in jasper
protected from evil spiritual forces. The green
jasper, as before stated, was also kno.wn as the
Heliotropion (Heliotrope), a word derived from
Greek HELlOS, the sun, and TROPOS, a tumprobably in allusion to the planet Mercury which
turns nearest the Sun. It is stated that if this stone
were placed in water it would reflect the blood-red
disc of the sun, and if held before the eyes it would
assist in the observation of the Solar and Lunar
eclipses. Trallianus, a 6th century philosopher,
recommends the jasper for pains of an acute nature
in the stomach or bowels-a use for which it was
especially esteemed by all ancient scholars. Mottled
jasper was worn to protect from death by drowning,
or from death whilst on or near the water, and this
presents one of the many instances of what astrologers term "sign reflection," for the water sign of the
Fishes (Pisces) is opposite to the earthy sign Virgo
and serves as an apt illustration of antipathetic
action. Another virtue ascribed to jasper was the
calming of uneasy minds and the securing of victory
in battle. In this latter connection, Cardanus,
physician, philosopher and astrologer of the 16th
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century, says that it has action on the feelings,
causing something akin to timidity which induces
caution and the evading of needless risks-a distinctly Mercurial attribute. De Boodt advises the
wearing of jasper to check haemorrhage and relieve
stomach pains. The stomach was regarded as the
seat of the soul by the remarkable Baptista van
Belmont. Deleuze credits him with "creating
epochs in the histories of medicine and physiology,
·and of first giving the name of 'gas' to aerial fiuids,"
adding that without him, "it is probable that steel
would have given no new impulse to science." Van
Belmont writes: "In the pit of the stomach there is
a more powerful sensation than even in the eye or in
the fingers. The stomach often will not tolerate a
hand to be laid upon it because there is there the
most acute and positive feeling which at other times
is only perceived in the fingers." For purposes of
experiment Van Belmont touched a root of aconite
with the tip of his tongue-a risky action-taking
care, however, not to swallow any of it. "lmmedi. ately," he says, "my head seemed tied tightly with
a string and soon after there happened to me a singular circumstance such as I had never before experienced. I observed with astonishment that I no
longer felt and thought with the head but with the
region of the stomach, as if consciousness had now
taken up its seat there. Terrified by this unusual
phenomenon, I asked myself and enquired uitto.
myself carefully, but I only became the more con- ·
vinced that my power of perception had become
greater and more comprehensive. This intellectual
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clearness was associated with great pleasure. I did
not sleep, nor did I dream . . . . I had occasionally
had ecstasies but these had nothing in common with
this condition of the stomach in which it thought
and felt and almost excluded all co-operation of the
head. This state continued for two hours after
which I had some dizziness." Van Helmont writes
of the "Sun tissue" in the region of the stomach
which from the earliest recorded times has been
identified with the zodiacal Virgo around which so
many myths, parables and legends cluster. Jasper
is associated with this part of the body of man, and
to dream of it is said to symbolise love's faithfulness
known to the mind before the heart:
"!me loolu not with th6 eyu but with the mind,
And ther~o
i8 Dan Cupid painted blind."
Amongst the symbolic jewels of the Rosicrucians
this stone was regarded as the centre stone of the
vibrations of light and of its penetrating diffusions.
All varieties of jasper are under the celestial Virgo.
JET
•• Yout lume too 'U tltatD courlllaip to you a a iet (jet) dot1l maw."
BEN JONBON.
The name jet is derived from the Greek
GAGATES, from GAGAS, a river in Syria. It
is also written as jesstone, and jeetstone. Dr.
Murray gives the following forms gete, geet, get,
geete, geyte, geitt, gett, gette, geytt, gate, giette,
geate, ieet, iete, ieit; ieate, iet, jeat, jett, jette. It
is a variety of coal resembling cannel coal, but harder,
of 'deeper colour and with a higher degree of lustre.
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Pliny writes that "Gagates is a stone so-called from
Gages, the name of a town and river in Lycia."
When burnt it gives out a sulphureous smell which,
according to the Venerable Bede (7th century),
drove away serpents. Its virtue was esteemed in
cases of hysteria, in detecting epileptic tendencies
and in loss of virginity. A decoction of jet in wine
was esteemed as a cure for toothache, and in combination with wax it was used in cases of scrofula.
Magicians, it is said, make use of Gagates in the
practice of what is known as "Axinomancy"-a form
of magic in which a piece of jet is placed on a redhot axe-prophesying events according to the burning of the substance. Jet is highly electrical and
will attract fluff in the same way as amber does,
hence it was known as Black Amber, especially in
the 16th century, by the people of the Baltic coast.
It was much used in magical ceremonies, especially
those in connection with the dead, as a charm against
evil magic, spells and envy, and as a cure for dropsy,
colds, chills and loss of hair. The fumes from
burning jet are no doubt very relieving in what is
commonly known as cold in the head, the action
being homooopathic in this case, as such discomforts
are Saturnine and the employment of jet is the
employment of a saturnine substance for the removing of a saturnine afBiction. The use of jet for rosaries is noted by Cardan: it cooled the passions and
protected the wearer against evil 'influences. Its
fumes were considered potent in female disorders.
Boetius says that it protected the wearer against
nightmares and night terrors. Mr. King mentions
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the discovery of a number of jet ornaments at
. Cologne in 1846 which were believed to have belonged to the ancient priestesses of Cybele or Rhea,
the goddess of the mountain-forests and caves of
the earth. Her worship was wild and weird, her
votaries with torches ablaze rushing through the
trees in the darkness of the night, fighting and
wounding each other to the accompaniment of the
screeching of the pipes, the clashing of cymbals and
the mad uproar of drunken song. Cybele was
associated as a mountain goddess with the forest-god
Pan, the goat-god, who is identified with the Zodiacal
Capricornus, and jet was used in her worship. It
was regarded as a banisher of melancholia and a
protective badge for travellers. To dream of it was
said to signify .sadness. In the form of a shield
against the bites of ·serpents it was advised that
powdered jet be taken and mixed with the marrow
of a stag. To many writers this has seemed ridiculous but beneath the surface the true meaning may
be detected. Astrologically jet is under the zodiacal
Capricorn and the planet Saturn, the stag is under
Gemini and the planet Mercury, the marrow of the
stag is ruled by Venus and in this case signifies the
essence supreme, the serpent is under the planet
Mars. Interpreted, this symbolic passage would
read: Use wisdom and caution (Jet) knowledge
(stag) and love (marrow) then wilt thou overcome,
subdue and defeat the lower self (serpent) and the
sting of sin. Crypts of this kind were very frequently employed by Hermetic brotherhoods for
conveying their teachings to each other. The use
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of parables, secret signs, tokens and symbols was the
real method of conveying truths employed by the
ancient masters. By this means concentration was
impelled and the soul prepared to receive great
truths.
KAURI GUM
"A. 107M toll Kauri _ , in lonlllf priU.''
RBNWICit.
Kauri obtains its name from the Maoris and
appears in various forms: kowrie, cowry, courie,
coudie. It is gum of a light amber colour which
has exuded from the Kauri pine (Dammara Australis)
a species of Dammar growing in New Zealand. The
gum is obtained by digging over spots where the trees
once grew, and it is found sometimes in lumps the
size of a football. Kauri gum is electric and much
softer and less durable than amber. It has been
suggested as a useful substitute for amber in throat
troubles, asthma, hay fever and glandular swellings.
It is under the celestial Taurus.
KOLOPHONITE. (See GARNET.)
KUNZITE. (See SPODUMENE.)
KYANITE. Kyanite derives its name from the
Greek KUANOS, blue. It is also written as Cyanite
and, because of its unequal hardness, Disthene (twice
strong). White specimens are termed RHOETIZITE. Chemically kyanite harmonizes with
andalusite (q. v.) for both are silicates of aluminium,
but as Dr. Smith writes, "points of difference show
how large a share the molecular 'grouping has in
determining the aspect of crystallized substances!'
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Usually kyanite is found in long, thin blade-like
crystals and more rarely in short, full crystals. Its
colours are light blue, blue and white, white, greygreen and, more rarely, black. Its hardness varies
from 5 to a little over 7 in Mohs' scale. When cut
the blue variety resembles the light sapphire although
it cannot display the same brilliancy. The stone
is, however, very little employed in jewellery. The
peculiarities of kyanite place it under the celestial
Aquarius.
LABRADORITE
"I'M beautiful opolued kind o!Jii¥pM called Labrallor ~:·
PINUBTON.
Also written Labrador, is an opalescent grey-blue
felspar of extraordinary gleam, often reflecting green,
yellow and red. It obtains its name from the place
of its origin, as it was first found by Moravian
missionaries in 1770 at St. Paul Island off the coast
of Labrador. Specimens have also been found in
stones of meteoric origin. The stone is effective and
might with advantage be more extensively used in
jewellery. Its hardness is the same as the opal.
Labradorite is under the celestial Aquarius.
LAPIS LAZULI
"I'M appeaf'anu of th61Arrf• dilline rplwre in th6 8piritual HeaHU.''
SWBDENBOBG.
LAPIS LAzULI derives its name from the Latin
word l,.apis, a stone, and the Arabic Azul, blue.
It has been variously written as Zumemo Lazuli,
Zemech Lazarilli, Stellatus, Lapis Lazary, Lapis
Coelestus, the Azure Gem, the Armenian Stone,
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Lapis Lazari. Its composition includes for the
greater part silica and alumina, with soda, lime, iron,
sulphuric acid, sulphur, chlorine and water. It is
assumed to be a product of contact metamorphism,
and is described by Pliny as "opaque and sprinkled
with specks of gold" (yellow pyrites). It is found in
Persia, Tartary, China, Thibet and Siberia. Badakhshan or Budukhshan in Central Asia is famous
for its Lapis Lazuli mines in which, it is recorded,
the rock is split with the help of fire. The stone is
often found in tints of green, red, violet, or colourless,
but these may be termed varieties. The miners of
Budukhshan call the blue Lapis "Nili," the sky-blue
"Asmani," and the blue-green tints "Sabzi." Some
of the finest lajward (lapis lazuli) is sent from the
Persian markets whence formerly specimens of rare
beauty were exposed for sale at the fairs of NijniNovgorod. From very remote times Persia supplied the ancient world with the greatest quantities
of lajward. The "sapphirus" of old is the Lapis
Lazuli of today, and it is recommended that the 26th
chapter of The Book of the Dead should be recited
before a deific figure cut from this stone. As early
as 1500 years before Christ we have a record that the
Lapis Lazuli placed on the neck of a sick child reduced fever. Many of the Egyptian priests wore
images formed from the stone which was regarded
as an emblem of the heavens. Epiphanius, Bishop
of Constantia in Cyprus, at the latter part of the
4th century, quotes from older sources the tradition
that the tables of the Law of Moses were written
on two blocks of Lapis Lazuli, which is identified
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as the eleventh stone of the magic Breastplate. In
the ceremonies of the Temple of Heaven in China,
ornaments of LID-LI (Lapis Lazuli) were used, and
the Chinese sacred writings record how at one time
the priest-kings bore it as an offering to the Lord
of the Universe. In accordance with the desire of
Catherine II of Russia her favourite room in the
Zarskoe Selo palace was adorned with lapis lazuli,
symbolic of the country she governed, and amber,
as a symbol of herself. The ancient Greeks and
Romans considered a piece of Lapis Lazuli-the
stone of Heaven-as the most fitting distinction to
bestow for personal bravery. It was regarded as a
true stone of friendship and of the affection arising
from friendship. Ancient physicians regarded this
gem as of potent value in eye troubles, one old prescription advising that a specimen be placed in a
bowl of water, warm but not hot, for the space of
some few minutes, and then that the eye affected
be bathed in the water which must be as pure as
can be obtained. The stone was also valued if
placed, just warm, on swellings or seats of pain.
It was also regarded as a cure for ague, melancholia,
disorders of the blood, neuralgic affections and spasmodic action. As a talisman it was worn to protect
against injuries, especially to the ankles, to attract
friends, gain favours and realize hopes. Lapis Lazuli
was used by many of the old alchemists in special
work of an esoteric nature and is frequently alluded
to as the Stone of Heaven in which the stars are held.
It is under the zodiacal Aquarius.
LIMONITE. This stone was named Limonite
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by Professor Hausmann in 1818 from the Greek
word LEIMON, a meadow. It is a species of brown
haematite (scarcely as hard as the opal) which according to Professor Dana appears to have been the
result in all cases of the decomposition of other ironbearing rocks or minerals. It is under the celestial
Aries.
LODESTONE
"TM tlt4fMltD«l. 1M liM, 1M 8«<M ritu
Natw~
atWntlland tA' A«JtJmly pair unitu."
(CLAUDIANtl8 or Au:x.umBA.j
The lodestone, which is also written though not
so correctly, Loadstone, obtains its name from the
Anglo-Saxon LAD, a course, LITHAN, to lead, and
STAN. Another form is Lodysshestone, the stone
that shows the way. It is also known as Magnetite
or the ancient Magnet, from the Greek MAGNES.
The lodestone or magnetite is a black iron ore of
high magnetic quality, and this peculiar attracting
force is ;wd to have first indicated what we now term
magnetism. According to Pliny a Greek shepherd
-Magnes, by name-whilst tending his sheep on
Mount Ida, found pieces of lodestone clinging to the
ferrule of his shepherd's staff. Titus Carus Lucretius, in his great philosophical work "De Rerum
Natura" (about 66 B. C.), calls the Magnetite the
Magnesium Stone, which he said obtained its name
from Magnesia, a town in Thessaly. Another name
applied to this stone is SIDERIT, but iis bestknown appellation in the ancient world was HERACLION, or stone of Hercules. It is interesting to
recall the legend of the old Phoenician mariners,
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which tells that Hercules, admiring their daring and
skill, desired to help them in the science of navigation. For this purpose he obtained from Hellos a
cup of Heraclion which always turned to the North.
This seems to indicate that the mariners' compass
is of older date than the 11th century; indeed the
Chinese assert that in the year 2684 B.C. the Emperor Houangti first constructed a magnetic compass.
The Greek traveller and historian Pausanias in his
"Helbados Periegesis" published in the second century, writes of the rough stone image of Hercules in
the Temple at Hyettos, which the sick came but to
touch in order to be healed of their disorders. As a
stone of healing the lodestone was highly esteemed
as a cure for gout, rheumatism, cramp, disorders
which frequently yield to treatment wherein iron is
employed. It was used during childbirth and in
diseases of the generative organs. Finely powdered
and mixed with oil or grease it was regarded by ancient writers as a preventive of or cure for baldness. In the Orphic Lythica it is stated that holding this stone to the head, the voices of the gods could
be heard, heavenly knowledge gained and divine
things seen. It is here advised that one should sit
alone in earnest meditation asking the celestial
powers for guidance or help in some particular
trouble, when the reply flowing through the stone
would be quickly sensed and understood by the
sincere petitioner. A woman's moral character was
said to be betrayed by the lodestone which endowed
strength, will and the ability to look into the future.
It was also carried as a charm to protect against
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shipwreck. It is related that after the death of
his sister-wife Arsinoe, Ptolemy II (Philadelphus}
planned with his architect Dinochares a temple to be
built of lodestone in order that her iron statue would
be held for ever in suspension, seemingly in space,
but death defeated the plan. In referring to the
power of lodestones Professor N oad ("Electricity")
states: "The smallest stones have greater attractive
force in proportion to their size than larger ones."
Francis Barrett under the heading of "Antipathies"
writes that a diamond disagrees with a lodestone
and being present suffers no iron to be drawn to it.
However, it is as a lovers' token that the lodestone
is most extolled; it is often found set in lovers' rings
of the Middle Ages. Claudianus in his "Idyl" published in the latter part of the 4th century gives a
record of a temple wherein was a statue of Venus in
lodestone, and another of Mars in iron-symbols of
the attraction of the wife for the husband and of the
husband for the wife. There is an old belief that the
magnet was affected by the onion, and in this connection the following extract from "Notes and Queries,'' December, 1917, is interesting: "The notorious
Count de Benyowsky at the end of Chapter ill of
his 'Memoirs and Travels' mentions the stratagem
which he tried at sea to falsify the compass by the
use of iron and garlic. I now find that in the 17th
century the belief actually prevailed in England
that an onion would destroy the power of the magnet. Thus Sir John Pettus of Suffolk, Kt., after
describing his visit as a youth to the lead mines of
Derbyshire in company with Sir Thomas Bendish
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says that having magnetized the blade of his knife
and hearing that contact with an onion would utterly
destroy that power, he preferred to believe rather
than risk losing his magnet. The passage occurs
in a rambling note on 'Mineralls' in the second
part of his 'Fleta Minor.' " It might be considered
in connection with such stories that the onion as
well as the lodestone is of the zodiacal Scorpio. To
dream of the lodestone warns of subtle dealings and
contentions. It is under the celestial Scorpion.
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CHAPTER XX
MALACHITE-NEPHRITE
MALACHITE:
ROSICRUCIAN
SYMBOL
OF
ETERNAL
SPRING: USED IN ANTIQUE CAMEl AND INTAGLI:
VIRTUES: A SLEEP STONE: MARBLE, THE STONE OF
STATUES: VARIETIES:
EMBLEM OF IMMORTALITY:
THE SYMBOL OF MERCURY: THE IMAGE OF SILENUS:
MEERSCHAUM: KAVOL KOWATES HAKES A MEERSCHAUM PIPE: MELANITE: MOONSTONE OR CEYLON
OPAL: INDIAN BELIEFS: STONE OF PROPHECY AND
LOVE: SPECIMEN OF POPE LEO X: MOSS AGATE: AN
EMBLEM OF RESURRECTION: ORPHEUS'S
ADVICE:
MOTHER OF EMERALD: MOTHER OF PEARL: NACRE:
EMBLEM OF WOMEN: CUSTOM OF THE WEST AUSTRALIAN NATIVE: NEPHRITE: LAPIS NEPHRITICUS OR KID-
•
NEY STONE: Sm WALTER RALEIGH'S DESCRIPTION:
JADE AND JADEITE: CAMPHOR JADE: BURMESE JADE:
NEPHRITE CHARMS: CHINESE AND JADE: FIND NEAR
PEKING: THE NINE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THE FIVE
CARDINAL VIRTUES: JADE AS A PREVENTIVE OF DECAY: MUSICAL JADE STONES: THE LUNAR FESTIVALS:
JADE OF THE NORTH, SOUTH, EAST AND WEST: ITS
HEALING VIRTUES: BUDDHA'S FOOTHARK: SYMBOL
OF RULERSHIP: ADADU-NEPHROS OR KIDNEY OF
ADONIS: THE
6
VARIETIES OF THE MAORIS: THE
HEI TIKI: THE TAHUNGA STONE AND THE MERE OR
PATTOO PATTOO: DAMOUR'S CHLOROMELANITE: PATE
260
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DE RIZ: PINK JADE: IONAN JADE: THE HYSTERIA
STONE AT THE NEW YORK MUSEUM OF NATURAL
HISTORY.
MALACIDTE
"M~
il a grem'ltoM l11u to Smaragi.UI cmdlaaJA
of tM colour of MalatDU."
thanm~
THE Malachite derives its name from the Greek
MALACHE, marsh mallow, from its resemblance
to the soft green leaves of this plant. It is variously
written as melochite, malachquite, etc. It is a green
carbonate of copper which comes to us through
the ages as a symbol of children and of the child
of the year-eternal Spring. It has been confused
with the Molochite of Pliny, but it is more likely
the smaragdus medicus, as identified by Mr. King,
and the chrysocolla of Theophrastus. In Rosicrucian philosophy it was the symbol of the vernal
equinox and the arising of the spiritual man. Malachite and azurite (q.v.) have been found together
in single specimens. Malachite is much employed
for decorative purposes by the Russians, who have
produced some excellent works of art in this material.
It was greatly favoured by the Egyptians and antique
camei and intagli have been frequently found patinated by the hard hand of age. The virtues ascribed
to this stone are many. It strengthened the stomach,
head and kidneys, prevented vertigo and rupture
and saved the wearer from evil magic, seduction,
falls and accidents. The Egyptians held it to be
efficacious in cholera and rheumatism. It was said
to bestow strength on children, to aid them during
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
dentition, to ward off convulsions, all harm, witchcraft and the evil eye. Some old writers give directions for swallowing powdered malachite, especially
for cardiac affections-a practice dangerous and undesirable. The action of stones and gems is subtle
and the intense vibratory action is so gentle as to
be usually quite unfelt by the material senses.
Powdering a specimen disturbs the cohesive molecules and deprives them of their insidious action.
A stone multiplies from without and by the laws of
correspondence its action on man is always from
external to internal. The Malachite was also called
the Sleep Stone from its reputation of charming
the wearer to sleep. It was also regarded as a protection from lightning. Massive malachite bears a
close resemblance to the kidneys in the human body.
It is under the zodiacal Libra.
MARBLE
"And t1u cold marbh kapt to life, a god."
MILKAN.
Marble derives its name from the latin MARMOR, cognate with the Greek MARMOROS, from
MARMAIRO to sparkle. It has been variously
written inEnglandasmarbre, marbyr ,marbel, marbal,
marboll, marbelle, merbyl, marbill, marbyll, marbull,
marbell, etc. It is carbonate of lime, pure when the
colour is white and of various shades of colour when
combined with oxide of iron and other substances.
The marble favoured by the ancients was the Parian
which is finely granular, waxy when polished, and
lasting. The beautiful Venus de Medici and other
Digillzed by
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"Inspiration"
Marble Group in Central Hall, Art Institute, Chicago. Signed-Kathleen
Beverly Robinson. Memorial to Florence Jane Adams. Presented by
Friends and Pupils of Mrs. Adams, 1915
By kind permission of The Art Institute of Chicago
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
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exquisite Greek statues were formed of Parian. Another favourite variety was the more finely grained
and whiter marble of Pentelicus from which the
Parthenon was built. The Pyramid of Cheops and
other famous structures of the kind were built of a
variety known as nummilitic limestone, which is
composed of numerous disk-shaped fossils known as
nummilites. Portor is a deep black Genoese marble
with yellow veinings. The deep black marble of
antiquity is known as N ero-antico; Rosso antico is
a deep blood-red besprinkled with white minute
marks; Verde antico is a misty green; Giallo antico
a deep yellow with yellow or black rings. Carrara
marble is greatly used by modern sculptors and was
well-known to the ancients; it is a fine-grained pure
white marble traversed by grey veins. Pure white
marble was an emblem of purity and as such has
always been regarded as fitting for tombstones and
other sepulchral monuments. As an emblem of
immortality it is expressed by the triform symbol of
the planet Mercury (the cross, the circle and the
crescent), with which is associated the Christ resurrection in Christian mysticism. Amongst Rosicrucian students the cross is symbolical of the pain of
matter, for on it matter is fixed;-the circle the
ascent of the soul which is above matter and never
ending; the semi-circle which surmounts the whole,
the spirit which is over all everlastingly. Evidences
of the old custom-still followed in many countries
-Of placing pieces of white marble in the grave
with dead bodies was some few years ago brought
to light in Ireland. Dr. Holland's translations from
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
Pliny record "a strange thing of the quarries of the
island Paros, namely, that in one quarter thereof
there was a vein of marble found which when it
was cloven in twaine with wedges shewed naturally
within the true image and perfect portraiture of
Silenus imprinted on it.'" All marble .is under the
celestrial Gemini.
MARCASITE. See PYRITE.
MEERSCHAUM
"A muriC!aaum pipe nearly black tJJit1a 11110king i8 conftder«l a tr«UUn:•
J. NOTT. DHJtER's GuLL's HoRN BooK.
Meerschaum obtains its name from the German
Meer, sea, and Schaum, ·foam, which is, according
to Dr. Murray, a literal translation of the Persian
KEF-1-DARYA (foam of the sea). It is also called
keffekill and kiffekiefe, which has been credited with
meaning the "earth of the town of Keffe or Kaffe,""
the Crimean town whence it is exported. Its technical name is Sepiolite, and its various forms are
given as myrsen, meershaum, meerchum, mereschaum, merschaum, meerschaum. It is a hydrous
silicate of magnesia, extremely soft and light, smooth
to the touch and in colour of white, grey-white, yellow and sometimes pinkish. Kirwan, the mineralogist, writing in the latter part of the 18th century
says, "Kefferkill or Myrsen is said, when recently
dug, to be of a yellow colour and as tenacious as
cheese or wax.'' It is well-known that the Tartars
use newly dug meerschaum as we use soap, on account of its excellent.lather. The peasantry at one
time really believed it to be the petrified foam of the
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sea. The Meerschaum is included amongst the
Galactites or Milk Stones. On account of its lightness it was first fashioned into a smoking pipe by a
Hungarian shoemaker, Kavol Kowates, skilled in
wood carving and metal work, in the old town of
Pesth, in the museum of which town it now rests.
The piece of meerschaum from which Kowates made
his pipe was brought to Hungary by his patron Count
Andrassy on his return from a diplomatic mission
to Turkey. The Meerschaum is under the celestial
Gemini.
MELANITE. See GARNET.
MOONSTONE
"Soon u t1u eHf&ing •Aadu prlfiCJil,
The Moon laku up t1u tDOndrotu
.And nightly to the lUtming earl/a
lUpeoU t1u 8torg of 1wr birlA."
wz.•
ADDJBON.
The Moonstone is an orthoclase feldspar of the
opalescent variety of Adularia, of a pearly moon·like lustre-hence the name Stone of the Moon.
It appears under the forms of moona, mone, mon,
mowne, moone, moyne, mione, mune and muni;
it is known in France as Pierre de Ia Lune. Its
abundance in Ceylon has earned for it the name of
"Ceylon Opal." The Indians call it "Chandra
Kanta," and according to them it grows under the
rays of the moon and absorbs in the process of formation an atmospheric ether which impregnates it with
peculiar occult and magical properties. These properties once infused into the stone never leave it.
They are said to have a remarkable effect on the
psychic nature of man, enabling him to prophesy
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
-according to Leonardus-in the waning 'Of the
moon and to love in the waxing. The natives of
Ceylon have a story that every third seventh year
moonstones of opalescent blue are, by the influence
of the moon, hurled on the island shore by the waves.
Pliny says that in the stone an image of the moon
is impressed, which waxes and wanes in harmony
with the luminary. It is related that Pope Leo X
possessed a wonderful specimen which, obscure and
dull when the moon was old, increased in brilliance
as that orb grew from new to. full. It is recommended that in order to know the future and to
obtain spiritual guidance a moonstone be held in the
mouth, under a waning moon. It is also necessary
to be quite alone and to send out a mental prayer
to the angel Gabriel (angel of the Moon) asking help
by God's grace. The Moonstone was considered
as a charm against cancer, dropsy and affections of
a watery nature. In fever, if applied to the temples
it reduced the temperature and protected the patient.
It also cooled heated imaginations and protected
against moonstrokes and lunacy. The moonstone
is said to protect the wearer from danger on the
ocean and to give good fortune whilst travelling.
As a symbol it signifies Hope, and as a dream symbol
it indicates travelling and health-good when the
stone is bright and clear, and bad when it is dark
and lustreless. It is under the celestial Cancer.
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
I
I
MOSS AGATE or MOCHA STONE
I
"WhiUt on that ag~
which dark lndian1 yraiu
Tlu woodl arile, the lfllNn f1lon8Ur magi."
'
M.uuloDU8.
The Mocha stone is said to have obtained its name
from the Arabian city of Mocha whence it. was exported. It has been written in various ways: moc.ms,
mocoe, mocoa, mochoe, mochoa, mocha,, TW'...efio. It
is called Piedra de Moca in Sp~,
Pi._~
· t·e
de Mocka
Germany. The
in France, and Mokkastein ~
Mocha stone is called Den~
because of the plant
and moss-like infiltratiops exhibited. These are like
frost crystals often forlf.ed by the magic hand of
Nature, and often also 1,by plants held in hollows
wherein the siliceous nrli;teral was composed. The
Mocha Stone besides bem/g called Moss Agate is also
called Tree Agate in conQnon with silicified trees in
details are accurately
which the original struc~bal
preserved. Remarkable 'pictures formed by Nature
in the Agate have already(been noticed. Pliny hints
at the employment of ar\ifice in the production of
many of these stones, a,d the secret was long a
cherished knowledge of t~e
Italian workers in gems.
Early in the 19th cent=, however, some German
scientists obtained possess n of the secret and within
the past few years artifici I productions from Oberstein have reached the g~.u
markets. The Mocha
fortunate stone. It is
stone was accounted a ~st
associated with the influences of the planet Venus
and was always noted as a sign of fertility. For this
reason farmers tied specimens to their fruit trees,
to the harness of their horses and to the horns of
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"\
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
their cattle In the early 19th century it was highly
esteemed in Europe, and in England especially it
was used for luck rings, oftentimes surrounded with
rubies (stones of the sun). It was also used for
nit.nurning jewellery as an emblem of the resurrection
and ,l)f .the eternal life which alone is permanently
manifest throughout Nature. Orpheus advises that
to secure tli~es
of the gods a piece of the stone
that the ploughman carrying
should be worn, ~lso
it would receive h~avenly
bounty. It was greatly
apothecaries as a base
esteemed by physictifis~d
on which to prepare their ~edicns.
As a symbol
it stood for good health ~
long life and to dream
of it, increase of possessionlf. It is under the celestial ·
Taurus.
_ / __
MOTHER OF EM~.
See PLASMA.
MOTHER OF PEARI.f. See NACRE.
~
.
NACRE
·
" 'Tv a f7IJlUv
pat=toillt
goldm 111nll,
Wit/a pearu and JGCre ihelu."
Sn
(1606) Trans. Du Bartaa.
Nacre or Mother of B,earl is the inner layer of
various molluscs and is Jn.ore particularly applied
to the Meleagrina Marg~tife
or large oyster shell
in which the precious pe4J-l is formed. The French
call it Mere Perle, and iti.l.is found written as Moder
Perl, Mother Perle, Motller Pearle. Nacre is said
to have derived its nam& from the Persian word
NIGAR, painting, becau:e of the iridescent colours
displayed, but Dr. Murray, although remarking on
its probable Oriental origin, regards its derivation
as uncertain. Various forms are noted, as: nackre,
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Antique Moss Agate Patch
~
Mrs. W. R. Furlong's Collection
Moss Agate Basket
William Howat Collection
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
i69
nacker, nakre, naker, and there is no doubt of its
antique application. Hoole in 1658 wrote that "the
oyster affordeth sweet meat-the nacre pearls."
Mythologically the Mother of Pearl shell is symbolical of Latona or Leto "goddess of the dark night,"
mother of the Sun god Apollo and the Moon goddess
Artemis or Diana. She, as ancient story tells, whilst
fieeing from the fury of Hera, Queen of Heaven,
.reached an island rock, driven about by the restless
waves, which when solidly fixed by Neptune became
the famous island of the £gean Sea-Delos. Here
were born the radiant twins Apollo and Artemis in
a Hood of golden light whilst the sacred swans encircled the island seven times. ·The golden light, so
powerful at this event, is the light which at conjunction (new moon) blends with the silvery light of the
night orb. The Pearl Shell like its child, the pearl,
· is always associated with female life which in astrophilosophy is moon-ruled. The natives of Western
Australia, hidden in the bushes, charmed women by
the aid of the reflected light from the shell of the
mother of pearl. These big shells are thick, fiat
and roundish, in size often as much as a foot in
diameter. The two varieties are known a8 blacklipped and silver-lipped, and within them rests the
protected pearl. The pearl shell is greatly in demand for the manufacture of many and varied articles of commerce. It is under the celestial Cancer
-the mansion of the moon and the sign of the deep
ocean.
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
NEPHRITE
"Man11 of 1M Iruliau
tDOr.,
pi«R of
lh~
tound
fUCA w/aicA Wf'jJ frarllptlf'm!t and f'UMIIbltJd an emwald.
-~in«<
, appeared to k a lp«:iu of MplariU ~toM."
Co~:'e
f/aujJ
t/a~Jir
being
VoTAom, 1790.
In ancient times the minerals comprising or included in this important group were commonly
known by the name Lapis Nephriticus or Kidney
Stone, and from this name in the 18th century Dr.
A. G. Werner suggested the term Nephrite. To the
Nephrite varieties the general term Jade is universally applied. The name occurs in old writings
as jad and jadde, and is derived from the Spanish
llijada, kidney. Sir Walter Raleigh in 1595 wrote
of this "kinde of stones which the Spaniards call
Piedras llijadas and we use for spleene stones ...
Chemically the species included under the name
"jade.. are not the same, the nephrite jade being a
silicate of lime and magnesia and the jadeite a silicate of sodium and alumina, but the modern scientist in common with the ancient scientist binds them
together under the one denomination-kidney stone.
In the 19th century Professor A. Damour demonstrated the chemical difference between jade and
jadeite. The well-known Camphor Jade of China is
a white jadeite, some specimens containing certain
percentages of Chromium exhibiting those aple~
green patches so highly praised by gem colJectors.
Burmese Jade, known as Chauk-Sen, (which since
the 18th century has been principally exported to
China) is chiefly jadeite, and the Imperial Jade of
charming pale or apple-green colour, known as Feit-
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
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sui and set down by some writers as chrysoprase,
is more properly Prehnite. The nephrite charmsPiedras Hijadas-known in Mexico as Chalchihuith
when the Spanish invaded that country were probably jadeites. The Chinese have held the jade family in the highest esteem and reverence for many
centuries, and it poetically expresses to them all the
virtues of many precious stones blended together.
It is said that most of the nephrite used by them
came from the Kuen-lun mountains in Turkestan,
but the discovery of the mineral at no great distance
from Peking in 1891 helped to make that city a
great working centre. The Chinese word for jade
is YlJ, expressed in their hieroglyph as a cross over
a kind of semi-circle. Jade stone they know as YUCID, and precious objects of jade as OUAN YU.
The words KHITCIDNJOU-YU indicates a gem
rare as jade, and the Imperial Academy was known
as Jade Hall. The Turkestan name for jade closely
resembles the Chinese YU in its form YASHM,
YUSHM or YESHM.
Ages before the Christian era the jade was said
to indicate the nine accomplishments, Charity,
Goodness, Virtue, Knowledge, Skill, Morality, Divination, Rectitude, Harmony. YU may also be rendered "courage," and in its connection with the jade
stone or YU-CHI it included the five cardinal virtues-YU, bravery, JIU charity, Jl modesty,
KETSU equity, CHI discrimination. In her "Wanderings in China" Mrs. C. F. Gordon Cummings
says: "The Chinese name for jade is YU-SHEK(it may also be written YU-CID) and that by which
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
we call it is said to be a corruption of a Spanish word
referring to a superstition of the Mexican Indians
who deemed that to wear a bracelet of this stone
was the surest protection against all diseases of the
loins: hence the Spanish named the mineral Piedra
di Hijada (stone of the loins) by which name it became known in Europe." Jade is the concentrated
element of love which protected the infant and the
adult and preserved the bodies of the dead from
decay. Dr. Kunz quotes the Chinese mystical
writer Ko Kei who asserted that the body of a man
who had consumed 5 pounds weight of jade powdered did not change colour when he died, and that
when several years later it was exhumed no evidences of change or decay were visible. When
vibrated this stone produces musical notes, and it
was regarded as expressive of music and harmony,
poets singing its praises. It was the emblem of
love, beauty, protection and charm, and it graced
the holy altars. For the altar of earth the symbolic
jade stone was of yellowish hue, whilst during lunar
festivals white jade was employed. Black-mentioned, but doubtful indeed-was the North Jade,
and red the South. White was the West and green
the East. It was said that in sickness the heat of
the body drew out virtues from the jade, healing
virtues soothing and life protecting. In "Buddhist
Records of the Western World" Mr. Samuel Beal
writes that "in the kingdom of Kuichi or Kuche in
the Eastern Convent known as the Buddha Pavilion,
there is a large yellowish-white jade stone shaped
like a sea shell which bears on its surface what is
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said to be Buddha's footmark. This footmark is
one foot 8 inches long and 8 inches in breadth. It is
said that the relic emits a bright sparkling light at
the conclusion of each fast . day." Professor E . H.
Parkes, M.A. in "Ancient China Simplified" mentions a custom of burying ·a jade symbol of rulership in the ancestral temple to protect the fortunes
of the family, and jade symbols adorned private
family insignia. Strangely enough the world's people
have always reverenced the nephrite as the kidney
stone-the use of it goes further back than the
knowledge of man. It was used in old Egypt as in
old China, and Pliny mentions the Adadu-nephros
or kidney of Adonis. This is an early identification
of jade with the Venusian Adonis and the parts of
the body over which Venus astrologically presides.
The Indians call it the Divine Stone which is cred-.
ited with being a cure for gravel and epilepsy and as
a charm against the bites of animals and poisonous
reptiles. It was also said to remove thirst and
hunger, to cure heartburn and asthma and to·affect
favourably the voice, organs of the throat, the liver
and the blood. Its greasy surface led to its employment as a hair improver, but its chief excellence
was in nephritic disorders and specimens worn over
the region of the kidneys or on the arm are said to
have acted in a wonderful and unexpected manner
in the banishing of these troubles. It is claimed
also as a power for the removal of gravel. The
Maoris of New Zealand according to the best authorities noted six varieties of jade. Punamu is their
name for the whole species termed by authors of the
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
last decade "green talc of the Maoris." The wellknown greenstone variety is termed Kawakawa by
the Maoris, the paler and more precious Kahurangi,
the greyish !nanga. The Tangiwai stone is a pellucid serpentine or variety of Bowenite. The Nephrite is a sacred stone to these sturdy New Zealanders
who use it in the construction of their offensive and
defensive weapons.and sacred objects. These greenstone weapons are amongst the finest of known stone
tools. The sacred and curiously formed charm, the
Hei Tiki, is an esoteric symbol which is worn as a
precious emblem and never parted with except for
very weighty reasons. For example, a Hei Tiki
recently handled by the author was given by an old
chief on his deathbed to an English officer who had
saved his life in the Maori war. The Tahunga stone
-the stone of the magicians by the aid of which
the Hashes of light were directed by the Medicine
Man to bewildered eyes, was usually formed from
a Kahurangi type of greenstone, and the Mere or
Pattoo Pattoo, a club of dark Punamu, was said
to send its victims to the world of Spirits.
A variety of jade of dark green colour, discovered
in the Swiss Lake dwellings and the dolmens of
France usually in the form of Celts was termed
Chloromelanite by Professor Damour. This Nephrite has also been discovered in New Guinea where
it was fashioned by the natives into clubs and other
implements. Other Nephrites have been termed
Fibrolite or Sillimanite. The Pate de Riz is merely a
fine white glass, and Pink Jade is usually a piece of
quartz. Some beautiful specimens of translucent
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Old Maori Charm of Greenstone Known as " Hei Tiki "
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green jade are collected by children on the Island of
lona and many specimens have been unearthed in
various parts of Europe. Professor Max Muller discovered in old Egypt a remarkable green stone used
as a charm against hysteria; this interesting specimen
is now in the Museum of Natural History, New York.
The Nephrite family is under the celestial Libra.
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CHAPTER XXI
OBSIDIAN-ONYX
OBSIDIAN, A NATURAL VOLCANIC GLASS: ANCIENT
EGYPTIAN CUSTOMS: MEXICAN ITZTLI: STATUES IN
OBSIDIAN: USED BY GREEKS AND ROMANS: "oBSIDIANS,.: OBSIDIAN "BOMBS,.: BOTTLE STONE: MR.
R. B. WALCOTT AND HIS TERM OBSIDIANITES: AUSTRA.LITES: BILLITONITES: MR. F. CBAPMAN"S THEORY:
SUPERSTITIONS OF THE NATIVES: OLIVINE:
DERI-
VATION: LEGEND OF THE SLEEPING VENUS: THE
GATES: THE ONYX STONES OF THE HIGH PRIEST:
LIFE AND EARTH DEATH: ANTIQUE BELIEF NOTED
BY MR. PHILLIPS AND ITS MEANING: RABBI BENONI
AND THE MASTER RAGIEL: EYE STONES: A CIIA.RM
OF BEAUTY: CASTOR AT THE TOMB OF APBAREUS:
NICOLO THE ..EGYPTILLA OF THE ANCIENTS: GmRALTAR STONE: THE MANTUAN VABE: EL JAZA OR STONE
OF SADNESS:
5 TYPES OF ONYX: AN ONYX STAmCASE:
SYMBOLICAL MEANING OF THE STRATA: AS ROSICRUCIAN STONES: THE SAINTE CBAPELLE OR GRAND
CAMABIEU KNOWN AS THE "APOTHEOSIS OF AUGUSTUS,.: PEmEBC CORRECTS A FALSE BELIEF: THE CARPEGNA CAMEO: THE CORONATION CAMEO OF AUGUsTUS: TRUE MEANING AND DERIVATION OF THE WORD
CAMEO.
276
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OBSIDIAN
"There mag be ranged among the kind. of glu•u tlatne whicl& they
tJtJll oblidiana for that they carry 8MM ruemblance of that ~tone
tolaich one Obftdi1U found in .£thyopia."
HoLLAND's PLINY.
This natural volcanic glass obtains its name,
according to Pliny, from Obsidius or, as he is
sometimes called, Obsius, who discovered it in Ethiopia. It is very hard, brittle and remarkably vitreous, and is variously coloured black, pink, green,
grey, striped and spotted. It was early discovered
to be a useful material from which to fashion knives,
mirrors and other objects of ornament and use. An
ancient Egyptian custom of cutting the dead bodies
of their kings and priests with knives of obsidian
was followed by the Guanchos of the Canary Islands. The ancient Mexicans used ITZTLI as they
called it very generally in the manufacture of various
implements. They quarried it from the Cerro de
les Navajas or Hill of the Knives not far from Timapau. Pliny, noting that genuine gem stones could
not be cut or scratched with obsidian, recommended
the use of splinters of the substance for testing purposes. The same author, attesting the report that
statues were made of obsidian, says: "I myself have
seen solid statues in the material of the late Emperor
Augustus of very considerable thickness." The
Greeks and Romans found it an easy material for
fashioning into camei and intagli which later were
copied in glass. In the 18th century connoisseurs
applied the term "obsidians" to all antique pastes.
The so-called "Obsidian Bomb" has been much dis-
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cussed and written about. Professor F. W. Rudley
says: "It was believed for a long time to be a variety
of obsidian but its different fusibility and its chemical
composition are rather against its volcanic origin."
It is known as Moldavite, so-called by Mr. A. Dufrenoy from Moldanthein in Bohemia, where quantities have been found. On account of its olive-like
or bottle-green colour it is also called Bottle Stone or
Bouteillenstein. Dr. F. G. Suess suggested Tectite
from the Greek TEKTOS, melted. Mr. R. H. Walcott called them obsidianites. They have also been
termed Australites, Billitonites {from Billiton Island) etc. They were highly regarded by the Australian aboriginal as charm stones in sickness and
trouble. Mr. W. F. Chapman, A. L. S., of the Melbourne Museum agrees with Professor Rutley as to
the non-volcanic origin of the Obsidianite, and indicates the action of lightning in their formation. In
this he would have the support of the ancient student
who connects the obsidian with the heavenly Aquarius, the "sign of air."
OLIVINE. So-called by Werner in 1790. (See
CHRYSOLITE.)
ONYX
"CalW bg 1M onv.z; round 1M 1iuper lland
Black dr«~.m:
and phantom~
rile, a grillr band."
M.uuloDUB.
The onyx derives its name from the Greek
ONYX, ONYCHOS a finger-nail, and is as previously stated a variety of chalcedony. It has been
variously written as onyx stone, onyx, onix, oniche,
onice, onyse. The name of the stone is said to
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have sprung from the legend which tells that Cupid,
finding Venus asleep on the river bank, cut her
nails with the sharp point of his arrow. In this
story is enwrapped the mystery of earth birth which
through love enters the gate of Cancer and with the
aid of the moistures, materializes. The same parallel
is expressed in the Book of Genesis where it is written that previous to the birth of the world the
"Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
This occult philosophy is stressed by the Platonist
Macrobius who writes that the soul, descending to
the sphere of its spiritual death, the Earth, passes
through Cancer, the Gate of Man, and enters under
the planetary conditions that influence earth matters, receiving on the way the souls of the planets
to whose influence it is exposed whilst manifesting
in an earth body. As the soul descends it gathers
sensation and earthy feelings from the celestial Leo,
and long before its absolutely material birth obtains
its first breath of matter. Herein is the mystery of
the "two onyx stones enclosed in mountings of gold
graven with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel
which he put on the shoulders of. the ephod that they
should be stones for a memorial to the children of
Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses." As previously noted, on one onyx the names of six tribes
were engraved, on the other the names of the remaining six, and each tribe was symbolized by a
sign of the zodiac. The two onyx stones are the
material emblems of the two Gates-the Gate of
Cancer and the Gate of Capricorn-through which
the seH or soul enters and leaves the earth sphere,
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gathering first and throwing off afterwards, the
earth elements from ethereal to gross, from gross to
ethereal, as described by Macrobius. Many of the
writers of the Middle Ages place the onyx under the
signs Cancer and Capricorn and there is no reason
to oppose them. The onyx of Cancer is white and
light-coloured whilst that of Capricorn is black, the
birth of the child is white and bright, and with black
and sombre colours those on earth mourn for the
earth loss of the departed. So the "coming in"
and the "going out" symbolized by the two stones of
onyx set in gold, the metal of the Sun, in true talismanic style was the memorial to the children of
Israel, as it is to the world's children forever. Phillips, an author of the middle 17th century, notes an
old belief that the onyx is the congealed juice of a
tree called Onycha, which is commanded to be used
in a sacred way in the 84th verse of the 80th chapter
of Exodus, and which Emanuel Swedenborg corresponds to "interior natural truth." The statement,
then, that the onyx is the congealed juice of the
onycha is but a cryptic way of expressing the congealing of the waters of generation-a method followed by the occult masters through the ages. Old
Rabbi Benoni sees in the onyx a bound spirit which,
wakeful by night only, disturbs the wearer in sleep,
and the master Ragiel in his "Book of Wings"
recommends that a camel's head or the heads of
two goats among myrtles be cut on an onyx to control and constrain demons and to make the wearer
see the terrors of the night during sleeping hours.
This refers to the dark or S~turnie
onyx which is
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also recommended to be enclosed in a setting of lead
(metal of Saturn) and engraved with the figure of a
king crowned or a witch seated on a dragon especially
in the practice of dark or doubtful occult things.
Certain varieties of onyx presenting the appearance
of an eye were largely employed as eye stones and
it was recommended that such specimens be lightly
rubbed over the closed eyelids after work wherein
the eyes have been employed. Leonardus of the
16th century says that this onyx enters the eye of
its own accord and if it find anything within that is
noxious it drives it out and tempers the hurtful
and contrary humours. As a higher Saturnine stone
the onyx aids spiritual inspirations and helps the
wearer to restrain excessive passion. In the writer's
book on "Zodiacal Symbology and its Planetary
Power" the first degree of the sign Cancer is symbolized as "a curious ring set with a large heart of
white onyx." The 1st, ind, lOth, 11th, lith, 28th,
29th degrees of Cancer are much influenced by the
planet Venus and to these degrees especially applied
the white onyx engraved with a figure of Venus, a
charm recommended by old masters as a talisman
of beauty and strength. It was considered ideal for
a baby girl born under those degrees of Cancer
according to astro-philosophy. Mr. King mentions
a beautifully executed onyx intaglio showing Castor
naked, in his hand a large broadsword, weeping over
the tomb of Aphareus. The onyx in this case would
be of a more sombre hue and would be classed
amongst the Saturnine or mourning varieties. The
famous Nicolo-known as ~gyptila
by the ancient
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Romans-was obtained by cutting a blue section
surrounded by black out of the stone which then
presented a fine turquoise blue with a deep black
base. On this stone some of the finest ancient
work is found. It is supposed to have obtained its
name from the Greek word NIKOLAUS: "Its strange
derivation," wrote Mr. King, "from the Greek was
to suit the virtue ascribed to it, as if it meant Victor
of Nations. Its modem derivation is from ONICOW, an Italian word signifying a little onyx. A
variety of onyx marble with bands of brown found
in the cavern limestone of Gibraltar is known as
Gibraltar Stone. Professor Dana mentions the
famous Mantuan vase at Brunswick which, cut from
a single stone 7 inches high by i72 broad, takes
the form of a cream pot. The colour is brown on
which are raised figures of white and yellow, illustrating Ceres and Triptolemus searching for the
lost Proserpine. The Saturn side of the onyx is
taken by the Arabs who call it El Jaza or Sadness,
but the colour was always considered and the varieties were thus identified:}. Those resembling the human finger nail, under
Cancer.
i. White striped with red, under Cancer.
8. White striped with black, under Capricorn.
4. Black, unstriped, under Capricorn (probably
the true El Jaza).
6. Black with white stripes, under Capricorn.
One of the most remarkable pieces of modem
work in onyx is said to be the staircase of a New
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.
York millionaire. The cost of this is set down as
800,000 dollars.
The sardonyx or Sardian onyx as it is sometimes
called was written at various periods as sardonyse,
sardony, sardonix, sardonice, sardonyches, sarderyk,
sardonique, sardonick. Swedenborg corresponds it
to Love of Good and Light. It exhibits sard and
white chalcedony in layers, but some ancient
authors account as fine only those specimens which
exhibit three layers at least, a black base, a white
zone and a layer of red or brown-the black symbolizing humility, the white virtue, and the red fearlessness. The sardonyx is under the heavenly Leo--:\
the sign of sensation, feeling, "the first aspect of its \
(the soul's) future condition here below." In the l
Rosicrucian jewels the sardonyx appears as the gem
of victorious ecstasy and rapture which flow from
the eternal font of delight, banishing grief and woe.
It was said to give self-control, conjugal happiness
and good fortune, and it is said that if the woman
whose talismanic stone it is neglects to wear it she
will never marry. It was frequently engraved with
an eagle or a hawk as a talisman of fortune and it is
under the celestial Leo. The "Sainte Chapelle,''
the second largest cameo known, is stated by Sir
William Smith and others to measure 1~ x 10~
inches. Mr. C. W. King gives the measurements
as about 18 x 11 inches and states that it is a sardonyx of five layers. The central carving of this
"Grand Camahieu," as it was called, represents the
return of Germanicus from Germany in the year
17 A.D., Tiberius and Livia enthroned receiving
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him. In exergue, the grief-stricken captives are
shown. Above is the apotheosis of Augustus by
which the whole work is now known. This remarkable cameo was for a long time believed to typify
''the triumph of Joseph in Egypt," and was regarded
as a sacred relic. The learned Nicholas Claude
Fabri de Peiresc, the great antiquary of France,
proved in 1619 the falsity of this inconceivable belief,
and was the first to classify correctly the subject of
this massive gem. By pawning this sardonyx to
Louis X of France for 10,000 silver marks the unfortunate Baldwin II, Emperor of Constantinople, was
able to save his throne a little longer. This cameo
is in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris. Another
five strata sardonyx cameo-the largest known- is
the Carpegna cameo, formerly in the possession of
Cardinal Carpegna and now in the Vatican. This
large specimen is 16 inches long by U inches. "The
subject," writes Mr. King, "is the Pompa di Bacco,
or Bacchus and Ceres," Virgil's "duo clarissima
mundi lumina," as symbolizing the Sun and Moon,
standing upon a magnificent car: the god holding
a vase and a thyrsus, the goddess her bunch of wheat
ears. On his right stands winged Comus. The car
is drawn by 4 centaurs, two male and two female:
the first bears a rhyton and a thyrsus, the second a
torch whilst he snaps the fingers of his right hand:
one female centaur plays the double flute, the other
a tambourine. On the ground lie the mystic basket
and two huge vases. The large cameo, 9 x 8 inches,
known as the "Coronation of Augustus" shows that
Emperor enthroned, holding a sceptre in his right
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Venus, Cupid and the Graces
A Sardonyx Cameo by Cerbara
Newton Robinson Collection
Sold at Christie's, London, in 1909
Large and Rare Cameo. The Argonauts Consulting Hygiea
Kelsey I. Newman Collection
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hand with Livia by his side as Roma, etc. Between
Augustus and Livia is the zodiacal sign Capricorn,
under the third degree of which Augustus was hom
according to Firmicus. Beneath the various figures
(Neptune, Cybele, Drusus, Tiberius, Victory,
Antonia, wife of Drusus as Abundantia, and her
children Germanicus and Claudius), are Roman
soldiers erecting trophies, their unhappy captives in
the foreground.
The word "cameo" is said to be of unknown
derivation. Dr. Brewer says it means "onyx" and
there seems evidence enough to indicate that on
account of the great use of onyx and sardonyx for
cutting symbolic figures in relief, the term onyx was
usually accepted as indicating the completed work.
The derivation from the Arabic CHEMEIA, a
charm, is noted by Mr. King who draws attention to
the light in which such relics were universally considered in those ages by Orientals and Europeans
has affinity with the
alike. The Arabic w~rd
Talmudical Hebrew word KHEMEIA, an amulet, .
and there seems little reason to doubt that Cheme!a
or Khemeia is the parent of our word "cameo,"
known in the ancient world as an onyx, meaning a
charm, an amulet or a talisman.
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CHAPTER XXII
THE OPAL
THE OPAL IN ASTRo-PHILOSOPHY: PETRUS ARLEN818
DESCRIBES THE OPAL: PLINY's POETICAL OPINION:
THE PAEDEROB CHILD BEAUTIFUL AS LOVE: THE
ORPHAN: ROMAN SENATOR AND BIB OPAL: OPHTHAL11108 THE EYE STONE: OPINION OF MEDIAEVAL
WRITERS: THE BAY TREE: ALBERTUB MAGNUS AND
THE OPALS THAT SPARKLED IN DARKNEBB:
THE
ZODIACAL SIGN OF ROYALTY AND THE OPAL: KERAUNIOB OR THE THUNDER STONE: THE BEAUTY STONE:
THE STONE OF HOPE, ACHIEVEMENT AND LOVE:
THE LARGE HUNGARIAN OPAL: AUSTRALIAN OPAL
FIELDS: Bm DAVID BREWSTER's THEORY OF COLOUBS
IN OPALS: DR. G. F. H. SMITH'S EXPLANATION: 8EN8ITIVENE88 OF THE OPAL:
8UPER8TITION AGAINST
OPAL: THE PLAGUE AT VENICE: THE "BURNING
OF TROY": THE CRIMEAN WAR: SCOTT'S ANNE OF
GEIERBTEIN:
COMBINATIONS
OF
DIAMONDS
AND
OPALS: DESTRUCTION OF THE VANITIEB AT FLORENCE:
STORY OF THE OPAL OF ALFONZO XII OF SPAIN:
A CHOLERA STONE FATAL TO THE KING AND TO
ALL WHO RECEIVED IT FROM HIM ACCORDING TO
ASTROLOGICAL SCIENCE:
THE BARON's OPAL OF
FORTUNE.
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OPAL
"E-roru know ho1D capricimulg 1M tJOlour• of o fiM opal rorg from
dGg to clog ond ho1D rare 1M lighU ore whil:lafullg bring tlum out."
Rt1UIN.
The word "opal" is derived from the Latin
OPALUS, and is identified with the Sanscrit
UPALA, a precious stone. It appears under the
forms opale, opall, opalle, opalis, ophal.
This beautiful inimitable gem is a hydrous silica,
and is allied to the non-metallic minerals of the agate
family from which, however, it differs in brilliancy,
lustre and degree of hardness. It is sensitive to the
action of strong chemicals and does not present, like
other minerals, crystalline form. As a gem of the
Sun it exhibits ftows of fire like the sun at midsummer-as a gem of Venus its delicate beauty
radiates her colourful charms, and as a gem of
Uranus its refusal to submit to the all-embracing
Ia w of mineral structure harmonizes with the iconoclastic character of that planet according to astrophilosophy. Ancient and modem poets unite in
singing the praises of the opal. Onomacritus, known
as the religious poet of the ancient Greeks, over i,400
years ago wrote that "the delicate colour and tenderness of the opal reminded him of a loving and beautiful child." Joshua Sylvester (16th century) writes
of "the opal-coloured mom," and the poet Campbell
of a time when "the opal mom just Hushed the sky,"
thus echoing William Drummond of Hawthomden's:
"Aurora . . . toit1a 1an opolliglal
Niglal'• laorrour• claecketla, putting llor• lo fliglal."
Emerson writes of the "opal-coloured days," and
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Poe with true poetic fancy sees even the air opal
tinted:
"A tDriGIA IAol ttDi!Wd each .tarrr jOf'm oi'OIUid
And Gil 1M opo.l'tl Clir in colour bound."
Shakespeare in "Twelfth Night" links the mind of
the Duke with the opal (written "opall" in early
editions). Boetius, Cardanus and a host of writers
pay their tributes to the "orphan" of the Greeks,
and Petrus Arlensis writes: "The various colours in
the opal tend greatly to the delectation of the sight;
nay, more, they have the greatest efficacy in cheering
the heart, and the inward parts especially rejoice the
eyes of the beholders. One in particular came into
my hands in which such beauty, loveliness and grace
shone forth that it could truly boast that it forcibly
drew all other gems to itself, while it surprised,
astonished and held captive without escape or intermission the hearts of all who beheld it. · It was of the
size of a filbert and clasped in the claws of a golden
eagle wrought with wonderful art; and had such vivid
and various colours that all the beauties of the
heavens might be viewed within it. Grace went out
from it, majesty shot forth from its almost divine
splendour. It sent forth such bright and piercing
rays that it struck terror into all beholders. In a
word it bestowed upon the wearer the qualities
granted by Nature to itself, for by an invisible dart
it penetrated the souls and dazzled the eyes of all
who saw it: appalled all hearts, however bold and
courageous: in fine, it filled with trembling the bodies
of the bystanders and forced them by a fatal impulse
to love, honour and worship it. I have seen, I have
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Kelsey I. Newman Collection
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felt, I call God to witness: of a truth such a stone is
to be valued at an inestimable amount!'
Turning back again, we read Pliny's poetical
opinion that "the opal is made up of the glories of the
most precious gems which make description so
difficult. For amongst them is the gentler fire of
the ruby, the rich purple of the amethyst, the seagreen of the emerald, glittering together in union
indescni>able. Others by the intensity of their
hues equal all the painter's colours, others the flame of
burning brimstone or of fire quickened by oil." In
admiration the Romans called the gem CupidPaederos, child beautiful as love, and it was also
known as Orphanus, the orphan, because of its
isolated glory. Leonardus wrote that it partook of
all the virtues of those stones whose colours it showed,
and Porta said that it not only drove away despondency but malignant affections also. So highly valued
was the stone in the ancient world that the Roman
Senator Nonius, who wore an opal ring worth iO,OOO
sesterces, preferred to be exiled by Marcus Antonius,
who wished to purchase it to present to the Egyptian
Queen Kleopatra, to giving it up. This famous ring
was some few years back discovered in the tomb of.
the firm-willed senator of old Rome.
Opal was called OPTHALMIOS or Eye Stone in
the Middle Ages, and in the time of Queen Elizhbeth
it was written ophal and opall. Our "Rare" Ben
Jonson writes of an opal "wrapped in a bay leaf in
my left fist to charm their eyes with." The opalophthalmis lapis-was famous as an eyestone, taking
precedence over the emerald and all gems credited
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with such virtue. It was advised by mediaeval
writers that it be wrapped in a bay leaf to sharpen
the sight of the owner and to blunt that of others
with whom he came in contact: hence also its reputed
virtue of bestowing the gift of invisibility which
earned it the name "Patronus furum,, the patron of
thieves.
The Bay tree is identified in astro-philosophy as a
tree of the Sun and the zodiacal Leo (House of the
Sun), and is an ancient recognized charQl against
evil forces, thunder, lightning and the afflictions of
Saturn which is the heavenly symbol of darkness, as
the Sun is the heavenly symbol of light. Albertus
Magnus, regarding the opal as a symbol of the loveliness of light, says that "at one time, but not in our
age, it sparkled in the dark." The zodiacal Leo or
Lion is the ancient recognized sign of royalty and old
writers say that kingly government was established
on the earth in the Leonine age. Alluding to the
great translucent opal in the Crown of the Holy
Roman Empire, Albertus said that it safeguarded the
honour of the kings. The stone was always considered to protect the wearer from cholera, kidney
troubles, and similar diseases, to soothe the heart, the
eyes and the nerves, and to protect from the lightning
stroke. The belief in its power to ward off lightning
was universal in the ancient world when amongst the
people it was believed to have fallen from the heavens
during thunder storms-hence its old name, KERAUNIOS, Thunder Stone, amongst the Greeks,
and CERAUNIUM amongst the Romans. The
opal was essentially the stone of beauty, which
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coveted gift it bestowed upon the wearer who, however, must have entered earth life with the Sun in
Leo (approximately between July !t4th and August
!t4th), Libra (September !t4th to October !t4th) or
Aquarius (January !tlst to February 19th). It
favoured children, the theatre, amusements, friendships, and the feelings. Held between the eyes it
gave proper direction to the thoughts. Held in the
left hand and gazed upon it favouredI the desires.
It is the stone of hope and achievement and has been
truly described as the ''gem of the gods., Above
all, it is a stone of love, hut if the lover be false its
infiuence is reversed, and the opal proves a sorry gem
for faithless lovers. Mr. Emanuel comments on
the two fine opals which were amongst the imperial
jewels of France, one of which was set in the clasp
of the royal cloak. The opal, astrologically considered, is one of the fortunate gems for France.
A beautiful uncut opal discovered at Czemovitza
in Hungary has been valued at over £50,000 sterling;
this specimen, in length 5 inches by !t72 and weighing
8,000 carats, was placed in the Museum of Natural
History at Vienna. The mines at Czemovitza are
known to have been worked over 500 years ago, and
at a more remote period they no doubt supplied the
ancient world. There is little doubt, however, that
the wonderful opals from Australia's fields have
eclipsed anything yet found. The White Cliffs,
the Lightning Ridge, and the newer field out North
West are responsible for some of the most beautiful
gems that have ever been unearthed. A kangaroo
hunter accidentally discovered the White Cliffs field
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in New South Wales over 40 years ago whilst following the trail of a kangaroo. Rich "blacks" were
discovered later in the iron sandstone of Lightning
Ridge (New South Wales) and the new fields North
West of Tarcoola are yielding white and light
varieties. Opal country is dry and dreary and the
diggers deserve all they find. Sir David Brewster's
theory of the colour blends which flash from an opal
is that "the stone is internally traversed with undulating fissures of microscopic minuteness upon which
refraction and decomposition of light takes place.
The variations in the nature of these minute cavities
cause the appearance of the opal to vary considerably, and the different effects of colour thus produced
are technically known as the .pattern of the gem."
Hauy held that colour in the opal is caused by thin
fi.lms of air which :6.11 the interior cavities. Dr. G. F.
Herbert Smith writes "that the colouration is not due
to ordinary absorption but to the action of cracks in
the stone. This is shown by the fact that the transmitted light is complementary to the reflected light;
the blue opal, for instance, is a yellow when held up
so that light has passed through it. • . . Opal
differs," he says, "from the rest of the principal gem
stones in being not a crystalline body but a solidified
jelly, and it depends for its attractiveness upon the
characteristic play of colour known, in consequence,
as opalescence which arises from a peculiarity in the
structure. Opal is mainly silica (~ ~)
in composition,
but it contains in addition an amount of water,
thereby differing slightly in refractivity from the
original substance. The structure not being quite
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homogeneous, each crack has the same action upon
light as a soap-film and gives rise to precisely similar
phenomena: the thinner and more uniform the cracks,
the greater the splendour of the chromatic display,
the particular tint depending upon the direction in
which the stone is viewed. The cracks in certain
opals are not filled up, and therefore contain air."
The opal is a very sensitive gem and should not be
put near strong acids nor greasy substances. The
heat of the body improves its lustre for the opal is
essentially a stone to be worn, but it is unsafe to put
these gems near liquids or to submit them to fire.
"Truth i8
118
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118
the run-
b~Jam."
MILTON.
Perhaps against no other gem has the bigotry of superstitious ignorance so prevailed as against
the wonderful opal. The reason for it dates no ·
further back apparently than the 14th century. It
was at this time that the dreaded '~Black
Death" was
carrying off thousands of people in Europe. Th~
year 1848, .an astrological Martial sub-cycle, saw
Venice assailed by desttuctive earthquakes, tidal·
waves and the Plague. The epidemic in a few·
months carried off two-fifths of the population of the
city, sparing neither rich nor poor, young nor old~
It is said that at this time the opal was a favourite
gem with ItaFan jewellers, being much used in theil"
work. It is further said that opals worn by those
stricken became suddenly brilliant and that the
lustre entirely departed with the death of the wearer.
Story further tells that the opal then became an
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object of dread and was associated with the:death
of the victim. On the astrological side it might be
considered that the city of Venice comes under the
watery Cancer, and can not, therefore, claim the
opal as its jewel. But, admitting that under special
and rare conditions certain diseases can influence
the opal if worn on the body, the truth of the Venice
story can be reasonably doubted. Another theory
of the origin of the superstition is traced to the
rigorous order of Jerome Savonarola for the destruction of the vanities in the year 1497. This remarkable ascetic caused great bonfires to be lighted in
various parts of the city of Florence, the largest in
the Piazza Signoria. Into these bonfires were
thrown works of art and beauty, pictures, statues,
jewels and beautiful raiment . The fanatical spirit
so gained ground owing to the impassioned preaching
of Savonarola that women threw into the flames their
costliest jewels, authors their books, students their
manuscripts and poets their love songs. It is
assumed that the opal, the gem and symbol of the
beauties of Venus came under the ban and history
relates that the most direct onslaughts were made on
the pictures and statues of the goddess. Astrologers
show that the year 1497 was dominated by the planet
of war and destruction, Mars, and it is deplorable
that so many wonderful works were sacrificed during
that unhappy period. The artist F. W. W. Topham,
R. I., has illustrated this event in his well-known
painting "Renouncing the Vanities by Order of
Savonarola/, which picture now hangs in the Art
Gallery of New South Wales. There is also a
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story which tells that during the Crimean War the
gem was popular with the English army and navy
and that it was found in quantities on the bodies of
the slain. Sir Walter Scott's romantic story "Anne
of Geierstein," was a powerful influence in advancing
the superstition against the opal, although Sir Walter
alluded to the Mexican Opal known as Girasol and
not to the better known precious opal. Even whilst
these superstitions were growing, to dream of an
opal was regarded as an indication of great possessions, of the favour of ladies and people of influence,
and-if the stone be dark-of sudden happenings of
a beneficial nature. Another modem superstition
says that it is not fortunate to set opals and diamonds
together in jewels. Quabalistically, opals and diamonds are set down as particularly harmonious
stones which, in combination, have a fortunate and
positive-negative influence. Astrologically the diamond is attached to the zodiacal signs Aries, Leo and
Libra, and the opal to Leo, Libra and Aquarius, and
astrology is absolutely the special guide to talismanic
construction. The fine fiery opal known as the
"Burning of Troy" given by Napoleon to Josephine,
is sometimes quoted as evidence of the evil power of
opals. It rather provides peculiar testimony in
favour of old talismanic lore. This opal was lost
and has never since been found-opals would be
regarded as unfavourable for Josephine. Passing
over trivial superstitions containing neither truth
nor interest, we may conclude this section with
the story of the Grand Opal of Spain which is said
to have brought disaster to the Royal House:
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When Alfonzo XII of Spain was a wanderer he was
deeply attracted by, and fell in love with the Comtesse de Castiglione, then a reigning beauty. Immediately Alfonzo became King the Comtesse
hastened to greet him with the fond desire to become
his queen. However, when she found that he had
set her aside and married the Princess Mercedes her
anger knew no bounds. Resolving on revenge, she
sent Alfonzo "in memory of the old friendship" a
wedding present of a magnificent opal set in a filagree ring of gold-a style of mounting in great favour
with the jewellers of Spain. The delicacy of the
jewel so attracted Queen Mercedes that she asked
the King to grace her finger with it. A few months
afterwards she died of a mysterious illness and
Alfonzo gave the ring so admired by her to Queen
Christina, his grandmother, whose death shortly
followed. The King then presented the ring to his
sister the Infanta Maria del Pilar, who was in tum
carried off by the same mysterious illness. A few
weeks afterwards the King's sister-in-law, the
youngest daughter of the Due and Duchesse de
Montpensier, who had. asked the King for the ring
also died. The King then placed it on his own finger
and in a little time the same illness which had
affected his wife and kindred ended his troubled
earth-life. After these calamities Queen Christina
attached the ring to a chain of gold and set it about
the neck of the patron saint of Madrid, the Virgin
of Alumdena. Ancient philosophy would have
depreciated the wearing or giving of an opal by
Alfonzo XII of Spain. At this time it must be ·
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remembered that cholera was raging throughout
Spain-over 100,000 people died of it during the
summer and autumn of 1885. It attacked all
HoaoecoPII oF
ALFOxzoXII
A·~!l)
Amologically the opal would be accounted unfortunate for thia King.
classes from the palace of the King to the hut of the
peasant, some accounts giving the death estimate
at 60% of the population. It would be a.S obviously
ridiculous to hold the opal responsible for this scourge
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as it was to do so in the case of the previously noted
plague at Venice. All that may be said is that in
this case the opal was not a talisman of good for
King Alfonzo XII of Spain and to those who received
it from his hand, and that in the philosophy of
sympathetic attraction and apathetic repulsion man,
stones, metals and all natural objects come under the
same law. We may wonder why the King gave this
opal from one of his relatives to another, but the
reputation of the opal as a charm against cholera
(noted in the previous chapter) must have reached
the King who, in the intensity of his worry, used a
charm which according to the ancients would act in
his hands fatally instead of beneficially.
In the month of October, 1908, a French Baron
sitting in the stalls of the London Pavilion during
Mr. and Mrs. Marriott's thought-reading exhibition,
handed an opal of uncommon form to Mr. Marriott.
Mrs. Marriott seated on the stage with bandaged
eyes gave an accurate description of it, saying further
that it was a stone of fortune to the owner who was
about to become the possessor of over half a million
of money. The Baron, who resided in London for
the past 18 years, when interviewed by a representative of the "Evening News" on the following day,
communicated the fact that a few days before, he
had, through the death of a relative in Mexico
become heir to property worth over £500,000, yielding an income of £!5,000 per annum. The Baron
who cherished the opal as his sympathetic luck
stone, told the newspa~r
man that:
"It is an uncut stone which has been in the possession
•
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of my family since the twelfth century. We have
always had the tradition that it will bring good fortune
to any direct descendant of the family in the male line
who holds it.
"A curious stipulation, however, of the tradition is
that the person who has it must possess qualities which
have a sympathetic attraction to the stone in order
that its beneficent effect may be felt. On a fiat surface
of the opal is a word in old Spanish, now only dimly
seen, which means in English 'good luck.'
"I have treasured the gem as an heirloom, but have
thought little of the tradition until lately, when a
member of the cadet branch of the family died and left
me the immense fortune I have mentioned to you.
I can hardly realize all that it means to me as yet. Up
to now my income has not been much more than £500,
and to suddenly find £25,000 a year at one's disposal is
a little staggering.
"There have been one or two previous instances where
my ancestors while holding the opal have experienced
exceptionally good luck, but, personally, I have not
ever paid much regard to the old tradition. You may
imagine, however, that the gem will be most carefully
preserved by me."
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THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN OPAL
CHAPTER XXIII
THE FLAME QUEEN
..Bvl tD1to can paint
LiM Nature' Can imagination bo4ll
Amid ill ga11 creation huu like her""
Taousox.
The Flame Queen, the rarest stone yet won from
the barren sun-baked opal fields of Lightning
Ridge, New South Wales, near the borders of
Queensland, Australia-takes its place amongst the
famous gems of the world.
It is a large oval-shaped stone measuring i.S
inches by i.S inches and weighing i58 carats. In
structure and colour phenomena it is unique-the
centre slightly in relief whilst the surrounding border
stands out boldly as a frame to a picture. Looking
directly on to the stone the inspiration of the name
becomes manifest. The centre, a deep flame, bums
scarlet, and two slight depressions almost parallel
to each other give the impression of fire mountains
in eruptive action, the lower of which flings two
triangular shafts towards the enclosing green frame.
Viewed from another angle the burning centre yields
as if by magic to a field of cool yet vivid emerald, and
the frame to a royal blue. Another angle shows a
bronze centre touched with points of darker hue
300
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Other Aspects of the Great Opal " The Flame Queen"
Kelsey I. Newman Collection
See also Frontispiece
'
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within a frame of changing blue and amethyst. The
stone is chameleon-like, bewildering in its living
beauty.
This stone is the choicest gem in the Kelsey I.
Newman collection of rare opals and precious stones.
On the 6th of March, 1916, Mr. Allan Harris of
Brisbane submitted the gem to the Queensland
Geological Survey. In the course of his report Mr.
B. Dunstan, the chief Government Geologist,
mentions that the back of the stone "is impressed
with what appears to be a fossil.Plant called GINKO,
which occurs in the Jurassic ricks of Queensland but
not in association with any opal deposits. The
stone is a wonderful specimen and much the largest
gem of its class that has ever come under my notice."
This beautiful opal-unlike some other famous gems
mentioned in this book-is said to have brought good
fortune to all who have been associated with it.
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CHAPTER XXIV
VARIOUS KINDS OF OPAL
CACBOLONG, THE OPAL OF FRIENDSHIP: FLOAT STONE,
THE LOVERS' OPAL: GIRASOL, THE
FIRE
OPAL:
HYALITE, THE EYE OPAL: HYDROPHANE, THE MAGIC
OPA_T_.: MENILITE, THE LIVER OPAL: OPAL JASPER:
ROSE OPAL: SEMI-oPAL, THE FOREST OPAL: TABA!SHEER: MARCO POLO'S ACCOUNT OF THE EXPEDITION
OF THE GREAT KAAN: THE OPAL OF INVULNERABILITY AND REMOVER OF DREAD: THE MARVEL
OF TRANSFORMATION.
"Grey year~
ago a man lifl«l in 111 eut,
Who did 'J1081UI a ring of tDOrlla imtnM~,
From a belot1ed hand. Opal111 .toM,
Which jkul&«l. a hundr• bright and b«<vl«<tu hUll,
.And had 111HCrel power to ma1u belot1ed
Of God and man 111
and fortunat.
Who wore it in tl&ii/Gith and on~."
''NATHAN TilE WIIIII," LDIBDlG.
blu••
CACHOWNG. An opaque white or bluishwhite variety of opal which obtains its name from
the river Cach in Bokhara, according to some
authorities and from the Tartars according to
others. The Easterns set a high value on 'the
stone which glistens with the opalescent gleam of
Mother of Pearl. It is associated with chalcedony
and being of a porous nature sticks to the tongue
when touched by it. The Cacholong is a stone of
pure friendship, sincerity and truth.
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FWAT STONE. A porous opal of a fibrous type
which floats on water. It occurs in concretionary
masses and is esteemed as a stone over which the
most sacred promises may be made. Lovers join
hands over a Float Stone floating on a vessel of water
and pledge their troth with the utmost solemnity,
misfortune being bound to dog the footsteps of the
faithless one.
GIRASOL. The Girasol is the Mexican Fire
Opal which reflects hyacinth and yellow colours.
Good specimens are attractive and fairly popular.
This is the opal indicated in Scott's "Anne of Geierstein."
HYALITE. The name is derived from the Greek
transparent glassword for glass, and the ston~a
like opal-has been called Muller's Glass by Dr. A.
G. Werner who is said to have discovered it. It is
very like clear gum arabic and is probably one of the
esteemed eye stones of the old writers.
HYDROPHANE. This variety of opal is very
porous and beautifully translucent and opalescent
after being left for a little time in water. It is
otherwise of an opaque white or yellow and not very
attractive. In the United States it has been termed
Magic Stone.
MENILITE. This variety is found in slate not
far from the French capital. It is termed also Liver
Opal and is said to have talismalfic action on that
organ. It is a concretionary opal, brown or livercoloured.
OPAL JASPER. Opal Jasper is a jasper-like
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resinous, dark red, ferruginous variety of opal,
identified as the opal of beautiful wisdom.
ROSE OPAL. A beautiful rose-coloured opal
found at Quincy in France. This is the opal of the
baby Cupid and is termed the Opal of Childhood.
SEMI-OPAL. A silicified wood-opal of waxy
lustre, transparent to opaque. It is found in
various colours-white, brown, grey, red, blue,
green. It has the appearance of petrified wood.
It is a tree-growing charm and is no doubt the
Forest Opal.
TABASHEER. Corrupted from Tabixir, is a
siliceous aggregation found in the joints of certain
bamboo known in the Malay as the Mali Mali, Rotan
jer' nauf (blood of the dragon Rattan) and Buluh
Kasap (rough bamboo) . In appearance it is generally like clear gum arabic, although sometimes
opaque, and is the sap transformed by evaporation.
Under reflective light it is a kind of blue and under
transmitted light it is either light yellow or amberred. It is extremely absorptive. In Marco Polo's
account of the expedition of the Great Kaan against
Chipangu, we are told that "when the people of the
Kaan had landed on the great Island they stormed a
tower belonging to some of the islanders who refused
to surrender. Resistance being overcome, the
Kaan's soldiers cut off the heads of all the garrison
except eight. On these eight they found it impos•
sible to inflict any wound. Now this was by virtue
of certain stones which they had in their arms
inserted between the skin and flesh with such skill
as not to show at all externally. And the charm and
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virtue of the stones were such that those who wore
them would never perish by steel. So when the
Kaan's generals heard this they ordered that the
prisoners be beaten to death with clubs. After their
death the stones were extracted from their bodies
and were greatly prized." Friar Odoric says that
these Stones of Invulnerability were Tabashir specimens which were used by the natives of the Indian
Islands where their virtue was esteemed. According to Avicenna the Tabashir was a powerful eye
stone and remover of past fears, present dreads and
future anxieties.
PSEUDOMORPHIC OPAL. Opalized shells,
bones, etc., are found in quantities in opal country.
These specimens are unique and of much curious
interest. A number of shells from the new fields
150 miles North West of Tarcoola (on the East-West
Railway, over ~
miles from Port Augusta) were
submitted to the author. In these the silica slowly
and progressively took the place of the primary
substance until it was completely opalized, the old
form of the material being only retained. It is
remarkable to contemplate the change of conditions
which placed the former substance so completely
at the mercy of the consuming opal. Such transformation is continual in Nature, manifesting variously in the mineral world, proving that eternal
progress is eternal change. It was the observation
of similar material phenomena that led ancient
scientists to the conclusion that transformations
could be accomplished by the skill, knowledge and
wisdom of sincere and gifted men who undaunted
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by superficial criticism persevered, and the triumphs
of the chemist served to indicate how much more
could be done by thOse brave enough to prove the
immortality of man by reducing the unknown to
terms of the known.
The word PSEUDOMORPH is derived from the
Greek PSEUDO and MORPHES, disguising one's
form.
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CHAPTER XXV
PEARL
PEARL: BOW PRODUCED: SYMBOLIC STORIES OF THE
ANCIENTS:
BOETHIUS
AND
THE RIVER PEARLS:
VISHNU CREATES PEARLS: PEARLS ON THE RAMAYANA: SANDIUS'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE ROYAL
SOCIETY OF LONDON IN
AND
DARWIN
1678:
sm EVERARD HOME
ON THE FORMATION
OF
PEARLS:
MR. KELAART'S REPORTS TO THE GOVERNMENT OF
CEYLON: RESEARCHES OF PROFESSORS HERDMANN,
HORNEL AND SEURAT: THE TIME OF PEARL MATURITY: HOME ON THE LUSTER OF THE PEARL:
THE FORM OF A PEARL: THE PROCESS OF "SKINNING": JEROME AND THE STORY OF THE DOVES:
THE PEARL OF PRINCE IMENHEIT:
THE
GREAT
PERSIAN PEARL: THE HOPE PEARL: THE AUSTRIAN
IMPERIAL
PEARL:
LA
PELLEGRINA:
THE
GREAT
SOUTHERN CROSS: THE PEARL OF PHILLIP ll OF
SPAIN: THE PEARL OF THE KING OF MAABAR:
THE TmETAN PRAYER OF VICTORY: KING JAIPAL'S
NECKLACE: THE FAMINE IN EGYPT: EBU HESHAM's
ACCOUNT OF THE TOMB OF PRINCESS TAJAH: BENVENUTO CELLINI AND THE PEARL NECKLACE OF THE
DUCHESS OF FLORENCE: THE PEARL ROPE OF MARIE
ALEXANDROVNA:
PINK PEARLS:
RED
PEARLS:
A
DEATH RITE MENTIONED BY MARCO POLO: PEARLS
USED IN BUDDHIST CEREMONIES: JULIUS CAESAR,
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AN EXPERT IN PEARLS: THE BREASTPLATE OF VENUS
GENETRIX: C..ESAR'S GIFT TO SERVILLA: PEARLS
IN THE TIMES OF THE C..£SARS: SENECA'S CYNICISM:
KLEOPATRA'S PEARLS: OTHER PEARL SWALLOWERS:
PEARLS AND JEWELS OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTLAND:
PEARLS IN HEBRAIC AND ARABIAN LEGEND! THE
PEARL IN CHINA! THE PEARL IN MEDICINE: THE
ANGEL GABRIEL AND THE PEARL: THE PEARL 01'
PARADISE .
PEARL
"Searching tM waH I wan IMrtJ/,_ 11 pearl
Moonlilu and gloriotu, lUCia 111lring• might hr
Emptying their lrea111"ff."
AmroLD.
The name "pearl" is derived f:oom the Latin
Pilula, diminutive of Pila, a ball, and some of
the forms of the word noted are perle, peerle, peri,
peril, perill, pearel, peirle, pearle_. The pearl is a
product of certain salt and fresh water shell-fish
of the Aviculidae family. It is formed by the
efforts of the mollusc to rid itself of irritating substances by the iridescent fluid secretion with which
he lines his shell. The effect of this irritation is
shown in a number of irregular tubercules inside the
shell, and within these coverings is the securely
protected pearl. Frequently pearls of most beautiful
lustre and form are found detached from the shell
in the fleshy folds of the oyster, and these are said
to be the most perfect. It is now quite certain
that disease is not the cause, as has so generally
been believed. Amongst the ancient writers so
much of the purely symbolic was set down in per-
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
809
fectly plain, matter-of-fact language that it is
difficult to make assertions as to what was really
known of the material truth. Both Pliny and
Discorides poetically state that dew or rain from
Heaven fell into the open pearl shells and were
transformed by the secretions of the oyster into
precious pearls. There is an old legend which
tells that the tears of joy shed by the angels for the
ultimate destiny of man were the tears that fell
into the pearl oyster shell to be transformed into
beautiful pearls. Moore delightfully refers to this
story:
"Preciow 1M t«Jr tu tlwt rain from 1M •ktl
Wlaicla tum8 into pearu tu ilfalU in tlae •ea."
The philosopher Anicius Boethius, of the 5th and
6th centuries, A.D., writes that the fresh water
pearl mussels of the Scotch rivers, the sky being
clear and the weather temperate, open their mouths
just a little above water to catch the heavenly
dews, which, when swallowed, cause the breeding
of pearls. These mussels, continues the philosopher,
are so sensitive that the slightest noise causes them
to sink to the bottom of the river. He credits them
with "knowing well in what estimation the fruit of
their womb is to all people." Vishnu, according to
Indian mythology, created pearls MOTI by his
word, and consequently these gems are foremost
in the adornment of Indian deities. The Ramayana,
perhaps the greatest poem of ancient India, narrates
the story of the death of Maha Bali, telling that
pearls sprung from the teeth of the slain god.
In the winter of 1678 the naturalist Sandius sent
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
-on the authority of "Henricus Arnoldi, an Ingenious Dane"-a letter from which the following
is extracted to the newly formed Royal Society
of London:
"Pearl shells in Norway do breed in sweet waters:·
their shells are like mussels but larger: the fish is
like an oyster, it produces clusters of eggs: these,
when ripe, are cast out and become like those that
cast them: but sometimes it appears that one or two
of these eggs stick fast to the side of the matrix and
are not voided with the rest. These are fed by the
oyster against her will, and they do grow, according
to the length of time, into pearls of different bigness,
and do imprint a mark both on fish and shell by the
situation conform to its figure."
The eminent surgeon, Sir Everard Home, unaware of the letter of Sandius, arrived at the same
conclusion independently. He writes that this,
"the richest jewel in a monarch's crown which cannot be imitated by any art of man, either in beauty
of form or brilliancy of lustre is the abortive egg of
an oyster enveloped in its OWn nacre.''
Darwin (Economy of Vegetation) writes that
pearls are formed "like those calcareous productions
of crabs known by the name of 'crabs' eyes' which
are always near the stomach of the creature. In
both cases the substance is probably a natural
provision either for the reparation or enlargement
of the shell."
Mr. Kelaart in his reports to the Government
of Ceylon (1857-1859}, seems to be the first to
allude to the part played by parasites in the pro-
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Kelsey I. Newman Collection
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duction of pearls in tropical seas. The researches
of Professors Herdman and Homel confirmed the
deductions of Kelaart that the larva of a Cestoid
was the identified pearl parasite. Monsieur Seurat,
the French naturalist, who made a long study of
the pearl oyster of the Pacific, was also convinced
that pearl formation was caused by a parasite.
Whatever the cause of the irritability which brings
into action the nacreous secretion of the tortured
oyster, it is evident that the protective process is a
long one. The pearl culture industry of the Chinese
and Japanese has shown that it takes twelve months
for the irritant to be covered with a coat of a tenth
of a millimetre. A new layer is formed over the old
one about once a year. Pearlers say that an oyster
must be at least four years old before pearls begin
to form properly, and that it does not mature for
from 7 to 9 years. The beautiful lustre of the
pearl Sir Everard Home held to arise from a central
cell of bright nacre, the diaphanous substance
admitting the light rays. "Upon taking a split
pearl," he writes, "and putting a candle behind the
cell, the surface of the pearl became immediately
illuminated; and upon mounting one with coloured
foil behind the cell, and by putting a candle behind
the foil, the outer convex surface became universally
of a beautiful pink colour." The examination of a
half pearl will show the concentric formation which
is like an onion, and the process called "skinning"
is often resorted to in the endeavour to gain a more
lustrous jewel by removing the outer layer. The
translucency of the perfect pearl has not been cor-
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
rectly reproduced by any artificial production.
A curious passage in Jerome Cardan's "De Rerum
Varietate" (16th century), repeats an old saying
that the lustre and polish on pearls arises from doves
playing with them. To understand this seemingly
absurd story it is necessary to carry our minds far
hack to the famous Greek oracle at Dodona in Epirus.
According to Herodotus the Phrenicians carried off
the sacred women from Thebes in Egypt to the
Lihian oracle of Zeus Ammon and to Dodona-the
legend at Dodona saying that they came in the form
of two doves. The Greek word for "doves" is the
same as that for "priestesses," namely, PELEIAI.
The connection can he carried further, if necessary,
but it is sufficient to establish the tie between women
and the doves. The word PELEIAI was freely
used for both and came to he employed as an endearing term for wise women just as we today call
a woman of talent "Diva." It is a proven fact and
an extremely ancient one that pearls worn near the
skin of a woman-especially, according to ancient
philosophy, near one in whose horoscope the moon
was powerfully placed at birth-are improved in
lustre and tone. So let the "Doves" (peleiai)
he wise and play with their pearls.
Tavernier writes of "the most beautiful pearl in
the world" which belonged to Imenheit, Prince of
Muscat. After a lavish entertainment which the
Khan of Ormus gave in honor of the Prince, the latter
took off a chain which he wore round his neck and to
which was attached a small bag. From the bag
he drew forth this wonderful pearl of perfect sphe-
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ricity, so translucent that the light could almost be
seen through it. The weight of this gem was 1~
carats and so high a value did Prince lmenheit place
tomans for it from his
on it that he refused ~0
host, the Khan of Ormus, who coveted it as a present
for the King of Persia, and 40,000 crowns with which
he was later tempted by an agent of the Grand
Mogul. This pearl was discovered off the Persian
coast. Another great pearl which, according to
Tavernier, was the most perfect ever discovered,
was found at Catifa, a famous fishery in Pliny's
time. The great traveller says that the King of
Persia obtained it from an Arabian merchant in
1688. It was a pearl of great size and a "pearl of
great price," the King giving 1,400,000 livres (about
$550,000) for it. It was pear-shaped, and of perfect colour and symmetry. The weight is not
stated, but it was said to be about 1~
inches in
length and 68 inches in diameter at its greatest
part. The "Hope" pearl of cylindrical form weighs
454 carats. This gem belonged to Mr. Henry
Thomas Hope, so well-known in connection with the
"Hope" diamond. Another famous pearl of 800
carats once adorned the Imperial crown of Austria.
"La Pellegrina," an Indian white circular pearl of
28 carats, said to be the most perfect specimen in
the world today, was in the Zosima Museum,
Moscow. Nine large pearls interlinked so as to
naturally form a true representation of the Southern
Cross were discovered in a pearl oyster off the West
Australian Coast by Mr. Kelly, of Roebum, who
was familiarly known as "Shiner" Kelly. The
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
crew of his lugger viewed it with superstitious fear
and it was buried for some years. It was afterwards
resurrected and exhibited at the Colonial and Indian
exhibition, London, in 1886, where it caused some
sensation. The pearls which formed the cross were
at first thought by many to be joined together by
craft, but experts with powerful magnifying glasses
speedily dispelled this illusion and proved that
nature, not man, was the artist who reproduced the
Star Cross of the Heavens-the Cross of Australian
Unity-in pearls in a sea oyster.
In the year 1679 a pearl of i60 carats was obtained
amongst others by the agents of Philip ll, of Spain,
from the Island of Margarita in the West Indies.
It was said to be worth 160,000 dollars. Marco
Polo writes that the King of Maabar wears
pearls and gems worth more than a city's ransom.
"Nobody is permitted to take out of his kingdom a
pearl weighing more than half a saggio (a Venetian
weight, the sixth of an onze), unless he manages to
do it secretly. The King every year proclaims
through the realm that if anyone possesses a pearl
of great worth and will bring it to him, he (the
King), will pay three times as much as its value.
Everybody is glad to do this and thus the King
gets all into his own hands, giving every man his
price." This King wore a necklace on which 104
pearls and rubies of great size were strung on fine
silk, and every day, following the custom of his
ancestors, he had to say 10. prayers to the gods.
The number is disputed but in an occult sense the
Tibetan prayer of Victory over the 10. devils seems
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to confirm it. The pearl necklace which Muhammed forced the Hindu King Jaipal to surrender
to him (1001 A. D.}, is said to have been made of
great pearls. It was valued at iO,OOO dinars
(more than 500,000 dollars). We read in the Book
of Genesis of the terrible famine which affected
the peoples of the earth and drove them to seek
com in the land of Egypt where doubtless, owing
to the great pull on her stocks, some anxiety was
beginning to be felt. The Arabian writer, Ebn
Hesham, describes a sepulchre in Yemen which
had been discovered after some heavy floods. In
this sepulchre lay the embalmed body of an Arabian
princess around whose neck were 7 strands of pearls,
age-stained and lustreless. There were. rings set
with precious stones on her fingers and toes, 7
jewelled armlets on each of her arms and 7 jewelled
anklets about each ankle~
In the tomb treasure
was found, and on a tablet at her head she had
caused to be written the following inscription, the
translation of which by Mr. Forster is reproduced
by Mr. William Jones, F.S.A.:
"In IAr Mme, 0 God, tAe God of Him11ar,
I, TajaA, tAe do.ughter of Dw Sheja", 1ent m11 1mont to JOHpla,
And 16, cWa,ing to f'elum to me, I 1ent m11 handmaid,
W iiA a tnea~Uf'l!
of rilHf', to bring me back a tnea~Uf'
of jlouf':
And ftOt bring abU to pt'OCUf'l! it, I 1ent hllf' toith a tneCJIUre of gold:
And 1IOC bring abU to pt'OCUre it, I commanded tAem to tAe lf'O"nd:
And finding no profit in tlaem, I am 1h!# up luwe.
~
ma11 Mar of it, kt him pity me:
And 1hauld an111Al0man adorn luwulf toith an omament
Ff'Ofl& m11 omamentl, ma11 1111! die toith no oiAef' IAan m11 deal!."
It would be very unlikely that after understanding
these last words ~f the Princess Tajah (a name
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
which quabalistically would imply "the Sacrifice")
any woman would be bold enough to attempt to
put on the seven ropes of dead pearls and the other
jewels that adorned the mortal remains of the
famine-stricken princess.
Turning to later times Benvenuto Cellini tells
in his interesting memoirs rather an amusing story
of a string of pearls which the Duke of Florence
purchased for the Duchess from "that scoundrel
Bernardini" for several thousand crowns. Princess
Catherine Radziwill whose intimacy with the old
Courts of Europe is well known, tells of the love of
the Russian Empress Marie Alexandrovna (grandmother of the unfortunate Nicholas II), for pearls
which she never tired of buying. She wore ropes
of from i5 to SO which, being of varied lengths,
would when worn extend from the top to the hem
of her dress. She was reputed to have had some of
the largest pear-shaped pearls in the world. James
Bruce, the famous traveller ("Travels to discover
the Sources of the Nile," 1768-1778), writes that
the pinna or wing shell mentioned by Pliny which is
found with its fibre-like rope on the bed of the Red
Sea yields the beautiful pink-tinted pearl so highly
prized in ancient and modem times. Red or rose
coloured pearls are termed by the natives SOffiTAMUKTI. Marco Polo mentions that they are
found off the island of Chipangu, "big, round and
rosy, and quite af' valuable as white ones." Be
also writes that when a dead body is burnt one of
these pearls is always put in th~
mouth, "for such
is their custom." Pearls of this tint are accounted
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as precious objects and were used in Buddhist
ceremonial and worship. Julius Cresar was extremely fond of pearls. Caius Suetonius ("Lives of
the Cresars"), tells us that he was a great expert and
knew so much about them that he could estimate
their exact weights "by his hand alone." The
same writer tells us that Cresar's love of pearls was
the cause of his expedition against Britain, the
pearls he obtained there being, greatly to his chagrin, of poor quality and little lustre. Nevertheless,
we are told he consecrated a breastplate set with
British pearls to the temple of Venus Genetrix.
It is recorded that Cresar gave Servilia, the m~the
of Brutus, a pearl worth nearly £50,000 sterling.
Pearls in the time of the Cresars were the rage in
Rome and women adorned themselves lavishly with
them, a custom which drew violent protests from
the philosopher Seneca who, alluding to a lady who
wore several pearls dangling from each ear, told her
husband that his wife "carried all the wealth of his
house in her ears."
In the extravagant intoxication of the rich banquet
which Kleopatra VII (Tryphena the Great) gave
to the honour of Mark Anthony, it is related that
this queen-the last of the Ptolemies-throwing
one of her valuable pearls into a vinegar solution,
swallowed it. The value of this gem is set down
as £80, 7~9
sterling. Its companion afterwards
graced the statue of the Pantheon Venus at Rome.
Kleopatra was not alone in this act of folly for we
are informed that Clodius, son of l.Esopus the actor,
swallowed a pearl valued at £807~
sterling. Caligual,
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
the Roman Emperor, added this act also to his many
acts of stupidity. He too enjoyed the reputation of
HoaoecoPII OJ'
~·2t)
Pearls would be considered unfortunate for theae rival Queens.
a "pearl swallower," which title in the reign of
Queen Elizabeth was also coveted by Sir Thomas
Gresham who quaffed off a large pearl at a banquet
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which the Queen attended after visiting the Royal
Exchange. The poet Heywood alludes to this act
in the lines:
"Ben £16,000 GlOM clap gou
lfi#«Jtl of 811far: lhulaam dritaU tM pearl
Ufllo 1tU QuHn and mi~n."
Neither pearls nor diamonds were fortunate for
Boaoecon or
ELIZABJI'l'B OP
ENGLAND
Q•l!)·l9·
Pearla would be CODaiderecl UDiortuuate (or theae rival Queena.
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Mary Queen of Scots, yet she wore both in profusion. Her wedding dress at her marriage with
Philip of Spain is described as being "richly bordered
with great pearls and diamonds," whilst she wore
the great diamond which Philip had sent to her by
the Marquis de las Traves. Mary's nativity favours few jewels but none less than diamonds,
pearls and rubies. History relates that, when in
the days of her sorrows the Scottish Queen was held
captive by the rapacious Earl of Moray, this man
who owed her so much sent her exquisite parure of
pearls with other costly jewels by his agent, Sir
Nicholas Elphinstone to Queen Elizabeth at London.
Madame de Barrera gives the following extract,
copy from a letter of Bodutel Ia Forrest, French
ambassador at the English court, describing the
pearl parure: "There are six cordons of large pearls
strung as pater nosters: but there are five and
twenty separate from the rest, much finer and larger
than those which are strung: these are for the most
part like black muscades." Elizabeth, after obtaining various expert opinions as to the value of this
ornament, eventually purchased it at her own price.
But if pearls, fortunate for Scotland, were unfortunate for Mary (for whom Scotland itself was unfortunate), they were doubly so for Elizabeth who
had the dark planet Satum and the subtle Uranus
in the sign Cancer at her birth. The two famous
diamond rings of Mary and Elizabeth and Elizabeth
and Essex are stated to have been the indirect cause
of the death of both Mary and Elizabeth.
Old Hebraic legend tells that the manna fell from
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Heaven, accompanied by showers of pearls and
precious stones, and in ancient Judaea it was believed that a pearl wrapped in a bag of leather and
tied round the neck of oxen would benefit them and
increase their fruitfulness. The Arabs sang that
"Nisan's Ram (Sun in Aries) brings pearls to the sea
and wheat to the land." In China the pearl was
regarded as the true symbol of ability and so the
Chinese character for Pearl (Tchm) was placed
on the vases used by artists, poets, scientists and
· writers, and the term TCHM ONAN is translated
as indicating a rare pearl object. Great virtues were
ascribed to the pearl by the Chinese and it was,
and still is, used medicinally by them chiefly as a
remedy for blood disorders, swooning, heart troubles,
digestive irregularities and stomach complaints.
The ancients used pearls, we are told, as absorbents
or antacids and they were given to the weak-minded
Charles VI of France in distilled water to cure his
insanity. Dissolved in acids they were taken as an
absorbent medicine and, as one writer puts it,
"for the purpose of displaying the careless opulence
and luxury of their possessors."
The Pearl was sacred to the angel Gabriel in the
East, and amongst the Mohammedans a great white
pearl-the pearl of Paradise-reached from East
to West, from Heaven to Earth. This is.the Etem81
Table of the Koran on which Allah has written all
that has been, all that is, and all that is to come.
The Arabian Heavenly Home of Glory and the
Everlasting Eden of Wonder is, it is related, rich
with red pearls.
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CHAPTER XXVI
PEARL
THE BISHOP OF CHIAPA CHAMPIONS THE INDIAN PEARL
DIVERS: SIZE OF THE OLD PEARL FIELDS: VALUE OF
EXPORTS TO EUROPE IN 16TH CENTURY: THE PERSIAN GULF: THE CEYLON FISHERIES: THE "BINDER
OF SHARKS,: THE PEARL CHARM OF THE DIVERS:
CLABSIFICATION OF PEARLS IN CEYLON: THE RED
SEA
FISHERIES, THE
SOURCE
OF KLEOPATRA'S
PEARLS: THE AUSTRALIAN FISHERIES: NEED FOR
THEIR PROTECTION: OTHER FISHERIES: STORY OF
THE DISCOVERY OF NEW GUINEA PEARLS: TOWN OF
THE NYMPHS: RIVER FISHERIES: A RIVER PEARL
IN THE BRITISH CROWN: "sHELLS OF THE FLOOD'':
DIVERS BENEATH THE SEA: THE FOLK LORE OF
THE PEARL: VISHNU's NECKLACE OF 6 PRECIOUS
STONES: EMBLEMS OF PEARLS: PEARLS AND PERSONS:
PEARLS AND
LUNAR NUMBERS: A
MADAGASCAR
BIRTH CUSTOM: THEANGEL, DAY, SIGN AND PLANET
OF THE PEARL: AS A DREAM SYMBOL: PREJUDICE
AND ITS VALUE: THE PEARLS OF LINNAEUS: CHINESE
AND JAPANESE CULTURE PEARLS: PEARL "FAKING'':
COCOANUT PEARLS.
"Or w~an,
tM gorg«nu Etut with ricltul hand
SltotJJir• on 11M King• barbaric pearl and gold."
MILTON.
The benevolent Bishop of Chiapa, Mexico, Bartolome de las Casas, came forth as the protector
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of the Indians in the cruel times of their oppression.
On their behalf he crossed the Atlantic sixteen times,
and he tells of the hellish tortures to which they were
subjected by their Spanish conquerors: ''Nothing,"
says this good man, "nothing could be more cruel
and more detestable." ("Brevissima Relacion de
Ia Destruccion de las lndias," 1589). The story he
writes of the Indian pearl divers is a sad one; as
soon as the diver came up from the depths the
brutal overseer, scarcely allowing him time to
breathe the pure air, beat him savagely and compelled him to go down again. His food was poor
and scanty, and Mother Earth his bed; his glossy
black hair turned prematurely gray, his lungs became
diseased, he spat blood freely and the ravenous shark
ended his tragic life on earth. The natural result
of greed and oppression practically exhausted these
fisheries from the neighborhood of which the ancient.
kings of Mexico drew so much wealth. Indeed,
it was the sight of the poor natives adorned with
ropes of pearls which excited the cupidity of the
first Spaniards who adventured to their shores.
There being no provision made for the protection of
the oysters in this fishery, it "gave out" almost
entirely towards the end of the 17th century. An
idea of the magnitude of these fisheries (which included the ancient grounds between Acapulco and
the Gulf of Tehuantepec on the West Mexican
coast, and the Caribbean Sea by the islands of Coche,
Cubagua, and Margarita) can be gathered from the
value of the export to Europe up to the first half of
the 16th century. The annual value exported was
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
stated to exceed 800,000 Spanish dollars, those
famous ''Pieces of Eight" which bring us back to
the time of "Treasure Island" and the buccaneers
of the Spanish Main. As much as 700 lbs. weight of
pearls was sent to Seville in the year 1587, amongst
them, it is stated, being specimens of rare worth and
beauty. Fine quality pearls are still found at
Panama and the Gulf of Mexico. The poor progress of these fisheries is said to be due to the wretched.
pay offered to the Indian and negro divers in the
past. It is a strange fact that progress and prosperity are gained only by the pursuance of an
enlightened policy towards employees, and this is
nowhere so clearly indicated as in the history of the
pearl.
Pearls from the Persian Gulf are amongst the
most esteemed of the present day. The fisheries
of the Great Pearl Bank extend along the West
from Ras Hassan half way up the Gulf. To the
Eastern no pearl is so beautiful and full of colour
as the pearl from the Persian GuH. The colour
is very enduring and improves by being worn next
the skin-especially of a person whose jewel it is.
The Ceylon fisheries have not been yielding so
well of late years, but with wisdom will no doubt
regain their old place. The main oyster bank is
near Condatchy, about twenty miles from the shore.
Twenty men, ten of whom are divers, under a
tindal or captain, comprise the crew of each boat.
The divers are quick and expert at their work,
and although remaining under water seldom more
than a minute, have been known to bring to the
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825
surface as many as 150 shells. The pearl diver's
greatest dread is the ground shark, and all the
time the boats are out the conjurer, termed the
"Binder of Sharks" or "Pillal Barras," stands on
the shore muttering prayers and conjurations. The
divers wear also a pearl about their bodies as a
charm against their dreaded enemy. The beautiful
island of Ceylon-the Taprobane of the old Greeks
and Romans and the Serendib of the Arabian Nights
-is itself shaped like a great drop pearl and is be.lieved by the Indians to be a "part of Paradise."
Perfectly round and fine lustre pearls are called
by the Ceylonese "Annees," next in grade are
called "Annadaree." Irregular pearls of lesser
lustre are called "Kayarel," generally known amongst
us as "Baroques." Pearl-shaped inferior specimens
are called "Samadiem," those duller and irregular
are termed "Kallipoo," a poorer grade again is
known as "Koorwell," and the lowest type is "Pesul."
Small seed pearls are known as "Tool."
Kleopatra's famous pearls no doubt came from
the Red Sea fisheries which are believed to have
been the property of the Egyptian rulers. The
Western Australian fisheries, especially those at
Broome and Shark's Bay, are yearly becoming of
greater importance and value, although judicious
and scientific means should be taken to prevent
these valuable fields from sharing the fate of some
of the older ones. The fisheries at Thursday Island
and Northern Australia are important and the
author was told that pearls were discovered in
New Guinea through a sailors' row with the natives,
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
who pelted the offending lugger with pearl-bearing
shells which, when broken on the decks of the
vessel, revealed their precious prizes. The remarkable Town of the Nymphs near the Japanese
city of Ishinomonsky on the Pacific coast, obtains
its name from the women who support their families
by diving for pearls. It is a place of many centuries
old and the nymphs begin their strenuous work
at the age of 14, continuing until they are 40.
Pearl shells abound in Sebiam Bay and the work
of the nymphs occupy 10 hours a day in summer .
time. The length of each immersion is from ~ to
8 minutes. When the baby girl is four years of
age she is taken to the sea and taught to swim and
dive. These lessons continue until the time comes
for the serious practice of the pearl seekers' profession. This work is all done by women whilst the
men attend to the training of the children and the
duties of the household.
Mention may also be made of the River fisheries
of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and various
parts of Europe where the pearls found are as a
rule not of great importance, although it is stated
that Sir Richard Wynn of Gwydyr, Chamberlain
to Catherine, wife of Charles II, sent a pearl from
the river Conway in North Wales as a present to
the Queen, which pearl is today in the King of
England's crown. In Wales these river pearl shells
are called by the poetic name Cregin y Dylu, shells
of the Flood.
The gradual replacement of naked divers by
those in diving dress may tend to make the yields
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
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more effective, but the work is not without its
dangers, the toiler beneath the sea having still to
meet the challenge of its denizens-the shark, the
diamond fish and the deadly octopus.
"The Kingdom of HeaHn i8 like unto a merchantman •Hking goodly
Jlf41'l8.''
BooK OJ' MATTBJ:w.
The pearl was esteemed as the emblem of purity,
innocence and peace, and was sacred to the Moon
and Diana. For this reason in ancient times it
was worn by young girls and virgins on whom the
protection of "chaste Diana" was invoked. Generally as an emblem of chastity the pearl was worn
on the neck. As a cure for irritability it was ground
to a fine powder and a quantity, seldom more than
a grain, was drunk in new milk. In doses of the
same quantity mixed with sugar it was recommended to be taken as a charm against the pestilence.
The Hindus included the pearl amongst the
five precious stones in the magical necklace of
Vishnu, the other four being the diamond, ruby,
emerald, and sapphire.
The golden pearl was the emblem of wealth, the
white of idealism, the black of philosophy, the pink
of beauty, the red of health and energy, the grey
of thought. Lustreless pearls are considered unfortunate, as also are pearls that have lost their
sheen when on a dying person's finger, as sometimes
happens. It is curious how pearls improve in lustre
when worn by some persons and how they deteriorate when worn by others. A recent writer commenting on this advised that if "pearls turned
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
colour temporarily when worn by certain persons
they should be put away for a few days and the
detrimental effects of constitutional acids will be
found to have entirely disappeared." To an extent
this is correct, but it is equally certain that if the
person by whom the pearls were affected were to
continue wearing them they would be destroyed
altogether. This is quite in accord with the occult
philosophy of the ancient masters who held that
only people who had favourable planets in Cancerthe Celestial sign of the Ocean-or in whose nativities the lunar aspects were favourable could wear
pearls. The Moon, however, in the sign Capricorn
was not considered favourable for wearing pearls,
and some writers also include the sign Scorpio.
A half-moon shaped whitish stone of about i6
lbs. weight was oftentimes used by the Ceylonese
pearl divers, tied around their waists, when making
the plunge for the pearl oyster, and the crew of
io-a lunar number-which made up the Ceylon
pearling boat company may have traditional authority, and may be something more than mere
coincidence.
The Princess of Yemen, previously mentioned,
wore seven strands of pearls. Seven is the positive
number of the Moon or the Moon's number when
going from new to full. This was recognized by
ancient nations and it may be well assumed that
the symbolic meaning was understood by the advisers to the Princess.
A custom exists in Madagascar which finds a
parallel amongst the ancients: it is believed that
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OF JEWYLs AND STONES
if at an afBicted birth pearls be buried good will
come to the child and will continue to come unless
the pearls be unearthed.
The Pearl was sacred to the angel Gabriel and
Monday was its special day of the week, the Moon
was its planet and the zodiacal Cancer its sign.
To dream of pearls is considered a favourable omen,
being held to indicate wealth and honour gained
by personal exertion. To the poor the pearl denotes
riches. It is the symbol of happy marriage and
popularity. That pearls are unfortunate is as
untrue as that opals or any other gems are. That
they are unfavourable to some is as true as that
they are favourable to others, but prejudice being
narrow and self-centred is hard to kill. A young
lady of good family actually told the author that
she would never wear pearls because she was unfortunate whenever she wore her necklace. Upon
examining this terrible necklace the author saw
that the alleged pearls were merely imitation! As
imitation pearls scarcely come within the province
of this book it may be sufficient to mention that
in the year 1748 Linnaeus wrote to Dr. Haller, the
physiologist, telling him that he had ascertained
how pearls grow in shells. "I am able to produce
in any mother of pearl shell that can be held in the
hand, in the course of 4 or 6 years, a pearl as large
as the seed of a common vetch." This discovery
by the great naturalist was regarded as of such
importance by the Swedish Government that they
ennobled Linnaeus, rewarded him with a gift of
£450, and began to manufacture pearls ·under his
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THE MAGIC ANDt SCIENCE
direction with great secrecy. Linnaeus' method
had long been anticipated by the Chinese who used
to throw pieces of mother of pearl, grit, etc., into
the live 9yster. It is said that in a year the coating
over a piece of mother of pearl would be sufficient.
Of late years the Japanese have acted on these
practices with considerable skill, producing by mechanical means some beautiful specimens. Still,
beautiful as they are, they are not real pearls.
A good deal of pearl "faking" is practised, and
a short time ago a pearl broker in Paris was sentenced to imprisonment for tampering with the
colour of a pearl. But whenever chemical means
are employed in tinting a pearl the false colours ·
invariably fade and leave the specimen worse off
than before, more especially if a lady with a "good
pearl skin"lwears it.
In his book on "Malay Magic," Mr. W. W. Satek
gives the following interesting account of Cocoa
Nut Pearls, quoting from Dr. Deny's "Descriptive
Dictionary of British Malaya," with acknowledgments to "Nature":"During my recent travels," Dr. Sidney ffickson
writes to a scientific contemporary, "I was frequently asked by Dutch planters and others if I
had ever seen a 'cocoanut stOne.' These stones
are said to be rarely found (one in two thousand
or more) in the perisperm of the cocoanut, and when
found are kept by the natives as a charm against
disease and evil spirits. This story of the cocoanut
stone was so constantly told me, and in every case
without variations in its details, that I made every
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effort before leaving to obtain some specimens and
eventually succeeded in obtaining two. One of these
is nearly a perfect sphere, 14 mm. in diameter, and
the other, rather smaller in size, is irregularly pearshaped.. In both specimens the surface is worn
nearly smooth by friction. The spherical one I have
had cut into two halves but I can find no concentric
or other markings on the polished cut surface. Dr.
Kimmins has kindly submitted a hall to a careful
chemical analysis and finds that it consists of pure
carbonate of lime without any trace of other salts
or vegetable tissue." On this letter Mr. Thistleton
Dyer remarks:"Dr. Hickson's account of the calcareous concretions occasionally found in the central hollowfilled with fluid-of the endosperm of the seed of
the cocoanut is extremely interesting. The circumstances of the occurrence of these stones or pearls
are in many respects parallel to those which attend
the formation of tabasheer. In both cases mineral
matter in palpable masses is withdrawn from solution in considerable volumes of flint contained in
tolerably large cavities in living plants and in both
instances they are monocotyledons. In the case of
cocoanut pearls the material is calcium carbonate
and this is well kriown to concrete in a peculiar
manner from solutions in which organic matter is
also present. In my note on Tabasheer I referred
to the reported occurrence of mineral concretions in
the wood of various tropical dicotyledonous .trees.
Tabasheer is too well known to be pooh-poohed, but
some of my scientific friends express a polite incred-
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
ulity in the other cases." The specimen presented
by Mr. Skeat to the Cambridge Ethnological Museum
is encircled by a black ring which is caused, it is
said, by its adherence to the shell of the cocoanut.
These cocoanut pearls are of much interest and may
perhaps be included amongst the mineral curiosities
which comprehend tabasheer, apatite, etc. Ancient
philosophy would probably associate them with the
sign Cancer as is the case with pearls found in seas
and rivers. Swedenborg writes that pearls are
Truth and the knowledge of Truth, celestial and
spiritual knowledge, faith and charity.
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CHAPTER XXVII
PERIDOT-RUBY
PERIDOT: PLASMA: THE REWARDING HERMES: PORPHYRY, ITS INTRODUCTION INTO ROME BY VITRASIUS POLLIO: PRASE OR MOTHER OF EMERALD:
PYRITE:
THE
PYRITES
LITHOS
OF
ISIDORE
OF
SEVILLE: A PRIMITIVE FIRESTONE: USED FOR FIREARMS: THE "SEED OF MINERALS:" MUNDIC OF THE
MINERS: ITS CHANGE TO VITRIOL IN MINING DisTRICTS:
SPINON
OF
THEOPHRASTUS:
FRENCH
"PIERRE DE SANTE": MARCASITE USED AS A JEWEL
ORNAMENT: EDEN's FLOWERs OF METALS: PYROPE:
QUARTZ: RUBELLITE: RUBICELLE: RUBY, THE CORUNDUM FAMILY: THE TERM "ORIENTAL": THE MOGOK
MINES: "LORD OF THE RUBIES": THE MINE EATERS:
'~THE
DRAGON
RUBY:
COSMAS
THE KING
OF SCILAN's
INDICOPLEUSTES: A
LORD":
CORONATION
CUSTOM DESCRIBED BY HATYON: TEARS OF BUDDHA:
THE RUBY BOWL OF ARYA CHAKRAVARTI: COLONEL
ALEXANDER GARDENER AND THE FAKIR'S RUBY:
THE KING OF VISHAPOOR's RUBY: RUBIES PLACED
UNDER THE FOUNDATIONS OF BUILDINGS: RUBIES
IN THE CHO KENG SU: PLINY'S ACAUSTI: PRACTICE
OF THE ETHIOPIANS: ANTHRAX OF THEOPHRASTUS:
DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE'S RUBY: RUBIES MENTIONED
BY MR. C. W. KING: RABBI RAGIEL's TALISMAN:
DRAGONS GUARDIANS OF RUBY MINES: M. ROCHE-
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FORT'S STORY AND THE RUBY IN THE DRAGON's
HEAD: 8T. MARGARET AND THE DRAGON: SHEIKH
EL MOHDY AND THE RUBY-JEWELLED DRAGON:
BARTHOVERI AND THE SERPENT: DIEUDONNE OF
GOZON AND THE DRAGON OF RHODES: THE IMPORT
OF THESE LEGENDS: ST. GEORGE AND ST. MICHAEL
AND THE DRAGONS: SHRINE OF THE MAGI IN COLOGNE
CATHEDRAL: THE SUN
AND
CHRISTIANITY:
THE
NAMES OF THE MAGI: THE ROSICRUCIAN CLASSIFICATION: THE "REGALE" OF FRANCE, FROM THE
TOMB OF ST. THOMAS A'BECKET, WORN BY HENRY
VIII: VOW OF LOUIS Vll OF FRANCE AND ITS FULFILMENT AT CANTERBURY: SWEDENBORG's CORRESPONDENCE OF THE RUBY: COMTESSE D'ANOIS'
STORY OF THE RUBY SINGING APPLE: THE ARABS
AND THE ANGEL OF THE WORLD: PERSIAN CHARM
AGAINST THE FORCES OF EVIL: THE 4TH STONE
OF THE NAQ-RATTAN: BURMESE SYMBOL OF REINCARNATION: A RUBY WHICH NEARLY DESTROYED
A NATIVE STATE IN INDIA : JEWELLED RINGS ON
THE STATUE OF ST. LAMBERT AT LIEGE CATHEDRAL:
CATHARINE OF ARAGON READS MISFORTUNE IN
HER RUBY's CHANGE OF COLOUR: OCCULT VIRTUES
OF THE RUBY: SYMBOL OF THE RUBY IN DREAMS:
COLOUR PHENOMENA DISPLAYED BY A RUBY! THE
STAR RUBY: THE HUNTER AND THE RUBY.
PERIDOT. (See CHRYSOLITE.)
PLASMA. This variety of leek-green jasper is
derived from the Greek word PLASMA, an image.
It was a favourite stone among the ancients who employed it in gem engraving and for important
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talismans. In the Rhodes collection there Is a
beautiful oval specimen on which is engraved a
nude figure of Hermes holding a caduceus in his
left hand, whilst on his right above a purse is perched
a cock; a scorpion is on his left side, a little above
his knee. He wears the winged cap o.n his head.
Mr. King classes this piece as astrological. It
symbolizes the wisdom and rewards of the wellstarred subject of Mercury. Plasma was largely
used in Abraxes charms by the Gnostics who employed the substance always for special talismans.
Astrologically Plasma is under the zodiacal Virgin.
PORPHYRY. The name is derived from the
Greek word for purple-PORPHYRA-and we
find it written at various periods in many ways,
for example: porfurie, porphurye, purphire, porpherie, porphiry. It is a hard purple and white
stone, said to have been introduced into Rome by
Vitrasisus Pollio in the form of statues of Claudius.
The quarries whence the ancients obtained their
supplies of porphyry were found at Gebel Dokhan,
near the Red Sea, by Wilkinson and Burton. It
has always been a favourite stone with sculptors,
glyptic artists, and architects, and was chiefly
esteemed in the forming of columns. Porphyry was
regarded as a stone to promote eloquence in speaking. Astrologically it was placed under "the sign
of the Columns"-Gemini.
PRASE. The name is derived from the Greek
PBASON, a leek. Leonardus calls it Prassius,
and he says it is so termed from a herb of its own
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name. It is also written as prasius, prasium. It
is thus described by Marbodus:
"Mitln precioultmlu a place tM PrtUe mag claim,
Of eal1UJ nnall, 001IUnt toith beautg'8 jaJM.
No flirtue htU it: but it brightly gkam8
With emerald grun, and toell tM gold bue.eru;
lh blood-1'«l 8pOU diNrli/g it8 grtm,
. lh crou«l toith three tDiaite linu it8 Jau u 8Ufl."
Other authors, however, endow the prase with a
virtue. It was regarded by some as a beauty charm
for married women and for the mothers of brides.
It resembles the beryl in its clear form, but it is
duller. It is translucent and, as its name indicates,
leek-green in colour. At one time it was believed
to be the matrix of the emerald, whence it was
called "Mother of Emerald." It is under the
zodiacal Taurus.
PYRITE
"Na'IMdfrom tlaefire tM yellow 1'1/fUe 8f'Um8
The touch of man, and ro be handled 8CO'I"n8:
Touch it toith trembling hand and cautioUIJ arm
For, tightly grtUped, it bum8 the clo8«l palm."
The word is found also as pyrit, pirrite, and old
writers of the 16th century were especially fond of
using pyrit stone. It is derived from the ·Greek
PUR, fire, and is allied to the fire stone family
(Pyrites Lithos) noted by Isidore of Seville (6th
and 7th centuries) in his philosophical fragments
from the more ancient writers. He identifies the
black pyrites of Pliny in a black Persian stone which,
if fractured, and held in the hand, burns. It is
assumed from the frequent occurrence of pieces of
pyrites in prehistoric mounds that primitive man
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used the substance for kindling fires . Later we
find it employed before the introduction of Hint
in wheel lock fire arms when, in the same manner,
it threw out sparks of fire when energetically struck
on steel. The ancients had a theory that pyrite
was the seed or original matter of minerals, and we
find it in rocks of every age. To mining people it is
known as Mundie. Auriferous pyrite which occurs
in auriferous countries contains certain quantities
of gold, sometimes worth winning, and was known as
King of the Pyrites. The action of water and air
makes it troublesome in coal-mining districts.
It is then changed into sulphate of iron (vitriol)
and fires the mines. Chambers (1866) mentions
that "at Quarreltown in Renfrewshire a deep
hollow may still be seen where about a century ago
the ground fell in in consequence of a subterranean
fire thus kindled." Theophrastus, the great Greek
naturalist and philosopher of the Srd century,
before the Christian era, mentions in his work on
stones the burning pyrite under the name Spinon
which, he says, is contained in certain mines and
which, if crushed, watered and exposed to the rays
of the sun, bursts into flame. The French call this
stone Pierre de Sante (Stone of Health), because it
was said that it is affected by the health of the
wearer. The white iron pyrites, known as Marcasite, is of similar composition to the ordinary
pyrite (Iron Disulphide) but it takes on the orthorhombic form of crystallization instead of the
usual cube form. This word is also found written
as markasit, marquesite. The stone was largely
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Oliver Goldsmith.
in "She Stoops to Conquer," says: "Half the ladies
of our acquaintance carry their jewels to town and
bring nothing but paste and marcasites back.'•
Eden in 1555 wrote that "Marchasites are flowers
of metals by the colours whereof the kyndes of metals
are known." Mr. William Jones mentions a ring in
the possession of a clergyman which is made of two
hearts surmounted by a crown set with marcasites.
Rabbi Chael says that a man on horseback holding
a bridle and bent bow engraved on pyrites makes the
wearer irresistible in war. These stones are martial
according to astrology and are attached to the
zodiacal Scorpio.
used for jewel ornamentation.
PYROPE.
(See GARNET.)
QUARTZ. In 177i Cronstedt wrote in his work
on Mineralogy: "I shall adopt the name of Quartz
in English as it has already general access in other
European Languages." There seems to be little
doubt regarding the origin of the word which
comes from the German QUARZ. Professor James
D. Dana gives the Quartz varieties under the following heads:1. V itreoua. Distinguished by their glassy frac-
ture.
Ohalcedonic.
Having a sub-vitreous or a
waxy lustre and generally translucent.
8. J aspery Cryptocrystalline. Having barely a
glimmering lustre or none, and opaque.
To the first belong:
Amethyst, Aventurine
Quartz, Cairngorm, Citrine, Ferruginous Quartz,
i.
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False or Spanish Topaz, Milk Quartz, Prase, Rock
Crystal, Rose Quartz, Smoky Quartz.
To the second belong: Chalcedony, Chrysoprase,
Sard, Carnelian, Agate, Onyx, Cat's Eye, Flint,
Hornstone, Chert, Plasma.
To the third belong: Jasper, Heliotrope or Bloodstone, Lydian Stone, Touchstone, Basanite, Silicified
Wood, Pseudomorphous Quartz, etc.
Opal is a near ally to Quartz which is a most useful
as well as an ornamental substance.
RUBELLITE. (See TOURMALINE.)
RUBICELLE. (See SPINEL.)
RUBY
"H~tlwonc6MjerfSu
TM p6f'ject ruby which tD6 call 6lixir ."
BEN
JoHNsoN.
The ruby derives its name from the Latin RUBER,
red, and some of its forms at various periods are
given by Dr. Murray as rubye, rubie, ruhey, roby,
rooby, rube, rubu, rybe, ryhee, rybwe, ribe, riby.
The stone is of the corundum family which includes
the sapphire, oriental amethyst, oriental topaz,
oriental chrysoberyl, oriental emerald, oriental catseye, oriental moonstone, adamantine spar of hairbrown colour and the well-known emery. The
term "oriental" is also applied to the ruby and
serves to distinguish it from the spinel, ruby garnet
and a number of other red stones. The definition
"oriental" is applied only to the corundum family
and was, according to Dr. G. F. H. Smith, attached
to these hard coloured stones which in early days
reached Europe by way of the East. The name
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CORUNDUM is derived from a Sanscrit word
of doubtful meaning, and the minerals included
in it come next in hardness to the diamond. The
ruby therefore is a red sapphire, and the sapphire
a blue ruby, and it is no infrequent thing to find
the two stones combined in one specimen. Mr.
Emanuel has drawn attention to the fact that
rubies and sapphires are always found in go·dbearing country. It has been stated that whilst
sapphires have been found in Australia the red
sapphire or ruby has not. This is incorrect. At
the Anakie sapphire fields in Central Queensland
rubies are also found, and some specimens exhibit
blended colours. It is true, however, that rubies
have not up to the present been found in Australia
in great quantities. The most celebrated ruby
mines in the world are the Mogok mines in Upper
Burma. Here the stones are found in Calcite deposits occurring in granular limestone on the hill
sides and in the clayey alluvial deposits of the
river beds. These workings are of ver great age
and until 1885 were the monopoly of tne Burmese
Crown, the King being known as Lord of the Rubies.
In this country the ruby fields are called "Byon,"
and the miners "Twin-tsas" (mine eaters). These
Twin-tsas were forced to surrender to the monarch
all big stones found by them, which stones were
carefully guarded in the Royal Treasure House.
One of the mine eaters found a large and beautiful
gem which, in order to escape the selfish conditions
imposed, he divided into two parts; one of these
he handed over to the officers of the King, the other
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he endeavoured to conceal. The plot it seems
failed, with what result to the unfortunate "Eater"
is not told. The weight of these two sections after
the cutter had exerted his skill on them was 98
and 74 carats. A fine Burma ruby called "Gnaga
Boh," or the Dragon Lord (the folklore of the East
connects rubies and dragons)-weighed when found
over 40 carats, losing about half in the cutting.
The uncut part of the Great Burmese Ruby (a
stone that weighed 400 carats and was split into
three parts, two of which were cut) was sold in
Calcutta for 7 lakhs of rupees (at the exchange
rate of two shillings English for the rupee a lakh
would equal £10,000). Marco Polo writes of
the great ruby possessed by the King of the Island
of Seilan (Ceylon), "The finest and biggest in the
world": "It is about a palm in length and as thick
as a man's arm: to look at, it is the most resplendent
object upon earth: it is quite free from flaw and
is as red as fire. Its value is so great that a price
for it in money could not be named. The great
Kaan sent an embassy and begged the King as a
favour to sell this to him offering to give for it the
ransom of a city or, in fact, what the King would.
But the King replied that on no account whatever
would he sell it for it had come to him from his
ancestors."
The great merchant-traveller Cosmas Indicopleustes, of Alexandria, writes in his "Voyages"
(1666) of this stone, which "they say is of great size
and brilliant ruddy hue, as large as a giant pine cone.
When seen flashing from afar-especially if the
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
Sun's rays flood upon it-it is a sight both marvellous and unequalled." Hayton, his contempo.,
rary, also writes of this wonderful stone: "At the
King of the Island of Ceylon's coronation he places
this ruby in his left hand and rides thus with it
throughout his city, after which all know him as
their King and obey him as such." The Chinese
writer· Hyuen Tsang also writes of this great stone,
Friar Jordamus discourses
as does Odoric.
not only of this hut of the great and wonderful
rubies in the possession of the Island King. Andrea
Corsali {1515) also writes of the King of Sylen's
(Ceylon) two great rubies-"so shining and sparkling as to seem like flames of fire." In the Ceylon
river beds fine rubies are discovered, and old writers
say that many are washed down from the mountain
"which they call Adam's Peak." There was superstitious belief in the beautiful Island of Ceylon that
rubies are the consolidated tears of Buddha. One
of the great mediaeval Tamul chiefs, AfYa Chakravarti, had, it is said, a ruby bowl the size · ~f the
palm of a man's hand, whi~
was remarkable fo_. its
brilliant colour. Colonel Alexander Gardner, Cdlonel of Artillery in the service of Maharaja RanY,$t
Singh, describes a visit he made with the Bai o~
Baron of the Kirghiz to a venerable aged fakir
whose worldly possessions seemed to consist of ,
earthen pots of grain placed in a hole in the middle
of his hut. The old philosopher was the reputed j
possessor of a rare and beautiful ruby. For this th~
Bai entreated the silent and unmoved fakir, declaring that with it alone could he induce the robbe
•
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chief he was travelling to see to spare "the lives,
property and honour of all the innocent families
around." At last the fakir quietly arose, and after
a little fumbling produced the gem which, with a
dignified gesture, he placed softly in the Bai's hands,
giving him his blessing and expressing the hope
that the offering might h~ve
the desired result,
after which he relapsed into silent reverie. He
declined money for the gem, asking only that some
grain might be sent him so "that he might be able
to relieve way-worn and destitute travellers."
The Colonel examined the gem and found cut in
high relief on the centre of the oblong face of the
stone a small Zoroastrian altar. Round this altar
were double cordons of letters similar to those appearing on the Scytho Bactrian coins. The Colonel
describes the gem as pure and lustrous, of great
value, and from 150 to iOO carats in weight. This
rare gem was discovered at the time of Timur by an
ancestor of the fakir in a cave near the famous
shrine of the city of Esh or Oosh on the Bolor
Ranges.
_
A fine ruby of 50 carats which belonged to the
King of Vishapoor is mentioned by Tavernier.
In China the ruby has always been esteemed and its
primary importance as a distinguishing emblem in
the cap of the Chief Mandarin had already been
noted. A specimen was also placed under the
foundations of a building of importance "to give it a
good destiny." In the Chinese work CHO KENG
LU which relates to various affairs up to the Mongol
dynasty, deep red rubies are termed "Si-la-ni";
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
scholars translate this word as "from Ceylon."
They are also known as "Hung Pao Shi" (precious
red stone) and "Chin Chu." It has a sacred meaning
and talismanic virtue and is attached to the dress
set in rare jade and employed as a precious ornament.
Pliny calls rubies "Acausti'' and says that they are
not injured by fire. He relates a practice of the
merchants of Ethiopia of placing a ruby in a vinegar solution for two weeks to improve its lustre.
The effect was, it is said, good for a short period of
time but ultimately the stones became soft and
fragile. The ANTHRAX or "glowing coals" of
Theophrastus is identified as the ruby as we know
it today. He gives us an idea of the ·money value
of this stone by stating that a very small specimen
would sell for forty golden staters (a gold stater is
worth about a 5-dollar gold piece of the United
States). Amongst the gems collected in the 18th
century by William, third Duke of Devonshire,
there is a ruby of about three carats weight, described by Mr. King as of "the most delicious cerise
colour" on which are cut deeply the figures of Venus
and Cupid. The work is of the middle Roman
Period and Mr. King deplores the fact that the
great value of the gem was in his opinion injured
by the inferiority of the workmanship. A Faun's
Head on an inferior ruby in the same collection is
superior from an art point of view and of greater
age. Mr. King mentions a beautiful rose-coloured
ruby of irregular form on which is a magnificent
crab's shell helmet of most
head of Thetis wearing~
exquisite Greek work. Rabbi Ragiel ("Book of
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
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Wings") writes that the figure of a dragon cut on a
ruby increases the worldly possessions of the wearer,
giving happiness and ease. Old legends say that
the ruby mines as well as the emerald mines were
guarded by dragons and the symbolic connection
between the dragon and the ruby has the virtue of
far-teaching antiquity. M. Rochefort in his "Natural History of the Antilles," says that the Caribbees
of Dominica speak of a dragon which lives in a declivity of the rocks and in whose head is a giant
ruby so brilliant that the surrounding country is
illuminated by it. These people believed that the
Son of God came out of the heavens to slay the
dragon. St. Margaret is said to have subdued a
dragon and to have taken a wonderful ruby from its
head. The Arabian writer Sheikh El Mohdy has
amongst his stories one telling of a terrible dragon
which inhabited the island of Ceylon and carried
in his head a large ruby which shone for many
miles amidst the darkness of night. The Indian
philosopher Barthoveri said that "the serJ)ent is
malefic although it carries a ruby in its head."
Dieudonne of Goyon is said to have killed a terrible
dragon at Rhodes and to have drawn from its head
a wonderful iridescent stone the size of an olive,
Some few writers substitute the diamond for the
ruby, but whether we take the many-coloured stone
of Dieudonne (which it has been said was a diamond) or the stones of the Sun, the ruby and the
diamond, the import of the legends are similar.
The dragon as the symbol of the lower forces whether
as the poisonous emanations of stagnant waters or
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
as the Serpent of Eden-the planet Mars and one
of his heavenly Houses, Scorpio, or the planet
Saturn and his heavenly House, Capricorn-is
continually exposed to the benefic rays of the Sun.
These rays are personified by the contests between
the Sun-Angel Michael and the Dragon and our wellknown St. George.
The three skulls, said to be the skulls of the
"Three Kings" in the jewelled "Shrine of the Magi"
in Cologne Cathedral, have their names Melchior,
Gaspar and Balthazar worked on them in rubies,
perhaps because the Sun, planet of the ruby, was the
accredited planet of Christianity as noted by Albertus Magnus and the Cardinal Dailly. The
names of the Magi have also been given as Megalath,
Galgalath and Sarasin-Apellius, Amerus and Damascus-Ator, Sator and Peratoras. In their allegories the Rosicrucians follow very nearly the names
on the skulls in the lith century Shrine at Cologne,
viz.:
J tupe'f Of' Go.rpor, tM tohiU lord toitA a dia11101'14
MtJichiot', tM bright lord toitA a dia11101'14
B.Uhauar Of' Baltluuo.r, the tf«<#Vre lord toitA a rubg.
It is said that Henry VIII wore on his thumb a
ring in which was set a ruby-some say a diamond
-from the tomb of St. Thomas A'Becket. This
ruby, known as the "Regale of France," was the
talismanic gem of the French King Louis VII who,
in accordance with a battle-vow, visited the tomb
at Canterbury in the year 1179. Whilst offering
his devotions he was asked by the priests at the
shrine to give as an offering this beautiful jewel.
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Being loath to part with his talisman, the King
agreed to give one hundred thousand florins in its
stead, to which generous substitution the Canterbury fathers humbly agreed. But the precious
ruby which dazzled all with its brightness, turning
night into day, refused to be thus protected and,
flying from the setting of the ring on the King's
finger, fixed itself on the Saint's tomb.
Swedenborg recognizes in the ruby a gem of
passionate devotion and likens it to the appearance of the Lord's Divine Sphere represented in the
celestial Heavens.
In Comtesse d' Anois' fairy story "Chery and
Fairstar" there is a narrative of a ruby apple on an
amber stem which is known as the "Singing Apple."
This apple gave forth a perfume so weirdly sweet
that it caused people to laugh or to cry, to write
poems or to sing songs; but when it sang itself the
hearers were transported with ecstasy. Guarded
by a great three-headed dragon with twelve feet,
the apple rested in the Libyan desert whence it·was
secured by Prince Chery in his glass armour, the
reflections of which drove the terrified dragon into
a cave, the entrance to which was securely shut up
by the victor.
The Arabs say that the Angel Bearer of the World
stands on a rock of pure ruby, and amongst the
Persians the gem was used in magical rites as a charm
against the Black Forces. It was the fourth stone
of the Nao-Rattan which Iarchus gave to Apollonius, representing Benevolence, Charity, Divine
Power, and Dignity. The Burmese value the ruby
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as an especially sacred stone which to them is a
symbol of the last incarnation which precedes the
final embrace of Divinity. The beautiful ruby is
likened to rich ripe fruit, and its magical power is
matured. It has been stated that the ruby is unfortunate for India-a country under the Celestial
Capricorn-and one great specimen nearly destroyed a native state, after which event it was
buried with solemn ceremonies in the heart of the
Himalayas.
It was an ancient custom to adorn sacred statues
with precious stones and the practice has survived
into Christian times. Mr. William Jones describes
a large shrine in the Liege Cathedral whereon was a
figure, more than life size, of St. Lambert. On
each hand were three jewelled rings, the most
brilliant of which was set with a rare 10-carat
ruby. The shrine was of the latter 16th and early
16th centuries. Many similar votive offerings are
recorded.
For a ruby to change its colour was regarded
as a forerunner of misfortune, and it is said that the
unhappy wife of Henry VITI, Catharine of Aragon,
observing a change in her ruby ring, foretold her
own fall. Mter danger has passed, old writers say,
the ruby returns to its colour again, if it is the true
gem of the wearer.
The ruby is an emblem of passion, affection,
power and majesty. It had the reputation of
attracting and retaining material love. It was
probably for this reason that the amorous Henry
VIll of England wore the "Regale of France."
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It removed obstacles, gave victory, and revealed
the hidden places of stolen treasure. It signified
vitality, life and happiness, and was an amulet
HoBOBCOPE 01r
w
e·~29
The Ruby was considered the fortunate gem for this King.
against plagues, poison, sorrow and evil spirits,
who dreaded the flashing of the stone from the hand
of a good person.
To dream of a ruby indicated to the bus~e
man
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rich patronage and success in trade, to the farmer a
successful harvest and to the professional man
elevation or fame and success in different degrees.
It was always considered more fortunate to wear
the ruby on the left hand or left side of the body.
The colours of the gem vary from a light rose to a
deep red, the most expensive colour being that
nearest to pigeon's blood. Submitted to a high
temperature it turns green but when cooling returns
to its original colour. A particularly fortunate and
rare variety is the Star or Asteriated ruby which
exhibits a perfect star on its beautifully rounded
cabochon surface, coming as it were from a chatoyant
interior. Messrs. Jemingham and Bettany in their
Bargain Book relate how a traveller in Amazonia
found in the crop of a bird which he had shot, a large
and handsome ruby which he had cut and set in a
ring as a souvenir of this uncommon event.
The ruby is under the Celestial sign Leo.
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CHAPTER XXVIII
RUTILE-SAPPHffiE
RUTILE, VENERIS CRINIB OR HAIR OF VENUS, NET OF
THETIS, FLECHEB D'.AMOUR OR LOVE'S .ARROWS:
ITS COMPOSITION .AND PLACE IN THE ZODIAC: SAPPHIRE: ITS .ANCIENT NAME: MALE .AND FEMALE:
F.AVOURED COLOURS: THE SAPPHIRE FIELDS: MEBSRB.
RAND .AND DUNSTAN ON THE CENTRAL QUEENSLAND
FIELDS .AT .AN.AKIE: MINERALS FOUND .ABBOCI.ATED
WITH SAPPHIRE: DISHONEST TRADE CL.ABSIFIC.ATION:
LARGE SAPPHIRES: .A HOLY GEM: SACRED TO PH<EBUS:
SOLINUS .AND THE SIGN .AQUARIUS: THE SAPPHIRE
.AND THE EYES: MEDICINE .ADMINISTERED .ASTRO-
LOGICALLY: PORTA ON THE SAPPHIRE: BOETIUS .AND
THE PRIESTLY STONE: POPE INNOCENT Ul RECOMMENDS IT .AS .A BISHOP'S STONE: INTAGLIO OF
POPE PAUL UI: ST. JEROME ON THE SAPPHIRE:
.A STONE OF THE PEOPLE WORN BY THE KING:
XING SOLOMON'S SAPPHIRE: SAVED FROM THE SACK
OF JERUSALEM: THE STONE OF MOSES: CONSTANTINE'S SAPPHIRE: BUDDHISTS .AND THE SAPPHIRE:
ITS PLACE IN THE N.AO-R.ATT.AN .AND THE NECKLACE
OF VISHNU: FALLS FROM THE DEAD EYES OF M.AH.A
BALI: LADY SCROOPE THROWS THE SAPPHIRE RING
FROM THE WINDOW OF QUEEN ELIZABETH'S DEATH
CHAMBER: THE SEPHER OF SOLOMON: THE BOOK
OF WINGS: T.ALISM.ANIC SAPPHIRES: THE SAPPHIRE
351
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DREAM: THE ASTERIATED SAPPHIRE: THE SAPPHIRE
AND THE ZODIAC.
RUTILE
"Fair tre111e11 t11C111'1 impmal rau et1111ar1,
And beauty draw
tu
tuith a ling!. luair."
POPJ:.
The name Rutile is derived from the Latin
RUTILUS, red, and it appeared under the
form RUTIL in 1808 when it was first applied
to the mineral by Dr. A. G. Werner. The mineral
occurs in brown, red, yellow and black colours and
is composed of oxygen and Titanium. In hardness
it is about the same as a peridot. The name Veneris
Crinis (Hair of Venus) was first given to fibrillous
rutile in quartz crystal known as Sagenite, from
a Greek word meaning "a net." The Hair of
Venus was suggested by the beautiful hair-like
effect which in good specimens is truly Titian.
It is also known as The Net of Thetis and the
Hair of Thetis. The French call it ''FH!ches d' Amour"
(Love's Arrows). The Veneris Crinis was worn
by the ancients as a charm to favour the growth
of hair and to give foreknowledge. Rutile is under
the celestial Sagittarius.
SAPPHIRE
"TM lilli"ff thrcme, tM 11apphire blau,
Wher" a11f1ell tremble whiz. they gau."
GIU.T.
The Sapphire derives its name from the Greek
SAPPHEIROS and the following are some of the
many forms of the word: saphyr, saphir, safir,
safire, zaphire, safere, saffere, safyre, sapher,
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saphyre, saphire, saffyr, saffre, safeur, safour,
safur, sapheir, saphere, safure, saffure, saffoure,
saufir, sapphier, saiffer, sapphyr.
The sapphire which may be said to lead the
Corundum family is slightly harder than the ruby.
The name, which varies but )ittle in ancient languages, was without doubt applied to the blue
lapis lazuli-the Hyacinthus of the ancients being
the true sapphire of our days. Sapphire is the
name given to the blue corundum, and the shades
of colour vary from very light to very dark, the
light specimens being anciently termed female, the
dark, male. This blue tinge will, however, be detected in several light varieties of the corundum
family. The velvety blue sapphire tenned the
"bleu du roi" has held its popularity for ages and
is likely to continue to do so, although the pretty
light specimens known as "cornflower blue" are
fast coming into favour. Sapphires are found in
Ceylon, India and Siam in considerable quantity
and some good stones have been found in the United
States. Large specimens come from Newton, New
Jersey and also from the rich country round Montana. The sapphire fields at Anakie, Central
Queensland, bid fair to become one of the biggest
in the world, and in a highly instructive report,
Messrs. William Rands and B. Dunstan, Government Geologists of Queensland, give a detailed
account of the fields. The authors of the report
give the following list of minerals found in the
sapphire deposits:
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Diamonds
Sapphire (blue)
Oriental Ruby (red)
Oriental Topaz (yellow)
Oriental Peridot (green)
Oriental ChryBOberyl (yellowish green)
Oriental Amethyst (purple)
Cata' Eye (smoky, etc.)
Oriental Moonstone (pearly)
Spinel varieties
Spinel Ruby
Pleonaste
Garnet Pyrope
Zircon varieties
Jargoon (white and yellow)
Hyacinth (brown and red)
Quartz varieties
Rock Crystal (oolourleu)
Amethyst (purple)
Cairngorm (smoky)
Chalcedony varieties
Carnelian (red and yellow)
Jasper varieties: Black (Lydian Stone), red and brown
Rutile (in quartz pebbles)
Topaz (white)
Magnetite
Titanic Iron
Magnesite
Tourmaline
Hornblende
The report emphasises the facts that "the field
is a large one, that the extent of sapphire wash
is second to none in the world and that a constant
supply of stones could be maintained." It seems
that these Australian gems have not met with the
fair treatment so necessary in the development of
the fields, and in their report Messrs. Rands and
Dunstan submit an extract from a letter received
from an important firm of lapidaries and gem
merchants in Geneva: "Fine sapphires equal to
those from Burma have been found amongst the
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
Australian gem stones.
855
Most of these are sent
to Germany by dealers where they are sorted.
The best gems are afterwards sold separately under
another name, and the inferior lots sold as Australian."
Large sapphires are more frequently found than
·large rubies and Dr. Chambers mentions one discovered in 1858 in the alluvium a few miles from
Ratnapoora, which was valued at over £4000
sterling. A large specimen, three inches long, is
mentioned by Professor J. D. Dana as being in
the possession of Sir Abram Hume. In the Green
Vaults at Dresden several great specimens are
shown. The large "Saphir merveilleux" which Mr.
Hope exhibited at the London Exhibition in 1851known as the "Hope Sapphire"-was blue by daylight and amethyst colour by nightlight. This
gem was last said to be in the Russian Treasury.
This sapphire has nothing in common with the blue
cobalt-coloured artificial spinels known as "Hope
Sapphires." Dr. G. F. H. Smith mentions several
large stones, the most notable being one of 950
carats which was reported to be in the King of
Ava's treasury in 18~7.
The weight of the Rospoli
rough sapphire in the Jardin des Plantes is 18~
carats. The Duke of Devonshire has a fine sapphire
of 100 carats, brilliant cut above the girdle of
the stone, and step cut below. From the earliest
times the sapphire had the reputation of a holy
gem. Solinus says that "it feels the air and sympathizes with the heavens, shining not the same
if the sky be bright or obscured." The ancients
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held the gem sacred to Phrebus, not as a personification of the Sun, but rather as explained by Dr.
Alexander S. Murray (Department of Greek and
Roman Antiquities in the British Museum) as
follows:
"From the sun comes our physical light, but that
light is at the same time an emblem of mental
illumination, of knowledge, truth and right, of all
moral purity: and in this respect a distinction was
made between it as a mental and a physical phenomenon-a distinction which placed Phrebus Apollo
on one side and Hellos on the other. Accordingly
Phrebus Apollo is the oracular god who throws light
on the dark ways of the future, who slays the Python
-that monster of darkness which made the oracle
at Delphi in~sble.
He is the god of music
and song which are only heard where light and security reign and the possession of herds is free
from danger." This is the ideal of the sign Aquarius,
astrologically considered, and students of the old
science well know what Solinus implies when he
says that the gem of the sign Aquarius "feels the
air and sympathizes with the heavens" for this
sign of "air," of fine ethereal forces, of "outer airs,"
of fine subtle substances, etc., is also the sign of
Heaven and the Heavens.
The great physician Galen used the sapphire "for
expelling the hot humours of the body," which
unfavourable health condition is included in astrological philosophy on the evils of the sign Aquarius.
The sign also, as the astrologer Raphael says;
"has particular rule over the eyesight, and the Sun
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
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857
conjoined with Saturn therein is a sure sign of
blindness." Ancient writers say that he who gazes
into a sapphire will charm away all threatened
injury to his eyes, and Marbodus recommends
that a sapphire "dissolved in milk" takes the sting
from "dimmed eyes." For removing foreign bodies
from the eye, specks of dust, sand, etc., it was
recommended ' that a sapphire be held a while on
the closed eyelid and then drawn gently and slowly
several times across from the nose to the comer of
the eye. It is one of the old principles in medicine,
astrologically adininistered, that the cause of the
disease can also be used as a cure, whilst
another rule advises the virtue of opposites. In
this latter connection it was said that a sapphire
placed near the heart would fortify that organ-the
sign of Heaven "ruling" the heart is Leo, and
Aquarius is exactly opposite to Leo in the Zodiac.
In homreopathic medicine aconite in proper proportion is administered to reduce fevers and inflamed conditions. Astrologically, aconite is a herb
of Saturn. Saturn is, like the herb, cold and contracting whilst Mars is warm and expanding. The
blood and mental faculties are liable to disorder ·in
certain people hom with Aquarius rising at birth
or with the Sun therein: and the sapphire was the
panacea which also, it was said, stopped bleeding
of the nose if held against the temples. In old
pharmacies the sapphire held a place of importance
and its reputed curative virtue led to its employment as a charm against swellings, boils, ruptures,
profuse perspirations, poisons, melancholy, flatu-
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
lence and other bodily inharmonies. It was also
employed as a charm against enchantment, danger,
treachery, quarrels between friends, evil suggestions
and undue influence. Porta in his work on "Natural
Magic," 1561, writes of the value of the sapphire
in all magical and religious ceremonies, protecting
the wearer from the Larvae of the lower spiritual
world and from the snakes and poisonous reptiles
of the world of matter. It was considered intensely
powerful as a destroyer of poisonous insects which
it was said to kill if placed at the mouth of a vessel
in which they were imprisoned. Boetius ("De
Natura Gemmarum") writes that the sapphire was
for none
worn by priests as an emblem of chas~ty,
of evil thoughts, bad minds or vicious· habits dare
wear this gem of pure heavenly love which was
used of old by those consulting the sacred oracles.
In his messages to the Bishops of the lith century
Pope Innocent ill asked that they should have
their pure gold rings set with "that stone which
is the true seal of secrecy." When the Roman
Catholic church received her novices into the Sisterhood a sapphire ring blessed by a Bishop was given
as a holy symbol of the mystical marriage. In the
famous Pulsky Collection-mentioned by Mr. C. W.
King-there is a wonderful intaglio on a fine sap·
phire of Pope Paul III by the great Alessandro
Cesati, three-quarters of an inch square. St. Jerome
(4th and 5th centuries) wrote that the sapphire
saved its wearer from captivity and pacified his
enemies, also that it gained the favour of princes.
Some old authors recommend the sapphire as a
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
859
stone for the hands of Kings. It is a stone rather of
Democracy. Perhaps, however, the symbolic idea
was that the King as the servant of the people
could adorn his hand with no more fitting emblem.
It is traditionally reported that the ring of King
Solomon was a sapphire, which stone was believed
by some of the masters to be the special talisman
of the Jews. One kept in the Holy of Holies as a
holy emblem is said to have been saved and concealed for the people of Israel when Titus sacked
Jerusalem. Moses was born with the Sun rising
in the ascending Aquarius, hence the adoption of
either the sapphire as we know it today or the
lapis lazuli as national gems is perfectly natural.
The sapphire in the signet of Constantine, weighing
58 carats, which now lies amongst the treasures
in the Rinuccini Cabinet at Florence, is cut in intaglio with a portrait of the Emperor in the guise
of Nimrod attacking a great boar with his spear
in the Cresarean plains. As a gem of heavenly and
beautiful thoughts the sapphire was regarded as
a scare against devils, evil forces, witchcraft, sorcery
and all forms of villainy. The Buddhists symbolically
say that. a sapphire opens a closed door, brings
prayerful feelings and sounds the sweet bells of
peace. It is a stone of truth, constancy, friendship,
goodness and angelic help; it warns against hidden
dangers and heightens the imagination and psychic
forces. It rebels against intoxication and refuses
to adorn the hand of a drunkard; it helps hopes and
wishes that are truly just and right. It was the
third stone of the Nao-rattan and the fourth of the
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
seven rings which larchus brought down from the
angelic spheres as a gift to Apollonius of Tyana.
It was the fourth stone of the magical n~klace
of
Vishnu, and according to the Ramayana sapphires
fell from the eyes of the slain god Maha Bali.
· An Irish Countess lent for exhibition to the
South Kensington Loan Collection in 187i the
sapphire ring which Lady Scroope threw from the
window of the death chamber of Queen Elizabeth
to Sir Robert Carey who was waiting below for this
signal of the Queen's passing in order to convey
the news post haste to James. In the Sepher of
Solomon "which was set together in t4e desert
by the Children of Israel in the Holy Name of
God, following the influences of the stars," a charm
for favouring desires, for procuring invisibility, and
certain benefits was a light coloured sapphire on
which was engraved a mermaid holding a twig
in one hand and a mirror in the other. The times
for the construction of .t his talisman (which was
to be set in a ring and worn inwards for escaping
the eyes of others) was when the moon well aspected,
was passing through the 6th, 6th and 7th degrees
of the sign Aquarius. Another charm from the
same source is the figure of a young man crowned,
a circle round his neck, his hands raised in prayer,
seated on a four-legged throne supported on the
back of their necks by four men standing. The
charm is to be cut on a "cornflower" sapphire for
purifying the mind and obtaining favours from
rulers, scholars, priests and people of wisdom, when
the well-aspected moon was passing through the
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Beautiful Colour Gems
Kelsey I. Newman Collection
1.
BERYL .. • •. . ... . •• . . .
17}4 carats
2. AQUAMAR !NE .. ...• . . • 59
Ys
3. PrNK SAPPHIRE . . .• . · ·. 372
4. AMKTHYST •• ...•. .•.•• 28
14
5
6.·{0RANCE SAPPHIRKS}·. •... 4
7.}
8.
9.
10.
GOLDEN SAPHIRF.~
·
SUNLIGHT
{20
~4
2).1
SAPPHIRE . .. 44 11:,
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
861
1st, ind, iSth and !!9th degrees of Aquarius. In
the "Book of Wings," a charm advised for gaining
wealth and prophetic foresight is an astrolabe cut
on a sapphire, especially when the moon, well
aspected, passes through the 1st, ind, !!8th and
!!9th degrees of Aquarius. Another for health,
protection from poison, poisonous airs, and tyranny
was the Bearded Head of a man or a ram engraved
on a sapphire, constructed when the well-aspected
moon was passing through 8th, 9th, 25th and Uth
degrees of Aquarius. Dreaming of sapphires is
said to denote protection, social success, and favour
generally.
The Asteriated or Star Sapphire, displaying like
the Star Ruby, an opalescent star, is a valued charm
for procuring the love of friends, for constancy and
harmony.
All shades of blue and green sapphires are under
the zodiacal Aquarius. White sapphires (called
Leucos sapphires) are under the sign Pisces. Yellow sapphires are under the sign Leo. Amethyst
sapphires are under the sign Sagittarius.
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CHAPTER XXIX
SARDONYX-SUCCINITE
SCHORL:
SARDONYX:
MARBODUS
AND
SELENITE:
MALPLEAT:
COMPARISONS
PLINY's
BY
ACCOUNT:
ANCIENT USE OF SELENITE: USED IN THE PALACE
AT PEKIN: DR. JOHN GOAD AND THE SELENITE OF
POPE
CLEMENT
GREEKS:
Vlll:
TREVIsA's
LUNARY MEN:
A
SELENITE
NARRATIVE:
AMONGST
THE
sEL~HT
OR
LOVE ATTRACTOR: A CURIOUS
TALISMAN: SELENITE AND PEARLS: SERPENTINE OR
HYDRINUS: IDENTIFIED WITH THE TARSHISH STONE:
THE OPHITE STONE OF DIOSCORIDES AND PLINY:
AGRICOLA KNOWS IT AS LAPIS SERPENTIUS: THE
RANOCHIA OF ITALIAN ARTISTS: A CURE FOR RHEUMATIC AFFECTIONS, ETC.: USED BY THE ANCIENTS
FOR
FASHIONING
ORNAMENTS
AND
CHARMS:
A
TALISMAN OF CAPRICORN: USED IN THE MAKING
OF SCARABS AND CYLINDERS: SOAPSTONE OR STEATITE: ITS EXTENSIVE
USE IN ANCIENT EGYPT:
PINITE: THE AGALMATOLITE OR PAGODITE CALLED
BY THE CHINESE HAO-CHI: LUCKY FIGURES AND
EMBLEMS: A SAVAGE FOOD: SPHENE OR TITANITE
SPINEL OR BALAS RUBY: VARIETIES: PHENOMENA
OF THE SPINEL: ALBERTUS MAGNUS: ANDREA BACCI:
THE PALACE OF THE RUBY: MARCO POLO's STORY:
LAL RUMANI OF THE INDIANS: THE KING OF OUDE's
SPECIMEN: THE LAL-1-JALADI: THE BLACK PRINCE's
362
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RUBY AND ITS STORY: SIR JAMES MELVILLE AND
QUEEN ELIZABETH'S "FAIR, GREAT RUBY": LOVE
OF QUEEN ELIZABETH FOR SPINELS: ROBERT DE
BERQUEN AT THE COURT OF THE KING OF PERSIA:
SPINELS AND CORUNDUMS IN RIVER GRAVELS: ELIANUS AND THE STORY OF THE STORK: ITS SYMBOLIC
IMPORT: AN ANCIENT MEDICAL CUSTOM: A HEALTH
STONE: A GARDEN CHARM: SPODUMENE: HIDDENITE:
KUNZITE: RADIUM INFLUENCE ON SPODUMENE AND
KUNZITE: SUCCINITE.
SARDONYX. (See ONYX.)
SCHORL. (See TOURMALINE.)
SELENITE
"Thu ~toM,
a remedy for human illl,
Sprif191, a. they teU,JromjafMUI Perlia'• hilU."
M.umoDua.
The word SELENITE is derived from the Greek
SELENE, 'the moon, and is found also written as
silenite, silonite, silenitis. The stone which is a
crystallized variety of gypsum is in pearly 'white,
green, yellow and gray colours. Marbodus compares it with soft grass or verdant jasper, and Malpleat, in 1567, says it is like a fresh and flourishing
green herb. The moon-like lustres whether in pearlwhite or light green are the most esteemed, and
Pliny writes that it is frequently employed in the
construction of beehives to enable the curious to
watch the little insects at their wonderful work.
The ancients employed it in much the same way
as we do glass, and it formed an item of considerable
trade importance between Rome, Spain, Cyprus,
Mrica, Cappadocia and other parts of the ancient
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
world. Slightly coarser varieties were used by
Tiberius to cover his hot-houses, for it is susceptible
of being split into comparatively thin sheets. A
finer variety of very great value was at one time to
be seen in the palace at Pekin. Dr. John Goad, who
wrote the Astro-Meteorologia, a book on the natures
and influences of the celestial bodies, mentions
the Selenite which Pope Clement Vlli had amongst
his treasures. It was a natural moon dial, of which
Cocheram said in 16!8, "it decreaseth and encreaseth as the moon groweth." This Dr. Goad
was a famous scholar who, wrote Cooper, "gained
a reputation for his astrological knowledge founded
on reason and experiment." The Greeks called
the stone Selenitis Lithos, because they said it
waxed and waned with the moon, a belief quaintly
expressed by Trevisa in 1898 as follows: "Selenites
is a stone of Perse, grene as grasse. It shineth with
a white specke and foloweth the moon and waxyth
and waneth as the moon doeth." Some old stories
tell of a belief that little Moon men which Howell,
a 17th century writer, calls "Selenites or Lunary
Men," flung these stones deep in the earth. The
Selenite was regarded as a love attractor and a
stone to restore harmony between quarrelsome
lovers. H engraved with a figure of Diana with
bow and arrow when the moon was passing through
the Srd, 16th and 17th degrees of Cancer it increased, say old writers, the power of imagination
and helped the wearer to realize future movements.
H the Selenite be burned and carefully powdered
it is said to be of great use in cleaning pearls (which
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
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also are moon-ruled according to astrology). The
Selenite is under the sign Cancer like the moonstone,
with which it is frequently confounded.
SERPENTINE OR HYDRINUS
.The name Serpentine appears at c:lliferent periods
as serpentyn, serpentyne, sarpentene, sarpentin,
scharpentyn. It is derived from the Latin SERPENS, and its more ancient term HYDRINUS
indicates exactly the Sea Serpent family (Hydridre),
so well known to ancient and modern writers.
Precious serpentine is translucent-Qr about soand of a. rich oily green colour. Common serpentine
is opaque. The precious serpentine is called
"noble," the impure "common." The colours are
dark oily green, light green, olive green, black green,
brown yellow, green yellow, sometimes almost
white. The Serpentine is identified with the
Tarshish stone, the lOth stone of the High
Priest's Breastplate. It was known as "Ophite
Stone" by Dioscorides and Pliny, and Agricola
writing in the 16th century calls it "Lapis
Serpentinus." Other writers called it "Serpentinum," hence the modern name "Serpentine."
In Italy, especially amongst artists, some specimens
of the stone are known as "Ranochia.," because of
its similarity to a frog's skin.
It was recommended of old as a cure for rheumatism and rheumatic pains in the limbs, and for that
purpose specimens were carried on the body next
the skin, attached to the arms or legs. It was believed to cure dropsy and all moist complaints,
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
especially if the sufferer held a specimen in each
hand whilst resting in the sunlight. The wearer
was also warned not to overdo this sun-bathing with
Serpentine in his hands because of its affinity with
all natural bodily fluids. It was said to be a charm
against serpent bites or stings and to scare away
poisonous insects and reptiles of the sea and land.
Serpentine was much esteemed by the ancients for
its healing virtues and peculiar beauty. They
effectively employed it in the manufacture of vases,
pillars, boxes, etc., and for the making of special
charms and talismans. The figure of a goat with
a fish's tail cut on a serpentine when the meon, well
aspected, was passing through the Srd and 4th
degrees of the sign Capricorn, was a charm against
rheumatism, skin troubles, gout, stiff limbs, accidents to the limbs, falls or hurts.
The Serpentine was largely used by the ancient
Egyptians in the making of sacred scarabs, and the
Persians favoured it especially for shaping into
cylinders of authority, one of which is described by
Mr. C. W. King, as follows:
"A King contending with two andro-sphinxes,
Ormuzd hovering above on the Tree of Life"-a
very symbolic cylinder.
The Serpentine or Hydrinus is under the celestial
Capricorn.
SOAPSTONE OR STEATITE
Steatite derives its name from the Greek word
STEAR, fat, which well describes the greasy feel
of this soft magnesian rock-a massive variety of
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
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talc. It was extensively used by the ancient
Egyptians who cut it into scarabs which in many
cases they first burnt and then coated with a vitreous blue or green glaze. The substance is extremely soft and can easily be cut with a knife.
Soapstone figures are cut from a variety known as
PINITE-the Agalmatolite or Pagodite of China,
called by them Hoa-chi. Many of these are very
beautifully cut, a number being lucky figtires presented in the guise of gods and goddesses, flowers,
fruits, etc. This custom reminds of the "Household gods" of the ancients. A kind of soft steatite
earth is still eaten by the savages of New Caledonia
and other places.
All varieties of Steatite are under the zodiacal
Taurus.
SPHENE OR TITANITE
Sphene derives its name from the Greek SPHEN,
a wedge. As the name indicates the form of the
crystals is wedge-shaped. The lustre is very brilliant but the stone is scarcely as hard as the opal
and therefore is little used in jewellery.
Sphene is under the zQdiacal Sagittarius.
SPINEL OR BALAS RUBY
Spinel, which derives its name from the Greek
word SPINOS, a spark, is found written in a variety
of ways, chief amongst which are spinell, spinele,
spinel. Its colours are red, brown, green, yellow
and blue. The red varieties are clear and glittering
and the dark generally more dense or opaque.
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
The name Spinel ia applied to th011e of
The name Balaa ia applied to th011e of
The name Rubicelle ia applied to th011e of
The name Almandine Ruby ia applied to th011e of
The name Chloro Spinel ia applied to thoat!! of
The name Ceylonite or Pleonaate ia applied to
th011e of
The name Sapphirine ia applied to those of
bright red colour
rose red
orange red
violet
green
black
blue
Spinel and Balas are often intermixed and both
terms are accepted as denoting this Aluminate of
Magnesium, whose hardness is just a little inferior
to the Corundum and whose crystalline form is
isometric, like the diamond. The spinel, however,
is non-electric, no matter if submitted to heat or
friction, whilst the ruby (Corundum), and garnet
are highly so. Hence it is not a difficult matter
to distinguish these stones from each other even if
their outward similarities tend to confuse the eye.
The spinel, submitted to trial by heat, first changes
from red to brown; if left to cool it becomes dark;
then it changes to green; then, as if exhausted, it
seems to lose its colour which, however, slowly reappears in its red expression.
The word BALAS has been written as balace,
baless, balays, balais, balass. It is derived from
the Arabic BALAKHSH which, says Albertus
Magnus, is the female of the real ruby "and some ·
say it is his house." That prolific writer on precious
stones, Andrea Bacci (16th and 17th centuries),
echoes older thought also when he writes that
"Balas is derived from PALATIDS, a palace, which
is the palace where the ruby lives." He echoes the
symbolic ideas of the old Greek writers who said
that the true ruby resided in a palace---clearly show-
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
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ing that they knew the difference between rubies
and spinels. Marco Polo's remarks are as follows:
"In this Provence (Badachschan), those fine and
valuable gems the Balas rubies are found. They
are got in certain rocks among the mountains and
in the search for them the people dig great caves
beneath the earth just as is done by miners for silver.
There is but one special mountain that produces
them and it is called Syghinan. The stones are dug
on the King's account and no one else dares dig on
pain of death as well as of seizure of worldly possessions, nor may any take the gems out of the Kingdom. The King collects them all and sends them to
other kings as tribute or as presents. He so acts
in order to keep the Balas at a great value for if
he allowed all persons to mine for them the world
would be :filled with them and they would be valueless." In Persia there is a story which tells that
they were found in a destroyed mountain after an
earthquake. The Indians know the stone as the
"Pomegranate Ruby" (Lal Rumani), and the King
of Oude is said to have had a remarkable and beautiful specimen as big as the egg of a pigeon, which
was known as "Lal-i-jaladi." The beautiful heart.shaped Balass which is set in the British Crown under
the Black Cross known as the "Black Prince's
Ruby," is said to have been obtained in Spain
by Prince Edward when he was aiding Don Pedro
of Castillo to hold his throne. It is reported that
this was the gem worn by King Henry V at the
Battle of Agincourt. This may have been the
"fair great ruby" which Sir James Melville says
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Queen Elizabeth valued so highly. Elizabeth was
very fond of spinels of which she possessed some
splendid specimens, as shown in the still extant
inventories of the personal effects of the Queen.
An inspection of her nativity will show that they
were gems of good omen for her. Madame de
Barrera gives an extract from Robert de Berquen 's
"Merveilles des lndes Orientales et Ocidentals'~
wherein it is stated that "Josephus Barbo~
a
Venetian gentleman, says in a report made to the
Signori of Venice that when he was ambassador
for the Republic at the court of Yussum Cassan,
King of Persia, on a certain day of the year 147~
when he was received in solemn audience, that
prince showed him a handkerchief :6lled with the
rarest and most inestimable precious stones. Among
others there was a table-cut Balass ruby, of a beautiful shape, of at least a finger's breadth, weighing
two ounces and a half, and of a most peerless colour:
in fact, it was a most perfect paragon, so exquisite
that when the King asked what he valued it at, he
replied that he thought a city or even a kingdom
would scarcely pay for it."
Spinels and corundum are always found togehr~
and Dr. G. F. H. Smith comments on the fact that
although harder stones, rubies in the river gravels
are usually waterwom whilst spinels are found in
perfect crystals. The ancient Zoologist Elianus
repeats an old story that a stork brought a spinel
as a present to the woman-nurse Heraclis for healing
his wounded leg. Here again it is necessary to look
beneath the fable for true understanding of it.
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The stork is one of the birds of Jupiter and its legs
are astrologically under the zodiacal Sagittarius
(the house or mansion of Jupiter). The woman
symbolizes the moon and in her name the afternoon
sun is concealed. The nurse is under Virgo, the
sign to which the Spinel is attached. The 4 toes of
the stork symbolize the negative or afternoon sun,
the 8 front toes webbed to the first joint, Jupiter.
t\gain, the stork has no voice and tells no secrets.
Hence we have a cryptic prescription illustrating the
method employed by the ancient medical brethren
to convey their meaning to each other. The spinel
is here an active mineral employed in the treatment,
together with the moon and negative or afternoon ·
sun, of certain afBictions of the legs. Even today
it is a custom amongst medical men to preface
their prescriptions with the symbol of Jupiter.
The stork is also greatly esteemed as a bird of good
fortune and happy omen, and in many countries it
is protected against destruction.
The spinel was esteemed as a perfect health stone
and was especially valued as a charm to be wom
over the solar plexus. It was a fortunate gem for
doctors of medicine, scholars, writers, clerks, secretaries, manufacturers, business people, hospital
attendants, nurses, etc. It raised the thoughts and
purified the imagination. A specimen placed at
each comer of a house was considered a protection
against calamity, and rough pieces placed at the
4 angles of a garden, orchard or com field were said
not only to protect the products from storms and
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
lightning, but also to carry the symbolic influence
of rich returns for the farmer.
The spinel or balas, rubicelle, almandine ruby and
the Sapphirine are under the Zodiacal Virgo. The
Chloro-spinel and the pleonaste are under the
zodiacal Capricorn.
SPODUMENE
Spodumene derives its name from the Greek word
SPODIOS, ash-coloured. It is a stone resembling
Feldspar, but has a lustre more pearl-like. In
general appearance spodumene is of a pale yellow
tint, sometimes gray or as its name suggests, ashcoloured. It is about the hardness of quartz. The
emerald green variety which is exceedingly rare, is
called Hiddenite, after its discoverer, Mr. M. G.
Hidden, and it is said by Professor Dana to rival the
emerald as a gem. It was discovered in 1881 in
North Carolina, which seems to be the only place
of its occurrence. Comparatively few specimens
have been distributed and amongst them no stones
of any considerable size. A pretty example of i~
carats is in the Natural ffistory section of the
British Museum. Perhaps the most beautiful examples of this mineral were discovered in the San
Diego district of California in 1908 and named
Kunzite, after Dr. G. F. Kunz. These stones range
in colour from pale violet to deep lilac and large
specimens have already been unearthed, that in the
British Museum weighing 60 carats. Dr. G. F. H.
Smith remarks that under the influence of Radium
Kunzite is phosphorescent, thus presenting some
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difterence from spodumene in general. In analysis
it is shown that spodumene contains 7.5 per cent
of lithia. It would be, in harmony with ancient
philosophy, under the zodiacal Libra, although the
variety Hiddenite may be connected with the
zodilLcal Taurus. All varieties of spodumene would
be regarded as powerful eye charms and as beneficial to the kidneys and lumbar regions.
SUCCINITE (See GARNET.)
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CHAPTER XXX
TITANITE-TOPAZ
TITANITE: TOPAZ: THE MYSTERY OF THE "ISLAND OF
THE MISTS":
THE RING OF
THOllrlAS A, BECKET
CALLED A PERITOT BY THE ABBOT OF GLASTONBURY:
THE MEANING OF THE WORD TOPAZ: TOPAZ REMARKABLE FOR ITS CLEAVAGE: ITS USE IN ANCIENT
AND
MODERN MEDICINE: TOPAZ
RHOMBICUS
OF
THE MINERALOGISTS: M. DUMELLE DISCOVERS HOW
TO CHANGE THE COLOUR OF A TOPAZ: "PINGOS
D,AGOA," "GOUTTES D,EAU," "MINAS NOVAS'':
"DIAMOND OF SLAVES": }~
THREE
SHILLINGS:
HOW
LBS. OF TOPAZ FOR
QUEEN MARY'S
GREAT
BLUE TOPAZ WAS FOUND: THE TOPAZION STATUE
OF PTOLEMY PHILADELPHUS: THE PTOLEMAIC BADGE:
HADRIAN,B TOPAZ: TOPAZ OF THE GRAND MOGUL
AND RUNYEET SINGH: A GIANT EMPEROR'S PLEASURE:
SOME
OLD
INTAGLI:
PLINY,B
STONE
OF
STRENGTH: A STONE AGAINST DEATH AND TERROR:
SYMBOL OF BOILING WATER: A CHARM AGAINST
DROWNING: A MODERN ILLUSTRATION: RABBI BENONI: "BOOK OF WINDS,': TOPAZ CHARMS.
TITANITE.
(See SPHENE.)
TOPAZ
Gwn:a.
At various times the word has been rendered
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875
tupase, tupace, topace, topas, thopas, topaze,
topasie, topazius, topasius. In the traditional
derivation of the word a mystery is concealed.
Pliny says that the stone was found in an island
difficult for mariners to locate on account of the
fogs and mists surrounding it, and Marbodus seems
to indicate the true topaz when he says:
"From '"' r(lfiiOU 1M yellow toptB 0111111,
Found in 1M uland of the 8elj-am~
name."
The Island was known as Topazios, which owes
its origin to the Greek word meaning "to divine,
guess, conjecture." The misty island is the celestial
Scorpio which is accounted in astro-philosophy the
death sign and the sign of the serpent, the wounder
of the heel of man. It also concerns the goods of
the departed, their abode in the world to come,
etc., hence the Island of the Mists, the place of
guess, conjecture or philosophical speculation which
the traveller in the flesh can dimly see through
the strange cloudy lights of the spirit. The name
was originally given to the stone known to us as
the Chrysolite which gem is now identified with
the occult sign of the Fishes employed in the mysteries in ancient and modem times. The classification as we at present know it, is of very ancient
date, and specimens of the modem topaz have
been found adorned with various intagli of proven
antiquity. Although it has been stated that Thomas
A' Becket wore a topaz ring, there is no doubt
that Adam Sodbury, Abbot of Glastonbury, was
correct when he says it was a peridot, for the peridot
or chrysolite was the stone of the Churchmen and
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
intimately associated with the mystic sign of Christianity-Pisces, the Fishes. The old Abbot wrote
that "a gold ring in which was set the stone peritot
(an old form of peridot) encircled the finger of our
Martyr St. Thomas when he was killed by the
swords of eVil men., At that time it is certain
that the topaz and the peridot were the stones
known as such today and as such they had been
known for many centuries before.
The Sanscrit word TOPAS, meaning heat, may
well describe the topaz, the colour of which can
be changed readily by heat, and which, under heat
pressure and friction, exhibits strong_electric phenomena.
Scorpio, as before remarked, is the sign of the
snake or serpent so intimately connected with the
mysteries of life and death, and the topaz is remarkable for its cleavage, for when struck with a
hammer it breaks into flakes ·like the backbone of
a serpent. The topaz was considered as of wonderful potency in the treatment of sexual disorders,
which astrologically are considered as disorders of
the sign Scorpio. It contains from 55 to 58 per
cent of Alumina, which substance has been used
in modem times by Dr. Richard Hughes, Dr. Teste,
Dr. Peters, Dr. Marcy and others in troubles of
the sexual system and the mucous membranes.
The drug has been used hommopathically in such
morbid conditions and in chronic pharyngitis and
diseases of the nose and throat. The nose is ruled
by Scorpio in astrological deductions, and the
throat by Taurus, its opposite sign. · Alumina is
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most strongly expressed in Conmdums, which include the Oriental Topaz, next the chrysoberyl,
next the spinel, and next the topaz, but there are
certain characteristics of the Topaz which in some
way render it distinct from other gems, and these
would have been considered by the hermetic schools
whence such philosophy originated. Amongst mineralogists the topaz is known as Topaz Rhombicus.
It is found in colours golden, yellow, reddish,
white, greenish, wine colour and blue. A charming
pink is produced artificially by subjecting the real
stone to heat, the best results being procured from
a golden-J>rown variety. This process was first
discovered by M. Dumelle, a Paris jeweller, in the
year 1760. The colour thus obtained is doubtless
permanent, the shade being manifest when the stone
cools. Great care must be observed in this simple
experiment because the stone is so sensitive that
unless properly handled it is likely to split under
the various degrees of heat and cold.
Translucent achromatic topaz is called Pingos
d'Agoa (drops of water) by the Brazilians, and
Gouttes d'Eau by the French. In England the
variety is called Minas Novas, after the Minas
Novas in the State of Minas Geraes in Brazil where
it is extensively found. In Portugal this type
of topaz is called the ''Diamond of Slaves." The
large British Museum specimen of this White
Topaz which, according to Mr.• Emanuel, weighs
over 1i lbs. (avoirdupois), was sold for three shillings
by a marine store dealer. who used it to hold open
his door. The great blue Queensland topaz in
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
the possession of Queen Mary of Great Britain
is said to have been discovered by a shepherd who,
thinking it was a common stone, threw it at a howling
dog during the night and wakened in the morning
to discover the precious nature of his missile. The
Topazion Statue of-' cubits high which Pliny mentions as having been made by the order of Ptolemy
Philadelphus to the memory of his sister-wife
Arsinoe, has puzzled investigators. It has . been
set down as indicating a statue of jasper, agate,
prase, chrysoprase or rock crystal of the Citrine
or the Smoky Quartz varieties. Probably this
latter suggestion is right but the real meaning will
no doubt lie in the sign Scorpio, which was known
in old Egypt as the Eagle-(the symbolic badge of
the Ptolemaic dynasty)-and was the sign of material
death and spiritual life. The Emperor Hadrian is
said to have had a large topaz ring on which was
e~avd:
"Natura deficit,
Fortuna mutatur,
DtnU omnia ~»mit."
Tavernier writes of a great topaz in the possession
of the Grand Mogul weighing 157 carats and worth
about 100,000 dollars. Runyeet Singh's topaz,
half the size of a billiard ball, was worth iOO,OOO
rupees. The Great Braganza, 1680 carats, which
adorned the crown of Portugal and was supposed
to be a diamond, is a white topaz. One of the
pleasures of the giant Emperor Maximilian, of
whose strength so many stories are told, was to
crush topazes to powder in his fingers. Why he
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
879
indulged in this form of sport is unknown; probably
he found it recreation after killing an ox at a blow
or knocking out the teeth of an unfortunate horse.
Mr. King mentions a Head of Mrecenas on topaz
attributed to Solon at Florence, and anotherwrongly attributed to Dioscorides-:-of a girl's head
in the Marlborough collection. The Topaz was
called "Stone of Strength.. by Pliny for the martial
Scorpio is the wrestler's sign and the sign of strong
people. The power of the topaz was said to increase
as the moon increased, especially if the night orb
was at new or full in the sign Scorpio. It banished
the terrors of the night, protected the wearer during epidemics, soothed the wild passions and gave
a glimpse of the beyond. It banished the fear of
death and secured a painless passing from this
life to the next; it gave strength to the intellect
and enabled the wearer to receive impressions from
astral sources. It preserved from miasmatic conditions and lost its colour when in the presence of
poisons. The power attributed to it of quenching
boiling water is symbolic of the fiery Mars, planet
of power in the watery Scorpio. It was also said
by the old masters that the topaz preserved against
drowning, and a curious illustration of this belief
came recently under the writer's notice. He advised the wife of a well-known Australian to purchase a very beautiful topaz, which was mounted
under his direction as a cham1 of the sign Scorpio.
During the late war this lady and her daughter
had need to travel to England. The voyage was
about half accomplished when the vessel was sub-
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
marined. The boat in which the lady and her
daughter were, capsized and all the struggling
passengers were thrown into the sea. She seized
a piece of wreckage and supported her daughter
and herself until they were both dragged into a
boat some considerable time after. The lady had
clutched the topaz charm from her neck and was
holding it tightly in her hand while struggling in
the water. Just as they got into the boat she
felt someone give a heavy blow on her hand and
take the gem from her. She grieved for the loss
of her beautiful topaz charm which she regarded as
the symbol of her own and her daughter's salvation.
Leonardus said that the topaz was a charm
against asthma and Rabbi Benoni calls it the emblem of strength and the easer of hmmorrhage. In
the ''Book of Wings" it is recommended that to
secure favour with kings, princes, nobles and important personages a topaz engraved with the
figure of a flying falcon should be wom. This
charm was to be constructed as a charm of power
when the well aspected moon was passing through
the 5th, 6th and 7th degrees of the heavenly Scorpion. Another topaz charm given is for acquiring
riches: this takes the form of a man holding a
lamp. It had to be mounted in gold and constructed
when the increasing moon, in good aspect to the
direct Jupiter and the Sun, was passing ~ugh
the 5th, 6th, 7th, 26th and 27th degrees of Scorpio.
In a dream the topaz is a symbol of movement,
protection from harm, poisons, etc._ The symbolic
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
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dream introducing this stone is a symbolic message
from the departed.
The topaz and its varieties are under the celestial
Scorpio.
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CHAPTER XXXI
TOURMALINE-ZIRCON
TOURMALINE: ARRIVAL OF SPECIMENS IN LONDON:
THE ASH ATTRACTOR: THE "ELECTRIC STONE" OF
LINN..EUB: THE "MAGNETIC" OF LEMERY: EXPERIMENTS
OF ..EPINUS AND
LEHMANN:
PROFESSOR
GOODCHILD'S EXPERillriENT: SUSPECTED CONNECTION
OF THE TOURMALINE WITH ORIENTAL ALCHEMY:
COLOURS OF THE TOURMALINE: THE TOURllriALINE
AND THE TOPAZ IN METHYLENE IODIDE: IDENTIFICATION SUGGESTIONS: PLINY's LYCHNIB: THE CADUCEUS OF HERllriEB: TURQUOISE: BAXO AND ALBERTUS
MAGNUS ON ITS VIRTUES: THE PmUZEH OF THE
ARABIANS: THE CHALcHmUITL OF THE llriEXICANS:
IDENTIFIED WITH PLINY's CALLAIS: A FAVOURITE
ORIENTAL CHARllrl STONE: A BYllriBOLIC THEORY OF
ORIGIN: STONE OF THE HORSE AND RIDER: A RELIGIOUS GEM OF JUPITER: A CHARllrl AGAINST THE
EVIL
EYE:
A
SENSITIVE
STONE:
llriiBTAKES
OF
WRITERS: MEDICINAL VALUEB: TURQUOISE BET IN
STATUES
OF
BUDDHA:
THE
GOLDEN
BOW
AND
TURQUOISE ARROW: GEM OF THE GODS: COLOUR
CHANGES
WEATHER:
IN
TURQUOISE:
INDIAN
TURQUOISE AND
RAIN-STONE:
KING
THE
TOHESER
AND THE TURQUOISE MINES: llriAJOR C. MAC DONALD
AND PROFESSOR FLINDERS PETRIE DISCOVER THE
OLD TURQUOISE WORKINGS: LOVE OF THE TURQUOISE
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888
IN OLD EGYPT: SOME UNIQUE STONES: THE GEM
IN PERSIA: THE KHORASSAN MINES: STONE OF
FASHION IN 17TH CENTURY EUROPE: DEATH STONE
OF JAMES IV OF SCOTLAND: HENRY VIII SENDS A
LAST GIFT TO
CARDINAL WOLSEY:
llriARBODUS'S
TURQUOISE TALISMAN OF FREEDOM: DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN "DE VIELLE ROCHE" AND "DE NOUVELLE
ROCHE": VARISCITE: IDENTIFIED AS THE CALLAINA
OF PLINY:
MANE
ER H'ROCK OR FAIRY ROCK OF
BRITTANY: zmcON: STONE OF THE MOON'S NODES:
THE SNAKES OF THE CADUCEUS.
TOURMALINE
"Thu block llrifll, ont~
in the world, callMl
u
of the prtJttiut of the fl""1/ ft~
prt!#g blockllrifll•
Tourmlint~."
Rl18UN.
The Tourmaline, written in the 18th century in
England as Tumalin, is derived from the Ceylonese
TURMALI or TORAMALLI. The first specimens
to arrive in London were known as "Brazilian
Emeralds," and they came from Brazil in the 17th
century only to meet with an unfavorable reception.
In the beginning of the 18th century Dutch mer~
chants began to bring from Amsterdam specimens
obtained by them from Ceylon. The Dutch cutters,
observing how straw and other particles were attracted to specimens which had been lying in the
sunlight, called the stone in consequence Aachentrekker (ash attractor). The Germans called it
Azchenzieher, and the French Tire-cendre.
The Swedish scholar Linnreus experimented with
the Tourmaline, calling it the "Electric Stone."
M. Lemery, the French Professor, called it the
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THE MAGIC AND SCmNCE
"Magnetic." The experiments of .tEpinus and
Lehmann were concerned with the positive and negative energies exhibited by the Tourmaline. These
18th century scholars held that its power of repulsion exceeded its power of attraction. This
sensitive stone is affected by weather changes,
and it exhibits considerable power when heatedthe electricity then developed being termed pyroelectric. Professor W. Goodchild, M.B., etc .,
details an interesting experiment in dealing with the
Physical Properties of Gem Stones:
"A crystal of tourmaline, in heating to 150° C.,
becomes positively electrified at one terminature
and negatively at the other. If now it be suspended by a non-conducting thread it will act as a
magnet: on cooling, the charges on the poles reverse, positive becoming negative. If a crystal
with such a charge be dusted with a fine mixture of
sulphur and red lead, the yellow sulphur will be
attracted to the portions charged with positive
electricity, while the red lead goes to the negatively
charged portions."
This experiment serves to illustrate the attraction
of the mind (represented by yellow sulphur), towards
the positive pole, and matter (represented by red
lead), towards the negative pole, as noted in the
philosophical researches of the old alchemists.
If in a heated state, the tourmaline be shattered
all the little pieces will exhibit the forces of attraction and repulsion so marked in this strange stone.
It has been . suspected, not without reason, that
tourmaline specimens ere used by some of the
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885
Eastern students of alchemy who held primarily
that the substance of the Philosopher's Stone is
Mercurial and that it should be treated with heat,
for by that means alone would its use be shown,
warmth coming from the Heavens to bless Man,
Nature, and the Kingdoms of Nature.
The tourmaline is remarkable also for the variety
of its colours, indicated by various and not always
appropriate names. SCHORL, the black variety
spoken of by Ruskin, was so called according to
De Costa (1761) by the German miners. The
same writer says "our English miners call them
'bockle' and 'ball'." The name appears as shirl,
schirl (so spelt by De Costa), schoerl, shorl. In
the 16th century it was known in Germany as
SCHRUL, but later in the 18th century it appears
as SCHORL. The name is now becoming unpopular, the simple term Black Tourmaline being
The colourless variety is termed
preferred.
ACHROITE, from a Greek word meaning colourless; pink and rosy red are termed RUBELLITE;
indigo blue, INDICOLITE; blue, BRAZILIAN
SAPPHIRE; green, BRAZILIAN EMERALD;
-yellow-green, BRAZILIAN PERIDOT; honey-yellow, CEYLON PERIDOT; red violet, SIDERITE.
The brown variety is usually known as Brown
Tourmaline, although it has been known and still
is known as Brazilian Topaz or Ceylonese Topaz.
It is not so hard as the topaz, however, ranging
in the scale somewhere between quartz and zircon.
The refractive powers are likewise not in agreement,
and in Methylene Dioxide the topaz (stone of
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
Mars) sinks, whilst the Tourmaline (stone of Mercury) floats. There are also amber-coloured, cinnamon, lilac, grey, blue-grey, water-green and
many beautiful parti-coloured specimens.
It is believed by some students that this gem was
known to the ancients by the name LYNCURIUM,
which Mr. King believes to be a species of jacinth,
Dr. Brotero an orange-coloured hyacinth. Professor Ajasson, believing the name to refer to
Tourmaline, suggests that LYN may be derived
from the Sanscrit word LANKA, the name of
Ceylon, a place where the stone is plentifully found.
The general opinion now is that the stone described
by Pliny under the name of LYCHNIS is our tourmaline. Pliny writes in his 87th Book on Natural
ffistory of the power of the LYCHNIS of drawing
straws and fluff towards it when heated by the
sun or by the friction of the hand.
The peculiar attractive and repulsive properties
of the tourmaline may be compared with the mysteries contained in the caduceus of the wise and
ever-restless Hermes. The symbolical snakes which
adorn the rod represent knowledge received and
knowledge imparted in the hermetic scheme of the
Rosicrucians. The tourmaline is symbolical of
wisdom, strength of mind, eloquence, learning and
the power of knowledge. It is the stone for the
author, poet, editor, and teacher. To dream of
it means-in harmony with ancient philosophysuccess through knowledge in all walks of life.
The tourmaline in all colours is under the zodiacal
Gemini.
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TURQUOISE
"TM fair Quem of Frarw
Sent him a turqoil~
ring and glotll,
And charged him u hn knight and loH
For hn to brHk a larw."
Sm WA.LTIIIl Scorr.
"Turquoise" has been written in a remarkable
number of ways, amongst them being turky, torkey,
turquay, turkey stone, turkie, turkeis, turkese,
turkise, turkes, turkas, turkis (as used by Tennyson), turkoise, turkez, turqueis, turques, turchis,
turquesse, torchas, turcasse, turquez, toorkes,
turkesse. The Venetians call it turchesa, the French
turquoise, the Germans turkis. Andrea Bacci ("De
Gemmis et Lapidibus pretiosis," etc., 1605) says
that this stone is called Turcicus, "Either on account of its admirable loveliness or for the reason
that it is obtained from the Turks." The name
as we have it does not seem to go further back than
the 18th century when Saxo, agreeing with Albertus
Magnus, writes of it and praises its virtues as a
preventive of accidents to the eye. The old Persians called it PIRUZEH, the Triumphant, and
the Arabians, whose special luck stone the turquoise
is, engrave on specimens the name "Allah" with
a verse from the Koran, or with some magical sign
inserted in pure gold. It is known to the Mexicans
as CHALCHIHUITL. This stone is identified
with the Callais of Pliny, who relates symbolically
that it was shot down by means of slings from
unapproachable rock lands. The symbol has relation to the power of this stone of the Heavenly
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
Archer over seemingly terrifying obstacles when
firmly directed by the compelling will.
The turquoise is favoured by Eastern occult
students who employ it largely in the composition
of amulets and charms. It was said to have
sprung up like an eye from its matrix, and is identified with the Antares in the Archer of the Heavens.
These stars were indicated as affecting the eyes in
the same degree as the Pleiades and the Asselli of
Taurus and Leo. In modem Egypt a turquoise is
applied to the eye as a remedy for cataract and other
ophthalmic troubles, specimens thus employed being
usually engraved with the sacred name of Allah.
The turquoise is especially the stone of horses, mules
and camels, and from most ancient times specimens
have adorned their trappings. Leonardus said that
so long as a horseman carried a piece of turquoise
with him whilst riding he would never have an
accident, nor would his horse be fatigued, for it
was believed that the stone would draw the pain
of the accident to itself. Boetius de Boodt says
that when riding to his house along an uncertain
road on a dark night he fell with his horse down a
declivity but neither he nor his animal suffered
hurt. His turquoise, however, was shattered. The
stone was carried by jockeys, huntsmen and horsemen generally as a symbol of the special protection
of Jupiter. In the Middle Ages the turquoise was
much wom by young girls who regarded it as a
religious jewel for the protection of their virtue
and for the uplifting of their thoughts. In the
most ancient science the sign Sagittarius-the house
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
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or mansion of the planet Jupiter-is the sign of
sport, horses, dreams, high philosophy, religion
(not in the sense of creed), the true lamp of life,
long voyages, publications (not newspapers), etc.
Thus the turquoise-as the stone· of Sagittariuswas a stone of dreams, the horse, philosophy,
religion, etc., and its grand symbolic purpose was
to help the spiritual person to resist the weakness,
evils and temptations so intermixed with material
life. The turquoise was said to be a charm against
the evil eye and evil thoughts. The Arabs say
that the stone is sensitive to weather changes and
that its colour is affected by the state of the atmosphere. They knew Jupiter as the "Cloud Gatherer," "The Thunderer," "The God of the Murky
Cloud," etc., and they connected the turquoise
with his powerful works. The planet Jupiter strong
at birth is held to indicate riches and worldly advantage. The old Arabian writers note a form of
magic fox inducing wealth and monetary advantages, performed in the hour of Jupiter. During
this ceremony a turquoise was held in the right
hand and the desires spoken into the stone at
which a steady gaze was directed.
Carelessness has led to error amongst writers.
A 16th century author confuses the topaz with
the turquoise, describing the latter as a "gem of
yellow colour" and recommending it as a charm
against the bites of reptiles and stings of insectsqualities ascribed by t4e old masters to the topaz,
gem of the sign of the .Scorpion. Another writer
repeats the error, saying that "this yellow stone
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reduced to a powder is helpful in case of stings
from scorpions and fearful and venomous reptiles."
The turquoise was held in esteem for diseases of
the hip-a part of the body astrologically under
the sway of Sagittarius. In this connection the
stone was reduced to a paste and bound flat to the
part affected, whole specimens being bound above
and below the seat of the trouble. The turquoise
contains a high percentage of Phosphoric Acid,
which is employed in modern homreopathy for
affections of the lungs, astrologically under the sign
Gemini and therefore opposite to the sign Sagittarius.
The ancients advised the turquoise as a lung medicine, not to be taken internally. The sign Sagittarius is also the sign of prophecy, and the turquoise
set in the foreheads of the statues of Buddha and
other images symbolizes the knowledge of things
to come. The golden bow and the turquoise arrow
of the Tibetan legend has especial reference to the
Sun in the sign Sagittarius. Dr. Kunz, quoting
from Dr. Berthold Laufer of the Field Museum,
Chicago, refers to this legend as follows:
"A powerful saint touching the bow and arrow
of a blacksmith transforms ·the bow into gold and
the arrow into turquoise." The bow represents
the solar rays and the arrow the Heavens, hence
it is little wonder that the turquoise was termed
the "gem of the Gods." The turquoise was also
recommended for diseases of the throat and heartas phosphoric acid is today in Homreopathy. In
harmony with an ancient astro-philosophy known
as "Planetary Interchanges," the turquoise was
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considered an ideal lovers' gift-unless the stone
was otherwise than fortunate in the horoscope of
the recipient-and a gift of friendship.
The changes of colour in a turquoise have been
long noted, and the lines of the poet Donne are
frequently quoted:
"A1 o comp~linJU
turquoile t1aot doth tell
B11looking pole the weorer il not well."
Boetius tells a story of a wonderful turquoise possessed by a Spanish gentleman which so lost its
colour after his death that it appeared "more like a
malachite than a turkois." Boetius then says that
his father bought it for very little at the sale of
the Spaniard's effects and gave it to him. Herelates that he had hardly worn it for a month when
"it resumed its pristine beauty and daily appeared
to increase in splendour." Mr. Harry Emanuel
gives a somewhat similar story concerning a turquoise that lost its lustre with the death of its owner
"as if mourning for its master," regaining it in its
"former exquisite freshness" when worn by its new
owner. A case of this kind came under the writer's
notice: The wife of a well-known pastoralist of
New South Wales had a bangle of turquoises cut
into the shape of Egyptian scarabs. While travelling
in Japan she became ill and the stones changed from
a soft blue to a dull green, regaining their former
beauty when the lady regained her health. One
of the oldest firms of jewellers in the city of Melbourne, Australia, was worried to find that an
exquisite Persian turquoise entrusted to them to
mount in a tiara with diamonds was changing colour
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whilst in the hands of their chief "setter." This
craftsman had been complaining for some days of
indisposition. Strangely enough, the gem regained
its beautiful colour on being entrusted to another
and healthier workman.
The connection of the turquoise with weather
changes is not confined merely to Oriental peoples.
The Pueblo and Apache Indians employ it as a
rainstone, which they say is always found concealed at the foot of the rainbow. They place
pieces of turquoise on their bows and fire arms
as directing charms for trueness of aim.
This stone is also called the "gem of liberty and
benevolence," and an old Eastern proverb says:
"A turquoise given with the hand of love carries
with it true fortune and sweet happiness." Another
Eastern belief runs that the turquoise turns pale
when danger threatens the giver. Felton in his
"Secrete Wonders of Nature/' 1569, states that
"the turkeys does move when there is any peril
prepared to him that weareth it." Dr. E. A. Wallis
Budge identifies Tcheser of the Srd dynasty (8900
B.C.) who built the "Step Pyramid" at Sakkarah
as the Memphian King who worked the turquoise
mines of Sinai. His name is still perpetuated on
a rock at Wadi Magharah. It was at this place
that Major .C. MacDonald found turquoise in
1849, and Professor Flinders Petrie in 1905. Professor Petrie also discovered evidences here of very
ancient mining operations. Archaic specimens of
worked turquoise are still being found in Egypt.
The colour appealed to the sons and daughters of
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Khem who imitated it to a very great extent in their
scarabs, beads, ornaments and other articles of
adornment. In the Vatican collection there are
valuable intaglios and cameos cut in this stone
which in some instances retain their heaven-blue
colour to this day. Mr. King mentions a laureated
head of Augustus and the Head of a Gorgon in the
Fould collection, "the original azure converted into
a dull green by the action of the earth." In Persia
the stone was always highly esteemed and the most
perfect specimens are held by the Royal House.
The Khorassan mines near Nishapur are still famous
for the remarkable beauty of the stones won from
them. So fashionable was the gem in Europe in
the 17th century that no true gentleman would
consider his dress complete unless his hand was
adorned with a ring of Turquoise, for it was (as a
true stone of the Archer) symbolic of the fairness
and high sense of justice of the wearer. The famous
turquoises in the Royal Jewels of Spain were brought
from New Mexico somewhere about this period
also. Sir Walter Scott in "Marmion" sings of the
turquoise ring and glove which the French Queen
sent to the Scottish King James IV, with 14,000
crowns of France, begging him for the love she
had for him to raise an army for her sake. It is a
curious fact that the turquoise was the death stone
of James IV who was· killed at Flodden Field by
an arrow from an archer'a bow. The turquoise
was to him a symbol of error and fatality. Henry
Vlli sent the dying Cardinal Wolsey a ring of
turquoise by Sir John Russel, bidding him say to
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his fallen favourite that he, the King, "loved him
as well as ever he did and grieved for his illness."
For a talisman of liberty and freedom Marhodus
advises that a perfect turquoise be engraved with
a man standing under a beetle. It should be then
set in a brooch of gold and blessed and consecratt:d;
"then the glory which God hath bestowed shall
manifest." An astrological charm for wealth and
prosperity takes the form of a centaur firing an
arrow upwards, to be engraved on a turquoise,
preferably in the hour of Jupiter with the Moon in
good aspect to Jupiter passing the Srd and 4th
degrees of Sagittarius.
True turquoise, termed "de vieille roche/' or
Oriental Turquoise, differs from the fossil turquoise
or Odontolite, called "de nouvelle roche," or occidental turquoise. Fossil turquoise can be easily
marked by a steel instrument, while true turquoise
acts as flint to steel. A drop ·of Hydrochloric acid
causes effervescence in fossil turquoise, which when
submitted to fire gives out an animal odour. Fine
turquoises are of that heavenly blue colour known
as "turquoise blue,'' and they present a waxy
appearance. The variety known as Variscite, supposed to be the Callaina of Pliny, is a soft green
stone found in various forms in prehistoric graves
near Mane er H'rock or Fairy Rock in Brittany,
in the State of Utah in the United States of America,
and other places.
The turquoise is under the zodiacal Sagittarius.
ZffiCON. The name zircon is said to be derived
from the Arabic
a jewel. It was known
zmx,
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in the Sanskrit as RAHURATNA or stone of the
Nodes of the Moon (Caput draconis and Cauda
draconis), called the dragons of Solar and Lunar
eclipses. These dragons were controlled by the
magical power of Mercury and may also be compared to the snakes of the Caduceus. The Zircon
is a transparent to opaque stone and has been
noticed more fully under the names JARGOON
and HYACINTH.
The Zircon is under the zodiacal Virgo.
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STONES IN SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS
" I I _ . •lu lw.ng• upon 1M cAHk of niglal
Li1u a ricA Jewl in an E~'•
_. ...
Ro100 AND
J'OLIIIT.
THOSE who labour for the world belong to the
world, no matter which little part of it may be
claimed as their birthplace. This applies to the
humblest as well as to the greatest, as in a play
the excellence of individual players contributes to the
artistic harmony and influence of the entire production. So it is that William Shakespeare, the inspired
master of the "spacious times of great Elizabeth,"
breaks through the narrow limits of sea-girt England
and encompasses the whole world of women and men,
detaches his unmaterial self from the period of his
perpetual source of pleasure
earth life and end~a
philosophy, wisdom and music. Throughout his
works William Shakespeare mentions seventeen distinct stones Qf adornment, viz: agate, amber, carbuncle, chrysolite, coral, crystal, diamond, emerald,
flint, jet, lapis lazuli, marble, opal, pearl, ruby,
sapphire, turquoise.
AGATE
In Act I, Scene 4t of "Romeo and Juliet," Mercutio
tells of Queen Mab"8/u u tlufairiu' midtl1ife, and •lu comu
I 11 1lw.pe no biggw tlw.n an agate .toM
Ora 1M forefingw of an alderman."
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In Act 8, Scene 1 of "Much Ado about Nothing,"
Hero says that
"Nature n - fromd o tDOmGn'• hmrt
OJ prouder ~tuf
thon that of Beatrice"
who would swear that ~f
be like
a man were tall he would
"A lone• illheodld;''
"If low, on agate ""71 fliklg cut."
In Act 2, Scene 1 of "Love's Labours Lost,"
Boyet tells the Princess of France that Navarre's
heart is
In King Henry IV, Part I, Act 2, Scene 4, Prince
Hal says to Francis:
"Wilt thou rob thu leathern jerkin, crgltol button, knott-pated, ogat6ring, puk,_.tocking, coddU-gorter, •moot/& tongue, Sponuh-pouch, .. .•"
Falstaff in Part 2, Act 1, Scene 2, ofthe same play
complains to his page that he was never "manned
with an agate till now."
(These quotations all serve to show how popular
the agate was as a ring stone in Shakespeare's time.)
AMBER
Hamlet, in answer to a question, tells Polonius
that the "satirical rogue" whose book he is reading
says that old men's eyes are "purging thick amber
and plum-tree gum" (Act 2, Scene 2), a thought no
doubt suggested by the ancient myth of the "weeping
sisters."
Petruchio asks his "Mistress Kate":
•lunu•
"Will toe retum unlo thg father'
•.•.•... Wit!& omber broceletl, bead~,
ond oll thu knofl"1/r"
("Taming of the Shrew," Act •· Sc. S.)
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Says Dumain in "Love's Labours Lost" (Act. 4,
Scene 8):
"Her amber hair for foul hatA amber quol«l'
and Biron"An a~red
raNn
tDCII
u*liiOIId."
CARBUNCLE
Dromio of Syracuse in Act 8, Scene i, of the
"Comedy of Errors," speaks of
"Her nNe all o'er embelluhed 1AiitA rubiu, carbunclu, •apphiru."
Titus Lartius says of Marcius:
"Thou arlltnt, Marciru;
A carbuncle entire, a big a thou arl,
Were not 60 rid& a j.wl."
"Coriolanus," Aet 1, Sc. f.
lachimo, the soothsayer, (Cymbeline, Act 5,
Scene 5) tells that"H1, lru1 lmight,
No Zu.er of her honour «mfid,nat
Than I did truly find her, .eaku thu ring:
And 100uld 60, had it been a carbuw
Of Phoebru' wl~H,
and might 60 H/Ny, had it
BNn all th1 tDOrlh of• car."
Hamlet speaks to the Players (Act i, Scene!) of
Pyrrhus:
"With eyu like carbunclu, tla6 Mlluh Pyrrhru
Old f11'andrire Priam •eeb ."
Again the poet uses the "carbuncle of Phoebus'
wheel" in "Antony and Cleopatra," Act 4, Scene 8: .
"Hew duiNIId it, wre it carbunclld
LiM holy Pholbw' car."
CHRYSOLITE
The fated Moor says of his poor murdered Des-
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demona in the last scene of the last act of "Othello'':
"Na1J, Aod IM hen lnu,
If B «JHn tDOuld make 1M ~tch
another VlOf'ltl
Of one mtire and perfecl chryiOlit.
rd nol MH IOld her for it."
CORAL
Says Lucentio in Act 1, Scene 1, of the "Taming of
the Shrew,:
"I 1a10 Air coral lip~
toAnd with Air breath 1he did perjutM 1M air:
Sacred and I1DHt 1D4I alii 1a10 in Air."
The charming Ariel in "The Tempest,, (Act 1,
Scene i) sings:
"Full fot/wm fiH lh1J folher liu:
Of hu bonu are coral mode:
Tho1e are p«~rl
tholtoere hil t1JU:
Nothing of Aim thai doth fade
But doth 1ujfer a 1ea-change
Into IO?Mihing rich and mange."
CRYSTAL
"But in thai cryltaliCalu klthere be toeiglled
Your lad11'1 loH ogainll 1ome other maid,"
says Benvolio to Romeo.
("Romeo and Juliet," Act 1, Sc. t.)
In "Love's Labours Lost, (Act i, Scene 1} Boyet
tells the Princess of France:
"Melhoughl all AU 1m1u toere locked in hu ttl'•
A1 jetoell in cryllol for 101M prince to bu1J."
In Act 4, Scene 8, of the same play, the King says:
"'A1J, mel' 1a111 one: '0, JOH!'Ihe other criu:
One, her hair~
toere gold, crylfal the other'• t1JU."
In Act 8, Scene i of "A Midsummer Night's
Dream,, the awakening Demetrius sings Helen's
praises:
"0 Helm, goddu1, nymph, perfect, difline!
To tohol, m1JlOH, •hall I compor1 thine t1Jmr
Cryltal u mudd11."
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In Act i, Scene 1, of "KingJohn,"QueenEleanor
says of the sad sensitive Arthur:
"Hu ffiOthM •luamu him 10, poor botf,lu fDH'JJI,"
Constance retorting:
"Now 1luame upon JIOU wMIMr 1/u dou or no/
Hil grondom'• tDI'Oflgl, and not /ail ffiOthM'1 IM-,
Draw tho1e luaHn-motling pearll ff'01fl /ail poor egu,
Wlaicla HeaHn 1haU take in nature of afu:
Ay, with thue cryllal bead~
HeaHn 1/&aU be llriW
To do him jtutice and rtJHnge on gou."
Bolingbroke in "Richard II" (Act 1, Scene 1) says:
"Since tlu more fair and cryltal u the 1ky;
The uglier 1um the cloudl that in it fly."
Says Bardolph in "Henry V" (Act!, Scene 8):
"Go clear thy cryltall."
At the opening of "King Henry VI," Bedford has
the famous lines:
"Hung be tlu /&ea_, with black, yield day to night,
Com«~,
importing cluange of timu and ltatu,
Brandilh gour cryllal tru1u in tlu •kr·"
In Act 6, Scene 4,of "Cymbeline,"the ghostfather
Sicilius says:
"Thy cryllal window ope: look out."
"Two Gentlemen of Verona," Act. !, Scene 4:
"But that hu mimu•
Did hold hu 1111u locked in hu cryllallookl ."
The poetic use of crystal has its basis in ancient
mystical philosophy, which is partly noticed in the
section under CRYSTAL.
DIAMOND
Shakespeare alludes to the diamond twenty-one
times, most of all in "Cymbeline."
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Imogen gives Posthumus as a pledge of affection
her diamond ring:
••TAU diati'IO!Id _. mr mot!Nr'1: taU it, laearl."
The diamond is mentioned four times as an important part of the plot in the bargain between
Posthumus and lachimo:
''If IM tHnl lwfore otMr1 llaaH 11m, Gl t1aat diamond outlUIIru manr
llaaH Weld, I could not but belif~
that,, I!Uflled manr: but llaaH not
-u.. tiiOII P"'lleimu diamond tlaat il, nor rou theladr ...
POftB1llll1a: "I Failed Mr a~ I rated Mr: .o do 1 mr ~toM."
"I 1laall but Urad mr diamond tillgou retum."
UCIIDIO:
"Mr tm tlaotuand ducau are rour1: .oil rour diamond
too: if I C01II6 ojf."
In Act!, Scene 4, poor Posthumus says:
".AU il fHll ret,
Bparldel tlaillloru 01 il _. VJOntr"
alluding to the ancient belief that the diamond turned
dull when lovers proved unfaithful .
.. . . . . T1u 11oM', too 1aard to , ."
UCIIDIO: "I beg but leaoe to air thil jewel: 1ul il mud be married
To t1aat pour diamond."
In Act 5, Scene 5, Cymbeline asks Iachimo:
"Tlaat diamond upon pour fingtr-~a,
HtN CGI'ftl il
fOU"'"
The diamond is mentioned three times in Pericles:
:M.uu: "To me 1u 1um~lik
diamond to gla81." (Act II, Sc. S.)
BJ:LJc.uroa: "Wlaom if pou find, and win unto retum,
You •laalllike diafiiOndl lil about Ail - · "
CDDIOJf: "Sheil alit•: 6IAold
.,,idl,
CG~u
to tlao11 laeafllfllr iewll
Whicla Periclu 1aatA lalt,
Bllgin to pari tluir fringu of brig/at gold:
Tlu diafiiOndl of a molt Failed -ur
Do aJIPIGr, to mab 1M tDorld twice ricA."
Her
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The diamond is mentioned three times in King
Henry VI:
Hoaoeconor
E
e·fl9·%9·
"To me he lleeiDI like diamond to glass."
,
Pericles, Act II, Sc. s.
SUJTOLK: "So farftDill RrigniM: 1et tAil dwfJWrld •af•
In goldm palaeu,
it becomu .''
(Part 1, Act V, Sc. S.)
Tu Quu:N: "I took a 001tl11 Jewel from m11 neck,
A h~arl
it tDCJI, bound in tuith diamond.,
And lhrno it lo1Aiardl th11 land."
(Part I, Act III, Sc. 1.)
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K:oro HBNBT: "My croum u in my b«~.rt
not in. my h«<ll:
Not d«W with diamond. and lndianllonu
Nor to be •em: my crown u colUd contmt
A crown it i• that •eltlom king• mjoy ."
(Part s, Act III, Se. 1.)
In the "Comedy of Errors," the diamond is twice
mentioned:
Tim Co'UBTUAll': "GiN me the ring of mim you hod at dinMr,
Or for my diamond, the chain you promued."
(Act IV, Se. S.)
Tim Co'UBTUAll': "Bir, I mU81 haN that diamond from you."
(Act V, Se. 1.)
In Act 8, Scene 8, in "The Merry Wives of Windsor," Falstaff says to Mistress Ford:
"1 •ee how thim 111e toOtdd emulate the diamond."
The Princess in "Love's Labours Lost," Act 5,
Scene i, speaks of a
"Lady tD4lled about unth diamond.."
In "Timon of Athens," Act 8, Scene 6, the Fourth
Lord says:
"Om daylte giN~tu
diamond., next dry 8#.oru8."
In "The Merchant of Venice," Act 8, Scene 1,
Shylock exclaims,
"A diamond gOM, con me two thotuand ducat. in Frankfort."
In "Macbeth," Act i, Scene 1, Banquo presents
the King's diamond with the words:
"Thu diamond he grut8 your tJ!ife toWaol.''
In "King Lear," Act 4, Scene 8, the gentleman
tells Kent:
"You haN •em
and t«~.r8
Bumhine and rain at - : her ~milu
Wne like a bettn tDGy: tho81 MPP118miUb,
That played on hn ripe lip, •umed not to kn01D
What guut. tDM'e in hn '1JU: tohich ported tMnoe
A• p«~.ru
from diamond. dropped."
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EMERALD
Emerald is mentioned but once-in Act 5, Scene
5, of "The Merry Wives of Windsor,, when Mistress
Quickly says:
"And 'Honi IOit qui mol 11 pnan' torite
In nJmJld tufu, jlowiJr• pu,.,U. blue and tlllaiU:
.Lilu mpphire, pearl and rich IJ1IIIwoidery
Bvelded biJl01D fair lmightAool'• Nndi"f lmle."
FLINT
TALBO'l: "God i8 our fom•• in tohou COfttJI'IJI'i"f MIIN
lAI w re80l11e to ~eal
thftr flinty 6ultDGrb.''
("Kiug Henry VI," Part I, Act II, Se. 1.)
GLOtrCEI!ITU: "UniJGth tllllfl 8M endure theflintr mut8.''
DtrCIIJ:88 OJ' GLOtrCUTD: "The rutlaliJ8• flint doth cut my tiJfU!.er
fiJIJI.''
.
(Henry VI, Part i, Act II, Se. 4.)
QtruN MABGAUT: "BIIC4tUe thrflintr Mart mMt hard than tM, . .. ."
(Henry VI, Part I, Act ill, Se. 1.)
You: (aside): "Scarce CGn I 8piJIIk my choln i810 great:
Oh, I could hiJtD up rocb and fight toilhflint
I am 10 GJifrtl Ill thiJ8e abjeel Urm8.''
(Henry VI, Part I, Act V, Se. 1.)
You: "Women are IOjt, mild, pitiful and ft«rible:
Thou 811Jm, obdurate, flintr, rough, r~JmMHleu."
(Henry VI, PartS, Act 1, Se. 4.)
RICBABD: "TAm Cltfford wre tAr luarl 118 hard 118 8tul
AI thou hat •laovm it flintr "" "'" tlHtl8
I C01M to pierce it or to giH thH mine."
(Henry VI, Part s. Act D, Se. 1.)
Ltrcroe: "Searching the toindoto for a flint I found
Tlai8 paper, tAw •eo.l«l up.''
(Juliua Caesar, Act D, Se. S.)
BBtJTtJII: "0 Cll88iu., f10U are yoked tDilh a lamb
Thai earriN G"fiJr 118 1M flint bear• flre.''
(Juliua Caesar. Act IV, Se. S.)
ENOBABBt18: .. ThrOtD mr luarl
Again8t 1M flint and hartlnN8 of mr fii'Ult.''
(Antony and Cleopatra, Act IV, Se. 9.)
'l'BDmn:e: "There wre toil in thi8 Mad, an 'tUJOUltl out: and 10
there i8, but it liN a coltllr in him 118 fire in a flint,
tlllaicla tDill not 8hOtD tDithout Imocki,.,."
(Troilua and Cresaida, Act ill, Sc. S.)
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Dllllll:'rBltre: "Bvl b. JfOU1' hearl to tM7n
A1 unrelmnng flint to drop~
of rain."
(Titus Andronicus, Act II, Sc. S.}
M.utcus: "M11 hearl il not oompact of flint nor liM."
<Titus Andronicus, Act V, Sc. S.)
GoWBB: "Make raging batterv upon 1Aoru of flint."
(Pericles, Act IV, Sc .•.)
Pom: "The fire i' tM flint •how not till it be ~truck."
(Timon of Athens, Act I, Sc. 1.)
TuloN: "What, tJ.o.t thou fDUP1 Come nearer. TAm lioN thee.
BBCawe thou arl a U!Oman and. tlilclaim'lt
Flint, Mankind.."
(Timon of Athens, Act IV, Sc. S.)
F'BIAB LAWBENCE: "Here oomu the lady: oh, 10 light afoot
Will ne'er wear ovl the IM'lalting flint."
ffiomeo and Juliet, Act II, Sc. 6.)
GLO'OCEBTBB:
"I VJOUld to God. mv "Marl were flint, like Et/.f.D(Jrcf•."
(Richard ill, Act I, Sc. S.)
eari..,,
BELUU'O'e: " • .• •W
Can more upon tM flint, when rut, •loth
Fintll the tloum pillow hard.."
CCymbeline, Act ill, Sc. 6.}
Fuurr Pan:aT: " .. . . For charitable yrager1,
Shartll, flintl and. pebblu •Multi. be throvm on her."
(Hamlet, Act V, Sc. 1.)
BAIITABD: "Till their IOul-/earing lamour~c
haf!e lwawlld d.oum
The flint, rib. of tAil contemptuotu mtv .''
(King John, Act II, Sc. 1 .)
Knro RICJLUU): "Go to Flint cnutU: there I'U pine af.D(Jv;
A King, woe'• 1lau, •MU kinglv woe obey."
(Richard II, Act ill, Sc. t.)
Qtlm:N: "TAil il the 'I/)(J1/
To Juliw Cauar'1 ill-erecktl tower,
To whole flint bo10m mv cond.emned.lortl
l1 tloometl a yriloner brl proud. Bolingbroke."
<Richard II, Act"!, Sc. 1 .)
Knro RlCJLUU): "How thue f!ain 1DI4k naill
Mav tear a po~.age
through the flint, rib.
Of tAil hard. world..''
(Richard I, Act V, Sc. 5.)
KINo llmmT: "He hath a tear for pitv and. a hand.
Open a1 tlo.g /or melting charity:
Yll not1DitMtantling, Ning incen,.tl, M'•flint.''
(Henry IV, Part I, Act IV, Sc.
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OT&zt.Lo: "Tlu tvrant tnutmn, molt gr~e
&enalorl,
Hath tiiGM tla6 flinty and 8tul couch of tDOr
Jig thricHriHn bed of down."
(Othello, Act I, Sc. S.)
llm.I:N.t.: "Which gratitvd.
Thf'OV{Ih flinty Tarltlr'• boiOm toauld 'J1U'P forth,
And an~Wr
'Thanlu.'"
(All's Well that Ends Well, Act IV, Sc. 4.
Dt1EZ: "Plvck commileration of hil.eau
Ftom br41111 boiOml and rough keartl of flint."
(Merchant of Venice, Act IV, Sc. 1.)
VIOLA: "Jiy maner, not my&elj, lacb recompeme,
lAPs mak• hil heart of flint that you 1hallloH;
And let your f8NJOUr like my ma1ter'1, be
Plaud in corr.tempt/ Farewell, fair cruelty.''
(Twelfth Night, Act I, Sc. 5.)
HoLOJ'Dl08: "Fire enough for a flint, pearl enough for a 11Dine.''
(Love's Labours Lost, Act IV, Sc. i.)
VoL'D'IINJA: "Oh, ltand up blut,
Whillt, toith no •ofter cauhion than the flint,
Ilmeel before thee.''
(Coriolanus, Act V, Sc. 8.)
JET
GLOUCJIII'J'IIB: "What colour il my govm of'"
SDIPCOX: "Black, for100th: coal black a jet.''
KINa: "Why then, thou know' It what colour jet il oft"
S'O'JTOLJt: "And ret, I think, jet did he neM" 1ee."
(Henry VI, Part I, Act II, Sc. 1.)
1'JTtra: "ProWl. ttDO proper pa.lfrey1, blaek a jet,
To hale tAr Hngefvl tDGggon 11Dift atDOy.''
(Titus Andronicus, Act V, Sc. 1.)
SALAJWro: "Tia6re il more differmc. between thr flNh and her• thau
between jet and iiJOTfl."
(Merchant of Venice, Act III, Sc. 1.)
LAPIS LAZULI
EvAn: "What il'lapil,' William1"
WILLLUI: "A
~tone.'
EvAn: "And what il a '~tone,
WILLLUI: "A pebble.''
William1"
EvANB: "No, it il'lapil': I prar you, remember in your prain.''
WILLLUI: Lapil.
EvAn: "That il a good William.''
(The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act IY, Sc. 1.)
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MARBLE
C.um. WoLIII:Y: "When I a.mfewgotten, cuI ikall 1M:
And •lup in duU, cold marble."
(.Henry VIII, Act III, Sc. 1.)
KINo HmmT: "Her tear• tDi1l rMr" into a. marble h«lrl."
(Henry VI, Part S, Act III, Sc. 1.)
GLOBTEB: "He pliu 1urr laa.rd: and much rain W~ar8
tM marble."
(Henry VI, PartS, Act III, Sc. 1.)
SICILIUB: "Pup through thy marb~
manrion."
ckJHI."
SICILIUB: "The marble pa~t
(Cymbeline, Act V, Sc. 4.)
LAVINIA: "Tlu milk from 1urr did turn to marb~."
(Titus Androuicua, Act II, Sc. 8.)
Onu:LLO: "N011J by yond marb~
luatlm,
In tM diU r~tencs
of a. •acred tJOtD
I MrB mgags my tDOI'rU."
(Othello, Act III, Sc. 8.)
ILuu.J:T: "0, a.MtDer mel why the 1epulchre
W!urrrin toe 8a.to thee quietly inurn'd,
Hath oped hu ponderotu and marble jaw,
To C48t thee up again."
(Hamlet, Act I, Sc. 4.)
Duo:: "And he, a. marble to 1urr tear•, u toeuhed toith them, but relenu
1&0'1."
(Measure for Measure, Act III, Sc. I.)
MAJu.uiA: "Let me in 8a.fety rauB me from my fmHI:
Or me Jew- bB confiud lurre,
A marble monummtl"
,
(Measure for Measure, Act V, Sc. I.)
MACBJml: "I had me bem perfect,
W~
IU tM marble."
(Macbeth, Act III, Sc. 4.)
SBD GII:NTLllliiAN: "Who toeu mon marble there, chaTifled cokJur."
(The Winter's Tale, Act V, Sc. l.)
ANDRIANA: "If roluble and 8Mrp di8cour8e 1M marrsd,
Unlrindnu• blunt. it mews tlaa.n marble laa.rd."
(Comedy of Errors, Act II, Sc. I.)
OPAL
tM melancholy god prot«~
thee: and tM tailcw make thy
doublet of changeable taffeta, few thy mind u a. _, opal."
(Twelfth Night, Act II, Sc. 4.)
CLOWN: "N011J,
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PEABL
JH1Grl8 eluJI wre law '11'1·" (See CoaAL).
(Tempest, Act I, Sc. 1.)
MA.CDUJT: "I'" tlue mcompcu•'d wit/& tl&y lmigdom'1 pearl
Tl&at ~
my 1altdaliora in tlwir miradl."
(Macbeth, Act V, Sc. 8.)
Con!'ANCJ:: "Thou ~of!IOtng
pearll." (See CBTB!'AL.)
(King John, Act II, Sc. 1.)
OrJim.r.o: .... "Of OM tMoH Jwnd,
Like tl&e ~Hue
Irulion, tl&riVJ a pearl atroy
RicMr tlwn all /ail tribe."
(Othello, Act V, Sc. t.)
KINo: "HaMlet, tl&il pearl wtl&in~:
H,,.1 to tl&y Malt/&."
(Hamlet, Act V, Sc. t.)
LEAB: ".A1 pearl. from diafiiO!Idl dropped." (See DWIOND.)
(King Lear, Act IV, Sc. S.)
Qmat.Y: "Like 14ppl&ire, pearl and riclt ernbroiMry." (See
Amm.: "Thou t~re
EIDlBALD.)
(Merry Wives of Windaor, Act V, Sc. 6.)
VALZNTINI:: ".And I, a riclt in /wiling lUCia a jiV!Il
AI tWirlty 11a1, if all tl&eir 1and wre pearl,
Tl&e water raeetar and tl&e rockl ptlf'l gold."
(Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act II, Sc. 4.)
call tlaf'l."
PBorzus: ".A 11a of melting pearl wl&iol& ~om
(Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act Ill, Sc. 1.)
PBorzus: "But pearl. are fair: and tl&e old laying il,
Black men ar~
pearl. in beauteow ladiu' '11'1·"
JTJJ.J..A. (uide): "'Til tnu: IVCI& pearl. a put out ladiu' eg11:
For I /&ad ratl&n wink tl&an look ora tl&em.''
(Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act V, Sc. t.)
LoBD: "Or wilt thou ride' tl&y laorUI 1/&all be trapped,
Tl&llir M1'nlll ltudded all wit/& gold and pearl.''
(Taming of the Shrew, Induction, Sc. 2.)
GUIDo: "In if101'11 cof~r•
I ha11e ltuffed my crown~:
... . Fin~
linm, Turkey muhioru bol•ed with pearl."
(Taming of the Shrew, Act II, Sc. 1.)
TBANio: "WI&y, lir, wl&at 'c~rn
it you if I WBar pearl and goldf"
(Taming of the Shrew, Act V, Sc. 1.)
like a miler, lir, in a riel& howe:
TouCBarom:: "Riel& l&orat#y dwel~
a your pearl in your foul oylter.''
(As You Like It, Act V, Sc. 4.)
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MABG.uurr: "I •enD tlu Duclul1 of Milan'• f10tD11 thai they praue
10
By my troth'' but a night-gown in rNp«:t of fiOUrl:
ololh o' gold, and cull, and laced tuith mtJer, •• tuith
pearll, doum •leetJu, ride llutJU, and •kiru, round
underbone tuith a bluuh timel."
(Much Ado About Nothing, Act III, Sc. ~.)
How:nB.NilB: "Pearl enough for a ltDine." (See FLINT.)
(Love's Labours Lost, Act IV, Sc.l.)
MABIA: "Thu and thue pearll to me 1ent Lon,atJille."
I'IuNCE88: "Whal, will you hotJe me or your pearl againJ'"
(Love's Labours Lost, Act V, Sc.l.)
LYUNDilB: "Tomorrow night when Phoebe doth behold
Her lil11er mage in the WGterJI glol•,
Decking tuith liquid pearl the bladed glol•
A time that lotJer•' flights doth still conceal,
Through Athen.' gate• hotJe we dt'Diled to mol."
(A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act I, Sc. 1.)
FAIBY: "I mun go leek 10me rUwdrop1 here
And hong a pearl in ef!ertJ COU!Ilip'• ear."
(Act II, Sc. 1.)
0BilBON: "And that same dew which sometime on the bud.
W 01 wont to IWIIlllike round and orient pearll,
Stood now within the pretty ft,o1Dereu' ey~."
(Act IV, Sc. 1.)
SJ:B.UTIAN: "Thil i1 tlu air: that u the glorioul mn:
Thil pearl 1he ga11e me, I do fult and 1u't
And though 'til WOflller that mwrapB me thw,
Yet 'til not modnu1."
(Twelfth Night, Act IV, Sc. S.)
FALBTAJT: "Your broochu, peorll and ouchu."
(Heney IV, Part I, Act II, Sc. ~.)
Kuro HJ:Nay; "I am a king thai find thee, and I know
' Til not the balm, tlu neptre, and the boll,
Tlu ~Word,
1M mace, the croum imperial,
TM intertilmed robe of gold and pearl,
Tlufarced title running 'fore the King,
The throne he litl on nor the tide of pomp
Thai beat. upon the high 1hore of the world."
(Henry V, Act IV, Sc. 1.)
CL&B~ME:
"Methought I 1aw a thou.andfearful wreckl:
Ten thoUBand men thai jilhu gnawed upon:
W edgu of gold, great anchor1, heap1 of pearl,
Inutimable etonu, untJGlued jewels,
AU ICottered in the bottom of 1M 1ea:
Some lay in dead men'1 1kuU1: and, in thole holu
Where eye1 did once inhabit, there were crtpt
A• 'twere in IC01'II of eyu, refl«ting gem~."
(King Richard III, Act I, Sc. ~.)
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Kmo RICJIABD: "The liquid drop~
of ttarl that you hoH 1hetl
Sholl come again, trafl8jcmn«<. to orient p~atl."
(Act IV,Sc • • •)
CLIIOPA.'I'BA: "Hoto gou it with my braH Mark Antony1
ALU.U:
L4#l thing Ia. did, dear Qu-a,
He lrilm-the l4ll of many doubled
Tite orient p~atl.
HillpUOh lticb in my Marl."
mUll pluck it th-."
CLIIOPA.'I'BA: "Mine ear~
ALU.U: 'GooJ friend,' qume Ia.,
'Say tla. firm Roman to great Egypt mull
Thil trea~UT
of an oyltt!r .' "
(Antony and Cleopatra, Act I, Sc. 6.)
CLIIOPA.'I'BA: "I'U '"thee in a 1hotoer of gold and hoil
Rich pearll upon thee.''
(Act II, Sc. t .)
TBOJLtre: "Her bed iiindia: there 1he lief, a p~atl.'
(Troilus and Crellida, Act I, Sc. 1.)
· TBOJLtrl: "Why, '"' il a pearl,
Whole price heath launched abotle a thouland IM'J'I,
And tumttlcroumttl king• to merchanU.''
(Act II. Sc. t.)
A.u&oN: "I toill be bright and 1hine in pearl and gold,
To tDait upon thii11N-1114tle empreu.''
(Titus Andronicus. Act II. Sc. 1.)
LtrCJtrll: "Thil il 1M pearl that plealttlyour empreu' eye,
And here'• 1M but fruit of hil buming lUll.''
(Act V. Sc. 1.)
lrii•-
RUBY
FA.JBT: "The cowli'J)I taU her penrioner1 be:
In their gold coati rpotl you ~et:
Thole be rubiu, fairy faf!OU11,
In thole frecldu liH their laf!OU11."
(A Midsummer Night's Dream. Act II. Sc. 1.)
MA.call:'lll: "You make 1M mange
When noto I think you can 6eholtl1UCA light~,
And kup 1M natural ruby of your cheeb,
When mine il blanched with/ear."
(Macbeth. Act m. Sc.
M.um AtftoNT: "0f1Bf' thywountll noto tlo I
Which like dumb mouth~
tlo ope their ruby li'J)I,
To beg 1M ~
and tdUrance of my tongue.''
(Julius Caesar. Act. ill. Sc. 1.)
DBOIIIO: "EmbeUilhetl with rubiu, carbunclu, ~aphirfl."
(See CA.B.BUNCLII.)
(Comedy of Errors. Act ill. Sc. 1.)
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SAPPHIRE
MlHaDe Qtnc:u.Y: "J:Ak. 1apphire, pearl and ritA ~."
(See EMJ:JW.D.)
(Merry Wives of Windsor. Act V. Sc. 1.)
1applairu."
DBOMio: "EmiHllilhed with rubiu, carbunle~,
(See CABBVNCI 11.)
(Comedy of Erron. Act m. Sc. t.)
TURQUOISE
SBYLOCJt: "Tiwu torlurut me, Tubal: it_, my turqvoiu:
I had it of UaA tolam I _, a bacMlor: I tDOidtl
MIMH giNn it for a toilMmu1 of monkeg1 ."
(Merchant of Venice. Act
m.
Sc. 1.)
UNION
In Hamlet, Shakespeare mentiona the pearl
twice under the name UNION.
KINo: "Thl Ki,., 1Mll drink to Ham.lt4'• Iutter bmJIA;
And in 1M cup an union 1laall he throto,
RicMr than that tolric1a four IUCCIIIIiH lring1
In Denmark'• crotDn 1I4H tDOrn."
IUio.m: "Drink off thil potion. I1 thy union here'"
(Act. V. Sc. t.)
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FORMS, COMPOSITIONS, CHARACTERISTICS,
ZODIACAL CLASSIFICATION, AND
PLACES OF ORIGIN
AMBER
HG'I't!.rtu6: 1-1.5.
Ltulr~:
Resino11.1.
C'Mmtcal Comporilior&: Carbon 78.96. Hydrogen 10.51. (bygen 10.51.
8~
(}ro.vity: l.lG-l.lS.
Propmiu: Becomea highly electric by friction. When 11ubmitted to
heat, organic compounds eacape and leave a black reaidue.
In tM Zodiac: Amber ill under the heavenly Taur~.
Whm-~
/ouflll: Chiefly on the Baltic cout. On the Danillh cout. Parta
of Alia, etc.
BERYL
J!VI!!IUJ.D-
4Q17AII.UIJXI!
CryltGlliru 811"-: Hexagonal.
Hard.nul: 7 .5-8.
Lwtr~:
Vitreo11.1 or Resino11.1. Transparent to tranalucent.
Refraction: Weakly double.
C'Mmical Compolition: Silicate of Aluminium and Beryllium.
C'Mmical S,mbol: Bea AI. (SiO.)C.
Sp«:ijic Gmtnty: 1.~75
DicAroilm: Dilltinct.
Propmiu: Exhibitll frictional electricity. The emerald clouds before
the blowpipe flame without fUlling but under intellllified heat the
edges curve. With Borax the 11tone melts into a pale green bead.
It reailltll acids but ill afiected by microcosmic ll<. The stone ill10
fragile when taken out of the mine that friction crumble~
it.
In tM Zodiac: All varietiea of Beryls are under the Heavenly Taur~.
w~amfound: Generally all over the world. Chiefly in Ebterinburg,
Brazil, India, United State!!, AUitralia.
CHRYSOBERYL
4LJ!X.UO)Bl'fl! -
OJUI!N'l'4L CHRYSOLITBl CATSBlTI!
CYKOPBAJOI OR CHR'I'IIOBI!BYL
CryltGlliru Sy.um: Orthorhombic.
Hartl.Mu: 8.6.
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Lu#re: Vitreous. Trausparent to t.rau.slucent.
&frodilm: Double.
Chemical Compolitilm: Alumina SO.i. Glucina 19.8.
Chemical Symbol: Be AlsO••
Specific lhaf7ity: 8.7-8.86.
DiclmMm: Strong in Alexandrite. Distinct in Chrysoberyl.
Propertie1: Crystals exhibit remarkable twinning at times. Chrysoberyl
is highly electric and when submitted to frictional agitation holds
electricity for a long time. Not aftected by acids. Under the blowpipe it is unaltered and infusible, but it fUieB tardily with borax or
microcosmic salt. The Alexandrite variety which, as Professor J. G.
Dana says, bean. the same relation to ordinary Chrysoberyl as
Emerald to Beryl, displays curious changes of colour from leafy
green to raspberry red in real and artificial lights.
In the Zodioo: Chrysoberyl is under the Heavenly Pisces; Alexandrite is
under the Heavenly Aquarius.
Where found: Ceylon, Brazil, Russia, Ireland, Australia, etc.
CORUNDUM
liAPPIUJIJ:, BUBY, OBIENTAL AMETHYST, OBIENTAL
J:MJCJUI.n,
IIITC.
Cryllo.lline Sgltem: Rhombohedral.
Hardnu1: 9.
Ltutre: Trausparent to translucent.
&frodilm: Moderately double.
C!Ymical Compolitilm: Aluminium 58-58.i. Oxygen •6.8.
C!Ymical Stf"'bol: AlA.
Specific lhavitg: 8.90-4.16.
DiclmMm: Strong.
Propertiel: Submitted to friction exhibits electrical properties which
withdraw very slowly. Acids do not aftect Corundum, but under
the blowpipe in borax or microcosmic salt it gradually melts to a
transparent globule. Radium influences the colour strongly, so
much indeed as to impart it in achromatic specimens. The stone is
variously aftected by heat. Treated by Sir William Crooks by
exposure to high tension electric currents in a similar way to the
diamond the ruby phosphoresced with an intense red light, and the
sapphire with an intense blue. Dr. T. Coke Squance of Sunderland,
well-known in connection with radio-therapeutical research, has
succeeded in transforming a faint pink sapphire into a fine ruby.
During the process of transformation the lustre of the stone was so
intensified that it nearly assumed the brilliancy of a diamond. Dr.
Squance observed that both radium and X-rays cause a diamond to
,low with a green light. "Besides the diamond," he says, "a mineral
called Kunzite glows with a lovely red hue. I submitted a sapphire
to the Radium rays for a long period and it turned to a glorious red.
In fact, it had become a ruby. I have similarly transformed other
ltoiMII, a faint green sapphire, for instance, turning into an oriental
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
emerald." Sir William Crooks noted the age-green colour of the
diamond UDder Radium, but found that the colour could euily be
removed by mechuical me&lll.
In 1M Zodim:: Blue and green sapphires are under the Heavenly Aquariua; white are UDder the Heavenly Pilces; yellow or Oriental Topu
and Rubies are UDder the Heaveuly Leo. Oriental AmethyK ia
UDder the Heavenly Sagittarius.
WA.re fmnul: Ceylon, China, Burma, Ruaaia, Eut Indies, UDited Statee
of America, Allltralia (chiefty Queeual&Dd), etc.
DIAMOND
DIAMOND -
BO.urr
Cf'11114/Jw B,.U.: bometric.
ForJM: Octahedron, dodecahedron. Cryatala frequently twhmed.
Htmlrau.: 10. Scratches every other stone.
~Autre:
Adamantine. Trauapareut and when dark, b'aDaluceut.
Befroctilm: Siugle.
CMrr&icol CO'Apofttilm: Pure Carbon.
Clwmicol Bpbol: C.
8p«1ific Gtoftly: 5.60---S.M.
Propmiu: Exhibit. positive electricity when rubbed, but ia itaell a
noD-COaductor of electricity. When iDteDsely heated it bUI'II8,
yielding Carbonic Anhydride. When heated so u to exclude cbemi·
cal combination it dilates and forma into a black concretion. It diaplaya phosphoresceace under Radium, when submitted to strong
IUDlight and, when put iD .a vacuum tube, to a high tension electric
eurrent. Dr. G. F. Herbert Smith found that "IOIDe diamonds
Buoresce iD IUDlight, turning milky, and a few emit light when
rubbed." Dr. Kunz proved that diamonds phosphoreacewhen eZJIC*d
to the rays of Radium, Polonium, or Actinium, even when glaa is iDterpoeed. These phenomena formed special object of experiment
with the late Sir William Crooks, who showed that expoeed to high
teaaion electric curreata iD greatly rarified atmosphere, the diamond
phosphoreaced with an iDteDse green light. Prismatic coloun are
radiated by thia gem.
In 1M Zodim:: The Diamond is under the Heavenly Aries, Leo aad Libra.
Where fmnul: India, Borneo, Brasil, South Africa, Siberia, Allltralia,
United States of America.
GARNET
ALIIIANDINJ:, PYBOPJC, BICIIIIONITJC, (oAJUmT BTAC'Ilft'll), UVAJIOVl'liC
C'711141Jine Fcmn.: bometric.
Htmlrau.: 6.5-7.5.
Ltutre: Vitreous.
Rejroc&m: Siugle.
Clwmicol Compofttion: Silica Alumina, Red Iron Ozide, Lime MagDelia, Manganese, Protoxide.
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Chemical Sp&bol: Dr. Smith has the following formu1ae:
Hessonite Caa Ala (SiO.)a.
Pyrope Mga Ala (SiO.)a.
Almandine Fea Ala (SiO.)a.
Andradite Caa Fea (SiO.)a.
Specifie lharitr/: U--4.8.
Propertiu: Exhibits positive electricity by friction . With the exception of Uvarovite, all varieties of Garnets fuse before the blowpipe
flame. The stone generally does not contain water.
In tM Zodiac: The Almandine is under the Heavenly Sagittarius; the
Pyrope, Aquarius; Hessonite, Virgo; Uvarovite, Aquarius.
WM1e found: Generally all over the world.
OPAL
Cf'JIIIalline Sgllem: None.
Form: Amorphoua.
Hardneu: 6.5-6.6.
Ltutre: Waxy to subvitreous.
&fractitm: Single.
Chemical Compolition: Silica Dl.St. Water 8.68.
Chemical SgmlxJl: Si 0,, n=Si Oa n ILO.
SpetifoJ lharitr/: u~-t.s
Propertiu: No electrical properties. Opal exhibits characteristic colour
reflections known as Opalescence. It is susceptible to heat and
weather changes, exhibiting greater brilliancy on hot than on cold
days. The opal has never yet been successfully imitated, and certain peculiar properties yet remain to be investigated. Professor
Frank Rutley F. G. S., emphasises the fact that "the nature of the
Silica (Hydrous Silica) is not yet definitely determined." It is
infusible before the blowpipe, but turns opaque.
In Ike Zodiac: The Opal is under the Heavenly Leo, Libra and Aquarius.
Leo favours red and fire opal; Libra, light translucent, pure colours,
etc.; Aquarius, dark, black Opal, etc.
WM1e found: Hungary, Honduras, Mexico, United States. The finest
opal is now found in Australis, principally at Lightning Ridge, White
Crura, Stuart's Range, Charleville, etc. (Mr. Conrad H. Sayee
gives ("Australasian," March issue, 19t0) an analysis of Stuart's
Range opal, bearing earth which contains about 85 per cent each of
Alumina and Sulphur trioxide. He opines that this may account
for the harmful eft'ect it has on the men's eyes and lungs.)
PEARL
Hartlnlu: 8.5--4.
Lv#re: Tranalucent.
Chemical Compolition: Carbonate of Lime and Organic matter.
SpetifoJ lharitr/: Us-2.89.
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PfOJIII'IiM: Affected by acids. Benefitted by 10111e akiu, advenely
ldrected by othen. Deltroyed by fire.
fYMr•/011.nd: Peraian Gulf, Ceylon, Red Sea, South Ameriea, New
GuiDe&, Thunday bland, Australia, etc.
I a tM Zotl*: Pearla are under the Heavenly Cuacer.
PERIDOT
CBJmiOUTII -
c,.uu.. s,.t..: Orthorhombic.
OLIY!Jm
H,.._:&--7.
Ltutr•: VitJeoUI. Traupuent to t.raDIIucent.
Re/rodilm: Double.
C!Ymicol CO'Itlpoftlitm: Silicate of Mapeaium and hoD.
C!Ymicol Spbol: CMg, Fe)t SiO••
Specijic lhaftlr: s.s-u.
~:
Diltinct.
Propmiu: Friction induces electricity in the stone which is infusible
before the blowpipe, but is alected, whitening and forming with
Boru, a yellow bead. Decomps~
in Hydrochloric acid.
In tM Zodiac: The Peridot is under the Heavenly Piscel.
fYMr• j011.nd: United States, Ireland, Australia, CQueeuland particularly), etc. A large number of Meteorites contain Peridot..
QUARTZ
BIXS ClB'I'Ift'AL, Allll'l'ID'll'l, CAIB.NOOBII, CBBYBOPJU.Sil, c.t.ftllU, PLABIIA,
l.&aPD. c.t.BNJ:LUN, AGATil, ONTX, BABDONTX, 11088 AGATil
c..,.aw /lrtUfA: Rhombohedral.
HG'fdtt.m: 7.
Ltulr•: VitJeoUI. Splendent to dull and reainoUI.
Refrocliim: Double.
Cr...itlal CO'Itlpoftlitm: Silicon -66.67. <h7aen 4S.SS.
Cr...itlal Bpbol: Si Ot.
Specijic ~:
u-u. In pure cryRaia U5.
Dichroilm: Diltinct.
P~:
Generates politive electricity by friction. It is infusible
under the blowpipe, but efferv- with Carbonate of Soda. Although it railta the common acids it may be dislolved in HydroBuoric.
In tM Zodiac: Rock Cryltal is under the Heavenly Piscel; Amethyst is
under the Heavenly Aries; Cairngorm under the Heavenly Scorpio;
Chryaoprue under the Heavenly Cancer; Catleye under the Heavenly
Capricorn; Plum& under the Heavenly Virgo; Juper under the
Heavenly Virgo; Bloodstone under the Heavenly Leo; CarDelian
under the Heavenly Leo; Agate under the Heavenly Scorpio; Onyx
under the Heavenly Capricorn; Sardonyx under the Heavenly Leo;
Moa Agate under the Heavenly TaurUI.
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WMI'efound: Distributed plentifully about the world. Rock Amethyst
is found in the United States, Brazil, India, Ceylon, Ekaterinburg,
Australia, etc. Mr. R. J. Dunn, Jate Victorian Geologist, di&covered large quantities of Rose Quartz in South Africa. It is ·also
found in the United States, Russia, Australia and other places.
Catseyes are found in Ceylon and India. Cairngorm is found in
Scotland, United States, Australia, etc. Chrysoprase .is found in
the United States and other places.
SPINEL
SPINEL RUBY, BALAB RUBY, RUBICELLE, PLI:ONASTE OR CBYLONIT&
Cry8talliM System: Isometric.
Hardnua: 8--872.
Lustre: Vitreous.
Refraction: Single.
Chem:iool Compolition: Alumina 7~.
Magnesia 18.
Chemical Symbol: Mg Als o~.
Specific Gravity: 8.5-4.0.
Dichf'Cfi8m: None.
Properties: Does not display electricity when subinitted to friction or
heat, but under heat the red spinel changes to brown. On cooling
it becomes green, after which it is nearly colourless; then it resumes
its pristine hue. Spinel crystals also change into Hydrotalcite, a
soft pearl-like stone of similar chemical composition. Infusible alone
under the blowpipe but yields slowly with Borax. It is soluble in
concentrated Sulphuric Acid.
In the Zodiac: Spinel, Balas, Almandine, Ruby and Sapphirineare under
the Heavenly Virgo. The Chloro-Spinel and the Pleonaste are
under the Heavenly Capricorn.
WMI'e found: United States, Canada, Burma, Siam, Ceylon, Australia,
etc. It is discovered in granuJar limestone, in gneiss and rocks of
volcanic origin.
SPODUMENE
JtUNZITE -
HIDDENITE
Cry8talliM Form: Monoclinic.
Hardnet~8:
6.5-7.
Lustre: Pearly. Translucent to subtranslucent.
Refraction: Double.
Chemical Compolition: Silicate of Aluininium and Lithium.
Chemical Symbol: Li AI (Si O.)s.
Specific Gravity: 8.5-S.j().
Dickf'Cfi8m: Strong.
Properties: Electrical. Unafected by acias. Under the blowpipe flame
expands and melts into a clear or opaque glass, indicating lithia by
colouring the flame red. Kunzite exhibits phosphorescence under
Radium.
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In IM·Zodiac: Spodumene and KUDSite are under the Heavenly Libra.
Hiddenite may be under the mdiacal Taurus.
·
WMI'efound: United States of America, Madagucar, Bruil, Sweden.
etc.
TOPAZ
Crplollifte F-: Orthorhombic.
Hordr&eu: 8.
Lw.tre: Vitreous. Transparent to t.ranalueent.
Refractima: Slightly double.
Clwtraieal ComfJ08iNm: Silicate of Aluminium.
Clwaieol SpOOl: [AI (F, OH))a Si o.. (Penfold and Minor.)
Bp«:ifie lhorlitr: S.t-3.66.
DitJ/woUm: Distinct.
Propmiu: Becomes strongly electric by friction, heat and pressure.
Infusible alone before the blowpipe flame, but with Borax melts into
a bead. Changes colour when heated.
I" 1M Zodi4e: The Topaz ia under the Heavenly Scorpio.
WAerefountl: Bruit, Ceylon, Mexico, United States, Australia, etc.
TOURMALINE
c-r,.wliu Form: Rhombohedral.
Htmlnu•: 7-7 .5.
Lwtre: Vitreous.
&fractitm: Double.
C'-aieal ComfJ08iNm: Varied, but all varieties include silicate of
alumina, boracic acid, iron, magnesia, lime and soda, sometimes
lithia in small quantity, with fluorine and trace of phosphoric acid.
C'-aieal SpOOl: Professors Penford and Foote refer all varieties of
Tourmaline to
Na. Mga Ala), (AI, Fe). (B, OH)t Sia 0...
Sp«:ifie lhorlitr: i.S9-S.S.
DitJ/woUm: Strong.
Propmiu: Becomes charged by heat and friction with positive and
negative electricity. Before the blowpipe ftame the darker varieties
fuse easily but the lighter more tardily.
I" 1M Zodiae: The Tourmaline family ia under the Heavenly Gemini.
WAerefound: Bruit, Ruasia, California and other parts of the United
States, Ceylon, Australia, etc.
m.
TURQUOISE
C'7181alliu Form: None.
Hordr&eu: 6.
Lwtre: Waxy.
Clwtraieal ComfJ08iNm: Dr. Smith gives the composition as a complex
phosphate of Aluminium, iron and copper.
Clwmil:al SpOOl: Dr. Smith gives Penfold's formula as [AI (OB), Fe
(OH),, CU COB}, H)a POt, approaching nearly to H, Ab PO..
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SfNICVic tkavily: t.&-1.8.
Propmiu: Wusible before the blowpipe flame, but chaDga ita colour
to brown. Dissolves in Hydrochloric acid. Is affected by acids,
oill, the health of the wearer, etc.
lniM Zodiac: Turquoise is under the zodiacal Sagittarius.
Wlure found: Chiefly in Persia where the best specimens are found.
Allo found in Mesico, Ruaaia, United States, Australia, etc.
ZIRCON
ZIBCON, JAJIOOON, BT.\CINTB OB J.\CINTB
C'71Glline Syllefll: Tetragonal.
H lJ'I'tlr&eu: 7.5.
~Autre:
Adamantine. Transparent to opaque.
Refractilm: Strongly double.
Clwmieal Compoft&m: Silica SS. Zirconia M.
Clwmieal Symbol: ZR Si 04.
Bp«:ific Graflity: 4.6--4.86.
Propertiu: Exhibita frictional electricity. The Zircon is infusible before
the blowpipe flame but coloured specimens lose their colours. With
borax Zircon melfa under the blowpipe into a transparent bead.
Heated with lime the Zircon is transformed into a straw-coloured
atone which 10 closely resembles the yellow diamond that it is sold
to travellers by some Wl8Cl'Upulous Eastern dealers as the more costly
gem. Scientists have not yet been able to explain the constitution
and distinct charactera of the Zircon aatiafactorily. Proles10r Sir
A. H. Church has made a technical study of the zircon for over half
a century, and is univeraally accepted as ita most authoritative
student. In his researches he found that in certain varieties of zircon
the green and yellow stones, ground on copper wheel with diamond
dust, exhibit a sparkling orange light, and the intermediate golden
types radiate orange tinta in the flame of a Bunsen burner. Studenta
are Beeking for the unknown element which, blended with zirconium,
defies detection. The Zircon is very little affected by acids, except
sulphuric acid after very long steeping. It is also peculiar that
when first heated the atone exhibita strong phosphorescence, but as
ita colour leaves it, ita specific gravity is magnified and it will not
again phosphoresce when reheated after cooling.
lniM Zodiac: All varieties of Zircon are under Heavenly Virgo.
~
/ovrul: In almost every part of the world.
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CHAPTER XXXIV
GEMS IN HERALDRY, MAGICAL SQUARES OF
ABRA MELIN THE MAGE, CBARUBEL'S
GEM INFLUENCES, GEMS OF
COUNTRIES
GEIIS IN HERALDRY
"8.., -er u Mbililv'• tnu badge."
"TrTt18 ANDBOJnctlB."
'X TITIIOUT doubt the science of Heraldry was
V V evolved from ancient astrological philosophy.
Various distinctive badges, shields and tokens were
employed by the peoples of the past, but the system
as known today did not properly evolve much before
the 18th Century. In the present book, that section of Heraldry known as Blazoning by Planets and
Precious Stones deserves some passing notice. By
Blazoning the Sovereigns and Peers were distinguished, the former by the Planets and the latter
by precious stones, as shown in the following table:
Tinctrw•
PlM&el
Pr~Ciotu
Or
Argent
Sun
Moon
Saturn
Topaz
Pearl
Diamond
Ruby
Sapphire
Emerald
Sable
Gules
Azure
Vert
Pupure
TeDDY
Saquioe
Mara
Ston.
Jupiter
Venua
Mercury
Amethyst
Caput Draconia(Moon's Jacinth
North Node)
Cauda Draconia
Sardonyx
(Moon's South Node)
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The planetary gem grouping is not quite accurate
according to astrological science, and the errors can
be referred to the early chroniclers. For ·example,
the ruby is given to Mars and the topaz to the Sun,
whereas the ruby is a stone of the Sun and the topaz
a stone of Mars. Mars is termed Warlike and Violent in old works, whilst the Sun is the emblem of
Faithfulness and Constancy. At the coronation of
a British Sovereign a ruby ring emblematical of
Faithfulness and Constancy is placed on his finger.
Thus it is in harmony with the royal sign Le<r-the
sign of the Sun-and the Monarch who is astrologically ruled by the Sun. The pearl is correct for the
Moon; the diamond is not a stone of Saturn; the
sapphire is not a stone of Jupiter; the emerald is
correct for Venus; the amethyst is not a stone of
Mercury. The assigning of jacinth and sardonyx
to the North and the South Nodes of the Moon has
not the support of astrological science.
MAGICAL SQUARES OF ABRA MELIN THE MAGE
"TM Wildom of tM Lord il an irw:hcnunbk fovntain, ~
halh
IMre _. bun a mcm hom to1ao cotdtl pemtrau iU Hl'itable origin and
fovntl4tion."
''The Second Book of the Sacred Magic."
In that remarkable ancient magical work, "The
Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra Melin the Mage,"
skillfully translated by a past Rosicrucian adept,
Monsieur le Comte Macgregor de Glenstrae, are a
number of symbolic Name Squares which were
variously employed by the old masters who so well
knew the use of them. For the finding of certain
treasures which are not "magically guarded" ("magi-
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cally" may here be accepted in a wide sense) the
following symbolic power figures were employed:
For JEWELS:
B
E
L
I
A
L
E
B
0
R
u
A
L
0
v
A
R
I
I
R
A
v
0
L
A
v
R
0
B
E
L
A
I
L
E
B
This square, the Comte notes, is a square of 86
squares, and the name BELIAL that of one of the
four great chiefs of the Evil Spirits.
For PEARLS:
A
I
-
N
A
-M
r-- -
A
N
A
1-
A
E N
1- - 1N E M A
I
A square of 16 squares.
For DIAMONDS:
B
c
I
0
L
E
- I -R - 0 - L - A - T
r-- - - - - c 0 R A M A
E
L
A
M
A
L
L
A
M
A
R
0
r-
-
0
N
-
T
0
-
A
L
-
L
E
N
1-
0
r-L
E
c
1-
-
0
c
-
R
I
I
-B
A square of 49 squares.
!
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For RUBIES:
s
E
EIGIO
-G
-0
-R
R
-
I IB
E
s
A border of l i squares from a square of i5 squares.
The Comte translates SEGOR as "to break forth"
or "to shut in," according as the root begins with
S orSH.
For BALASSIUS RUBIES:
E
T
I
s
ECJ I,N~S
R
E
B
Twenty squares from a square of 49.
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For EMERALDS:
s
T
A
R
s
A
L
I
s
T
L
A
N
B
A
I
N
0
N
s
B
N
A
0
T
s
I
L
A
s
T
0
R
A
T
s
A
A
'----
1---
R
-
0
T
T
0
s R
I
A
-
L
T
1---
A square of 49 squares. ASTAROT is set down
in the Comte's notes as one of the 8 Sub Princes of
the Evil Spirits.
To find stolen jewels, the following is given:
K
I
- I -R
X
1-
X
I
A
L
I
s
-N - E - Q- I
1-
1-
A
L
I
s
JMI
Ql
f--
K
The square consists of !! squares taken from a
square of 49 squares.
These and many similar figures were used by the
Hermetic philosophers in their occult scientific practices. They can be nothing but interesting curios~
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OF JEWELS AND STONES
425
ties to the majority who are ignorant of the trials,
su1ferings and disappointments of those brave and
faithful Fraters and Sorores who regarded no sin so
great as ingratitude and no tendency so foolish as
incredulity. ."For," says Abra Melin, "you must
have Faith. Neither should you dispute concerning
that which you understand not. God out of nothingness hath created all things, and all things have
their being in Him. Watch, labour and you will
see."
"PSYCHOLOGY OF BOTANY, 1UNERAL8 AND PRECIOUS
STONES"
In the year 1907, a remarkable book bearing the
above title, written by a gifted student who preferred to veil his identity under the pen name of
"Charubel," was published by R. Welch, Esq., 9i
Shuttle St., Tyldesley, England. This work is now
difficult to obtain. The author insists on a direct
sympathy between the human soul and surrounding
nature, and his work illustrates his method of linking
together these eternal immortal powers so that the
human can draw from these elements exactly that
force he needs. The "Psychological Properties of
Precious Stones," includes his occult researches into
hidden proeti~
which he presents in certain order.
The stones mentioned are the topaz, amethyst, coral,
rock crystal, emerald, diamond, ruby, turquoise,
sapphire, red garnet, carbuncle. "The realm of
precious stones,'' he writes, "abounds with wonders
which transcend everything I may have hitherto
been made conversant with. Hence, I am very
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much fascinated with these lustrous specimens of a
chemistry which transcends the skill of the ingenious
to identify or to produce the same. It is true that
so far as appearance goes, modem skill can produce
from a kind of paste what resembles the genuine
stone, but he can no more produce a living stone
than he can make a living tree. The true stone has
a life and it is in this life that its true virtue consists."
The virtues of the topaz, writes Charubel, are to
be appreciated by "fair people with weak or fragile
constitutions, inclined to become despondent, of
cold habits. A help to those who are out of sight
or in the shade. It begets hopefulness in the hopeless. Strengthens and fortifies the soul against evil,
wicked persons." The seal of the topaz is according
to our author-
2
and the sacred name by which it is invoked is 800MAH-THU-EL-DI-VOO-MATH-EL.
The virtues of the amethyst are set down as a
cure for false vision, bad memory, colour-blindness,
intoxication, etc. The seal is given as- ~
and the sacred name by which the life of the amethyst is invoked is given as AVRUTHEL.
The virtues of the coral, according to Charubel,
benefit decrepit persons and those prematurely old.
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It quickens the senses, is good in defect of the eyesight from gradual loss of energy in the optic nerve,
and it strengthens the mental faculties.
The seal is given as-
y
and the sacred name of invocation AG-ATH-EL.
The virtues of the Rock Crystal include, writes
Charubel, safeguard against deception or imposition.
"It is for the pure in heart and those who think of a
better life."
.The seal is given as-
0
and the sacred name of invocation EV-AG-EL.
The virtues of the emerald are for those "who aspire to wisdom and seek enlightenment, and for
those who seek the good of life," etc.
The seal is given a&-
m
and the sacred name of invocation AM-VRADEL.
The diamond is for "Kings, Monarchs, Presidents
and people of high standing, etc., State Authorities
and the advanced Occultists. The diamond is a
gem by the virtue of its homogeneity and belongs to
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
the domain of the true life. The-diamond is sacred:
one of the most sacred: yes, the most sacred of all
gems. I am not allowed to give word and seal for
this gem."
Charubel hails the ruby as "the most precious of
gems, a balm in the hour of trial, grief, bereavement,
disappointment, a soother of agitation and disburdener of the oppressed soul."
The seal of the ruby is given as-
'::1::!:'
and the sacred word of invocation as DER-GAB-EL.
The turquoise is set down as the "Sympathetic
Stone, an invaluable treasure to the thoughtful and
meditative, a connector of souls, a developer of
Inner Powers."
The seal is given as-
1
and the sacred word of invocation HAR-VAL-AM.
The sapphire is written down as "a cure for doubt
and despondency, a reviver of blighted hopes, which
robs the future of its dread .and renders the Valley
of Death redolent with sunshine."
The seal is given as-
¥
and the sacred word of invocation TROO-AV-AL.
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-
~ . t;
The red garnet is hailed as the stone of inspiration
and a remedy for diabolical influences, etc.
The seal is given as-
+
and the sacred word of invocation as AR-HU-GAL.
The carbuncle "physically strengthens and vivifies
the vital and generative forces in human nature,
those that lack energy, sufferers from anaemia, and
those wanting in animal courage. It sharpens business propensities and is invaluable to the dull,
lethargic, sluggish, lymphatic, and people of cold
habits."
The seal is given as
+
and the sacred word of invocation APH-RU-EL.
GEMS OF COUNTRIES
Old philosophy allots a particular talismanic gem
to every country in the world. Those of the following countries are:
Abyuinia
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Arabia
Argentina
Australia
AUBtria
Bavaria
Lapis Lazuli
Catseye
Dark Onyx
Banded Agate
Flint
Spodumene
Opal
Opal
Topu
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
Belgium
Bruil
Bulgaria
Burma
China
DeiUilAI'k
Egypt
England
France
GeJ'ID&IIY
Greece
Bolland
BUJ118r7
India
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Judea
Mexico
Morocco
New Zealand
Norway
Nubia
Palestine
Persia
Poland
Portugal
Prussia
Rumania
Ruuia
Scotland
Sicily
South Africa
Spain
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Transvaal
United States of America
Wales
Marble
Juper Bloodstone
Striped Onyx
Malachite
Pearl
Hematite
JuperOpal
Diamond
Ruby
Hematite
Dark Onyx
Pearl
Carbuncle
Cateeye
Emerald
Sardonyx
Jade
Topaz
Onyx
Banded Agate
Nacre
Topaz
Crystal
Limonite
Mocha Stone
Emerald
Chryaolite
Sapphire
Lapis Lazuli
Chryaoberyl-Alexandrite
Chalcedony
Carnelian
Pearl
Turquoise
Limonite
Sapphire
Juper
Jacinth
Cairngonn
Tourmaline
Marble
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CHAPTER XXXV
THE INEVITABLE LAW OF TRANSMUTATION
CHAMPIONS OF PROGRESS, XENOPHANES, PLATO,
ARISTOTLE, ZENO, LEONARDI DA VINCI AND THEIR
SPECULATIONS: THE HARNESSING OF INVISmLE
AGENCIES: THE WAY OF THE SPIRIT: DESTINY, THE
LAW: POINT OF UNION OF FORCES KNOWN TO THE
HERMETIC PHILOSOPHERS: UNIVERSAL ORDER AND
HARMONY.
"Each clw.nge of manr colour'd life M dretD.
Ezhawted UJOrlU and then imagin'd netD."
JONSON.
Transformation, under the various forms of transfiguration, transmutation and change, forms the
subject of many fascinating stories which adorn the
pages of romance, mythology, science and symbology.
It may be said to exhibit itself as the dominant force
in the world of matter-the changeful, restless world
with which we change and to which, while dressed
in its elements, we are held. The disobedience of
Lot's wife changed her material form into a pillar
of salt; the fated Niobe was transformed into a
rugged rock which forever was bathed by her tears;
the glance of Medusa turne<l her victims into stone,
her blood turned trees into coral; the stone which
Rhea duped Cronus into swallowing in the belief
that it was one of his children-indeed, the whole
legend concerning the devouring of his offspring
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THE MAGIC AND SCIENCE
by the old god, is illustrative of the process of
nature which forever consumes that which it produces.
Nature is a veritable alchemist, a royal transmuter,
turning the precious into the base and the base into
the precious, regardless of dignity, rank or name.
Parable and symbol have ever been the ornate coverings beneath which lie securely hidden from the superficial gaze the secrets with which searching man has
played for ages. The work of these intrepid scientists had, at certain periods of the world's history,
to be carefully concealed from the vulgar and intolerant mind which was continually endeavouring
to bind the thoughts of men within the slavery of a
fixed dogma. The true meaning of this dogma was
indeed far better known and understood by the
faithful searchers into the mysteries of nature than
by all the narrow agents seeking to suppress them.
But they were compelled to wait till the champions
of liberty in the material world had swept back the
devils of intolerance which darkened the way to
spiritual and material freedom. The waiting for
the right time to present their discoveries to the
people did not suspend their researches-it rather
advanced them. Nearly 600 years before the Christian era the poetical philosopher Xenophanes wrote
of fossil fishes, shells and other petrifaction found on
high mountains and in quarries, which he instanced
as indicating changes on the earth's surface, certain
lands sinking beneath the sea and certain lands
rising out of it. The earlier examinations of these
remains were considered as evidence of a subtle
tractable power inherent in the earth. Plato, Aris-
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totle, and Zeno taught that God entered His Spirit
into eternal matter, producing the earth, thus eternally filled with the potential Spirit.
That many-sided genius of the 15th and 16th
centuries, Leonardo da Vinci was rightly regarded
by Dmitri Merejkowski as "The Forerunner," in his
historical story of that name. Leonardo was most
precise in his remarkable deductions on fossilization,
which, he wrote, occurred from the accumulation of
mud in the cavities of shells discovered in rivers
which were at an ancient period beneath the sea
near the coast. Nature's wonderful workings are
exhibited in the metamorphoses of the various
stones. This process is noticed in the silification of
wood, shells, coral, etc. It is observed in the incrustation of one substance on another, the expulsion of one mineral matter by some chemical agency,
by the gradual yielding of original substance to new
and foreign invaders and by the occurrence of one
mineral in the form of another, etc. So far as is
considered necessary this subject has been already
dealt with. And so Nature is continually proving
to man that all is change and that dissolution is
impossible. Continually, lower forms are giving
place to higher, and the work of the world goes on
with the persistent regularity of a huge machine.
''Nothing is lost," says chemistry, and even the
voice of man, the cries of animals, sounds of breaking
rocks, the restless sea, the moaning of the winds
amongst the trees, etc., can now be easily impressed
on the modem phonograph plates which provide a
material working bOOy. Every action can be re-
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corded and reproduced by the photographic camera;
even the air can be harnessed to convey a desire.
Everything in the Universe, from the stars of
Heaven to the atom, or to the minutest subdivision
of the atom, is mathematical, law abiding, and under
the mysterious and controlling Force which we
reverence as God the Infinite.
Nature claims her own, the material goes to the
material, "dust to dust," and earth processes turn
the visible parts of animals and plants, etc., into
its identical crystal form. And the controlling
powers about which these perceptible forms materialize, seek the realms of finer forces to which they truly
belong. Rightly say the venerable philosophers
whose inspired utterances have taught us so much,
"The Spirit strips itself to go up and clothes itself
to go down." The writer has tried to make this
palpable truth clear in these pages, and trusts that
the links in the ancient chain are now left in a little
better repair than they were, and that the power
within the stone will be better appreciated and
better understood. The order of the Infinite Universe is exact and sincere. From its inception the
work, trials and struggles of the smallest atom are
determined and Mind is compelled to express itself.
The exact point of union .between the visible and
the invisible forces has been long known to the
hermetic scientists and philosophers whose thoughts
are echoed by Wilks, the English poet of Geology,
in the following lines:
"God il o God of Of'tUr, though to #On
Hii1DOI'b mov po~e
tMfubU f01M"' of mon."
FINI8
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