Book VI gems: diamond, emeralds, sapphire, topaz, chrysoberyl, carbuncle, jaspis

Page of 251

Text size:



	130	DE NATURA FOSSILIUM: Sapphire and Lapis Lazuli

	stones. The golden luster of topazius distinguishes it from the pale green callais and from nilios which has a honey-yellow or smoky-yellow color. The smaragdus commands the highest price of all green gems and is followed by topazius, beryllus, callais, nilios and finally prase. However, the largest topazius will sell, no doubt, for more than a small smaragdus.²⁶ Sapphirus (lapis-lazuli) and cyanus (sapphire) are dark blue, hence the name of the latter gem (wavos, a dark blue substance). Lapis-lazuli is enlivened by small golden points. Both gems are as blue as the heavens but lapis-lazuli especially resembles the heavens because of the golden points which represent the stars. For this reason Dionysius Afer describes the mineral as blue and gold. Although sapphire may contain a golden powder it is not completely tinged with it. The blue color of lapis-lazuli rarely has purple mixed with it and often has black areas within it. Sapphire, on the other hand, approaches the blue color of the ocean. There are two varieties of sapphire, one dark the other light. The former is called masculine, the latter feminine.²⁷ The feminine variety sometimes has so little color that it is almost like quartz although it is always somewhat darker. The darker the sapphire the greater its value. Also, the more brilliant and the more transparent the stone the more prized it will be. Sapphire contains flaws such as hairs and phantoms and a golden powder in masculine sapphires decreases their value. The form of both lapis-lazuli and sapphire varies, being tabular like a board, round and even oblong. Lapis-lazuli occurs in the territory of the Arieni in Media, in India²⁸ and Africa. The dark sapphires are found in Scythia, Cyprus and Egypt, the light sapphires in Narbonensis, Gaul, not far from the Rhone river. The light colored or feminine sapphires can be darkened by dyeing. A king of Egypt was the first to dye this stone. Quartz and glass are also dyed to imitate sapphire but this fraud can be detected readily by the feel, especially to the tongue. Sapphire is colder than glass. For this same reason lapis-lazuli is advantageously set with carbunculi and other stones that give off warmth. Gem dealers today call each of these gems sapphirus. Hyacinthus and amethystus (amethyst) are purple gems. Amethyst has ²⁶ These descriptions of green gems, while showing some confusion, indicate a quite definite nomenclature. Although other gems and minerals are included on the basis of similarity of color the species are, in general, quite clearly defined. Smaragdus is our emerald; beryllus, beryl; prasius, prase; topazius, chrysolite or peridot; callais, turquois. Since the first description by Pliny nilios has been an unidentified species. The description given here would indicate jasper although Pliny mav have referred to corundum from India. ²⁷ The idea of sex in minerals was first advanced by Theophrastus. It was long held that stones and minerals possessed the power of reproduction. A logical development of this concept was the effort to distinguish the male and female minerals, in the case of gems on the basis of color. Female gems were always lighter and brighter colored than the male. ²⁸ This probably refers to the mines in Badakshan, Afghanistan, near the Oxus river.

Page of 251