SUPERSTITION ABOUT GEMS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2251, 12 October 1889, Page 2

SUPERSTITION ABOUT GEMS.

(«• Brltiah Jewellers' Review.") Etch gem is supposed to pnaaaßS certain qualities wnloh are its epeolal dowry. Thr origin of 'Ms pnotloe o»n generally be traoed m the etymology of tbe word, or m the my h or legend attached to e«oa gem ia the coatt y where it wrs first found. Many of them are doubtless of Per s an or Semitic origin, bat the Greek mythology contains them nearly nil, Tnu-, Aiiamts or diamond w»b a Orettn youth transformed by Zw> Into a brilliant «nd p'koed among the itari. Amethyst wte ftiother godly favorite, whom Diana i urned into a purple-tinted bo io, to which B»conuB added tbe color of wine. To some tmch 0.-lftlu, and ohlefly from the oolor of th.- gems, their various qualities owe thflr prestige In ancient and modern l;re. The kindly diimond, whloh bus boconw the uppanage t.f arls oaraoy, la the ayaibol (( jaattow, innocence oonaUnoy »nd Impa s vity of fae. Camil'o Laonardua aesu'»B oa th»t U bifflis tho de^ l Heat polo'io and tie moat sob la wltobonift Is moreover protects Udite ttgainnt thoao hor<tb!o nooinrna 1 v'i«liots, Inoubea. The K)h-l-ooor wa«. for oentnries tha lalUmaa of India, and nh>jo, y«i»r.i bro, the Qvcrmr of B >rnoi<ff)t(d SOOOOOdoIa., two (qu'ppnd war br!(»8 and numbers cf oanaon for t\ c Tamoua etone of Mstan,the rajih refused, I on tbo plea that tho fortnnua of h<a family were oooneoted with 11-, and that tho water it whloh it wuo dipped cured all diseases. Not lees powerful waa tha eapphlre, «o ÜBofal ones to the neoromaooer, or the holy stono, aa It waa ra led, being th? emblem of cbft'tity and eeourfng the granting of all prayere. The pagans dedicated k to /ipnllo. It became the pi copal stone by decree of Innosent ll£. m the twelfth century, but In modern days it hita met with a sad reversion of fat?, aid is no longer a lucky Btone. The roby, iho live cob! of tho Greek, la not lesa erablem»tloAl and p >tent, acd the Brahmin traditiona Hpe»k wonders ti the abodeß of Koda, llght:-d by eucrmona rnhlea and emoralda. I: waa believed to dispel evil th u^hfi x d warned Its voftre* of danger by beooullnß bUok or obsenro, Tbe Baa* lud an rnerchantg still pr?aj It ho highly th*t they will not willingly show a fine ■peclmoa without a bribe, and tho Oblneie present It, to tbe present day, as a. moat aaored token of friendship The now humble garnot and the oblong oarbanole ahare ttm favors of tbelr pareot, th« rnby, tho later of the Iwj bolng famoua for iti light-giving ptrpe.'tles m the dark. Topf z the gotd-stone of the anolente, was mnoh valued by them tot medlotnnl purpose?, for dhp lllrg enohantm Dt and fir calmIng fcetz? If euparßtltlou had still so firm a bold as ono« It had apoo tbe mlnda of ednoated pe-ple, what a favorite the aaetbyet won d be, since enoh a stone, especially wnen Bet In a oup, rendered tho pos'Dßßorof liinqipab'ecflntoxi-aUon. Aooordiog to modern etlqaette, the amethyst is the only atone w hloh m%y be worn during moarntDg. The poerlees, alarry opal, th«t child of lovo, as It hug been oaJled, far from being an anlaoky stone, rb It Is now sappoeed to bo, wea once boMeved by Albertua Magoua, Mtrbodeoi, and othera to rejoloo tbe heert of its owner by rendering htm lovable und bestowing upon him the g'.ft of invisibility, whloh nude It tbe patron stone of robbers. To be on the right aide of this gem's 'nfbenoa some aay Jpt one oqght noy.er to' accept it as a present. Xt haa, however, been aaaerted that tbe opal vas not oonaldered unlooky In England qntll Sir Wol'rer Soott pub ilshad hla «Anno of Gifentefn.' Tho veneratlou of tho Peruvians for the t?reon eraera'd, dadloatod U Meronry bp tbe anolentß, ia well known, and the wof ß hipp3rs of IVfantn ttfll believe that ths mines whenoa »ra extracted all »be daughters of the mothi'r-gcm ove guarded by terrlblo genl! f dr»gona and other oaoeyed people, beryl waa once auppoaed to iDoreaso conjagal loye and to cure dV.emper and *lepro3y j an agate to qaenoh thirst and (qrn aw»y qtorm and lightnlnp, even aa coral, of whloh tbe Neapolitans still wear amu'ets to avort the evil eye. Turq«iloß?, aooordlng to B.ietbiua, oapejlally protects against falli, md boils diffirenoes botwoon man and wife. Ambor wnida eff eryalpelaß nnd all s^reneas of the throat Sardlan, cornelian, nnd tho atone b zinp, mentioned by Lord Lytton, especially B «anch all flnx blood and ouro ncrpenta 1 blteo, while hollotropn confora the gift of propheoy and !oDg Hie. Many more prcolons a'onea m ? ght be quotod, and those caraory remarks should not boolosad without a word abmt the Illy among gems, the moonlight queon whore tho opal ia the s'ar, vfjs., the pure and delicate pe»il. Whether simpleminded fishermen etlll believe or not that tboy are the toars of angels or of n«lads, or oaleatlal drops of dew, hardened within the shell of tho oyater, the prloiesa gow will evor be oonaldered aa the emblem of parity and the representative of all feminine vlrluea. If but a part f f the potent qualities aacribrd to preolouß stonoa In general by world old traditions ooald bo onferred la reality, whkt la* flaonce gem» w^nld have 1 ,