ANCIENT JEWELS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 125, 29 May 1928, Page 13

ANCIENT JEWELS

Interesting jewels, dating from the time of Abraham to the Victorian period, are shown at the British Industries Fair, which opened recently in London, states an exchange. They have been lent by a well-known authority on old gems. Ji. very interesting exhibit is a diamond-framed miniature of Queen Victoria. Among the 50 rings is one such as Aladdin might have used to call up the genii. ■ It is known to have been worn as a mystical thumb-ring by an ancient Persian potentate. The centre is the big yellowish tooth of an unknown animal, and the broad gold shank is set with emeralds—one of which is of perfect colour—and" amethysts. . 'Also mounted ou a thin gold ling, but worn on the cphod of the ancient Hebrew priests, is a pear-shaped..rock''crystal, through which the biblical "Urim and Thummim" —light and perfection—were contemplated. A narrow Etruscan ring is a marvel of workmanship, being formed of groups of tiny gold granulated beads. The old craft, which ia now lost, consisted in blowing each bead through a tube into position. There are 100 of them to Ytin of the ring. A Greek thumb-nail ring is a cornelian intagito of a. chariot and liorses mounted in rough silver. Part of a Greek marriage-ring is also of romantic interest, for only half the intaglio is mounted,, the custom in aucient Greece being for a coupfo. to break a precious stone in half and wear one part each. Uncut sapphires, crystals, chalcedony, and topaz are among the stones forming a necklace worn, it is siiid, in the time of Abraham, and recently excavated at Ur of the Chaldces.

On discovering recently that postagestamps, especially in the higher values, were cleaned with chemicals and illegally used again, the Ceylon Postal authorities suddenly issued Bix of a new design and had all the old types destroyed.