PRECIOUS STONES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XIV, Issue VII, 16 February 1895, Page 151

PRECIOUS STONES.

WHENCE COME THE BEST—SIGNIFICANCE OF JEWELS. The difference between the United States and Africa in the production of precious stones las'; year was the difference between three hundred thousand dollars and twenty million dollars. In Africa fully twenty-five thousand diamond diggers find employment in search after crystals of pure carbon. Once a pure blood-red diamond was found—the only one of its kind. The sapphire and the ruby are the same stone, only differing in colour. Sapphires are the more common, and yet the more valuable. A fine blue sapphire will cost as much as a diamond of the same size. The colour of a ruby varies from rose to crimson. The most popular, and therefore the most valuable, is known as ‘ pigeon’s blood,’ and ranks next below the diamond in value. A ruby which comes from Brazil is called a topaz, while one brought from the cape is a garnet. The true ruby will scratch either of these stones. Saxony and Siberia also produce the topaz in yellow and white, and while the red garnet is the most common, the stone is found also in violet, green and white. A turquoise is less costly than a ruby, but its popularity as a ring-stone never wanes. The American turquoise is the best; it does not fade like the Persian stone. Each of the principal jewels is supposed to have some special virtue of its own and some occult connection with a particular month of the year. The stone for January is the garnet, signifying constancy; for February, the amethyst, meaning sincerity ; for March, the blood-stone, carrying courage with it; for April, the diamond, signifying innocence ; May and the emerald mean success in love ; June's stone is the agate, which brings health and long lite ; for July there is the carnelian, signifying contentment; Angust and the sardonyx are supposed to bring matrimonial felicity; in September, the chrysolite wards off madness ; for October, the opal signifies hope ; November and tbe topaz mean fidelity, while the turquoise belongs to December, and promises prosperity, Opals are considered by many the most unlucky of stones in spite of their signification. Possibly this is because they are so easily broken. Recently an auctioneer was holding up an opal on which a number of bids had been made. Some one asked to look at the stone. In passing it from hand to band, the opal fell to the floor and tbe auctioneer had three stones to sell instead of one. He sold no more opals that day. The best opals are brought from Hungary. Pearls are worth nearly three times as much as they were twelve years ago. Black pearls are always tbe most valuable, and white ones worth tbe least. Pink and yellow pearls come in between the other two. It seems to be well known that the largest'diamonds in tbe world are called Rajah of Borneo, Russian Czar, Austrian Kaiser, Regent of France, Star of Brnzil, and the Kohinoor, weighing respectively, 367, 193, 139,136,125, and 103 carats.