confusion
doubtless existed. White topaz, sapphire, zircon, and rock crystal
might be easily mistaken for diamonds, because, they are brilliant and
colorless, and to a very late date, real diamonds were discarded and
destroyed by the tests for hardness which ignorance suggested. Peoples
among the ancients, unacquainted with the stone, did not understand
that the hard pebbles which could not be abraded, would splinter and
split easily. Having learned that many of the bright crystals found
were not the hard stone which they prized, they tested them, when
uncertain, by pounding them and destroyed many noble gems in that way.
In
very early times it is probable that the diamond was sought more for
its hardness than for use as a jewel. Indications of this exist in
several books of the Old Testament. The " shamir " of Ezekiel and
Zecha-riah, translated in our version after the Greek to " adamant "
and " adamant stone," in Jeremiah is translated " diamond." The
prophet says, " The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and
with the point of a diamond." (Jer. xvn, i.) Ancient Jewish writers
say of the " shamir," that " it is like a barley corn, so strong as to
cut the hardest stones in pieces." They claimed that Moses used it for
cutting the stones for the two tables of the law, and for fitting the
precious stones in the Ephod. They say also that Solomon cut with it
the stones for the temple he built. The word rendered diamond in
Exodus, where it is given as one of the stones in the High Priest's
breastplate, is " Jahalom," coming from a word which signifies to
break. The " point of the diamond " mentioned in Jeremiah, undoubtedly
refers to the points of the natural crystal,
