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DIAMONDS IN LITERATURE 405
but
of all the absurd things which have been said and written about it,
purity, peace and April, as the proper accompaniments of the gem, have
survived and remain a popular fancy to-day.
With
the cutting and polishing of the stone in the fifteenth century, a new
place was found for it in literature. As a gem it became more valued
and far more generally desired. With its increased importance came
greater interest in it. Chroniclers of events among the great gave it
more attention. Scientists were attracted to speculate upon its nature,
genesis, and qualities. Artisans sought to improve it. Men of commerce
gave more regard to it as a thing pregnant with profit. The newly
developed beauties awakened the imagination of poets and romancers, and
all of them began to include it more frequently in their writings.
A
jeweler often hears from those who bring to him old gold jewelry for
sale, the commendation, " I know this is good because it is very old."
If he is experienced, this amuses him, for he knows that the jewelers
of old cheated their public to an extent impossible now. Their gold
chains, many of them, had barely enough gold in them to save the name,
they were of such low grade. But that did not suffice; the ends of the
chain were decorated with lion's heads, or other fancy designs which
could be swelled out to hold much lead, for the trimmings, as they were
called, were made of very thin shells of gold and filled with the cheap
and heavy metal. So also were the bars and swivels. Thus equipped for
profit, the loaded chain was thrown into the scale and weighed as gold.
In all ages, the measure of the seller's honesty has been the
knowledge of the buyer.
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