"
Precious stones," continues Babinet, " have in all times been highly
esteemed, and without doubt will continue to be so in all ages to come.
Comparing our modern luxury with the splendours of oriental courts and
of Roman citizens enriched with the spoils of the world, we find
ourselves inferior in many points, but not so far as diamonds are
concerned. If in one of the brilliant reunions of the Tuileries, we
calculate the value of the diamonds, even allowing deduction for false
jewelry, we conclude that our French riches, although more widely
spread, do not fall a whit behind the much-vaunted riches of Rome." And
this remark applies with equal justice to the brilliant assemblies of
other modern capitals.
The
mythology of India refers to precious stones in terms that prove their
general estimation in the most ancient ages: the songs and ballads of
that country frequently mention these beautiful productions.
In
Egypt a number of gems finely cut and engraved with consummate skill
have been found beside mummies in tombs attributable to an extremely
remote era. Their workmanship leads to the belief that the means
employed by the ancient Egyptians in engraving hard stones did not
differ sensibly from those used at the present day.
Types of these ancient jewels, copied from speci-
