Sard.—This word, very anciently used, is said by Braunius to be derived from the Hebrew sered, "a red colour." However this may be, it is to agates of this colour that the name is applied.
Sardonyx.—A
stone formed, as its name implies, of the sard and the onyx, using the
latter term in its primitive signification. The sardonyx is a stone
displaying alternate layers successively whitish and carnation red.
Sardoine.—Considered
by many mineralogists as identical with sardonyx. Engravers, however,
recognize between these two stones a marked difference: for them, the
sardoine is an agate whose deep colour partakes both of yellow and red
without either colour predominating. In colour, therefore, the sardoine
differs completely from the sardonyx.
Sard-agate.—A
semi-transparent stone formed of an inferior layer of orange-red or
pale yellowish-red, and a superior layer of whitish tint, disposed one
upon another with perfect regularity.
JASPER.
The precious jasper is the jaspeh of Aaron's breastplate; the iaspis of the Greeks.
"The
property which distinguishes jasper from other varieties of quartz is
its complete opacity even in thin flakes. Jasper is often a silex that
has
