Ch. 12: Other Precious Stones

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	CHAPTER TWELVE

	OTHER PRECIOUS STONES

	At one time when you said "jewels" to a lady of fashion in New York, you meant diamonds—nothing less. There are, however, other stones which are not to be despised. The emerald has come into fashion, and pure flawless emeralds of one to two carats are worth nearly as much as diamonds. Precious stones other than diamonds are emerald, ruby, and sapphire. Semi-precious stones are topaz, spinel, garnet, zircon, and peridot. The softest of all gems are pearls, which are not stones at all, but a kind of cancerous growth in oysters. Rubies, sapphires, and emeralds will also stick to the tables as the diamonds, but all other minerals flow down over them and are washed away. The greased tables save DeBeers more than 400,000 dollars a year in time and labor. Perfect emeralds of a bright green, well proportioned, are as rare as diamonds. The emerald possesses a history older than that of the diamond. There was a fine emerald in the breastplate of the Jewish high priest. It is certain that Nero, who had weak eyes, used spectacles made of 110

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