men.
The Chaldeans are especially charged with the fomenting of
superstitions by the exaggeration of this conceit. These engraved
stones served often as distinctive seals, and for convenience in
carrying and the gratification of a spreading taste for such ornaments,
the talismans were set in rings and clasps. So Solomon's seal,
summoning and mastering genii, was the wonder of legends, and so, too,
the famous ring of Polycrates and the rival marvels of Oriental
romancers familiar in the tales of the " Arabian Nights."
As
time and art disclosed more and more of the marvels of the stones of
fire in the crust of the earth, the wonder grew and the supernatural
potency of the various gems was more deeply impressed. Thus we reach
the belief and tribute of the priest Onomacritus (500 b.c), who
declared of the lucent crystal, " Whoso goes into the temple with this
in his hand may be sure of having his prayer granted, as the gods
cannot withstand its power." Its use to concentrate the sun's rays as a
burning glass was highly prized also in priestly ministrations.
Onomacritus
says crudely of this use that " when a transparent crystal is laid on
wood, so that the sun's rays may shine upon it, there will soon be seen
smoke, then fire, then a bright flame."* Fire kindled through this
agency was holy in the sight of priests and people, and no burnt
offering was so pleasing to the gods as one set in these sacred flames.
The
precious stones are so greatly dependent upon the advance in the art
of polishing and cutting for the revelation of their qualities and
beauty that it was doubtless long after their discovery before they
came into any considerable use as ornaments. Their hardness defied, at
first, any effort to fashion their shape with primitive tools. The most
that could be effected was the rude polish that might be obtained by
the tedious rubbing of the face of one stone against another. But, as
time went on, the lines of natural cleavage were noted, and grinding
wheels in the hands of skilful artisans gave a smooth face to the
natural contours of the softer stones, and, later, even to the sapphire
1 "Precious Stones and Gems," Streeter.
