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tic. 44 This characteristic of the plant is mentioned in books. It is said
that it not only breaks down the stones of the gall-bladder but also the mountain stones. When people are on the lookout for rubies and reach a place in the mine which is difficult to pulverise, they place a decoction (of the seeds of this plant) on the spot, allow it to remain there for a specified period and then it becomes easy to break the rocks. This process is akin to the one followed in respect of gold and silver mines where wood and oil are burnt. The ruby, on account of its hardness, is superior to all stones, and
only the diamond exceeds it in hardness. No other stone except the diamond can cut it, and the diamond too, at best, abrades it; it does not break it. Al-Kindi writes: The ruby stone is burnished with a moist calotropis branch as is the
practice followed with other stones. The method followed in burnishing it, is that a copper foil which has been moistened with the lime water of the Yamani shell is rubbed with water and the Yamanian shell is calcined like lime. Before rubbing, however, its surface is made uniform and smooth with the emery having been placed upon a leadstone. Sometimes it flows towards the water placed below the stone. Rubbing is continued upon the copper file for a month if greater burnishing is required. He further avers: Lustre is one of the characteristics of ruby. The ruby that is clear and
burnished will give off lustre. This is the reason why it is often compared to the plane-tree blossoms which are red, flame-like and are likely to convert into ash after a long time. Hence Poet Ra'i says: Red jewels and ruby stones glisten like the clusters of plane-tree blossoms which grace the neck.
The jewellers of our day say that the rumniani variety of the ruby which is very precious passed into the possession of the ruler of Serandib. The rummanian stones are the fragments of that stone, while the inferior varieties are earmarked for the traders. It is because of this that the rummanian variety is no longer brought into our lands and whatever rummanian variety is found is of the old times. Ptolemy in his Geography writes: A reddish mountain surrounds the ruby island. This mountain rises
up from dry land and encircles it. In between this valley are cities, springs, and rivers. From the area of the island as given by Ptolemy it seems that this island is situated at the end of the populated (segment) towards the east and near the Equator. But he has not written anything that would show tlie presence of a ruby mine there, or that it is called the Red Mountain because of the incarnadine characteristic of ruby. Nor have I come across |
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