denial, however, does not argue to its impossibility, as this may happen
occasionally and these people may neither have heard about it nor seen
it, as it has been established about the beryl that it is liquid to begin with
and later petrifies.
The colour of this ruby is violet, ghubari, green, and yellow. I have
personally witnessed a colour that was not very green but was greenish
like the tinge of glass.
A jewel polisher once told me that a noble of this region had a green
ruby heated many a time in his presence. Its colour did not undergo any
alteration, and it was not affected, even to the extent that emerald is
affected by fire.
The green kind is often located if searched among gravel and clay.
The yellow stone cannot withstand fire, as its colour alters.
This phenomenon is in keeping with Al-Kindi's statement according
to which the colour of the ghubari ruby changed on heating, and, if
there was an admixture of yellow colour, the latter vapourised on heating. Besides, the ghubari kind does not possess the shine and sheen of
the usfuri ruby so that it may be counted among ruby-like stones nor
does it possess pale brightness. It is the softest of the different varieties
oi the ruby and is brittle.
The yellow variety is securable in all mines. Usually, it occurs at the
foot of the hill near water in the proximity of the village of Zafranj.
This mineral is known as nawnulun. Its stone is apricot-coloured. The
violet kindf which is inclined towards the ghubari hue, is found around
the Bu al-'Abbasi mine. Above this mine is another known as the SharifT.
The jewel obtained from this mine is red with shades of black, which
mask its transparency and redness, unless viewed in sunlight. At the
back of this mountain where these mines occur is found a kind of beryl
which resembles cane sugar. Once I was brought the ghubari variety of
this stone. It looked like the collyrium-hued ruby. There are frequent
reports about this stone which is partially red and partially yellow. A
jeweller has stated that it is quite possible that there may be a segment of
the jewel that has the admixture of reddish, yellowish and greenish hues.
(Possibly) these colours are not due to the entry of anything particular
but to the union of matter and the mixture of colours which in themselves are one.
Nasr bin Hasan bin Firuzan was very fond of collecting strange
objects, especially gravel and stones. He stated:
I had a ruby which was broad, the size of the palm. Khwarazm Shah
wished to see it and I presented it to him. It was as thick as the
finger and broad like the palm of the hand. In shape it was like citron and a pressed grape. Its surface was planer and had the colour of
wine but not fully transparent.
