stone are absolutely black, and, if a stone happens to be emerald-like in
colour or yellowish, it is studded upon the surface of a jewel. All these
characteristics are innate, not artificial. If the upper or lower portion of
the stone is broader than the middle part, it is rubbed till an even surface
is achieved. Its beauty is inherent in its olivine and white hues and its
novelty lies in its greenness. It is but rare that it should have any other
colour except these three colours. The choicest stone is even, variegated
and brilliant.
According to Hamzah, it is called khalanj (piebald) in Persian and the
baqrani is known as fakiri halanj. The word, khalanj, is not specific to
jaza' but to everything that is bi-coloured or piebald, e.g. cats, foxes, onagers, etc. In fact, even the wood that is bi-coloured is also called
khalanj. In Turkistan, cups, dinner sets, water basins and articles of the
same ilk are made from it. At times these markings become very narrow
like those of the Khutn. Should it be pleasing to the eye, hasps of
knives and scimitars are also made of it. It is brought by the Bulgarians.
One kind of jaza' is associated with Iran, since the Persians like it.
Although like the Baqrani kind, it is the opposite of the Baqrani kind
which is superior. Its sections are thick and its lines thicker and less
even. Some Iranians prefer the kind which is slenderer in the middle.
The Habashi kind is next to the Farisi variety. It has no red section and
has black lines on the sides with white colour in between. For this
reason it has been associated with Ethiopia (Habashah) as the white teeth
of the Ethiopians glitter in the midst of their scanty beards. Another
kind is the Basifi The upper and the lower sections of this variety are
reddish-black and whitish and, because of this distinct coloration, both
sections appear distinct.
Nasr says that it is cooked in oil till its veins or stripes become firmer. According to Al-Kindi, its mines are not distant from those of the
chalcedony. Every kind, he says, is cooked in honey for a day or two till
its veins open up.
If this is so, it is what has been stated in the Kitab al-Kimiya\ namely, that some stones grow, some contract, some divide into pieces and
some change colour, e.g. Jaza', underneath, the earth.
The Gharwani kind of jaza' bears an intricate colour pattern. Its sections are large. I have seen large pieces of it from which utensils are
made. A tapering crock, which Al-Kindi mentions, could contain more
than 30 rath of water.
Nasr has mentioned the Mu'raq instead of the Gharwani variety. It
could be perhaps superior to the Gharwani kind, or both might be identical unless, of course, the name, Mu'riq, follows from an excess of perspiration. When its sections are mentioned, it is the quantity and not the
colour that is taken into account.
