Paris, and how an emetic was promptly administered, by which
the jewel was recovered. It has been stated there are more
paste copies of this seal than of any other engraved gem,
doubtless on account of the celebrity of its original owner.
Two different seals are used by the Roman Pontiff ; one consists of a large ring, the annulus piscatores bearing the effigy
of St. Peter drawing a net, used for briefs and private letters ;
the other, employed for bulls, has on one side the heads of Peter
and Paul, with the cross between them, and on the other the
portrait of the reigning pontiff, and sometimes his coat of arms.
At the death of the pope, his seals are broken, and new ones
are given to his successor by the city of Rome.
Broodies were worn by Etruscans, Romans, and Saxons, for
talismans, and have been used since for ornaments. The
"Brooch of Lorn" was "burning gold, studded fair with gems
of price."
Diamond buttons, as fastenings for the dress, were used by
both sexes during the sixteenth century ; but this custom, as a
prevailing fashion, has fallen into desuetude.
Chains. —These ornaments, embellished with all manner of
precious stones, have a great antiquity, and constituted an
indispensable part of the attire of a courtier or public functionary. The chain was a symbol of investiture used by Pharaoh,
King of Egypt, and ma*vy centuries later by Belshazzar, King
of Babylon, when Joseph and Daniel — both Hebrews —were
advanced to position and power in the government. The chain
has ever since been considered an important jewel, either as an
emblem of rank or authority, or as an ornament, until, in
modern times, it has become an essential adjunct to the watch
— an invention of a comparatively recent period.
