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Ch. 13: Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire.

Ch. 13: Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire. Page of 401 Ch. 14: Emerald, Aquamarine, Beryl Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
258
PRECIOUS STONES.
his chamber a ruby and a carbuncle half a foot in length supported by pillars of gold, and of such brilliancy that they make
the night as luminous as the day." But Epiphanius, who lived
in the fourth century, bears off the palm, since his carbuncle
could not be concealed by any covering whatever, its brilliancy
was so penetrating. Catherine' of Aragon, says a contemporary, wore a ring set with a stone, thought to be a ruby,
luminous by night, while as late as the eighteenth century
this gem was supposed to give a warning of misfortune to the
owner, by a loss of brilliancy and change of color.
The traditions about the luminous property of the ruby and
some other gems may be traced to a well known quality of the
diamond, — phosphorescence,—the only precious stone in which
it inheres ; but in an age when the illusions of the imagination
had not been dispelled by scientific experiment, it was easy
to ascribe this quality to other gems. This peculiar phenomenon of the diamond, it has been observed, was undoubtedly
noticed when persons wearing large numbers of them passed
from the blaze of a tropical sun, to the comparative darkness
of oriental rooms, a circumstance which afforded some foundation for the marvellous tales related about the properties of
gems.
Ch. 13: Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire. Page of 401 Ch. 14: Emerald, Aquamarine, Beryl
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