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OOLITE.
157
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to
good account, and gives the stone a higher value. This onyx is worked
principally at Oberstein, in Germany. Lapidaries formerly chose, and
now prefer, executing their Arabian and Indian onyx work in that place,
and the best carnei are composed of that beautiful mineral substance.
The low price of German stones causes them to be much used now.
The ancients used the onyx engraved or simply cut, and very many of both kinds are still to be seen.
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LXXI.
OOLITE.
This mineral
is a calcareous spar composed of very minute spherical particles, whose
cohesion depends on a calcareous substance which acts as a cement.
Its principal component is carbonate of lime.
The name it bears is derived from the Greek ώόν, ovum, on
account of its similarity to the spawn of fish. The oolite is found in
pebbles or in masses. It is white, red, brown, or yellow. Large ridges
of it are found in France and England.
Cut
and polished it is a fine marble, and it is used in ornamenting houses,
as may be seen in many houses of the city of Bath, in England.
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