he plainly says that callaie is a fossil ivory spotted with light and dark blue.
All turquoises work smooth. In the East they cut and inlay them with gold.
Many
engravings in turquoise are thought to be Greek and Roman works. In the
Orleans collection there was a turquoise having an engraving of Diana,
and another a portrait of Faustina.
In
the Genevosio collection of Turin Caire saw an amulet having on one
side the head of Diana, with a veil on the head, and on the other a
cittern, a star and a bee. The Florence gallery had a turquoise which
was as large as a small billiard ball, and on which was engraved a
likeness of Tiberius.
Nevertheless,
I think, with King, that there is much reason to doubt the antiquity of
these works. For my part, I have never seen engravings on turquoise
that were anterior to the twelfth century A.n. But there have been
precious ornaments, both Tyrrhenian, Etruscan, Grecian, and Roman, in
which I have seen this stone used.
