knowledge
of those countries, but we have nothing recorded which penetrates the
past beyond three to four hundred years B. C, for there is not as much
mention made of them in ancient writings familiar to the West as of
other precious stones. Nevertheless the pearl is among the most ancient
in the nomenclature of jewels because when it did come to be written of
only the one thing could be meant. Nature produces nothing similar with
which it could be confounded, whereas it is not certain that the
diamond, ruby, and other stones as we know them, were intended when the
names by which we designate them were used. Such indisÂcriminate use of
names has been made by translators that it is difficult to determine
what the stones really were about which ancient authors wrote. The
names of those in the Jewish High Priest's breastplate, given in our
English version of the Old Testament, undoubtÂedly misrepresent the
stones actually used, and the only thing authorities agree upon
regarding the names is that they are incorrect.
As there was no definite knowledge of the crystallography and chemistry of stones in
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