HE
origin of the taste for gems is lost in the most remote ages. The most
ancient records to which we have access bear evidence of its previous
existence. In ancient Egypt jewels were engraved in the form of
scarabaei, and are even now disinterred from the mummy-pits. The Jews
adorned the breastplate of the High-Priest with precious stones, and
the similarity of the names in both their languages would lead us to
suppose that they derived their knowledge from them. The conquerors of
Mexico and Peru found the Montezumas and the Incas in possession of
gems engraved and cut into the forms of animals and other objects, to
which their traditions gave a remote antiquity. The Hindu mythology
speaks of gems in a manner which shows that they were in general
estimation. In their songs and ballads, precious stones are often
spoken of. Pliny records that the
