in
Europe and America at the present time as fortune tellers, the images
of objects seen through the spheres being supposed, according to a
fancy which has survived from an early period, to indicate the
observer's future.
A
superb example of carving in rock crystal is to be seen in the Morgan
collection of gems in the American Museum of Natural History of New
York City. This object is a globe four inches in diameter, on which are
outlined the continents and oceans, while a figure of Atlas beneath
supports the sphere.
Rock
crystal is also cut into seals, paper-weights, and other ornamental
objects, and the small pieces are used in enormous quantities for
cutting into stones for rings, pins, brooches, etc. These are often
known as "rhinestones," but also as "Lake George diamonds," "Brazilian
diamonds," and "diamonds" from whatever locality they come. These make
desirable stones as far as durablity is concerned, and are fairly
brilliant, but are not to be compared with the diamond in high
refractive powers. An attempt to pass off a rhinestone for a diamond
can be easily detected by the relative softness of the former, it being
possible to scratch it not only with diamond but also with corundum or
topaz. Rhinestones have little intrinsic value owing to the common
occurrence of the raw material. They do not therefore legiti-
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