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Ch. 6: Quartz Amethyst

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	282 A POPULAR TREATISE ON GEMS. exposed to the fire for a few minutes, whereby a strass is formed, upon which the figures are cut. The value of car-nelian is much higher than chalcedony, but yet depends on all its qualities of color, transparency, equal division of color, and freedom from faults, such as fissures, clouds, dark spots, &c. For a perfect sardonix, a very high price is generally given, particularly when the layers are very distinct and run quite parallel, and are pretty thick, so that they are fit for cutting cameos or intaglios. The blood-red is second in value, and the pale-red third; but the cheapest are the yellowish, brownish, or whitish kinds ; the prices vary from twenty dollars to twenty cents per piece. There exists a cameo of sardonyx, representing the portrait of the celebrated Father Fontanarosa, having his face white, with the base, cap, and cloak black, so that it may distinctly show the Dominican monk. HELIOTROPE, BLOODSTONE. This stone derives its name from the Greek language, having been used in ancient times for observing the sun. Pliny speaks of heliotrope. It occurs in massive and obtuse angular lumps, of a conchoidal fracture, is translucent on the edges, of a resinous lustre, and leek-green color, with red and yellow spots. It scratches white glass ; has a specific gravity of 2.61 to 2.63. Heliotrope is_ found among amygdaloid, in Tyrol, in the United States, (in New-York, near Troy,) Scottish Islands, Siberia, Faroe Islands, Egypt, Barbary, Tartary, &c. It is principally employed in rings and seals, watch-keys, snuff-boxes, and other articles of jewelry,—also for sword and dagger handles ; and is wrought like chalcedony, but sometimes cut on brass plates; its forms are various: as cabochon and pavilion.

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Feuchtwanger. Treatise on Precious Stones.

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1 Page 399 second in August and September; and the more rain, the more
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2 Page 401 weight of twenty-four grains is counted as thirty; so that a
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3 Page 398 body on, or by boring a hole in, the shell. The Chinese are
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4 Page 400 At the Pearl Islands, near the Isthmus of Panama, the pearl
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5 Page 406 In 1620, King Philip IV., of Spain, purchased a pear-shaped
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6 Page 401 weight of twenty-four grains is counted as thirty; so that a
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7 Page 402 reach the age of seven or eight years, and in the fourth yea
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8 Page 403 found in the Elster river, in the kingdom of Saxony, from it
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9 Page 404 nearly two millions of francs ; Julius Csesar presented to S
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10 Page 404 nearly two millions of francs ; Julius Csesar presented to S
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11 Page 405 The seed pearls, when quite round, are worth about one hundr
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12 Page 411 and on the Continent ; around Southampton, in England, these
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13 Page 412 Artificial Pearls. Artificial pearls or beads are of variou
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14 Page 406 n 1620, King Philip IV., of Spain, purchased a pear-shaped p
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15 Page 409 near the town of Paterson, New Jersey, went to a neighbori
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16 Page 410 of Messrs. Tiffany & Co., was purchased from Mr. Howell for
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17 Page 415 The shad-fish, as well as the white-fish of our lakes, must
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18 Page 413 decomposition, and for their preservation numerous chemica
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19 Page 414 Heidelberg, Nuremberg, Sonnenberg, Meistersdorf, in Bohemi
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