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Amethystus, Amethyst

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AMETHYSTUS.
29
called by the Indians Sacondion, Sacon being their term for that particular tint ; if still lighter, it took the name of Sapenos." The fourth sort was of a wine (we should say, "Burgundy") colour ; the fifth and worst of all was so pale as to resemble Crystal. The most admired tint was where a slightly rosy hue shone out from amidst the purple, and became more conspicuous when viewed by transmitted light (in suspectu) ; such were distinguished by the title of Pœderotes (Cupids), or the " Gems of Venus," on account of the pre-eminence of their kind and their beauty.
The deeper the tint the less brilliant is the stone, for which reason the ancient engravers preferred the light-coloured variety, which of all gems, next to the Jacinth, possesses the greatest degree of lustre ; or they may have used it for cutting upon on account of its greater cheapness, remarked above. That Amethysts * of a fine colour (now so -worthless) wore deemed too valuable by the ancients to have their substance diminished by the sinking of intagli into them, appears from many examples extant. They were either worn as mere ornamental jewels uncut, or else polished to an extremely convex form, presenting in their exact centre a diminutive intaglio, a Gorgon's Head, or a mask, in the nature of a talisman that augmented the supposed virtue without detracting much from the native beauty of the gem. Pliny notes the suitableness of all the Amethyst family for engraving upon (scalpturis faciles), a sufficient proof that no species of this stone was the Hya-cintlms (the common explanation of archaeologists from De Boot to K. 0. Müller), which Solinus with justice calls
* The rich Indian Amethyst evidently was then equally precious with the Sapphire; Pliny undeniably regarded the latter as merely a variety of it ; for this reason the two are often found set side by side in ancient jewels.
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