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BERYLLUS.
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51
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from
amongst the pebbles of their torrents, and in another passage as met
with embedded in serpentine rock in Babylonia. Pliny distinguishes its
varieties with all the exactness of modern science. " The most
admired," says he, "emulate the green tint of pure seawater " (the
present Aquamarine). " Next in favour is the Chrysoberyl, in which
this green is tinged with a golden lustre " (an exact description this
of our Indian Chrysolite, as the jewellers invariably terni it,
although mineralogists retain for it its ancient name of Chrysoberyl.
In its composition, alumina constitutes 70 to 75 per cent., the
glucina being greatly diminished in proportion ; the stone is therefore
much harder than the true Beryl). There was a still paler kind known
then by the name of Chrysoprase, but in fact only a variety of the last
mentioned. Then came the Hyacinthi-zontes, or sapphire-like sort; and
the Aëroides, of a yet fainter shade of sky-blue.* The last was the
species invariably employed for intagli by the ancient engravers, as
all existing antique examples attest. Lowest of all were ranked the
wax-coloured, the oily, i. e. those of a greasy yellowish green, and such as were totally colourless.
The
Beryl was the only one amongst the precious stones that was facetted by
the Boman jewellers, who cut it into a sexangular pyramid, as otherwise
it had no brilliancy. Beryls were then highly prized both for the
purpose of ear-drops and of mere ornamental, i.e. not engraved, ring-stones. When Cynthia's shade appears to Properties he remarks that (iv. 7)—
" Et solitam digito bcryllon adederat ignis."
* St. Laurent thinks this was the true Sapphire, and Lessing agrees with
him (Ant. Briefe xxvi.), asserting that the ancients knew the Sapphire
only as a sort of Amethyst, or of Beryl. But this is an-
Å 2
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