Home » categories » rare book library » King. Gems Or Decorative Stones.
This chapter is tagged (labeled) with: 

Heliotropium, Heliotrope

Agates, Jet Page of 384 Heliotropium, Heliotrope Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
HELIOTROPIUM.
133
HELIOTßOPIUM : Heliotrope and Bloodstone.
This stone retains its ancient name, and is a Prase, or semi-transparent, green Calcedony interspersed with small etches of opaque, bright-red Jasper. It is Pliny's variety
the Prasius that " sanguineis punctis obhorret ;" " is horrent with blood-red particles." India then, as now, was
the only source of this beautiful stone ; the best specimens
of which present a pleasing contrast of a true Emerald-green nearly transparent, with the most vivid red.
This species must be distinguished from the Bloodstone Jaspe Sanguin) also often, inappropriately, termed Helio-trope, the latter being a green Jasper, perfectly opaque as tï both its constituent colours ; and besides, a much com­moner material, being found in many parts of Europe, Lastly, we have the rare Tiger-agate of Malwa, only differing from the Heliotrope in being spotted with bright yellow.
The origin of the name, literally " Sun-reflector," is thus given by Pliny : " The Heliotrope, produced in Ethiopia, Africa, Cyprus, is of the colour of the leek-leaf (like the Prasius), and marked with veins of blood. The reason for the name is because, if thrown into a vessel of water, it (especially the Ethiopian kind) transforms the sun's rays failing upon it into the reflexion as it were of blood (san-guineo repercussu). The same stone, out of the water, acts as a mirror for observing and detecting solar eclipses, by showing the moon passing over his disk."
Agates, Jet Page of 384 Heliotropium, Heliotrope
Suggested Illustrations
Other Chapters you may find useful
Other Books on this topic
bullet Tag
This Page