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Lyncurium, Jacinth

Lyncurium, Jacinth Page of 384 Lyncurium, Jacinth Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
LYNCURIUM.
163
Romans understood the Black Sard (our Black Agate), only red and translucent by transmitted light ; but though ì,ïñìù masks, in intaglio, are frequent enough in this variety, those in relief never occur in it. De Boot, with as little foundation, supposes it Obsidian.
The exact nature of the Mormorio is much elucidated by the discovery made (1838) in a tomb near Kertch, by Alexis Tscherkow, where lay a female skeleton, richly adorned with her choicest jewels—a laurel crown, in massy gold, on her head ; earrings,, with pendants, formed as Bacchic genii ; and two necklaces, with hollow gold beads : " cre-pundia," as the Romans called them. On her fingers were eight rings, of which three had been votive, to judge from their extraordinary and unwieldy size. One was set with a bust of Pallas, in three-quarter face, her helm crested by a bird with drooping wings (not her proper owl, however), in high relief, of the finest Greek work : cut on " une pierre qui ressemble au grenat le plus foncé." The second bore the same relief, but with the head in front face. Both these stones are nearly two inches long—their form., a wide oval. The third had a superb Siriam Garnet, nearly as large, with an intaglio, a god leaning on a sceptre, and placing his hand on the head of a smaller figure standing on a basis. (Published in the ' Bull, de l'Inst. Arch. Rom.' 1840).
A perfect Jacinth is indeed a splendid ornament to the finger ; much more agreeable and superior in,tint to the best Brazilian Topaz, having a peculiar golden lustre mixed with its rich orange ; however, it is now completely out of fashion, and consequently of but little selling value, such are the unaccountable, unreasoning, mutations of taste in these matters.
Our Jacinth was not the Lychnis of Pliny, as some have taken it to be, the latter was indeed electric and hard to
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