Quantcast
  We are temporarily changing parts of Farlang until November 30th and apologize for any inconvenience Portal logo
Login/Register
 
/gemstones/king-gems-decorative-stones/page_227 - 2
 

Onyx, Nicolo

Onyx, Nicolo Page of 384 Onyx, Nicolo Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
218
NATURAL HISTORY OF GEMS.
appears from Pliny's brief notice (xxxvii. 71) of its variety known as the Eye-onyx : " Triopthalmus cum Onyche nasoitur, ties hominis oculos simul exprimons." The fact being that in Pliny's age the name no longer bore the same acceptation as when Theophrastus used it, but was cer­tainly applied to the stone now called the Agate. This is the only way of understanding the passages already quoted from Sotacus and Zenothemis, as to its various colours sur­rounded by white veins like an eye, and these again some­times traversed by other white veins running athwart them ; and the remark of the former that " the true Onyx presents numerous and differently-coloured veins with milk-white zones, the transition of colours between them being perfectly indescribable, yet all blending into one harmo­nious whole, highly charming to the eye." It is singular, however, that Pliny should give no definition in his own terms, of what the Romans understood by the designation Onyx, but should have contented himself with citing these all but unintelligible descriptions of earlier and Grecian authors, being apparently himself in doubt as to the exact species of gem to which they referred.
Epiphanius, with his usual ignorance of his subject, con­founds the marble with the gem Onyx : " Twelfth Stone (in the Eationale) the Onyx : this hath its colour exceed­ingly yellow (îáíèÞ). It is said that the wives of the kings (of Persia) and of the nobles take great delight in this stone, and have it made into drinking-cups for their own use. Besides this, there are other sorts, similarly called Onychites, resembling yellow bee's-wax. And some pretend that such are formed by the condensation of water dropping. These are called Onychites (nail-stones) in natural history, because the finger-nail in well-bred persons is made up of two colours, a marble-white coupled with the appearance of the blood underneath showing through the
Onyx, Nicolo Page of 384 Onyx, Nicolo
Suggested Illustrations
Other Chapters you may find useful
Other Books on this topic
bullet Tag
This Page