Portal logo
Login/Register
Bactrian Gold Treasure from Afghanistan, coming soon....
/gemstones/king-natural-history/page_170 - 2
 

Chrysocolla, Carbonate of Copper

Chalcedonius, Calcedony Page of 453 Chrysocolla, Carbonate of Copper Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
CHRYSOCOLLA.
161
CHRYSOCOLLA: Native Verdigris.
The mineral still known under this name, a carbonate of copper, sometimes opaque, sometimes translucent, and hard as quartz. The ancients obtained the best quality from the copper-mines, an inferior from those of gold. It was also prepared artificially by steeping the ore during the entire winter, and evaporating the liquid by the summer heat (xxxiii. 26). The best came from Armenia, the second quality from Macedonia, but the chief supply was drawn from Spain. It was used in painting, and) is reckoned amongst those " florid" colours which on account of their intrinsic value were* furnished by the employer, not by the artist. It entered into the list of medicines, as a caustic appli­cation for wounds, ulcers, sore eyes; and as an emetic, a very effectual one, but highly dangerous.
But its principal value was as a solder for gold, for which purpose it had been employed from the earliest times, being so mentioned by Theophrastus (26). For this purpose it was steeped in a child's urine, together with verdigris and nitrum, and then rubbed down in a copper mortar with a copper pestle. This solder the Romans called Santerna.1 Gold containing an alloy of silver could be soldered with this, and was all the brighter at the junction; but if alloyed with copper, the gold shrunk up, grew dim, and refused to unite. For such a quality, by adding a seventh part of silver and a little gold to the above ingredients, and grinding them up together, a good solder was produced.
M
Chalcedonius, Calcedony Page of 453 Chrysocolla, Carbonate of Copper
Suggested Illustrations
Other Chapters you may find useful
Other Books on this topic
bullet Tag
This Page