64 NATURAL HISTORY OF PRECIOUS STONES, &c.
1555)
of the Ducal jewels, and some of the plate purchased by his
grandfather, Jacob Fugger, from the Bernese Government. Lambeccius has
published his MS. and accurately engraved his drawings in his Bibliothcea Caesarea (ii. 516).
The
Duke's big, deep, pointed Diamond, the talk of all Christendom—" der
grosz und dich spitzig Diamandt, von dem in der gantzem Christenheit
gesagt wurd"—is shaped as a pyramid five-eighths of an inch square at
the base : having the apex cut into a four-rayed star in relief, each
ray corresponding with the centre of each face of the pyramid ; a most
singular and ingenious pattern, doubtless eliciting some of the
brilliancy of the stone, but totally unconnected with any idea of the
modern principles of facet-cutting. This Diamond proves convincingly
that Bequern's invention went no further than this, the cutting of the
stone into a definite form—some allusive device, accompanied with the
reduction of the sides of the native " point " into perfect regularity
and equality with each other. It is set in the midst of three
Balais-rubies, cut as depressed, somewhat irregular, pyramids
measuring seven-eighths by one-half an inch at the base ; and styled,
from their correspondence in size and weight, " The Three Brothers." To
indicate their natural perfection, Fugger particularly notes down that
they were set without a foil, and therefore à jour. The four Pearls completing the outline of the Pendant are truly magnificent for their magnitude although somewhat baroques in
shape, being each above half an inch in diameter, and certainly
approaching, if not equalling, half an ounce in weight. Comines, too,
makes mention of the Three Brothers, and of two incomparable Balais
besides, known by the quaint appellations the one as " La Hotte "
(pouch), the other as " La Balle (bale) de Flandres."
