90 NATURAL HISTORY OF PRECIOUS STONES, &c
It
is contrary to the Hindoo nature to suppose that they had learnt this
art from Europeans, who themselves were only commencing to facet the
Diamond (as will he shown presently), and perhaps to make Hoses some
twenty years hefore. Besides, had the method been of recent
introduction at the mines, that very particular observer, Tavernier,
would certainly have noted it down. Again, the Koh-i-noor, a gem known
from " the times of the gods," was in its original state cut after a
very remarkable pattern, being covered with a row of long narrow
facets, enclosing the base of an extremely depressed four-sided
pyramid. Now, even supposing this was done after the stone had come
into Baber's possession, which indeed seems indicated by his words that
" after it was cut it weighed eight miscals," yet even this
latest date refers to the year 1530-2, long before any such
fancy-cutting had been thought of in Europe.
To
come now to the invention of the same art (or its introduction from
the East) in Europe, a subject perplexed with the most conflicting
statements, arising mainly from the writers upon this point having
successively copied the conjectures of others, instead of taking the
trouble to consult original and contemporary authorities. These conjectures will
be noticed in what follows, and something more satisfactory, it is
hoped, because collected in the opposite manner, will he offered in
their stead.
In
the first place, we may take as well founded the " vetus et constane
opinio " that the true method of cutting the Diamond, meaning by this
term the power of reducing it into any desired pattern, was unknown in Europe before
its invention by Louis de Berghem (or Berquem) of Bruges, in the year
1475. Laborde, indeed, pretends to discover mention of tailleurs de diamant, one of them, Hermann, being designated " a skilful workman," as esta-
