80 THE CURIOUS LORE OP PRECIOUS STONES
brass,
and sold as luck stones at Niagara, the claim being made that the "
satin spar " was taken from beneath the Falls at great peril, as
occasionally small deposits of this kind of gypsum are found under the
Falls.
From time to time
small consignments of this material have been sent to Japan, as the
Japanese value it possibly on account of its purity, or owing to the
fact that it has the effect of the cat's-eye. It is quite cheap, and at
the same time very soft, so that it can be scratched with the
finger-nail. That found in Russia is of a golden-yellow or salmon
color, and is worked into various ornaments, the one popular form being
egg-shaped, and, because of their form, such objects are frequently
given as Easter gifts. The same material is also known in Egypt, and is
cut in the same egg form, the ornaments being called " Pharaoh's
eggs," although just which Pharaoh this refers to is not stated. They
are also believed to possess qualities of protection and to bring good
fortune.
The
virtues of the hematite were praised in an ancient gem-treatise written
by Azchalias of Babylon for Mithri-dates the Great, King of Pontus (d.
63 b.c.), a sovereign
who was passionately fond of precious stones, and possessed a splendid
collection of them, both engraved and unengraved. Azchalias, as cited
by Plinyβ2 taught
that human destinies were influenced by the virtues inherent in
precious stones, and asserted that the hematite, when used as a
talisman, procured for the wearer a favorable hearing of petitions
addressed to kings and a fortunate issue of lawsuits and judgments. It
is a red oxide of iron, which when abraded shows a red streak ; whence
the
" " Naturalis historia," lib. xxxvii, cap. 60.
