92 THE CURIOUS LORE OP PRECIOUS STONES
palaeolithic
cave-deposits of Belgium also, jet appears, the supply being in this
instance derived from northern Lorraine. The fragments had been rounded
and pierced through the centre.81 This indicates their use
as parts of a necklace or as pendants. Necklaces, bracelets, and rings
were especially favored for the wearing of talis-manic gems, since the
stones could easily be so set that they would come in direct contact
with the skin.
Jet
was one of the materials used by the Pueblo Indians for their amulets.
An exceptionally well-executed figure of a frog made of this material
was found in Pueblo Bonito, in 1896, by Mr. Pepper. The representation
is much more realistic than is the case in the other figures of this
type from this region. Turquoise eyes have been inserted in the head of
the figure and a band of turquoise surrounds the neck.82
Both in Babylonia and in Egypt, lapis-lazuli was very highly valued, and this is shown by the use of its Assyrian name (uknu) in
poetic metaphor. Thus, in a hymn to the moon-god Sin, he is addressed
as the "strong bull, great of horns, perfect in form, with long flowing
beard, bright as lapis-lazuli. ' '83 This may remind us of the "hyacinthine locks" of classical literature.
Lapis-lazuli, "a blue stone with little golden spots," was a cure for melancholy and for the "quartern fever,"
81 Dupont, " L'homme pendant les âges de la pierre," Brussels, 1872, pp. 156 sqq.
82 Pepper, " The Exploration of a Burial-room in Pueblo Bonito," Putnam Anniversary Volume, New York, 1909, p. 237.
M Ward, " Seal Cylinders of Western Asia," Washington, D. C, 1910, p. 121; citing Jastrow, "Religion," p. 303.
