TALISMANIC USE OP PRECIOUS STONES 101
buildings
were made of white rock-crystal, so that a flood of light poured into
the interior. Although the Chinese texts call this material
rock-crystal, it is possible that the name was applied to glass when
that substance was but recently introduced into China.104
Regarding
this same "rock-crystal" a humorous tale is related. Muan-fen, a
mandarin who had a great terror of draughts, was once received in the
palace by one of the Chinese emperors. The doors of the audience
chamber were of rock-crystal and were tightly closed, but, because of
the transparency of the material, they seemed to be wide open, and the
emperor was greatly amused to note that Muan-fen was shivering with
cold, although the temperature of the room was quite comfortable.105
An
exceptionally fine specimen of Aztec work is a skull carved out of
rock-crystal. It weighs 475-1/4 ounces Troy, and measures 8-1/4 inches
in width.
The
ruby has many names in Sanskrit, some of them clearly showing that it
was more valued as a gem by the Hindus than any other. For instance, it
is called rat-naraj, "king of precious stones," and ratnanâyaka, "leader of precious stones;" another name, applied to a particular shade of ruby is padmarâga, "red as the lotus."106
The
glowing hue of the ruby suggested the idea that an inextinguishable
flame burned in this stone. From this fancy came the assertion that the
inner fire could not
104
Pfizmeier, " Beiträge zur Geschichte der Edelsteinen und des Goldes,"
Sitzungsbericht d. phil. hist. KL, Wien, vol. lviii, 1868, p. 200.
"* Pfizmeier, 1. c, p. 201.
1M Garbe, " Die indische Mineralien ; Naharari's Rajanighantu, Varga XIII, Leipzig, 1882, p. 70.
