382 THE MAGIC OP JEWELS AND CHARMS
But
the unsurmountable difficulty here is, to explain how they could work a
stone of such hardness, it being evident that steel and iron were
utterly unknown to them. They pierced emeralds and other gems, with
all the delicacy of the present times, furnished with so many tools;
and the direction of the hole is also very observable ; in some it
passes through the diameter, in others only to the centre of the stone,
and coming out at its circumference they formed triangles at a small
distance from one another, and thus the figure of the stone to give it
relief was varied with the direction of the holes.
The
existence of emeralds in the region near Berenice is vouched for by
Ptolemy. The mines of emerald here were duly entered in the map of the
patriarch and the Arabs are said to have dug for them ; but, Pocock
writes, ' * As all stones that may be found belong to the Grand
Signior, the Arabs are very well satisfied that the presence of
emeralds should not be suspected, because he would have the profit, and
the inhabitants might be obliged to work in the mines for a very small
consideration. " 9 ' v
The
number of ancient hematite artefacts found in the United. States
indicates that this material was more largely used within its
territorial limits for implements and ornaments than in any other part
of the world;10 indeed the somewhat sweeping statement has
been ventured that it does not seem to have been used outside of this
section of the New World; however, some exceptions to this rule must be
admitted. That certain of these ornaments were used as amulets is
highly probable, and they were undoubtedly regarded as objects of
great value, since with the primitive tools at his command the Indian
cutter must have found his task a very hard one, requiring the
expenditure of much time and patience. In the Andover Collection there
is an exceptionally fine specimen from Roos County, Ohio. It is
• Pocock's " Travels in Egypt," Pinkerton's " Voyages and Travele," vol. xv, London, 1814, p. 238.
"
See Warren K. Moorehead, " Hematite Implements of the United States,
Bulletin VI of the Department of Archeology, Phillips Academy, Andover,
Mass., Andover, 1912.
