was
believed to indicate their degree of "ripeness," the pale stones being
"unripe." As an illustration of this, Cardano instances a sapphire he
had examined, a small part of which was blue, while the rest resembled
a diamond. Specimens of this kind exist in several collections.48
The writer has seen many that are dark blue when viewed from above, and
almost white when viewed through the back. The Cinghalese lapidaries
had very cleverly cut a crystal that was white, with a thin coating of
blue, so that the blue was at the back, fully realizing the wonderful
dispersive power of the sapphire, and that it would appear dark blue if
viewed from above. The value was naturally only trifling compared with
that of a perfectly even-colored gem.
Al-Berûnî (973-1048 a.d.) gives as the hues of the "red yakut" (ruby),
pomegranate-colored safran (henna), purple, flesh-colored,
rose-colored, and of the shade of a pomegranate blossom. Other colors
of the yakut (corundum crystals) were yellow (Oriental topaz),
gray, green (Oriental emerald), white (white sapphire), and black. A
henna-colored yakut, if weighing one mitqal (about 24 carats),
was valued at 5000 dinars ($12,500), if its weight was half as much, or
about 12 carats, it was esteemed to be worth 2000 dinars ($4500), but
for one weighing as much as 2 mitqals (48 carats) no definite price
could be given, probably because of its great rarity and costliness.49
The Sanskrit name for the topaz, pita, signifies "the yellow stone." This Sanskrit word is thought by many to be the original of the Hebrew pitdah, a stone of the high priest's breastplate. Another Sanskrit name is pushparaga, "flower-colored."80 It must be borne in mind, however,
* Cardani, " Philosophi opera quidam lectu digna," Basilese, 1585, p. 329.
*° Eilhard Wiedmann, " Ueber den Wert von Edelsteinen bei den Muslimen," in " Der Ielam," vol. ii, 1011, pp. 347 sqq.
" Garbe, " Die indische Mineralien ; Naharari'e Rajanigbantu, Varga XIII," Leipzig, 1882, p. 79.
