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Sec. I, Ch. 1: Precious Stone or Gem Definition

Sec. I, Ch. 1: Precious Stone or Gem Definition Page of 366 Sec. I, Ch. 1: Precious Stone or Gem Definition Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
2 Definition of the Term Precious Stone or Gem.
and durability,, yet destitute of any beauty of colour or lustre, and therefore unfitted for personal adornment. Colour alone is by no means a necessary property in a precious stone : the Diamond, for example, though pres­enting in some of its varieties every known tint, may be absolutely destitute of colour ; nevertheless, it possesses the power of breaking up the rays of light which fall upon it, or pass into its substance, into rainbow-like tints of transcendent beauty. The Diamond, in fact, unites the properties of the most opposite elements—combining the purity of water with the flash of fire.
Precious Stones are frequently known also as Gems. It should be borne in mind, however, that this term is sometimes restricted by collectors of works of art to engraved stones—that is, to carnei and intagli, especially those which have come down to us from classical antiquity or from mediaeval times. It may, therefore, be convenient, in order to avoid confusion, to refer to the precious minerals themselves as Gem-stones rather than as Gems.
It is difficult to arrange the various Precious Stones in the order of their relative value, since the order is subject to occasional variation according to the caprice of fashion or the rarity of the stones. Nevertheless it is believed that the following scheme, in which all Precious ancT Semi-Precious Stones are grouped in five classes, fairly indicates the relative rank which they take at the present day.
I. The Pearl stands pre-eminent. It is true that this substance, being the product of a mollusc or shell-fish, is not strictly a mineral. It is, however, so intimately related in many ways with the family of true Precious Stones that it properly claims a place in any classification such as that under discussion. The Pearl has increased so greatly in value in recent times, that if one of a certain size
Sec. I, Ch. 1: Precious Stone or Gem Definition Page of 366 Sec. I, Ch. 1: Precious Stone or Gem Definition
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