are
unimportant. Work in these mines is carried on by means of picks, and
crowbars, and gunpowder. Blasting with gunpowder has come into vogue
only within the last thirty years: formerly all the work was done by
picks, and much better ; for the picks extracted the Turquoises entire,
while the gunpowder though it does more work, breaks the stones into
small pieces.
{b). The Khaki mines
are diggings in the detritus and rubbish collected at the foot of the
above-mentioned mines, and in the alluvial-soil, consisting of the
detritus of the rocks, and extending from the foot of the mountain a
mile ór two down to the plain. The finest Turquoises are at present
found in the Khâkî mines, in fact, good stones for rings are at present only obtained from the Khaki. Work
here is carried on by promiscuous diggings, without any system
whatever. The earth is brought to the surface, sifted, and searched for
Turquoises, generally by children.
The Turquoises are divided at the mines into three classes, namely :—
1. Angushtari (ring-stones),
including all stones of good and fast colour, and of convenient shape.
Deep sky-blue is the colour most prized. The best stones of this class
are found in the Khâkî diggings and .n the Abdurrez-zâgî mine.
2. Bârkânah stones,
of which four qualities are recognized. Only the best of these are
sent to Europe, the rest being kept in Persia for encrusting ornamental
objects.
3. Arabi Turquoises, a name applied to bad stones, of pale colour or greenish or spotted. The whitish Turquoises are called Shîrbumî or Shîrfâm. Large flat pieces used for amulets are known as tûtâl.
About 200 men work in the mines and diggings at
