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CHAPTER XI.
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CHRYSOPRASE.
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HE
Chrysoprase is mentioned in the book of Ezekiel (c. xxvii., v. 16), and
it is also referred to as one of the stones in the wall of the Holy
City (Rev., c. xxi., v. 20). It has been said, however, that the
Chrysoprase of the Ancients was a very different stone from that which
is known by this name at the present day. Pliny speaks of it as a
well-known gem, and tells us that vessels were made of it, and that the
stone was obtained from India in great quantities. No antique works in
true Chrysoprase have come down to us. The costly mosaic walls of St.
Wenzel's Chapel, in the Cathedral of St. Beit at Prague, built in the
14th century, contain splendid specimens of Chrysoprase.
Our
Chrysoprase is a green variety of Chalcedony, of extremely local
occurrence. It is found in Silesia, near Kosemütz, Gläsendorf, and
Baumgarten, not far from Frankenstein. It occurs in veins of
serpentine, in company with other siliceous minerals, such as Quartz,
Chalcedony, and Opal.
Among
the semi-Precious Stones, the Chrysoprase deserves to be one of the
greatest favourites. It possesses a beautiful apple-green colour of
many shades, and a transparency and capability of high polish, together
with the advantage of being found in large pieces. Exposure to
sunlight, however, renders it liable to fade slightly. It was the
chemist, Klaproth,who discovered the presence of nickel,
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