Diamonds and precious stones, a popular account of gems .. . Fig. 59-—Saxon Topaz. Fig. 60. — Brazilian Topaz. mid, and its colour includes all the shades fromorange yellow to wine yellow. 9 130 PRECIOUS STONES. The Siberian topaz is nearly always found inrhomboidal prisms, terminated by a ditetragonalpyramid ; it is of a pale blue or green cast of colour,and sometimes occurs colourless, when it is muchprized. Although in form of crystaUization theseSiberian minerals are really topazes, they approachvery nearly by their tint and transparency to Fig. 61.—Siberian Topaz. Fig. 62.
Diamonds and precious stones, a popular account of gems .. . Fig. 59-—Saxon Topaz. Fig. 60. — Brazilian Topaz. mid, and its colour includes all the shades fromorange yellow to wine yellow. 9 130 PRECIOUS STONES. The Siberian topaz is nearly always found inrhomboidal prisms, terminated by a ditetragonalpyramid ; it is of a pale blue or green cast of colour,and sometimes occurs colourless, when it is muchprized. Although in form of crystaUization theseSiberian minerals are really topazes, they approachvery nearly by their tint and transparency to Fig. 61.—Siberian Topaz. Fig. 62.—Topaz of the Grand Mogul. A finely polished topaz belonging to the GrandMogul was purchased at Goa for $50,500. Itweighed iS7}i carats, and was cut in the formrepresented by Fig. 62. ENGRAVING UPON THE TOPAZ. It was for a long time believed that the ancientsnever engraved this gem; but Caire mentions a THE AMETHYST. I31 topaz which he had had in his own possessionweighing 29 carats, and engraved in Arabicwith the motto, ^^ No one accomplishes but God!It was probably an amulet, such as are worn byorientals of the present day, and which are calledby the Arabs gri-gri. Another celebrated engraved topaz representsPhilip IL and Don Carlos. It is a white topaz, en-graved by Jacopo da Trezzo. The house of Orleans had a very beautiful octa-gonal topaz engraved with a Mercury; and inTurin, in the Generosio collection, was a celebratedtopaz intaglio, representing Victory enthroned in achariot. THE AMETHYST. The oriental amethyst is a rare substance ofmagnif
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectgems, booksubjectprec
