Ebook Diamonds and Precious Stones

It would be easy for any one who had sufficiently prepared himself by previous study to write a purely scientific work on the subject of precious stones; but this is not the intention of the present writer, who aims at interesting a wider class of readers than a work of the kind indicated would reach.

In addition to the strictly scientific information to be given regarding precious stones, there are connected with them a great many facts not less interesting, and equally important for the public to know. To these we have devoted several sections of the following work.

In our times precious stones are used almost exclusively for the purpose of ornament, but in former times the case was very different. By reference to the authors of antiquity, as well as to those of the middle ages and the Renaissance, we have shown the important part that they then played, and what ideas prevailed regarding them.

From the thousands of fables and superstitions of which precious stones have been the subject, we have selected a certain number.