The Curious Lore of Precious Stones

Talismans and birth-stones, crystal balls and the High Priest's breastplate — Tiffany's own gem expert gathered every superstition, legend and cure ever credited to a precious stone.

The Therapeutic Use of Precious Stones

8 pages in this part of The Curious Lore of Precious Stones.

The Therapeutic Use of Precious Stones

THE medicinal use of precious stones may be traced back to very ancient times. It has been conjectured that their employment for such…

The Therapeutic Use of Precious Stones: Volmar

The Middle High German didactic poem on precious stones, composed by Volmar, or Volamar, about 1250, appears to have been written as a…

The Therapeutic Use of Precious Stones: Abraham

In the Babylonian Talmud we read of a marvellous precious stone belonging to Abraham. This was perhaps a diamond, or possibly a pearl; the…

The Therapeutic Use of Precious Stones: Spaniards

When the Spaniards discovered and explored the southern part of the American continent, they came across numerous native ornaments and…

The Therapeutic Use of Precious Stones: Guiana

An early notice of jade as a remedial agent appears in Sir Walter Raleigh's account of his travels in Guiana. Treating of a people of…

The Therapeutic Use of Precious Stones: Voiture

By the middle of the seventeenth century the curative powers of jade for the various forms of calculi was very generally admitted. A…

The Therapeutic Use of Precious Stones: William

Sapphire One of the earliest specimens of English literature, William Langley's "Vision of William concerning Piers the Plowman (written…

The Therapeutic Use of Precious Stones: Helmont

The proper method of applying a sapphire to cure plague boils is given at some length by Von Helmont. A gem of a fine, deep color was to be…

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