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Magic Stones and Electric Gems: Hofmann
An exceedingly rare medal, and one of great interest to students of alchemy, was struck in 1647 by order of Emperor Ferdinand III from gold produced in his presence by Johann Peter Hofmann, a master of the alchemical art. A specimen of this medal is in the Imperial Cabinet of Coins in Vienna. On the obverse, around two shields, one bearing eight fleurs-de-lis and the other the figure of a lion, are two hermetic inscriptions: LILIA CUM NIVEO COPULANTUR FULVA LEONE (yellow lilies lie down with the snow-white lion), and SIC LEO MANSUESCET SIC LILIA FULVA VIRESCENT (thus will the lion be tamed and thus will the yellow lilies flourish). Around a crown surmounting the two shields appear the initial letters I. P. H. V. N. F., indicating Latin words the sense of which is "Johannes Petrus Hofmann a Nurembergian subject made it," and also the letters T G V L, intended to signify tintur gutt v. libram, or "five drops of the tincture [transmuted] a pound." The reverse has Latin words denoting that iron was the base of this tincture, the symbols use for lead, tin, copper, mercury, silver and gold being each accompanied by a cryptic declaration that Mars (iron) had controlled the respective metal. Besides the "Philosopher's Stone," the chief object of their quest, the alchemists believed that several other stones possessing magic virtues could be produced. Among these was the "angelical stone," which gave power to see the angels in dreams and visions, and also the "mineral stone," a substance by means of which common flints could be transmuted into diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, etc. Possibly some alchemists were glassmakers, and fused the quartz with various mineral salts into imitations of the gems, having the colors, but not the hardness or other properties.
One of the strangest fancies as to the medicinal efficacy of stones is that held by the native Australians, who believe that "crystals" are embedded in the bodies of their medicine-men. This belief is encouraged by the medicine-men themselves; indeed, they are supposed only to retain their power so long as these atnongara or ultunda stones remain in their bodies, and a share of their might can be transmitted by transferring certain of the stones from their own bodies to that of another. The ceremony proceeds as follows: The Nung-gara [medicine-men] then withdrew from their bodies a number of small clear crystals called Ultunda which were placed one by one, as they were extracted, in the hollow of a spear-thrower. When a sufficient number had been withdrawn, the Nung-gara directed the man who had come with them to clasp the candidate from behind and to hold him tightly. Then each of them picked up some crystals, and taking hold of a leg, gripped the stones firmly and pressed them slowly and strongly along the front of the leg and then up the body as high as the breast-bone. This was repeated three times, the skin being scored at intervals with scratches, from which blood flowed. By this means the magic crystals are supposed to be forced into the body of the man... After which each of them pressed a crystal on the head of the novice and struck it hard, the idea being to drive it into the skull, the scalp being made to bleed during the process....
One of the Nung-gara then withdrew from his skull just behind his ear (that is, he told the novice that he kept it there) a thin and sharp Ultunda, and taking up some dust from the ground, dried the man's tongue with it, and then, pulling it out as far as possible, he made with the stone an incision almost half an inch in length.