The Meanings of Jewels and Precious Stones

• Persian legend says that jewels and precious stones are the work of the Devil, for God created nothing superfluous that mankind has no need of. The Devil, however, observed how great was Eve's admiration for the flowers of Paradise, and set about imitating their colors in clay — and thus came the first precious stones. Ever since, these stones have been a source of pain, of evil, and of greed...

• The oldest known jewels are the bracelets of Queen Zer, queen of the First Egyptian Dynasty, made of gold and turquoise. Historians agree that jade was known in the era of the Chou imperial dynasty of China, in the eleventh century before Christ. In the possession of Guilhou of Paris was a gold ring whose making dates back to the first millennium before Christ — one of the famous rings that make up his precious art collection.

• The diamond is the most sought-after of precious stones, but it is not the most valuable. The emerald ranges in value between three and four times the value of a diamond of matching weight, while the red ruby (of pigeon-blood color) is worth twice a diamond of the same weight. The sapphire and the diamond are nearly equal in value.

• The diamonds existing in the world today are estimated at fifty tons; after them come the rubies, weighing five tons. The emerald is the rarest of precious stones: what exists of it weighs no more than two tons in all...

• The Washington museum claims to possess the largest precious stone in the world, meaning the yellow sapphire weighing 153 pounds, discovered in a mine of the Brazilian province of Minas Gerais. Its color is exquisite: its exterior blue tending slightly toward yellow, its interior a yellow the color of amber.

• The red diamond exceeds the ruby in value. Tsar Paul of Russia was proud of his red diamond, which weighed ten carats and was valued at one hundred thousand rubles. When its owner died by treachery in the year 1860, no one heard of it again, and its fate is unknown to this day.

• The profession of every Brazilian who follows a liberal profession may be known from the kind of ring he wears on his finger. Physicians carry rings set with emeralds, engineers rings bearing stones of sapphire, men of law rings of ruby, professors rings of green agate, dentists rings of jade, and businessmen rings of pink agate.