Diamond and Lead 27 



wax." 1 The Armenian lapidarium of the seventeenth century 2 is most 

 explicit on the matter: "The diamond is bruised by means of lead in 

 the following manner: lead is hammered out into a foil, on which the 

 diamond is put; and when completely wrapped up with it, it is placed on 

 an iron anvil, the lead being struck with an iron hammer. The diamond 

 crumbles into pieces from these blows, but remains in the leaden foil, 

 and is not dispersed into various directions, as it is prevented from so 

 doing by the ductility of the lead. Released from the latter, the broken 

 diamond is fit for work. In want of lead, the diamond is covered with 

 wax and wrapped up in twelve layers of paper, whereupon it is smashed 

 by hammer-blows. In order to secure it in pure condition and without 

 loss, the whole mass is flung into boiling water, causing the wax to melt, 

 the paper to float on the surface of the water, and the diamond-splinters 

 to sink to the bottom of the vessel. Then it is pounded in a steel mortar 

 and is at once ready for industrial purposes. With this pounded 

 diamond (diamond-dust) the jewellers polish good and coarse dia- 

 monds." The practical object in the use of lead is here clearly indicated ; 

 but what appears in this work of recent date as a merely technical 

 process was in its origin a superstitious act, as is explained by Tifashi, 

 who wrote toward the middle of the thirteenth century. According to 

 this author, the diamond, as stated by Pliny, is a golden stone; and in 

 the same manner as gold is affected by lead, lead is able to pulverize 

 the diamond. 3 



This Western idea has likewise migrated into China, and turns up in 

 the Tan fang kien yuan, an alchemical work by Tu Ku-t'ao of the Sung 

 period, according to whom lead can reduce the diamond to fragments. 4 

 This author terms the stone "metal-hard awl or drill" (kin kang tsuan 

 ^P)']!^); that is, "diamond-point" (kin kang being the usual name 

 for the diamond). According to Li Shi-ch&n, the author of the Pin 



X J. von Hammer, Fundgruben des Orients, Vol. VI, p. 132 (Wien, 1818); M. 

 Clement-Mullot, Essai sur la min^ralogie arabe, p. 131 (Journal asiatique, 6th 

 series, Vol. XI, 1868). Al-Akfanl expresses himself in a similar manner (Wiede- 

 mann, Zur Mineralogie im Islam, p. 218). 



1 Russian translation of K. P. Patkanov, p. 1. 



1 A. Raineri Biscia, Fior di pensieri, p. 53 (2d ed., Bologna, 1906). 



4 Pin ts'ao kang mu, Ch. 10, p. 12. The author speaks of a certain kind of lead 

 styled "lead with purple back" (tse pei yuan &^|o), in regard to which the Pin 

 ts'ao kang mu only says that it is a variety of lead very pure and hard, able to cut 

 the diamond (compare Geerts, Les produits de la nature japonaise et chinoise, 

 p. 605). Geerts annotates, " Ceci est une de ces absurdity que Ton trouve si souvent 

 chez les auteurs chinois a 'cote 1 de renseignements exacts et utiles." Certainly, the 

 Chinese are not responsible for this "absurdity," which comes straight from our 

 classical antiquity. 



