OATALOUUK OK (}EMSS. 587 



the ;ij)plic;iti<)ii ItcMii^' iiccoinpanicMl liy the clinnliiiL:' <»t" lli(> iiuiuc of 

 God. 



Vanollte. — Supposed to he ii preveiitix c and cui'e tor \iiriolii (small- 

 pox). (Castellaiii, History of (xeiiis.) 



^Vater xapphh'i <n' loJ'ifr. — A woman possessing- a riny set with this 

 stone as a signet and on which was eat one-half of a tish, a mirror, a 

 branch, and a nude femak^, procured any desire. 



Zircon. — Supposed to bring riches, honor, and wisdom; a cliarm 

 against plague and evil spirits; and afforded its wearer protection 

 against thunderbolts. (Europe During the Middle Ages.). 



According to the Mani-Mahi — 



The wearing of a weighty, hiytrous, white, cool, tender, very old, and transparent 

 gonieda (zircon) leads to jn'osperity. A light, discolored, exceedingly rongh, dehi- 

 sion creating, and cool, yet dirty, gomeda blights happiness and saps the fonndations 

 of energy. 



The same treatise, speaking of its medicinal value, says: 

 The zircon is sour, heating, and curative of unhealthy oxidation, sharpens the 

 appetite, helps digestion, and takes away sin. 



In conclusion, it would be expected to lind the belief in the mar- 

 velous and medicinal properties of gems prevalent during the age of 

 faith, while during the age of reason and inquiry it seems somewhat 

 childish that the}" should still continue to exist. In India, the land of 

 occultism, the m^'stics still pursue their researches after the occult 

 virtues of precious stones. The modern Western spiritualist (Mideavors 

 to discover and apply the occult knowledge of the East. He still 

 believes in and teaches the virtues of gems, and is emphatic in his 

 opinion that certain gems facilitate the rapport of a certain class of 

 spirits with the wearers of those gems. 



Swedenborg, the Swedish mystic, in his spirit revelations to L. A. 

 Cahagnet, as cited in his Magic Magnetique (Paris, 1838), gives nu- 

 merous categorical answers to (juestions asked by the medium concern- 

 ing the spiritual and material powers of certain precious stones. 



In Paris a school has been estaldished which has for its ol)ject the 

 study of the magnetic emanations, radiance, and cr3'stals. In Nice a 

 Dr. de Lignieres has issued a prospectus of a work of O-i'I pages that 

 seriously considers the medicinal properties and A'irtues of precious 

 stones. 



IX. CATALOGUE OF THE ISAAC LEA COLLECTION 



OF GEMS. 



PREFATORY NOTE. 



The exhibit of gems made by the United States National Museum 

 at the New" Orleans and Cincinnati expositions in 1881: and 1885 marked 

 the beginning of what is now one of the most complete pu))lic collec- 

 tions of gems in the United States. From 1886 to 1890 the growth 



