752 



SAPPHIRE 



According to the researches of Meier and Kimruer, santalin is accompanied by divers 

 red and brown coloured-matters, more soluble in water than santalin itself, and the 

 products of its oxidation. This assertion is certainly substantiated by the fact, that 

 the young twigs of the Pterocarpus santalinus are internally yellow-coloured, and only 

 become red by the action of the air. 



Santalin exhibits the following properties : it is a beautiful red crystalline powder, 

 almost insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol, ether, and acetic acid ; the colouring- 

 matter is very readily withdrawn from the acetic acid solution by albuminous sub- 

 stances, which retain it energetically ; alkalis dissolve santalin, yielding deep violet- 

 red solutions, from which it is thrown down unaltered by acids. Santalin fuses at 104. 

 (See Crookes's ' Practical Handbook of Dyeing.') 



SAPAN-WOOD, or East Indian Dye Wood, or Buckum-Wood, is a species of the 

 genus C'cssalpiiiia, to which Brazil-wood belongs. It is so called by the French, be- 

 cause it comes to them from Japan, which they corruptly pronounce Sapan. It is 

 imported in pieces like the Brazil-wood, to which it is far inferior for dyeing. The 

 decoction is used in calico-printing for red colours. In general, span wood is too 

 unsound to be employed for turning. See BRAZIL- WOOD. 



SAP GREEN. The juice of the berries of the Rhanms catharticus, or common 

 buckthorn. 



SAPPHIRE. The Sapphire, Ruby, Oriental Amethyst, Oriental Emerald, and 

 Oriental Topaz, are gems next in value and hardness to diamond; and they all con- 

 sist of nearly pure alumina, with a minute proportion of iron as the colouring- 

 matter. The following analyses show the affinity in composition of the most precious 

 bodies with others in little relative estimation : 



Salamstone is a variety which consists of small transparent crystals, generally six- 

 sided prisms, of pale reddish and bluish colours. The corundum of Battagammana 

 is frequently found in large six-sided prisms : it is commonly of a brown colour, 

 whence it is called by the natives Curundu gatte, cinnamon-stone. The hair-brown and 

 reddish-brown crystals are called adamantine spar. 



Sapphire and salamstone are chiefly met with in secondary repositories, as in the 

 sand of rivers, &c., accompanied by crystals and grains of magnetic iron ore and 

 of several species of gems. 



The finest varieties of sapphire come from Pegu, where they occur in the Capelan 

 mountains near Syrian. Some have been found also at Hohenstein in Saxony, Bilin 

 in Bohemia, Puy in France, and in several other countries. The red variety, the 

 ruby, is most highly valued. Its colour is between a bright scarlet and crimson. A 

 perfect ruby above 3 J carats is more valuable than a diamond of the same weight. If 

 it weigh 1 carat, it is worth 10 guineas ; 2 carats, 40 guineas ; 3 carats, 150 guineas ; 

 6 carats, above 1,000 guineas. A deep-coloured ruby, exceeding 20 carats in weight, 

 is generally called a carbuncle ; of which 108 were said to be in the throne of the 

 Great Mogul, weighing from 100 to 200 carats each; but this statement is probably 

 incorrect. The largest oriental ruby known to be in the world was brought from 

 China to Prince Gargarin, governor of Siberia. It came afterwards into the pos- 

 session of Prince MenzikoSJ and constitutes now a jewel in the imperial crown of 

 Russia. See EUBT. 



A good blue sapphire of 10 carats is valued at 50 guineas. If it weighs 20 carats, 

 its value is 200 guineas ; but under 10 carats, the price may be estimated by multiply- 

 ing the square of its weight in carats into half a guinea ; thus, one of four carats 

 would be worth 4 2 x JG. = 8 guineas. It has been said that the blue sapphire is supe- 

 rior in hardness to the red, but this is probably a mistake arising from confounding 

 the corundum-ruby with the spinelle-ruby. A sapphire of a barbel-blue colour, weigh- 

 ing 6 carats, was disposed of in Paris by public sale, for 70/. sterling ; and another 

 of an indigo-blue, weighing 6 carats and 3 grains, brought 60/. ; both of which sums 

 much exceed what the preceding rule assigns, from which wo may perceive how far 

 fancy may go in such matters. The 'sapphire' of Brazil is merely a blue tourmaline. 



