Healing Power of Precious Stones Set in Rings

Jasper, set in rings, took the lead of all other precious stones in its supposed healing power; and this power was supposed to be strengthened when combined with silver in preference to gold.

Even Galen has recommended a ring with jasper set in it and engraved with the figure of a man wearing a bunch of herbs round the neck. Many of the Gnostic or Basilidian gems, evidently used for magical and talismanic purposes, were of jasper. Rings of this material, and to be used as marriage tokens, are said to be made at Wesingburg, the materials being supplied from the shores of Lake Wetter.

Pierre de Boniface, a great alchemist and much versed in magic, who died in 1323, is the reputed author of a manuscript poem on the virtues of gems, of which the celebrated Nostradamus gives the following pretended extract:

"The diamond renders a man invincible; the agate of India or Crete, eloquent and prudent, amiable and agreeable; the amethyst resists intoxication; the cornelian appeases anger; the hyacinth provokes sleep."

In a scarce poem, by T. Cutwode, entitled Calthoe Poetarum, or the Humble Bee, (1599,) the goddess Diana is introduced, modestly clothing and attiring the heroine:

"And with an emerald hangs she on a ring,

That keeps just reckoning of our chastitie.

* * * * *

And therefore, ladies, it behoves you well

To walk full warily when stones will tell."

The ancients have had a very high esteem of the diamond, "champion of the precious stones," insomuch as they have thought it to be endued with divine virtues, and that if it were but worn in a ring or carried about a person near his heart, it would assuage the fury of his enemies and expel vain fears, preserve from swooning, drive away the vanity of dreams and terrors of the night and frustrate all the malign contagious power of poisons.

According to Josephus, the high-priest of the Israelites wore a ring on his finger of inestimable value and celestial virtue; and Aaron had one whereof the diamond, by its virtues, operated prodigious things, for it changed its vivid lustre into a dark color when the Hebrews were to be punished by death for their sins, when they were to fall by the sword it appeared of a blood-red color, while, if they were innocent, it sparkled as usual.

It is reported of the diamond that it is endued with such a faculty as that if it be in place with a loadstone, it bindeth up all its power and hindereth all its attractive virtue. Also, that if a diamond be put upon the head of a woman without her knowledge, it will make her, in her sleep, if she be faithful to her husband, to cast herself into his embraces; but if she be an adulteress, to turn away from him.

We take the above from a quaint work, by Thomas Nicols. He goes on to say: "It hath been by the ancients esteemed powerfull for the driving away of Lemures, Incubos and Succubos; and for the hindring of contentions and to beget in men courage, magnanimitie and stout-heartednesse."

A species of ruby, called Balassius, or Palatius, is said to restrain fury and wrath. There is a story of this stone by AElian. Heraclis had cured the fractured thigh of a stork. The creature flying in a dark night by a palace where one of these stones lay flaming like a lamp, took it up and brought it to Heraclis and cast it into her bosom, as a token of the acknowledgment of the favor which it had received from her in the cure of its harm. Andreas Baccius, speaking of a rubine of his inclosed in a ring, says that on the fifth of December, 1600, he was travelling with his wife Catharina Adelmania to Studgard, and, in his travel, he observed his rubine to change its glory into obscurity, whereupon he told his wife and prognosticated that evil thereupon would ensue either to himself or her, which accordingly did; for, not many days after, his wife was taken ill with a mortal disease and died. After which, he saith, his rubine, of its own accord, did again recover its former lustre, glory, beauty and splendor. A perfectly pure deep carmine-red ruby often exceeds in price a diamond of the same size. It has been written, that, if the carbuncle be worn in an amulet (or drunk) it will be good against poison and the plague, and will drive away sadness, evil thoughts, terrible dreams and evil spirits; also that it cleareth the mind and keepeth the body in safety, and that if any danger be towards it the stone will grow black and obscure, and that being past, returns to its former color again.

The jacinth or hyacinth is said to have the faculty to procure sleep when worn in a ring on the finger. Cardanus says he was wont to wear one to the intent to procure sleep, to which purpose "it seemed somewhat to confer, but not much." The amethyst is said, by Aristotle, to hinder the ascension of vapors; and that this is done by the stone drawing the vapors to itself and then discussing them. Andreas Baccius says that it sharpens the wit, diminishes sleep and resists poison.

The emerald is said to be at enmity with all impurity; and will break if it do but touch the skin of an adulterer. We cannot forego Nicols' description of this stone: "The emerald is a pretious stone or gemine of so excellent a viridity or spring-colour as that if a man shall look upon an emerald by a pleasant green meadow, it will be more amiable than the meadow, and overcome the meadow's glorie by the glorie of that spring of viriditie which it hath in itself. The largeness of the meadow it will overcome with the amplitude of its glory, where with farre above its greatnesse it doth feed the eie; and the virescencie of the meadow it will overcome with the brightnesse of its glory, which in itself seemeth to embrace the glorious viridity of many springs." It is reported of Nero that he was wont to behold the fencers and sword players through an emerald as by a speculum or optic glass and that for this cause the jewel is called gemina Neronis. According to Pausanias, the favorite ring of Polycrates, a tyrant of Samos, contained an emerald. He was advised by Amasis, king of Egypt, to chequer his continued prosperity and enjoyments by relinquishing some of his most favorite pleasures; and he complied by throwing into the sea this most beautiful of his jewels. The voluntary loss of so precious a ring affected him for some time; but a few days after, he received, as a present, a large fish, in whose belly the jewel was found.

Albertus Magnus observes: "If you would sharpen the understanding, increase riches and foresee the future, take an emerald. For prophesying, it must be placed beneath the tongue."

The topaz is said to free men from passions and sadness of mind; and that, if it be cast into boiling water, it will suddenly "astonish it into coldness."

The agate is stated to be good against poisons. It is reported of the eagle that it doth carry this gem into her nest to secure her young from the bitings of venomous creatures. "If," says Albertus Magnus, "you would avoid all dangers and overcome all earthly things and possess a stout heart, take an agate. It causes danger and opposition to vanish and makes a man strong, agreeable and of good cheer."

The sapphire, according to St. Jerome, will procure the wearer the favor with princes and all others, pacify enemies, free him from enchantments, bonds and imprisonments and it looseth men out of prison and assuageth the wrath of God. It is reported of it that it is of so contrary a nature to poisons that if it be put into a glass with a spider or laid upon the mouth of the glass where it is, the spider will quickly die. It is said to keep men pure and, therefore, is worn by priests. The Gentiles consecrated this gem to Apollo, because, in their inquiries at his oracle, if they had the presence of this gem with them, they imagined they had their answer the sooner.

The opal is said to sharpen the sight of its possessor and cloud the eyes of those who stand about him, so that they can neither see nor mind what is done before them; for this cause it is asserted to be a safe patron of thieves and thefts. Albertus Magnus says, "If you wish to become invisible, take an opal and wrap it in a bayleaf, and it is of such virtue that it will make the by-standers blind, hence it has been called the patron of thieves." Nicols gives a glowing description of this stone. "The opalus is a pretions stone which hath in it the bright fiery flame of a carbuncle, the pure refulgent purple of an amethyst, and a whole of the emerauld's spring glory or virescency, and every one of them shining with an incredible mixture and very much pleasure." It is reported of Nonius, a Roman senator, that he had rather been deprived of his country and senatorship than part with an opal which he had from Antonius.

It is asserted of the cornelian that it causeth him that weareth it to be of a cheerful heart, free from fear and nobly audacious and is a good protection against witchcraft and fascination.

"Chalcedony procureth victory to him that is the possessor of it and carrieth it about him. It is much used for signets, for it sealeth freely without any devouring of the wax."

The report on jaspers is that they preserve men from drowning; and "divers do very superstitiously attribute much power and virtue to them if figures, images and characters be engraven upon them. The effects which by this means are wrought in or for any, Andreas Baccius doth attribute to the devil."

We might presume that the ring of Gyges held the opal or the stone known as the Heliotrope or Oriental jasper; for Pliny gives the report of magicians that if this gem be anointed with the juice of the marigold, it will cause him that carrieth it to walk invisible.

The forget-me-not stone, turquoise or Turkey stone, "ceruleous like unto a serene heaven," if worn in a ring of gold will, it is said, preserve men from falls and from the bruises proceeding of them by receiving that harm into itself which otherwise would fall upon the man; yet these virtues are said not to be in the gem except it has been received as a gift. "The Turkeys," says Fenton, in his Secrete Wonders of Nature, "doth move when there is any peril prepared to him that weareth it." Ben Jonson and Drayton refer to the same superstition. Rueus says, that he saw a Turchoys, which, upon the death of its master, lost all its beauty and contracted a cleft, which, a certain man afterwards buying at an under-price, returned again to its former glory and beauty, as if, observes he, by a certain sense, it had perceived itself to have found a new master. The same author says of it that it doth change, grow pale and destitute of its native color if he that weareth it do, at any time, grow infirm or weak; and again, upon the recovery of its master, that it doth recover its own lovely beauty, which ariseth of the temperament of its own natural heat and becometh ceruleous like unto a serene heaven. According to the ancients, the wearing of the turquoise had a most excellent quality: it destroyed animosity and, in particular, appeased discord between man and wife.

It is possible that Shakspeare had in his mind the seeming influence of the turquoise (as well as its value):

"Tubal. One of them showed me a ring, that he had of your daughter for a monkey.

"Shylock. Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal; it was my turquoise; I had it of Leah, when I was a bachelor: I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys."

The Arabs value the turquoise chiefly for its reputed talismanic qualities; and they seek for large pieces, without particular reference to purity of color. The stones intended for amulets are usually set in small rings of plated tin.

The wearing of coral in a ring has been thought of power to "hinder the delusions of the devil, and to secure men from Incubus and Succubus."

All remember Shakspeare's beautiful exposition of adversity:

"Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,

Wears yet a precious jewel in his head."

Fenton, writing in 1569, says: "There is found in heads of old and great toads a stone which they call borax or stelon: it is most commonly found in the head of a he-toad." They were not only considered specifics against poison when taken internally, but "being used in rings, gave forewarning against venom." This stone has often been sought for, but nothing has been found except accidental or perhaps morbid indurations of the skull. Lupton says, "You shall know whether the tode-stone be the right and perfect stone or not. Hold the stone before a tode, so that he may see it, and if it be a right and true stone, the tode will leap toward it and make as though he would snatch it. He envieth so much that man should have that stone." Nicols, in his Lapidary, observes: "Some say this stone is found in the head of an old toad; others say that the old toad must be laid upon the cloth that is red, and it will belch it up, or otherwise not; you may give a like credit to both these reports, for as little truth is to be found in them as may possibly be. Witnesse Anselmus Boetius in Lib. 2, in the chapter of this stone; who saith that to try this experiment in his youth, he took an old toad and laid it upon a red cloth, and watched it a whole night to see it belch up its stone, but after his long and tedious watchful expectation, he found the old toad in the same posture to gratifie the great pangs of his whole night's restlessness.

"Some of the toads that carry this precious jewel must be very large, for Boetius says the stone is found of the bigness of an egg, sometimes brownish, sometimes reddish, sometimes yellowish, sometimes greenish." It is reported that if poison be present, the alleged stone will go into a perspiration. In connection with this sensitiveness, it may be observed that precious stones are said to sweat at the presence of poison. We are told that the jewels which King John wore did so in his last sickness. There is no doubt, however, although Shakspeare makes him cry out, "Poison'd--ill fare," that John got his death from unripe pears and new cider. His living about three days from his attack, is a reasonable proof of not dying by poison.