A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v2.c32.s16.7

v2.c32.s16.7

The typical characters which were most relied upon for differentiating one species of a gem from another were (1) the relative weight, (2) hardness, (3) lustre, transparency and colour, (4) fusibility, especially when heated in combination with the alkalies. It will be noticed that even the lapidaries and the mineralogists of the present day have to depend largely upon these properties in the classification of the stones. We shall now proceed to say a few words under each of the above characters following in the main the authority of Garuda-purāṇa.