A lapidary, or, The history of pretious [sic] stones with cautions for the undeceiving of all those that deal with pretious [sic] stones / by Thomas Nicols ...

CHAP. XXIII. Of the Sardonyx or Cameus.

[Description of the stone.] THe Sardonyx is a pellucid gemme which doth contain in it self the glory of two gemms, namely the rednesse of a Sardius or Sarda, and the whitenesse of an Onyx, by which it doth appear, that that stone which Cardanus reckoneth amongst the kinds of Cornelians or Sardius, is a Sardonyx. And so indeed it is, for a Cornelian red in the upper part of it, and white in the lower part of it, is a Sarda or Sardius in its upper part, and an Onyx in its lower part; hence also Cardanus calleth a Cor∣nelian thus beautified a Sardonyx, lib. 7. de lap. pre∣tiosis. Boetius saith that a Sardonyx consisteth of a sanguine, white, and black colour, which are distin∣guished by circles, or girdles, as if they were done by art. Baccius in Annotat. saith, it consisteth of a treble colour, of a black below, of white in the middle, and of red above. But the name of this gemm doth end all controversies about it, and make a very clear discovery of its beauty.

Of its Adulteration.

This gemm as the former, is adulterated with glasse, but that will easily be known by its want of beauty, and by its dusty superficies which it will con∣tract; and it will be eaten out by the air.

Of its names.

In Hebrew it is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 even as is the Sar∣dius.

In Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 quasi Sardius & Onyx. Hence this stone is also called in Latine Sardonyx, from Sar∣dius & Onyx. The jewellers of these our dayes, saith Boetius, call both the Onyx and the Sardonyx, Nico∣lus. It is also called Cameus. In English Sardonyx.

Of its kinds.

1. One kind of it Boetius saith hath black and white girdles, and is called the Onyx. 2. Another kind of it he saith hath one streak of one colour and an other of another colour, and this is called Came∣huya, or Cameus, or Onyx, or Sardonyx. 3. An∣other kind he saith there is that hath purple, white, rosie, and skie colour, compassing one another like girdles, with the resemblance of a rainbow, which he saith, for their delight to the eye are of great dignity and worth. 4. Other kinds he saith there are of an hony colour, which have drosse in them, and have not the girdle united, but diffluent, which he saith are ignoble and of small price.

The place.

These stones are found in Arabia, Germanie, and Silesia, and in the neighbouring countreys. Of these gemms the Orientall ones are the best of all others.

The Sardonyx is found in great bignesse, inso∣much as cups may be made of it, which are of great esteem and worth.

Of its nature and properties.

It hath the same vertues with the Sardius and Cor∣nelian, saith Boetius, Pliny, and Cardanus.

Of its dignity and value.

This stone likewise hath been of great esteem, as it was in former times of sacred use: nature here, as being much pleased with unity, hath united the beau∣ty of two gemms in one, and by thus sporting it self with the consent of beauty, it hath reconciled the Law and Gospel; for the Onyx is one of those stones which was set in the enclosures of gold in the breast-plate of Judgement, and the Sardonyx is that pretious gemm by which the glory of the fift foun∣dation of the wall of the New Jerusalem is disco∣vered to us. Exod. 28.20. Revel. 21.20.

Demostratus saith that Scipio Africanus was the first that ever brought this gemm in use amongst the Romanes, and by this means it was famous not one∣ly amongst them, but also by their perswasions, a∣mongst the Indians.

The Sardonyx, with the beauty of a Sardius and an Onyx, without mixture of any other colour is of great esteem and worth.

The China vessels which are brought into these parts, are supposed to be made of this stone and the fatter part of the earth boyled together.

It is related of Mithridates king of Pontus, [History.] that he had 4000 vessels of this mettall.