Concerning Gems

Albert Ramsay (Albert Ramsay & Co, 1925) writes:

Few things that man has made use of in his evolution from barbarity to civilization have so much of romance, superstition and fascination woven about them as have precious stones. It is probable that the same subtle lure of a beautiful gem, which even the most matter-of-fact man or woman knows, led Adam and Eve, when the world was young, while they inhabited the Garden of Eden, when not busy with its fruits, to gather certain bright pebbles, which saved and prized, became the first precious stones of history.

As far back toward this date as written accounts take us, we find jewels playing an important part in the history of the world. There were the twelve stones, each the symbol of a tribe of Israel; also the twelve stones of the High Priest’s breast-plate. In Ezekiel, the covering of the King of Tyre was described as containing nine precious stones. Each of the Apostles was associated with a precious stone. In Revelation, John describes twelve precious stones in connection with the Heavenly City. The histories of Egypt. Greece, and Rome, and more modern countries, often refer to some important crown jewel, or otherwise famous gem.