Miscellaneous Minerals

Coral

Some elements from 'Arab roots of gemolgy: Ahmad ibn Yusuf Al Tifaschi's Best Thoughts on the Best of Stones' (c.1240) trans. Samar Najm Abul Huda. The Scarecrow Press, London, 1998.

• Coral resembles a mineral in its body and a plant in its soul
• Found in a place called Marsa al Kharaz in the sea of Africa (and the sea of Europe) where it is brought to the East, Yemen, India and all countries. In no other place are larger or better quantities found
• The best is the largest, undistored, of deep red colour, free from wormwood-like cavities. The ones with a whitish shade and lighter red color are defective. Knots and scratches constitute defects but are virtually always present. If a large scratched piece is found it is scraped until its scratches are removed and it becomes smooth.
• Large and rare pieces are removed for the King of Africa for whom they are made into inkstands and knife hilts
• If soaked in vinegar it softens and becomes white; some use it as finger-rings; used for written engravings; if soaked in oil its red colour brightens
• If hung on a person it is benefical for epilepsy; safeguards small children from the evil eye; if burnt and rubbed on teeth it removes their cavities and they become white, it strengthens the gums; beneficial for heart pulpitations and ulcers; if drunk it is of benefit for blood hemorrhages and abrasions; if hung over the stomach is benefits stomach disorders, similar in effect to the zhubabi emerald
• Daq (in Morrocco) is the rough coral, not worked. It is polished and worked in Alexandria, thus the value is double that of Africa, or three times depending on supply and demand.

Emery

Some elements from 'Arab roots of gemolgy: Ahmad ibn Yusuf Al Tifaschi's Best Thoughts on the Best of Stones' (c.1240) trans. Samar Najm Abul Huda. The Scarecrow Press, London, 1998.

• Its formation is the same as Diamond but it is inferior to diamond
• It is found with diamond, and it is mentioned that the valley where emery is found is in the farthest end of China, in an island in the saw that no one reached before Alexander
• Looks like crystalised sand, the best being the large clear, crystalled stones
• Cold in the second degree and hard in the third
• It is more effective when powdered, scratching all the stone if rubbed against them either when dry or wet
• Can give strong polish and clarity to teeth; it is slightly astringent and used in medicines that flight flabbines of the body

Hematite

Some elements from 'Arab roots of gemolgy: Ahmad ibn Yusuf Al Tifaschi's Best Thoughts on the Best of Stones' (c.1240) trans. Samar Najm Abul Huda. The Scarecrow Press, London, 1998.

• black iron based stone
• brought from Karak, Jordan, seven days walking distance from Egypt. It is more expensive in countires other than Egypt due to the closeness of the mine to Egypt
• the best is the deep black one with an iron red shade
• beneficial against ill effect of drinking pure alcohol if drunk as a powder

Howlite

Hardness Mohs' 3 - 3.5.

Calcium borosilicate hydroxide.Commonly occurs in irregular nodules resembling cauliflower. Usually opaque white, often with grey veins in a spiderweb-like pattern. Crystals are very rare.

Due to its porosity is often coloured blue to imitate turquoise, red to imitate coral or lime green to imitate rare gaspeite. Today the white howlite, untreated, is popular as a designer gemstone.

Jet

Some elements from 'Arab roots of gemolgy: Ahmad ibn Yusuf Al Tifaschi's Best Thoughts on the Best of Stones' (c.1240) trans. Samar Najm Abul Huda. The Scarecrow Press, London, 1998.

• One of the lead stones, started initially as lead but external factors such as increase or decrease in heat, cold, moisture or drought prevented this
• Jet is broguht from two place, India (the best; deep black stone without transparency, except that it can be used as a mirror) and Persia
• Shiny, brittle and can be quickly broken
• Useful when added to collyriums; If a person's eyesight is weakend due to old age or has the beginnings of cataract and sees thing through a shadow similar to a veil, then they take a piece of jet for a mirror and stare at it, their eyesight will be strengthened, it sharpens the eyesight; If a person wears a jet bead it protect them from people wearing white clothes (a person of white colour in the Cairo version)

Magnetite (Lodestone)

Some elements from 'Arab roots of gemolgy: Ahmad ibn Yusuf Al Tifaschi's Best Thoughts on the Best of Stones' (c.1240) trans. Samar Najm Abul Huda. The Scarecrow Press, London, 1998.

• Ariston says all magnetic stones started in their mines to be iron but under effect of heat and drought they became dry, compact, hard stones. Iron becomes obedient to this stone.

• This stone is found in a mountain above the coast between the sea of Hidjaz and Yemen, and also Sana'a, Yemen. Aristo said there was a mountain in the sea and if ships come near it not a single piece of iron is left in them, they fly off from the bottom of the ship like birds. For this reason the ships that navigate this area are not fastened with iron nails but with beads from palm tree fiber. The magnetic mountain is on the coast of the Indian ocean. Huge stones where cut and used to build a square house, the top and floor of which are also made of this stone. They made a Buddha, which is an idol they worship, of iron and placed it in the middle of this house in the air, where it remained suspended due to the strong attraction of the magnetite and the same level of attraction from all sides.

• The best magnetite is the one that strongly attracts iron., is of blue colour, thick and not too heavy.

• If soaked in garlic and onion water and left for 3 days it loses it property of attracting iron. If you want the property to return you soak the stone for 3 days in the blood of a young mule, the blood being changed every day. Or if placed in vinegar it recovers it.

• Beneficial for gout in hand and feet if held in the hand. Good against tetanus. If a woman holds it in her hands it facilitates giving birth.If a person is poisoned with iron then this stone, pwdered in milk or lukewarm water and drunk will bring the poison out of the stomach by vomiting. Use for a wound caused by iron.

Malachite

Some elements from 'Arab roots of gemolgy: Ahmad ibn Yusuf Al Tifaschi's Best Thoughts on the Best of Stones' (c.1240) trans. Samar Najm Abul Huda. The Scarecrow Press, London, 1998.

• Pliny says that malachite, lapis lazilu, shazinah and all the coppery stones started by being copper in their host rock
• If Malachite is crushed with natron and oil, a good smooth, find red copper is obtained
• Only found in copper mines, mostly in the mines of Kirman and Sijistan in Persia.
• Best varieties are Afrandi (foreign), hindi (Indian), kirmani (Kirman, Persia) and karaki (Karak, Jordan)
• The best is deep green similar in colour to emerald, showing crescents and nice eyelike formations, hard and smooth, readily accepting a good polish - found exclusively in the afrandi variety
• A soft stone, if table utensils are made from it they will become scratched after several years; if soaked in oil the colour deepens but if left too long in oil it acquires a blackish shade
• If a person drinks its powder it is poisonous - the person should be treated by drinking aged wine and butter and grease in his food he should be treated as if he drunk verdigris; If rubbed on a scorpion bit it eases the pain; Afrandi variety can be dissolved in water and used as eye drops, good for whites in the eyes

Talc

Some elements from 'Arab roots of gemolgy: Ahmad ibn Yusuf Al Tifaschi's Best Thoughts on the Best of Stones' (c.1240) trans. Samar Najm Abul Huda. The Scarecrow Press, London, 1998.

• Talc falls from the air like dew, solidifying when it reaches the ground. There is also a mineral vaiety of talc
• formed abundantly on Cyprus and many other places - Yamani from Yemen, hindi from India and andalusi from Spain
• two varieties - silvery (pure white) and golden (tinge of yellow, the best variety)
• if placed in fire it does note calcinate or melt and so sages say if it is dissolved and coated on bodies, it will shield them (and horses) from fire. Tghe author of the book said talc can be dissolved in many ways but not used for fire-resisting - he had not tried the mentioned method but had copied it as he found it for it to be tested and established. Whoever describes this method will be thanked and praised by all the scientists
• it disintergrates stones in the kidneys and beneficial for the bladder if its powder is drunk; used to stop hemerrhages but should never be used internally but should be hung externally; useful for malignant growths of the breasts, the testicles and joints between thighs and abdomen

White Buffalo

Mined and sold by the Otteson family of Broken Arrow Mining Company of Colorado. Also incorrectly called White Buffalo turquoise - is mined on the same claims they mine turquoise near Tonopah, Nevada. White Buffalo's composition is best dentified as dolomite (magnesite and alunite) with black veins of chert. There is no copper, iron or zinc which are minerals in turquoise.

Often in Native American jewellery. The material of opalized calcite, and the best quality has black spiderweb-like matrix against a white background. Hardness about 4 Mohs.