Page:A treatise on diamonds and precious stones including their history Natural and commercial.djvu/143

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AQUAMARINE.
107

a pretty, lively effect, if in good proportion and well polished. Large stones from one to three or four ounces, are not uncommon, but from their bulk are only in request as specimens for the cabinet[1]; smaller stones, suitable for necklaces, may be bought at low prices, within the reach of every description of purchasers: ring stones may be had at a few shillings each, and larger for brooches or seals from £1 to £5, and often lower. They appear to the greatest advantage when proportioned with a high bizel, table not large, and full of work,

Aquamarines of inferior quality are generally offered for sale in lots, at lower prices than they would have cost in cutting a few years ago.



  1. His Excellency Lord Strangford, on his return from Brazil, presented his Majesty with one of the finest hitherto seen.