SC - Gemstones

[Jenne Heise]

> I'm not sure I follow you. The choice among alternatives was supposed 
> to be based on your physician's advice. The "less expensive" version 
> would be to use low grade rough instead of valuable gems. Or to 
> borrow the gems--after all, boiling isn't going to do them any harm. 
> But synthetics aren't "period alternatives."

There are several references in period texts to alternatives, either stone
or herbal, to more expensive stones to be used in health recipes.
 
> >However, if you think with your persona's mind, why not use whatever is
> >sold to you as 'pearl' or 'ruby'?
> Why do you assume my persona is easily defrauded? Fake (and improved) 
> gemstones existed in period, and people knew it. 

My understanding is that for a recipe such as this, you would go to your
apothecary and order the stones required. Trust in apothecaries was
apparently high, as many doctors complained that people were taken in by
substitutions.
- -- 
Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise	      jenne at tulgey.browser.net
disclaimer: i speak for no-one and no-one speaks for me.
"I do my job. I refuse to be responsible for other people's managerial 
hallucinations." -- Lady Jemina Starker