[Sca-cooks] Precious stones to ward off evils

[Suey]

Stefan wrote he has a blog on : Lipidary art. Thanks, have some gorgeous 
ones I forgot about.
He continues:
> Keep in mind that seeing rings worn this way in portraits, or  
> whatever, does not necessarily mean that the people were wearing them  
> this way because they believed in these particular superstitions. It  
> could simply be tradition.
>   
When eating rings with precious stones were worn to ward off evils.
> I've heard the stories behind why wedding bands are worn on the ring  
> finger of the left hand. But I doubt most people wear them there  
> because of that. They wear them there because of tradition, because  
> if they wore them on other fingers other people might not recognize  
> them as wedding bands and because their spouses demand they wear them  
> on the correct finger. Although the latter reason may have something  
> to do with the second reason. :-)
>
>   
Stefan that depends upon where you are from. In Madrid today wedding 
bands are worn on the right hand and in Valencia and Chile on the left. 
I, being left handed therefore, wear mine on the right, when I wear them 
and my spouse wears his on his left hand being right handed. A great 
grandmother of mine wore hers on her right index finger. The king of 
Spain wears his on the pinky finger of the right hand.
Stefan continued:
> PS: Suey, you've said several times things like "No matter what we  
> write about Stefen seems to have always said something
> on the topic before hand". . .  
>   
I mean that as a compliment. When I find myself muddling around and 
wailing to SCA-Cooks about my ignorance, a blog of yours pops up in 
google, written by others and many experts, which helps infinitely. I 
really appreciate your blogs.
> Daniel Phelps wrote:
> A rumored little jade Buda found in an early Norse grave. . . 
As yet I have no jade documented during the Spanish Middle Ages.
> I suggest that diamonds would have been of less value as a gem  . . 
I have no data on the worth of stones. I know they were worn as rubies, 
emeralds and a long list of etcs.
> It is my conjecture that a persona of 15th century Christian Spain would 
> intersect with Moslem and Jewish traditions but would not yet have direct 
> access to the orient or the new world.
>
>   
Spaniards had Moorish, Muslim, Jewish and Italian contacts but not 
direct contacts with the orient.

> The only direct "period" reference I have would be to a translation of a 
> period Arab book of gems and my notes on that are on a hard drive that I 
> cannot access presently.
>
>   
When you can access it I would be fascinated to know what it says.

Gretchen Beck wrote:

> Pliny the Elder's Natural History has a chapter on the properties of 
> precious stones. An English translation is online at 
> <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137&query=toc:head%3D%232562>
>
>   

Sorry its been one of those days - I am too tired to keep my wee eyes 
open any longer but shall read Pliny tomorrow. Thank you so much! The 
Arabs translated Pliny to Arabic and then the Jews in Cordoba from 
Arabic to Hebrew and into Old Castellan. As Iberia was very Pliny 
orientated, it is logical that we have a beginning here.
Suey