_Of their Stones, Jewels, and Pearls._
I come now to their stones, which are very large and many, of an
ash colour but rough hard and intractable, not to be reduced by any
instrument to shape for use. Besides these there are others often
found on the shores which represent the shape of an animal. These the
inhabitants esteem much and adore them for Gods, under the name of
_Stoorjuncare_. In _Torne-Lapmark_, near the mine _Junesuando_, on the
banks of _Torno_, there are found yellow plain stones of a circular
figure like mony, about the bigness of a half crown, which look like
dirt, but are as hard as flints. _Dn. Grape_ in his papers makes
mention of them. I will set down a draught of them marked with the
letter B. In the mine it self there are found stones in the perfect
shape of _Octaedra_, polished and worked by nature herself, but very
small not exceeding the bigness of a nut, and somtimes less, I have
put down their figure with the letter C. It is not certain whether
the loadstone be found in this Country, tho _Olaus Mag._ speaks of
mountains under the pole which some have thought do breed the stone:
his words seem to intimate loadstones as big as mountains, but ’tis
certain he cannot mean _Lapland_, for that has none such, yet there are
those who affirm that the loadstone is found there. As for pretious
stones they have them frequently, _Buræus_ mentions jewels, and
afterwards he adds _Diamond_, _Amethyst_, and _Topaz_. By diamonds he
means transparent stones or Chrystal, they are found big and little
sticking up and down upon the rocks and craggs: some are as big as
Childrens heads, such as I saw the _Illustrious Gabriel de la Gardie_
Chancellour of this kingdom have; they have six sides ending like a
pyramid, tho some of them are imperfect; the colour in some is bright
and clear not inferior to Chrystal, in other dull and spoiled with
flaws, some are pure, others have veins like cracks branching out every
way, they serve the inhabitants for flints when they have occasion
to light a candle, and yield more fire if striken with a steel than
the flints themselves. I have now in a _Lapland pouch_ some Chrystal
which they made use of for flints. The Jewellers polish and cut their
Chrystals with such art that somtimes they are taken for true Diamonds
by those that have skill. I have drawn the greater sort of Chrystal in
the native bigness & shape, marked with the letter _A_. _Buræus_ mentions
_Amethysts_ next, some of which I saw brought out of _Lapland_, but
so pale and spotted that they were scarce comparable to those that
come out of _Bohemia_ tho I hear since that there are much better
found, cut rarely. The same thing is to be said of the _Topaz_, one
of which I have in my study, in every thing like a Chrystal, only the
colour inclines to a yellow. I am told that none of the rest doe shine
so much as those that come from other places, which is the fault of
almost all the jewels of this Nation, not being so apt to bare lively
brisk colours as the eastern jewels doe. To this head I reduce all
Pearls and Margarites, tho they be not stones. Some rivers in _Lapland_
produce these, therefore there are certain inhabitants appointed to
dive and search for them, such as was _John Peterson_, mentioned by _S.
Rheen_, who first found the Silver mine at _Nasafiæl_, he is called
_een diamontzbrycare sampi partefoekiare_ _i. e._ one that finds and
cuts pearls. Which (tho out of this Country) are not contemptible, it
cannot be denied but that most of them want that liveliness which the
oriental Pearls have, tho some are found as good, and in bigness and
shape exceeding them. There are found some not come to perfection, half
round and half flat, the round part being bright the other yellow and
dull. I saw one a few years agoe brought out of _Bothnia_, so exactly
round with such fresh colours, that a certain woman offered an 120.
crowns for it, a Jeweller assured me that if he had another as good, he
would not sell both for 500. They are bred not of such shells as are in
the east broad, plane, and almost circular like Oister, but longer and
hollower like Muscle shels, and not in the Sea but in Rivers, as may
be gathered from _Olaus Magnus_. Those that are not come to perfection
stick within the shells, but those that are perfect, are loose and drop
out when the shell is opened.
[Illustration]