Comprising diamond, ruby, cat’s-eye, pearl, zircon, coral, emerald, topaz, sapphire, chrysoberyl, garnet, carnelian, quartz and rock-crystal. A pendant is the naoratna, or “nine-gem” ornament, suspended from which is a pear-shaped pearl. In possession of the late Rajah Sir Surindro Mohun Tagore, of Calcutta. From his “Mani Málá,” Calcutta, 1879, Vol. I, iv-506 pp., 2 plates, portrait and plate; Vol. II, xiv + ii 507-1046 pp. Contains 49 figures on 10 plates.] In the naoratna the five gems known to the Hindus as the mahâratnâni, or “great gems,”—the diamond, pearl, ruby, sapphire, and emerald,—were, as we see, associated with the Sun and Moon, Venus, Mercury, and Saturn, while the four lesser gems (uparatnâni)—namely, the jacinth, topaz, cat’s-eye, and coral—represent Mars, Jupiter, Râhu, and the descending node. The two last named are very important factors in astrological calculations and are often called the Dragon’s Head and the Dragon’s Tail. These designations signify the ascending and descending nodes, indicating the passage of the ecliptic by the Moon in her ascent above and descent below this arbitrary plane. In three somewhat obscure passages of the Rig Veda there are references to the seven ratnas. Whether these were gems cannot be determined, since the primary meaning of the word ratna is “a precious object,” not necessarily a precious stone; but it is possible that we may have here an allusion to some earlier form of talisman, in which only the Sun, Moon, and the five planets were represented. It is easy to understand that such a talisman as the naoratna, combining the favorable influences of all the celestial bodies supposed to govern the destinies of man, must have been highly prized, and we may well assume that only the rich and powerful could own this talisman in a form ensuring its greatest efficacy. For the Hindus believed that the virtue of every gem depended upon its perfection, and they regarded a poor or defective stone as a source of unhappiness and misfortune. In modern times this talisman is sometimes differently composed. A specimen shown in the Indian Court of the Paris Exposition of 1878 consisted of the following stones: coral, topaz, sapphire, ruby, flat diamond, cut diamond, emerald, amethyst, and carbuncle. Here the cut diamond, amethyst, and carbuncle take the place of the jacinth, pearl, and cat’s-eye. Instead of uniting the different planetary gems in a single ring, they have sometimes been set separately in a series of rings to be worn successively on the days originally named after the celestial bodies. We read in the life of Apollonius of Tyana (first century A.D.) by Philostratus: “Damis also relates that Iarchas gave to Apollonius seven rings named after the planets, and the latter wore these, one by one, in the order of the weekdays.”[367] Although it is not expressly stated that the appropriate stones were set in the rings, the custom of the time makes it probable that this was the case.