JARGOON. The Jargoon or Jargon, by which name it is known in France, is derived from the Italian GIACONE. It is a greyish or smoky variety of the zircon (q.v.), which so closely resembles the diamond that it is often sold by unscrupulous dealers for the more precious gem. In allusion to this, Sir A. H. Church in his work on “Precious Stones” says: “The diamond and the jargoon do not improve or bring out each other’s qualities for they have too many points in common.” The jargoon, however, is nearly three degrees softer than the diamond and more easily injured. It is usually brilliant and rose-cut. At Matura in Ceylon where it is found in fair quantities it is frequently termed the “Maturan Diamond.” The jargoon is frequently used set as a talismanic charm against plagues and disease, for which purpose it was esteemed greatly in the Middle Ages in the East and in Europe. Worn on the little finger, set in a ring of silver, it was reputed to help the physician to correct diagnoses especially if, when in doubt, he held the stone against his forehead, at a point between the eyes. The jargoon is under the celestial Virgo. JASPER. “_Jasper stone signifies the divine truth of the Word in its literal sense, translucent from the divine truth in its spiritual sense._” SWEDENBORG. Jasper derives its name from the Hebrew YASHPHEH, Greek IASPIS, Arabic YASB. It is found written as jasp, jaspre, iaspere, iaspar. It is a hard siliceous mineral of dark, dull colours, chiefly red, green, yellow and black. In the variety termed RIBAND the mixed and striped colours form in concentric irregular zones. Ruin Jasper occurs in darker shades of browns and yellows, giving the appearance of venerable ruins. The lapis Lydius or Lydian Stone of the ancients—our basanite, commonly known as Touchstone—is a velvety black flinty jasper, used as much today as ever it was, for ascertaining the fineness and quality of gold and precious metals, and says Bacon, “Gold is tried by the touchstone and men by gold.” Its connection with Mercury is shown in the Greek story of the transformation of the betrayer Battus into Touchstone by the God. The Heliotrope or so-called Bloodstone variety is green with spots of red. Pliny enumerates ten varieties, giving preference to the purple and rose-coloured. Marbodus in the Lapidarium writes of seventeen species all differing in colour, the best of all being the bright translucent green. The jasper was held in high favour by the ancients and Babylonian seals as old as 1,000 years before the Christian era have been found. The THET or Buckle of Isis was made chiefly of jasper. In those times the stone was found in quantities in the vicinity of the historic town of On or Heliopolis. Thomas Nicols, writing in the 17th century, protests that the Egyptians knew how to infuse artificial colours into this gem: “It is ascribed by way of glory to the King of Egypt that the