'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME I' [‎258r] (532/820)

at Meshed, or to *dallals ’ (commission agents), who visit the mines. The
first profit on all turquoises is never less that TO per cent., and generally
amounts to about 20 per cent. It is calculated that turquoises bought for
10 tumans at the mines sell for 25 tinmans in Europe.
The miners themselves rarely cut their turquoises,* and they, therefore,
seldom know if they have found good stones or not. The Risk Safid, who
first buys the stones, often half-cuts them, and is then able to sort
them. The angushtdrl stones are put aside and sold singly, and enormous
profits are made. The annual outturn of the mines, mountains, and
diggings averaged for the last few years 25,000 turndns’’ worth of turquoises
valued at the mines. The final purchasers probably pay three times this
amount.
The turquoises are now cut generally by wheels made of a composition of
emery and gum. The emery is brought from Badakhshan ; the gum from
India. The cutter drives his wheel with his right hand by means of a stick
and piece of string, which latter is twisted round the axle of the wheel. He
holds the stone with his left hand against the wheel, the thumb and finger
holding the stone being protected by rags, leather, or flat pieces of wood.
Wheels have not been long in use—perhaps only 30 years ; formerly nearly
all turquoises were cut on slabs of sandstone. The turquoise was held on a
slit in a piece of wood, and was rapidly rubbed up and down the slab. Even
now many stones are cut in this manner. Very small stones are never cut
on the wheel, but always on the slab. After the turquoises have been cut,
they are polished by being rubbed— first, on a slab of very fine sandstone
( * maskdl ’), and then on a piece of soft leather with turquoise dust that
has been collected from the wheels. The polishing process is called
* jila dadan.’
The pay of a turquoise-cutter, either at the mines or at Meshed, is one
or 2 krdns per diem, the cutter providing wheel and other necessaries.
A cutter on stone never receives more than 1 krdn per diem. The final
polishing is generally done by children, who receive from ^ to J krdn
per diem. One man can cut a handful of turquoises a day. One
polisher does for three cutters. Turquoises are cut in various shapes.
The shape depends on the size and original shape of the stone, as well as on
its quality. The two principal shapes are the ‘paikdni ’ and the ‘ musattah,*
that is, the conical and the flat. The less the oone is truncated, the more
the turquoise is prized ; and again, a conical turquoise with an elliptical,
is worth more than one with a circular, base. Turquoises not having suffi
cient thickness for the paikdnl cut, and being thicker than necessary for the
flat cut, are cut en cabochon ; and the higher the convex surface, the greater
the value of the stone. Only very fine and deep-coloured turquoises are
cut in the paikdni shape : the apex of a bad and pale-coloured turquoise
if cut paikdni shape, would appear almost white. The slabs of the 'arabi
quality are generally cut plain, without any convex surface. Smaller stone
are used for seals; the larger sort for armlets, etc. The larger stones are
seldom free from flaws, and seldom have a good colour, but the jewellers
,* No stones are out at the mines now, but all in Meshed.— [Thomson.)