The ancient Mexicans fashioned the turquois into slabs for mosaics and into beads, pendants,
and other ornaments. The cutting was effected by copper tools with the aid of sihceous sand ^
or flint-dust.^ In drilhng beads a bronze or copper awl was probably employed, introduced
by successive twists and blows and assisted perhaps by water and fine cutting sand.'

1 Claremont, Mineral Industry for 1909, vol. 8, p. 233.
2 Fraser, Journey into Khorassan, etc. London, 1825, p. 468.
» Schindler, Eec. Geol. Surv. India, vol. 17, 1884, p. 139.
< Bancroft, The native races of the Pacific States. New York, 1874, vol. 2, p. 481. Sahagun, as quoted by Seler (Gasammelte Abhandlungen
zur amerikanischen Sprach- und Alterthumsimnde, Berlin, 1904, vol. 2,p. 637), reports that the stones were first polished with fine sand, then with
another polisher, and that emery was not utilized as with many other precious stones.
5 Blake, W. W., The antiquities of Mexico. New York, 1891, p. 76.
N°-3] THE TURQUOIS— POGUE. 131

The Indians of the Southwest fashion the turquois into the desired shape on a sandstone or
other surface. Many pieces are perforated by means of a crude bow drill tipped with quartz
or agate.
The stones introduced to the trade are either jmre turquois (Figs. 1, 4 of frontispieces), i. e.,
unaccompanied by foreign matter, or turquois matrix (Figs. 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8 of frontispiece), in
which the mineral is cut with attached country rock, quartz, limonite, or other impurities.^
Very attractive patterns and contrasts are often yielded by matrix, although it never com-
mands the price of the pure turquois. Much material unfitted for pure gems is cut into matrix.
