Description of various stones
It has a white color, like marble or elephant ivory. And this is found around Scythia. Among these stones is one having the color of a lion. If rubbed with water and applied to the bite of a beast, it repels the venom of a scorpion, vipers, and such things.
1.9 The amethyst stone. This stone glows deeply according to its circumference, and it is whiter at the center, emitting a wine-colored appearance. Its form is varied; perhaps it also comes into being in the mountains of Libya, for one kind is near pure hyacinth, while another is like a snail-shell. It is found on the shores of the sea of that same Libya.
1.10 The chrysolite stone. Some have called this gold-leaf. It is indeed golden-colored, and it is found in a deep well near the wall of Achaemenian Babylon; for they call Babylon and that well Achaemenian because, they say, the father of King Cyrus was called Achaemenes. There is also gold-dust. This, when rubbed and drunk for stomach and abdominal ailments, is medicinal.
1.11 The beryl stone is sea-blue and sea-dyed, having the appearance of the water-hyacinth. It comes into being near the boundary of the mountain called Taurus. If anyone wishes to reflect this stone against the sun, it appears as if it contains transparent sea-foam within. Another beryl is near the eye-pupils of the dragon. There is yet another similar to wax, which appeared near the outlet of the Euphrates river.
1.12 The onyx stone. This stone has a very yellow hue. They say that the nymphs of kings or of wealthy men delight in this stone, and some have even turned this stone over into their own ornaments. There are also others called onyxes by the same name, which are some near to honey-colored wax; some say they are formed from dripping water. They call them onyxes naturally, because the nail of noble men is shared with marble along with the likeness of blood; others also sometimes call the marble stone onyx falsely because of the purity of its whiteness.
Greek
λευκὴν ἔχων, μαρμάρου τρόπον ἢ ἐλεφαντίνου. Καὶ οὗτος δὲ περὶ τὴν Σκυθίαν εὑρίσκεται. Ἔστι δὲ ἐκ τούτων τῶν λίθων ἀχάτης χρῶμα ἔχων λέοντος. Τριβόμενος δὲ μεθ' ὕδατος καὶ χριόμενος ἐπὶ δήγματος θηρίου ἀποτρέπει ἰὸν σκορπίου καὶ ἐχιδνῶν καὶ τῶν τοιούτων. 1.9 Λίθος ἀμέθυστος. Οὗτος κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ περιφέρειαν φλογίζων ἐστὶ βαθέως· ἡ δὲ αὐτή ἐστι λευκοτέρα ἐκ τοῦ μέσου, οἰνωπὸν ἀποπέμπουσα εἶδος. Ἡ δὲ μορφὴ αὐτοῦ διάφορος· τάχα δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι γίνεται τῆς Λιβύης· ὁ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐστιν ὑακίνθῳ καθαρῷ παραπλήσιος, ὁ δὲ ἀμφικόχλῳ. Γίνεται ἐν ταῖς ὄχθαις τῆς θαλάσσης τῆς αὐτῆς Λιβύης. 1.10 Λίθος χρυσόλιθος. Τοῦτόν τινες χρυσόφυλλον κεκλήκασι. Χρυσίζων μέν ἐστιν· εὑρίσκεται δὲ ἐν τῷ φρέατι διπέτρῳ παρὰ τὸ τεῖχος τῆς Ἀχαιμενίτιδος Βαβυλῶνος· τὴν γὰρ Βαβυλῶνα καὶ τὸ φρέαρ ἐκεῖνο Ἀχαιμενίτιδα καλοῦσιν, ὅτι, φασίν, ὁ πατὴρ Κύρου τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀχιμενεὺς ἐκαλεῖτο. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ χρυσόπαστος. Οὗτος στομαχικοῖς καὶ κοιλιακοῖς τριβόμενος καὶ πινόμενος ἰαματικὸς ὑπάρχει. 1.11 Λίθος βηρύλλιον γλαυκίζων μέν ἐστι, θαλασσοβαφής, ἔχων εἶδος καὶ τῆς ὑδαρεστέρας ὑακίνθου. Γίνεται δὲ περὶ τὸ τέρμα τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ καλουμένου Ταύρου. Εἰ δέ τις θελήσει κατ' ἀντικρὺ τοῦ ἡλίου τοῦτον ἀνακλάσαι, φαίνεται ὡς ὕελος κέγχρους ἔχων ἔνδοθεν διαυγεῖς. Ἄλλη δέ τις βήρυλλος ταῖς κόραις τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τοῦ δράκοντός ἐστι παραπλησία. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλη πάλιν ὁμοία κηρῷ· ἐφάνη δὲ αὕτη περὶ τὴν ἔξοδον τοῦ Εὐφράτου ποταμοῦ. 1.12 Λίθος τὸ ὀνύχιον. Οὗτος ὁ λίθος ξανθὴν πάνυ ἔχει τὴν χροιάν. Τέρπεσθαι δὲ τῷ λίθῳ τούτῳ φασὶ τὰς νύμφας τῶν βασιλέων ἢ καὶ πλουσίων ἀνδρῶν, αἵ τινες καὶ εἰς ἐκπώματα ἴδια ἀνατρεψάσασαι ἔχουσι τὸν λίθον τοῦτον. Εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι ὀνυχίται ὁμωνύμως καλούμενοι, οἵ τινες κηρῷ τῷ μελιχρόῳ εἰσὶ παραπλήσιοι· τινὲς δέ φασιν αὐτοὺς ἐξ ὕδατος στακτοῦ πεπῆχθαι. Ὀνυχίτας δὲ αὐτοὺς λέγουσι φυσιολογικῶς, ἐπεὶ ὁ ὄνυξ τῶν ἀστείων ἀνδρῶν μαρμάρῳ ἐστὶ συνιδιαζόμενος σὺν τῇ τοῦ αἵματος ἰδέᾳ· ἄλλοι δέ που καὶ τὸν λίθον τὸν μαρμάρινον ἀπὸ τοῦ ∆οκιμίου ψευδωνύμως ὀνυχίτην καλοῦσι διὰ τὸ καθαρὸν τῆς λευκότητος.