First Sentence

"A TREATISE on Gems naturally embraces the precious stones, or jewels ; for although the word " gem " has been for ages conventionally applied to stones with some subject or device engraved upon them,-such as the ring-stones alluded to by Maecenas, one of the first connoisseur gem-collectors on record, in his epistle to Horace,* - the Romans had no name for jewel but gemma ; + nor for jeweller, except gemmarius."