This chapter deas with gems, precious metals jewellery, non-gem minerals and matierials. Kautilya had dealt with this subject extnsively.
The ideal charactristics of precious metals and gems are described as clear, smooth, lustrous, rasonant, cool, hard etc. The jewellery hasd been listed by names Sirsaka, Dvaghataka, Indrachhanda, Manavaka, Ratnavali, Apavartaka etc.
The colour of various gems is also mentioned in god detail besides their shean and places of origin. Besides well known types of gems subsidiary kinds are also included which demonstrates his knowledge on the subject.
There also is mention of process of colouring to product artificial gems.
Pigments, abrasives and materials used to produce salts, alkali, charwal, husk etc. It is revealed that pigments used by ancient Indains were namely Anjanm, Haritala, Higuluka, Manahsil, Kastasa, and Sasyeka which are sulphides and sulphates.
There also are referene to various metals and thier ores besides their defining charactristics. But sepcial attention has been given to gold and silver. The smelting process is also mentioned and desirable proportiors of their mix with other metals for various purposes. Twasterkarma (gold plating) then was done on silver or copper. Copper, lead and silver articles used to be covered with gold leaf on one side or double leaf fixed with lac or some other fixing medium. Besides lac vermilion and red lead were also used as cementing agents in embedding gems, gold or silver in hollow or solid objects.
Minting coins
There were well established minting system during those days. Kautilya has devoted a section to this subejct in his treatise.
He has referred to silver and copper coins. For copper coins the preseribed composition is: One quarter hardening alloy and three quarters of copper. The copper coins were of leser values called Kakani. The silver coins are descibed as masakas of different values.
This section also deals with establishment of factories for processing non-precious metals like copper, tin, lead, brass, iron, bronze and bell metal. The factories are to function under ‘Director of Metals.’
The ancient Indians called copper red metal. They used to alloy it with assentic to get bell metal. The copper alloyed with in (Trapu) produced bronze. Zinc formula was discovered in 400 B.C. in Taxila. Arthshastra also reveals that during pre-christian era in our lands steel was called kungle and the word for iron was Tiksna.
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