Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-12-11
FACTS ABOUT MooNsToNEs.
The Gems Piaco in Mythology, Folk-Lors
 and Modern MineralosY

Nhe Gems Piaco in Mythology, Folk-Lore and Modern Mineralosy. While the moonstone has but little value ct the present time, those who cared to be versed Tn gem lore h>ed it remarkable for the fables Which cling to it, writes John H Allen in the Chicago Jeweer Burnham says "it is no easy matter to class this chamcleon-like gem, since it claims kin ored with so many species and passes un- der so greata number of names," but what ever the moonstone or the ancients may have been, the moonstone of ,o-day is stripped of all imagery, and in the didactic language of cold but bright-eyed science IS an opalescent variety of straight cleaving Q feldspar. Its hardness is six, and it's spe, enc gravity IS almost invariably 25S It contains in one hundred parts:
 Sllc;s .................. .............. 64Is pnrtS n., -.lsR IotaSn Traces of soda, lime and magnesia IT
 W hlle the moonstone of the ancients was quite appropriately termed selenite the mineral of to-day is not so well named, It Is knoWE as adularia, from Mount Adula. one Of the highest peaks of the Leontine Alps, in that group to which the St Gothard pass gives it's name, and whose bowels have since been pierced by the railway tun- nel. The bes: specimens of the gem, howey- CT, come from Ceylon. 1t occurs in crystals, crystalline fragments and solid masses: it's fracture is uneven; it is translucent on the edges, with a double refraction ot light: :: the luster IS vltreous and pearly more especially when cut and polished" The light thrown out from the interior of the stone is greenish and bluish white, the re- Elections being changeful in color when viewed iii different aspects The cleavage of the stone is in two directions, the crys tals often being found in the hemitrope form haVlng compound structure. which may be initiated by biscctins crystal and re- volving one-ha 1S0 degrees Cor in some cases 120 degreesl, and then reunitipe the halves. In polished specimens this form be- comes obvious from the different directions Of the lamlnae. Adular!a is found in cavities of the granite, gniess and limestone and ia pebbles from Ceylon, Greenland, Bavaria St. Gothard, Tyrol Dauphine and at several places in this country, particularly at Iii conderoga, N. Y, Maryland. Pennsvivania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The aCiu- larla from St. Gothar;l is found in ye1v large masses, and at Zurich, Switzerland, there were formerly on exhibition in the museum groups of crystallized adularia measuring two feet in length and one foot 1n thickness, which glinted with royal beauty.
 The gems arc secured by taking the specl-
 
 pearly reflections and cutting them out of larger Jumps. The piece Is then ground on q lead wheel, en cabochon form, snd IS then polished with rottenstone
 ln commerce the adularia goes under various names, such as moonstone, sun stone, girasol, fish eye, Ceylon or water opal The difference between the moon stone and the sunstone seems to be in color only, the moonstone being white with small blulsh or greenish shades, while the sun stone shows a yellow and reddish play of colors Inc sunstone is another member of the feldspar group, it's internal prlsmatic reflections and mlnute spangles being due to the presence of included crystals of oxide Of iron or of Slica. It is found in limited quantities in Norway, and also at Media, Pa, and at Orange Court House Va
 Orpheus, the contributions Grecian bard. recognized two kinds of Aems which were symbollcal of the sun. "In both, he savs there appear rays shining straight and like luminous hair, but the colors of the stones are different; tsc one would be deemed crystal, the other a chrysolite except for the hair.n lie also wrote: sPhoe- bus hath planted in both species a mighty spirit which gives glory and heroic beauty to whatsoever shall wear them with due understandings
 "Ay, there's tie rub" Probably few of Orpheus' cotemporaries had the necessary 'Adue understanding"
 That the sunstrokc was connected in the minds of ancient g2lsl-engravers with Sol is evident from beautifully carved gem of this character discovered by c. w. King ln the Marlborough collection of jewels. showing Sol driving three horses attached to his chariot through the heavens, thus marking this stone as that gods peculiar property.
 How are the migh;y fallen!
 The stone which used to possess the mi racuous powers ascribed to this; the gem which enjoyed the favor of princes, and the felicity of being lied about by writers whom we now term classical; the only jewel to which the ancients paid the compliment of bestowing upon 1t the names of their worshiped luminaries, is now a common stone, valuable only for the skill displayed in cutting it.
 Let us recount it's glorious past, and draw the wall of charitable silence over it's igno- m n io1