Telegram-herald., 1889-11-08

IFacas - soda lime And nAElTsis u
Nhlle the Elo0ostoue o. tie aEcients was
quite appropriately termed seienite ths
mineral of - asy q Bot 50 well DaHsa. IL
j. knowu as adulsria, fr0m h0Hnt AduiA,
one of TIE highest PEAKS q the Leontine
Alps, In that group - whIcB the ~ uotnaru
pass gives IFS name, and whose bowels
have since been pierced BY mo railway tun-
mel Tue best specimens Of the gem, ho~ev-
er, come from Ceyl0n. ia occurs ia crystals,
crystalline fragments and s0lia masses, its
fracture Is uneven; il Is translucent on the
edges, with double refraction OF light;
the luster = vltreOus and pearly, more
especially when cut and polished The
Light thrown out from the interior OF the
stone Is greenish and blush white, ths re-
fectlons being changeful IN color when
viewed IN different aspects The cleavage
of the stone is in two directions, the cryS-
tails often being found in the henitrope form
having u compound structure, which may
be initiated by bisecting = crystal and re-
volying one-hsi $50 degrees Tor in some
cases 10 degreesl, and then reuniting the
halves. In polished specimens this form be
comes obvious from the different directions
OF the laDinse. Adularia IS found In cavities
OF tue granite, gniess and limestone, end Ia
pebbles from Ceylon, Greenland, Bavaria,
St GOthard, TyrOl, Dauphine and Al several
places IN this country, particularly at II
conderoga, y. Y, Maryland, Pennsylvania,
Connecticut and Massachusetts. The adu-
laria from St. GOthard is found In very
large masses, and al Zunch, Switzerland,
there were formerly on exhibition in the
museum groups Of crysiallized adularia
measuring two feet IN length and one foot
ia thickness, which glinted with royal
beauty.
The gems are secured by taking the speci-
mems which possesses good color and strong
pearly reflections and cutting them out OF
larger Jumps. The piece Is then ground on
lead wheel, en- cabochon form, and IS then
polished with rottenstone. r--.s
In 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 70 be in color
only, the moonstone being white with small
blush or greenish shades, while the sun
stone shows a yellow and reddish play Of
colors The sunstone is another member OF
the feldspar group, its internal prismatic
reflections and minute spangles being due
10 the presence of included crystals of
oxide of iron or of mica. 1t is found in
limited quantities in Norway, and also at
Media, Pa, and at Orange Courthouse, Va.
Orpheus, the semi-fabulous Grecian bard,
recognized two kinds OF gems which were
symbolical OF the sun. "In both, he says,
there appear rays shining straight and
like luminous hair, but the colors Of the
stones are different; the one would be
deemed q crystal, the other a chrysolite,
except for the hair" He also wrote: Pho
bus hath planted in both species mighty
spirit which gives glory and heroic beauty
to whatsoever shall wear them with due
understanding"
"Ay, there's he rub" Probably few Of
Orpheus' cotemporaries had the necessary
''due understanding
That the sunstroke was connected in the
minds Of ancient gem-engravers with Sol is
evident from beautifully carved gem of
this character discovered by C. w. King
IN the Marlborough col lection OF jewels,
showing Sol driving three horses attached
10 his chariot through the heavens. thus
marking this stone as that gods peculiar
property.
How are the mighty fallen
The stone which used 10 possess the mi
raculous powers ascribed to this; the gem
which enjoyed the favor Of princes, and
the felicity Of being lied about b. writers
whom we now term classical; the cnly jewel
to which the ancients paid the compliment
Of bestowing upon it the Eames of their
worshiped luminaries, is now a common
stone, valuable only for the skill displayed
in cutting it.
Let US recount its glorious past, and draw
the vail of charitable silence over its igno-
minious present