The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-10-27
PIECES BROKEN OFF
Interesting Facts About Some OF
the Worlds Rare Gems
Beautiful Agates and Crystals Known
to the ADcieDts-The Diamond Not
the Most Valued. as Is Com
monty Supposed

Beyond all question. the ruby stands
supreme as the most precious substance
in the world. says the New York Adj
vertiser. So much many persons
know, but few are aware that rubies,
sapphires. oriental amethysts and to-
PAGES are all practically the same gem
They are corundum, or crystalliZed
alumina. but with infinite diversities
of coloring and infinite different values.
1t is curious, but true, that a ruby is
only red sapphire, and a sapphire
only a blue ruby
The finest pigeons blood" rubies
come from Burmah. those from Siam or
Ceylon being too dark or too pale, and
the Montana stones being cloudy and
brown \ perfect one carat specimen
may cost six hundred dollars. while a
diamond of the finest water of the
same size can be bought for one hun
dred and twenty-five dollars The rich
color of the ruby, color which does
not blacken like the blue of sapphire
by night, is supposed TO be due to
trace of oxide of chromium but this is
still a moot point with chemists, and
all are not even agreed as TO the sap
phire's velvet tinge. This latter stone
is much less valua BILE than ruby, being
found larger and more abundantly.
Sapphires really present all colOrS, the
pure white variety, when sbillfully cut,
being difficult to tell from diamond
This is deception dishonest jewellers
not unfrequently practice to catch the
pn.h nd
are occasionally met with as star
stones"-that is, opaque cabochon-cut
gems showing the perfect steely rays
of star.
The emerald is another exceedingly
dear stone, surprising the diamond in
value when of good size and free from
flaws. Unfortunately, this gem is rare
ly faultless, but, if perfect, it easily
fetches five hundred dollars carat.
Emerald and aquamarine, the latter
beautifully sunny sea-green stone, are
identical in chemical composition, be-
ing varieties of the mineral beryl with
traces of different coloring matter.
Beryl is found in all shades from honey
yellow to the velvet green of the right
emerald. The aquamarine variety has
lately become dear and fashiona BILE and
rightly so, for the stone is durable and
lovely object. The late emperor of
Brazil is said to have possessed an
squamarine of over two hundred
ounces troy weight. The indefinite
colors of the beryl must have been
known for ages, since this gem repre-
sented the doubling Thomas
After perfect rubies and eneralds.
and perhaps after great pearls, comes
the diamond in value. This, too. has a
range of colors, the post priced being
red, blue. green, and water white, while
brown or gray tinges are not quite
SO highly esteemed. The koh-i-Noor, of
one hundred and two and three-fourths
carats, ranks low in point of size with
some of the worlds great stones-for
instance with the Great Mogul. two
hundred and seventy-nine carats in
weight Diamond is the hardest
mineral known, brittle though it be;
acids do not affect it, and it is also the
only combustible gem. 1t has high re-
fractive and dispersive powers (''fire'0,
and some specimens become phos-