The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1895-07-12

1t is curious, but true, that n ruby is
only red sapphire, and sapphire
only 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. A perfect one carat specimen
may cost six hundred dollars, while
diamond of the finest water of the
same size can be bought for one hum
dred and twenty-five dollars. The rich
color of the ruby, a 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 moot point with chemists, and
all are not even agreed as to the sap
phire's velvet tinge. This latter stone
is much less valuable than ruby, being
found larger and more abundantly.
Sapphires really present all colors, the
pure white variety, when slSillfully cut,
being difficult TO tell from a diamond.
This is a deception dishonest jewellers
not unfrequently practice to catch the
unwary. Both rubies and sapphires
are occasionally met with as ''star
stones"-that is, Opaque cabochon-cut
gems showing the perfect steely rays
Of a 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 a
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 fashionable, and
rightly SO, for the stone is durable and
a lovely object. The late emperor of
Brazil is said to have possessed an
aquamarine of over two hundred
ounces troy weight. The indefinite
eolors of the beryl must have been
known for ages, since this gem repre-
sented the doubling Thomas.
and perhaps after great pearls, comes
the diamond in value. This too, has
range of colors, the most priced being
red, blue, green, and water white, while
phorescent by the action of light 1t
usually occursas an eight-sided crystal.
The name topaz is applied to three
distinct kind of stones, to the oriental
topaz, which is really a yellow
sapphire; TO the Scotch topaz, which is
only quartz, just as amethysts are
violet-colored quartz of little value;
and to the Brazilian topaz, a vivacious,
sherry-colored gem which is the only
true topaz This latter stone takes a
high, brilliant polish, and it feels
slippery to the touch. The rose pink
topaz seen in shops is not a natural
color; it is obtained by subjecting the
dark yellow varieties to great heat.
The commercial value Of topaz is ex-
tremely fluctuating, one reason being
that light exercises bleaching effect
on it.
Another gem, beautiful and interest
ing in itself, which Ii occasionally sold
for the true ruby, is the red zircon, also
called jargoon and jacinth or hyacinth.
Jewellers call these stones ''jacinth
rubies" and charge accordingly. The
gem is Of all colors, the pure white ones
being hard to distinguish from dia-
monds. on account of their wonderful
fire. Chrysolite is just as white, but it
is like glass compared with diamond
or jargoon.
There are two kinds Of chrysoberyl
used as gems. One the well-known
oriental cats-eye, an Opaque greenish-
brown cabochon-eut stone, showing
steely flash or line like silver wire; the
other, the little known but beautiful
and curious alexandrite This unique
gem is olive or pistachio green by day
light and it has the remarkable prop
erty of turning raspberry red by arti-
fetal light. The green tourmaline is
much like alexandrite by day. This is
the most chemically complex of all
gems, and it occurs also in red and
brown crystals.