Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-21

ieSloiS, ouI ny the PUBIC, whose taste mas
advanced IS much in the matter of precious
stones as it has in art.
Spinel is the most valuable Of the semi
precious stones, and is OF e Of the few min
erals that are ornamental and beautiful
enough for gems in their natural state. No
other stone has so wide a range of color,
and each color in turn is represented by
many distinct shades. The flame red and
crimson stones have been mistaken and
sold for rubies, but although the hue may
be vivid. yet it lacks the richness Of the
ruby. The orange-red spinels are called
rubicelle the pink ones balas ruby, and a
charming variety Of blues, blue greens,
inky blues, puppies and violets, terminating
In the black spinel, called pleonaste, give
this stone range of color almost I'M
equaled
One would little expect to find the jewels
OF the Queen of the Ruby Mines any other
than true rubies; but the English officer
who. in 1885, took the hairpin from the pri-
vate chamber of Soup-Y-La, the Queen of
Burmah. in the palace at Mandalay, was
surprised to find that the red jewel in it was
not true ruby, but a fine ruby spinel.
Large Aquamarfne.
Beryl Is one of the most lustrous and bril-
liant Of gems. and occurs in a variety of
shades OF yellow. golden yellow, yellow
brown, brown. green. sage and grass green.
Aquamarine. SO called. comprises the white,
light gree l, light blue and yellow green
beryls. SO called from their resemblance TO
the color Of sea water. The yellow ones
have been called golden beryls. All these
varieties are often exceedingly beautiful and
brilliant. The finest aquamarines are found
in Russia, Brazil, Ceylon Maine New
Hampshire, Connecticut and Mount Antero.
Colorado: at the latter locality. at an eleva-
ton Of 14.0O0 feet. almost on the line of per-
petual snow.
The large aauamarine now at the Field
Columbian Museum in Chicago. the finest
ever found In the United States, is from
Stoneham, Maine. 1t Is brilliant cut and
weighs 1873 81 carats. The color is light
blush green, and, with the execution of a
few hair-like internal situations, it is per
fectly clear One of the finest known beryls
Is superb blue green crystal found in the
Urals In 1926. weighing six pounds. and val
ued at $4,000 1t is now at the School of
Mines in st. Petersburg. Others worthy
special attention are the one In the sword
hilt of Prince Murat. sold in the Hope COL
lection. aad the frog Of sea blue .aquama-
rtne en- a Jade leaf, shown at the Paris ex..
position of 1873 and now in the James Car
land collection in New York city.
Inc name topaz generally suggests only q
yellow stone, yet there are light blue and
green varieties, which have frequently been
sold as aquamarine, though the topazes are
heavier than aquamarines. and l have fire.
quently detected the difference without
opening the paper containing them. Topaz
admits of a very high polish and is very
slippery to the touch Strange to saw the
yellow topaz, when slightly heated. becomes
pink; heated further. the pink grows paler.
and by long heating is entirely expelled
leaving the gem colorleSS. The sherry coll
ored or brown topaz is bleached in a very
short time by the rays of the sun or strong
daylight. and all the white topazes found in
nature nave been decolorized in this way.
The topaz is found in granite rocks in ST.
beria, Japan Peru. Ceylon. Australia Bra
I'll and Maine. and in volcanic rocks in Col
orada, Utah and New Mexico.
About Gnrnets.
One of the most beautiful of all gems
and one not known two decades ago, is the
green garnet. called demantoid, or "Uralian
emerald" or "Bobrowska garnet" found at
Poldnewa5a, near Sysserk. in the govern
ment of Orenberg, Russia. 1t varies from
yeiicWish green to an intense emerald
color, and has such q power of refractinr
light that 1t shows distinct fire, like the
diamond or Zircon, and in the evening has
almost the appearance Of a green diamond
Pyrope, or Bohemian garnet, has been
long and extensively sought and worked in
the region near Meronitz, Bohemia, where
1t Is gathered from surface deposits and
conglomerated rocks, coming from a de-
composed peridotite. The gathering and
cutting form great industry in that coun-
try. Pyrope occurs under similar condi-
tons in the diamond bearing rocks of
South Africa, and also in Arizona and New
Mexico; and from both these regions gems
OF rich color are obtained, and sold under
the name of Cape rubies and Arizona ru-
bies. The African stones are larger than
the American. and perhaps equal to them
IN color by daylight, but the latter are
much riche" by artificial light Only the
clear. blood-red color then remains visible
While the Cape rubeS retain a dark tint
inclining to brown. About 5000 worth of
cut stones from Arizona are sold annually,
and some peculiarly fine ones have brought
from $50 to 500 each.
The turquoises of commerce are from
these localities, Nishapur, Persia, the Des-
er a, OF SINAI egyptian turquoisel, AMI sew
Persia are of softer blue and OPAQUE:
those from Egypt a darker blue and trans
lucent, frequently changing to green; those
half million dollars worth has been sold
in the past five years. The best specimens
come from Nishapur, where they occur in
a clay slate: There is in the color of the
best turQuoises q peculiar quality partly
arising from the fact that the delicate blue
tint is mingled with slight infusion of
green. and partly from faint translu-
opaque, thin splinters transmitting light
easily and cutting and scraping like ivory
with a polished cut.
Turns Green With Are,
The true turquoise, which shows various
hues and tones Of blue, greenish blue.
blush green, is not to be COMPOUNDED with
the blue fossil turquoise or odontolite,
which is fossil ivory, or, rather, fossil
bone, colored by phosphate or iron.
Turquoise often becomes green by age,
as may be frequently seen in turquoise
canoes of the Italian cinquecento. When
green spots appear on turquoise, the color
can often be restored by allowing them to
remain in solution Of equal parts of al
cohol and ammonia, or Embedding them for
time In fuller's earth wet with alcohol
or water. These spots are often due to the
absorption OF grease or other fatty COM
pounds. which separate from the soap when
the hands are washed, or to the action of
perfumes, which leave oily essences upon
evaporation. Sometimes, however, they
result from a natural change, and hence
this beautiful gem cannot be guaranteed.
although the owners Of the American
mines replace any stone that changes color
in the Kremlin are several old turouoiseg.
some Of which are beautifully blue, while
others In the same chair have changed to
green. Turquoise has been found all the
WQy from Colorado tn Peru