The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-19
GEMS OF QUARTZ ORIGIN.
BEAUTY OF SOME NATURAL, or
OTHERS MAHUFA CTURED.
The Pincv .rthe AmethSst mud Agate IN the
Form- OF Rock Crystni-A Crystni bait
worth 5000 Search for Specimens
-GhanEes MronRht by CbemIatry.

widely Distributed, but Is II brought chiefly from
Brazil, Madagascar, Jnpsn. and North euro
lima. II Is wrought, especially by the japan
ESQ, into polished crystal balls and other urti
cles OF elegant ornnment The Romans made
much use of II to incise their intaglios. and II
has been worked into vases and Baskets from
the time of Nero to the present, but especially
during tho fifteenth and sixteenth centuries,
Remarkable crystal objects ARE 10 he seen
in the Louvre. the Green Vaults Of Dresden,
tho Schat2-kammer at Vienna. and at Madrid.
Spheres of rock crystal were used MS show
stones and for divination from the thirteenth
to the eighteenth centuries. The engraving and
cutting Of some Of these was so elaborate as to
cost years Of work and thousands OF dollars.
Spheres have been cut up to eight inches in
diameter. and valued at from 81 900 to 500.
600. Nearly the latter price was paid by the
late Gov. Ames for the magnificent crystal
ball bequenthed TO the Boston Fine Arts Mu-
scum. This ball measures 1856 NM, or M
inches. IL wns found in 1875. Tho crystal
from which II wns cut was 1s inches high. 14l6
inches wide, and IL inches thick. II was
found on the Yuma. province Of
Kohl, Japan. originally tho property of Naito
Arimori, and purchased from Naito Tsukuba
for $4,000 ycn-abOut SIS, 600. II WINS cut by
an old workman, who had devoted his entire
life to cutting rock crystal balls. This one
was started In June. 1901. and finished in De
cembor, 1894. The hall weighs nineteen
pounds. The famous Dresden ball measures 634
inches and weighs ISIS pounds. but Is quite Inn
perfect. A hve-lnCh ball cut from material
found in Ashc county, North Carolina. and nm
other nearly six inches In diameter. from the
summit of Mount Antero, Colorado, are now in
the Field Columbian Museum In Chicago.
Though not entirely perfect, they are quite
equal to the balls of the eighteenth century.
At Hot Springs. Ark, clear, rolled pebbles
found on the banks of the Ouachita are often
sold. These are more highly priced than tho
quartz crystals, as the fancy prevails that they
cut clearer gems. The scarcity of these. ana
the demand for them. has led to their artiii-
cial production, by putting the crystals into a
box which is kept revolving for a few days
by water power. Any expert, however. can
discern the difference. since tho artificial ones
have a little whittier surface.
Many places In Colorado furnish fine speci-
mems, and along the New Jersey coast and
Long Branch. Atlantic City, Cape May, and
other places, transparent pebbles are found
in the sand, and are sought after by the
visitors, who often have them cut as souve-
Mrs. At such places the local lapidaries
have been known to substitute for pebbles
from the beach foreign cut quartz, cairngormt
topaz, crocidolite, Ceylon moOnstone, and even
glass. obtaining twice the value OF the for
eign gem for the supposed cutting. Some
times even the stones found by the visitors
are exchanged for cut ones from Bohe-
mia, Oldenbnrg, and the Jura. Cutting is
done abroad on so large n scale and by labor
so poorly paid that the cut stones can be de-
livered in this country at one tenth of the prics
Of cutting here, because the rock crystal IT.
self has but little value.
Anptbysf 10 a frap = arapt ,rrpIa w r;at, oS
quartz, its color being due to oxide of man
Eanese. 1t is n very beautiful stone. much
used by the ancients to engraye on, but GER
tain varieties are now but little valued, be
cause not rare enough to be costly. 1t is
found In Brazil, CcyIon, India. and the Ural
Mountains. In the latter region, near Muir
sinka. are found superb deep purple gems,
changing to red by artificial light, some of
which have sold for $500 each. For intensity
and perfection Of color. and, one might say,
majestic beauty. these rival almost any other
GEM. Smaller but equally fine amethysts oc-
cur in Delaware county. -Tennsylvania, Maine.
purple variety OF sapphire. far more rare and
valuable than the ordinary amethyst,
AKateS nrc usually formed by the deposit of
the cavities Of i]sn,ous rocks. When the rock
and are then found on the surface, or fire.
quently strewn along shores. beaches; and the
beds OF streams. These agate Debbles are
on the shore OF Lake superior and
on the beach a.. Pescardo. Cal. and arc gath.
cred as souyenirss, and to some extent cut for
OF little beauty. their veined structure and
col3rs only appearing on breaking them, and
seals, rings. pencils, handles for swords.
knives and forks. mortGrs for grinding chemi-
earrings. trinkets. match boxes, and many
other objects.
4 peculiar feature of all these ngates and
~ L. a IA ~ los Ia TlNtr DnNt-Ar n IA1r1fu AZ
ing matters undcr certain. conditions, and by
this means all manner Of highly coiored varie-
mes a of t ar., stone. S NIoat Of the ey deer SK'I red c t,f@s.
lians and sards are thus prepared by burning
from pale or dull colored chalccdony. and all
Jet In mourning jewelry, is so prepared. In the
banded varieties, some OF the bands, are more
colored black and white onSx and red and
white sardonvx are produced. and most of the
mental work. Picture agate is The name given
to quaint, markings, resembling human forms
i HF The The 9%9tsG1S' c dhe fHmol has Mt aSonsanS ssa 5s
peasant visitors annually.
Moss agate Inns been much less used during
nual sales not exceeding 81 900. Since the
recent use in cheap iewe!ry of the Chinese
has greatly fallen of. At martyilie, W.
nris II, masses ss,y r S1 moss esc 1HEn Were w rsG 2 firm, f1"m
in limestone rock. When cut INFO tranSin.
cent slabs, they show the magnificent black
hendritic or moss-like markings In u most
manner. some table tops Of ,tais
omlng section Of the Mining building at tho
Columbian Exposition. Tho finest
collection Of agate known Is the
wonderful. series presented to the Harvard
Neurological cabinet by Lr. w. 5, Bigelnw
VI Boston. Ruskin wrote upon and presented
a fine series of ngltCs to the British Museum.
II chalcedoLy is boiled In n solution of mo.
and water, blood and water, or sugar
and wa'er. until 1t has absorbed IA quantity
sulnhuric ,aclG, the ira usInTcUt hydro-carron
Il changed to n chnrcnal-like substance, and
black onyx is prOguccd. When white bands
with the chRlcedOny, they are i'm
to the COlOrtng, and appear clearer
and brighter. Black onyx has now almost en-
tirely superseded Jet,
The yellow variety Is made by first putting
the stones IN n honey solution, then In n solu-
ton Of ChrUmate Of lead for several days.
Placed for n few weeks in hydrOChlOric acid,
kept at II moderate heat, n beautiful clear yell
color II given TO the streaks that were be-
a dirty brown. This is also enormously
golden opal. Stones OF a reddish hus
are greatly improved In brilliancy OF color by
first thoroughly drying. them for weeks In
DNens. then ulDDinR them I'm SulDhurir nCid lpnt- |