Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-09-19
RIVAL OF AMETHYST.
Discovery of New Gem Called
 After Finder, ssKtnzite.''
Stone Found i'm S@n Diego County, Cal, Is SIS Clear as a Diamond
 --Some Interesting Par" ticuIars.

Lovers of jewels will be delighted to learn that 8 valuable addition has just been made to the variety and stock of precious stones. As cut@for mounting. the new gem, kunzite, exhibits an ex- Quisite lilac tint, deeper than that of the pink sapphire or topaz, and lighter than the purple of an oriental amethyst, re- ports the New York Tribune.
 Although the discovery of fine quan- tity of kunzite is of comparatively recent occurrence, the existence of apoor grade and of allied species of the same mineral has long been known to specialists in that department of science. What IS
 known as spodumene has been found in Brazil, where it has 8 yelloWlsh unge, and in North Carolina, where the color is green For that reason the latter kind, technically known as hdden1te, IS sometimes called an emerald, although it's composition is not identical with that of the red emerald. Finally, small bits of pink spodumene have been picked ap in Connecticut These are believed to be the remnants of larger, and pos sibly handsomer, masses, but have not possessed sufficient beauty and size to justify consideration.
 The new stone, uncut samples of which are to be found in the Morgan collection at the Museum of Natural History, comes from California. It has been found in two places near Pala, San Diego county. One hardly knows which to admire the more, the exquisite coloring or the purity i of the new gem. Some of the other va rieties are translucent or opaque. This IS as clear as a diamond.
 As taken from the earth, the stone has only slight luster. The masses of crystal are flat, like cakes of cam phor gum, though of different hue. From superficial glance one might suppose that they would split up into thin layers, as mica does. However, the material is almost as hard as the group of stones to which the rather comprehensive name of sapphire is given This includes the ruby, emer- ald, amethyst and blue sapphire These are all forms of corundum, which il an impure state and ground to powder is known as emery Pure corunduTn is an oxide of aluminium. Kunzite, like other varieties of spodu- Mene, has a more complicated compO- sftion. It is silicate of alumina and Iithia One of the largest pieces found in California is eight inches long, four inches wide, and over an inch and a half in thickness.
 Owing to the great importance which the lilac tinted stone derives from the discovery in California, mineralogists have felt that it needed new and spe- cif1c title. Almost simultaneously Prof. B. s. Dana, of Yale, and Dr. Charles Baskerville, of the University of North Carolina, proposed that this 'designa- ton be derived from the name of Dr. George F. KuIlz, president of the New York Mrneralogica1 club, and one of the most accomplished of the worlds experts in gems. The suggestion was based on the fact that Dr. Kunz had been largely instrumental in making the California discovery and was in accordance with well established precedent among nineralogists and naturalists.
 While the intrinsic charms of the new gem are. alone sufficient to give unique quality has been observed which is sure to create sensation kunzite has the power of fiuorescence or continuing to glow faintly after it has been subjected to the influence of Roentgen rays. Dr. Baskerville, who has been making a special study of the mineral at the Museum of Natural History, reports that during an ex- posture of five minutes piece of this stone would absorb enough radiance to photograph itself upon sheet of sensitive paper, when left in dark room, and would also be faintly self luminous for several minutes