The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-05-25
FASHIONABLE SEMI PRECIOUS STONES
 USED BY JEWELLERS

| The so-called Swiss lapis", so much shown by the gem dealers, is none other than a slightly porous jasper artificfally treated with Prussiar blues says writer in Handicraft. And | this is by no means the only dyed stone.
 A very deep and permanent emer- lucent chalcedony which was origin ally designed to initiate, or as a sub- stitute for, chrysoprase, but has found favor and is much sought after on it's own merits
 This is regarded as an entirely diff ferent stone from chrysoprase. the beautiful apple green variety of chal- cedony, whose name, indicating a golden leek, was bestowed upon it by the ancient Greeks
 Plasma is another name for a darker green jasper, of which the bloodstone of India is a variety; although the plasma of lighter color (pale sage green and sometimes slightly tinged with a brownish lavender tint), is known as heliotrope, and this stone is very attractive, owing to its slight translucency and soft, neutral colors. Who is not familiar with the well known crooidolite or "tiger-eye", 50 popular in years gone by, and now en- toying something of revival. The cleverest effect of this gem Is impart- ed by selecting the thin cut, yellow stones, which should have consider able translucency, closely resembling the Ceylon chrysoberyl or precious cateye, but with which it is in no way related.
 I believe it is safe to say that prac- tically any stone that will allow cut ting into the cabochon shape and will accept high polish, showing some r,I4 1,;v ~< color. may well be termed a gem, and is thus quite suitable for setting or a mounting.
 Primarily. of course among this class of stones are the quartzes, of which perhaps the latest named is apricotine, beautiful. translucent water worn pebble found on many of though the best examples so far are from the shores of Delaware Bay in New Jersey.
 This stone is of a very rich pink, reminding one of a slice of ripe april cot, from which fact it takes it's name, and when the pebble is polish ed it is worthy of fastidious treat nlent Approached in color only by certain shades of coral, it has this ad- vantage of being richly translucent ana oftentimes with a shimmering light somewhat similar to the aven- urine
 Many new agates are now exploit ed, the commoner forms being the sO- called Lake Superior agates, but prop erly speaking these are the beautifully Nstriped and interlineated little carmel ian pebbles found upon the smaller lake beaches throughout the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin. These oc- cur mostly in the reddish and pale pinks and sometimes in the darker blood red sarsd and are really very beautiful when due regard is given to the agatized lines by the skilful lap idist
 Pink amethyst, a North Carlina na- tive gem, is a ferruginous quartz or, properly speaking, an amethyst with varying shades of the true amethyst inc violet alternating with a rich rose pink. the latter color being due to an admixture of iron stain, giving a pe- culiar and pleasing contrast of blended colors
 From the same State comes the comparatively we'll known rutilated quartz, hair stone and what was known in earlier days as "fieche d'amour'', d or 'loves arrow, being a pellucid quartz, occasionally slightly amethystine, penetrated in various angles with thin black or red needle like crystals of rutile The poetic eff feet is enhanced by having the stone cut in the form of a heart.