Omaha daily bee., 1915-03-26
Enneralds
virginia noasriot in EvsrybOdy'S.

TNOR Pliny. the emerald out-grecned nature. NO
color" he said is pleasing 10 the sight
for grass and green foliage view indeed with pleas
ure. but emeralds with much the greater delight
inasmuch a. nothing in creation compared with them
equal intensity OF their green. Besides, they arc
the only that fill the eye with their NleW' YET
do not fatigue IT,"
Possibly the emerald owes some Of its popularity
that II Is from the shadow Of artificial
rivals. few years ago process was discovered ior
manufacturing rubies directly from chemical recipe
And reconstructed ruby" may be made by fustns
tiny particles OF precious stones. sapphire topaz,
garnet be reproduced perfectly as to deceive
all but experts. But the scientific" emerald Is stu
TO be produced
Wonderful limitations there are, and have been
through the ages. Rome made emerald pastes that
stir marvel harder and more lustrous than any
turned out until modern times But paste can not
give crystalline structure Another form Of imita-
ton is the doublet"a of coloriess cystal with
base Of green colored glass.
Perfection Of color fawessness transparency
siSethese the tests OF emerald. furnishing the
key TO its value But first of all color. To find a
OF rich color unmarried by flaws-that is the
almost impossible quest No other stone is so liable
to defects-not only unevenness OF color. cTacis
and enclosures of foreign material, that make it's
clear green messy" So notorious Is the emerald for
that fraty that the phrase, "a flawless emerald
has become the symbol OF a well-nish unattainable
perfection
Besides eneralds do not run large; two carats is
fair size and gems OF from ten TO fifteen carats
are quite rare 30, NATURALLY, Price HCTtesss us
proportionatey with size nearly flavless emerald
OF than few carats commands almost any
price At present 10000 5000. carat is not
exceptional for average sizes A two-carat stone has
sold for SEQ, q three-carat for $780, and fine
slx-earat stone brought Ss.00 while two emeralds
Weighing nearly fourteen oarats each. owned in New
York, easily worth $4,000 each. Two stones per-
foetly matched. OF wonderful quality. and each weigh
ing about twenty-five carats, sold in New York
for approximately $4,000; and single ftfty-carat
emerald of the deepest greenest green. and almost
fiawless. commanded the figure. In general n
fine emerald will equal and often pass the ruby's
cost Both outstrip diamond OF the size
The mines that yield the finest emeralds be-
ing produced-those in Colomba-are not effectively
worked, and the others known-Russia. Norway, Aus
traa. region high IN the Austrian Alps. and North
Carolina-hold out small hope of valuable stones. So
the emerald as now mined. alone among the precious
stones may be called distinctly western. The finest
diamonds from the great Kimberly mines in
South Africa; the finest sapphires brought from
Cashmere. though the Montana stones fine in color
and In quality; the ruby IL washed from the
river-bed OF remote Burmese valley. still mind
full of the Oriental pageantry that celebrated
finding a splendid gem But the finest emerald
mine is in near South American neighhor country
"a Wild rugged region about seventyfive miles from
Santa Re dc Bogota. the side OF steep mountain
Slightly below lies the mining village of Muzo.
The largest emerald known today Is Muzo stone
uncut crystal six-sded las all emerads are) about
inches long. OF the diameter. and weighing
1900 earats-more than nine Though not
fawess II n beautifully transparent, has the
depth OF color that is perfection IT lie owned
by the Duke Of Devonshre, whose collection includes
also engraved emeralds Of early Such
this. which have not been in the market
not be valued.
Sharpened by the increasing demand, the search
for emeralds leads and to old jewery
And that may carry back past even the early
treasures OF the Aluzo mnes-from the New World
riches Of the sixteenth century TO the imperial lavish
OF Rome; stil further TO Egypt and the
| OF Egypts greatest queen. ~.t-
| Undoubtedly. many OF the gems called emerald,
in those old times other kinds Of green
especially green sapphires. Nero who was near
sighted. used eyegiass stone credited
| with being emerald; II it was, it had no specla
power by virtue Of composition. but must have bee,
followed out at the back so that through its con
vexity II served the purpose Of the modern monoce
Then there marvellous tales OF emerald pillars
emerald cups ana plates-green jasper, probably. OF
/ glass.
II is not much easter to tell how any emerald II
formed than to trace the history OF particular
Science does not venture to speak with fnality Prob
ably by heat and pressure'it can go little farthe
| than that In IT'S reading from the rock in which tn
| eineralds found
what makes the emerald green? on this point
too. science can not pronounce with complete con
Vtction; but the general agreement Is an almos
infinitesimal bit OF oxid OF chromium Change the bi
OF chromium to iron-and you have, instead of a
emerald that MAJ cost Loo carat. an aquamaFn
OF golden ber' that win be worth only forfleth
that amount
Aquamarinss that have seldom been eauaIed in an
country for beauty OF color found in several {
the statesparticulary In North Carolina. where III
hunt for precious minerals has had dramatic element
At intervals, through years, there has been fires
hope for the discovery of emerald or two, an
searching parties have combed the earth for pockets
OF the right mineral far though stones OF fir
color have been found. there has been none lara
enough or perfect enough to be remarkable.
North Carolina Is the only state that yields u
true emerald at all, and rs aquamarHes are anon
the finest But bery Of all varieties save emerald
found In other states Connecticut. Maine, Pennsy
vanis yield fine crysals-solden and blue and Sc.
green Massachusetts, Produces the rare sapphire blu
and California pink bery. moFsanite: one eryst
weighing twenty-siX was sold for Sleo n
rest of the worlds supply comes from Brazil Russi
Ir..lln 49, MI.