Semi-Precious Stones 185
—that it seems absurd, in this respect, to class it with even the semi-precious stones.
AMATRICE
is a recently discovered mineral, qualified more or less for inclusion
in the gem family. Exploited as a gem mineral by its discoverers and
miners it is eagerly sought for by collectors. Amatrice was discovered
in the Stansbury range at the western edge of the Rocky Mountains, in
Tooele County, Utah. It is heralded as a combination of variscite and
wardite, in conjunction with crypto-crystalline quartz, chalcedony,
sodium oxide, and traces of iron and potassium. This mineral is green,
somewhat resembling turquoise matrix, but its chromatic variation is
its most remarkable characteristic, no two stones being alike. Its
hardness is between six and seven. Amatrice is offered now in cut
form. The foster-parents of amatrice originated its name from the fact
that it is distinctly an American matrix.
AMAZONITE,
or amazonstone, is a beautiful bluish green mineral found in Siberia
and Scotland and also at Pike's Peak, Colorado; hardness 6.5.
Amazonstone, with aventurine, is now classed by mineralogists with
microline. one of the feldspars, which occurs massive and in triclinic
crystals.
