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Ch. 25: Other Gemstones

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188 A Book of Precious Stones
near DeKalb, St. Lawrence County, New York. When cut brilliant, diopside makes a very at­tractive stone and resembles green tourmaline,
DIOPTASE is a silicate of copper; other names for it are achirite and Congo emerald; hardness, 5. The softness and brittleness of this attractive stone disqualify it for extensive use.
FLUORITE or fluorspar, of which chloro-phane or cobra stone is a variety, is a highly lustrous, brittle crystal of wide colour range; hardness, 4. Varieties of fluorspar are some­times termed, in the trade, " false" ruby, em­erald, sapphire, and other well-known gem stones.
GOLD-QUARTZ—in crystals, filiform, retic­ulated, and arborescent shapes—is commonly worn as a jewel. Gold penetrating white, black, rose, and amethystine quartz, is worked into jewelry of all sorts, sometimes of very elaborate designs. These uses of gold-quartz are most common on the Pacific coast and in western North American cities.
HEMATITE, composed of iron 70, oxygen 30, is commonly cut into beads, charms, and intaglios. Chromic iron and ilmenite are simi­larly used. Although this iron ore is steel-grey,
Ch. 25: Other Gemstones Page of 451 Ch. 25: Other Gemstones
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