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Puzzle from January 2003 Mensagenda
Donna's Diary
by Donna Myhrer
A Gem-Studded New Year for You All
I’ve been looking at my encyclopedia again and ran across an article about birthstones.
So here is a little quiz on that subject. I will list, in no particular order, a number of
birthstones (more than one per month, since several months have different stones in the
“modern” and “traditional” lists). Then I will randomly list two statements for each stone,
all mixed up. Match the stones with the statements about them.
Birthstones: Garnet, Amethyst, Opal, Peridot, Aquamarine, Emerald, Moonstone,
Diamond, Citrine, Ruby, Topaz, Tourmaline, Zircon, Turquoise, Sapphire, Sardonyx,
Alexandrine, Chalcedony, Pearl. The answers are here.
1. It is found in deposits of coarse granite, called pegmatite dikes.
2. The color of this gem is from a trace of chromium oxide impurity.
3. When first mined, these gems are commonly cloudy and clear up only after being
heat-treated by baking them in mud balls for several days.
4. It is the national gem of Iran.
5. The largest of this gem is known as the Star of India.
6. The Book of Revelations says that the third foundation of the wall of the Holy City
is made of this gemstone.
7. It is cut from flat layers of banded masses of agate.
8. It is a transparent greenish variety of olivene.
9. It is the hardest naturally occurring substance known to man.
10. It is a transparent variety of beryl.
11. The name of this gem is derived from the French word for lemon.
12. This gem is a whitish variety of feldspar.
13. Precious stones of this type include the pyrope or Bohemian and the transparent
almandine.
14. It is a crystal formed almost entirely of carbon.
15. Sometimes this gem contains liquid or gas-filled inclusions that resemble fried
eggs.
16. A precious type of this stone is called a girasol.
17. This gem is the anniversary gemstone for the 17th year of marriage.
18. It is a variety of quartz, found in the form of six-sided, pointed crystals.
19. The people of Manta, Peru, once worshipped a stone of this type, which was the
size of an ostrich egg.
20. This gem is a symbol for the 40th wedding anniversary.
21. This stone is believed by some to release occult powers in the wearer and bring
serenity of mind.
22. A colorless variety of this stone is often used as a diamond substitute.
23. When this gem is exposed to heat and pressure, it becomes electrically charged
and is used in electrical instruments.
24. This stone is the second hardest of all gemstones.
25. This gem is made of aragonite and conchiolin.
26. A mystical property of this stone is that it is said to balance yin and yang.
27. This gem is found in the mineral chrysoberyl.
28. This gem was named for an ancient city in what is now Turkey.
29. This rainbow-like stone is made of common sand or silica.
30. This gem is a green-colored variety of beryl.
31. As a birthstone, it represents constancy.
32. People in the Middle Ages thought it could magically overcome the effects of
poison.
33. The Oriental is a purple variety of this stone.
34. This gem absorbs, as well as reflects, light.
35. This gem is green in daylight and red in artificial light.
36. Since ancient times, this stone has been color-treated to improve its color.
37. It is a compound of aluminum, silica, and fluorine.
38. It is made of hydrous phosphate of aluminate.
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