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While I am a scientist, my study has never involved gems. So I am a bit out of my element here. I've been using the library to find out more about the gems in Chelsie's bracelet. However, the choices of gems are odd. A Native American culture, such as the Chesian one was, would not have prized these gems. In fact, how they would have had access to them is a mystery. Perhaps a trade route or another Native American tribe plays a role? My curiosity is peaked.
|  | CORAL
Coral is a skeletal-like deposit of coral polyps, created from calcium taken by the organism from saltwater. Red Coral is stained by iron oxide. Coral is mostly found in the Mediterranean (Algeria, Tunisia, Spain, Italy, France, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily and India)
The nearest location where coral could be found is near Florida.
[Note to self: Research what would coral be doing in Maryland? How would it have gotten here? What would the Chesians have wanted it for?] |  | EMERALD
A variety of the mineral beryl, its rich green color is due to minute amounts of chromium. An emerald's value is derived from its color and the number of flaws found within the crystal. Emeralds are harder than quartz, but not as hard as sapphires.
Most emeralds are found in Columbia, India, South Africa or Zimbabwe but North Carolina has also produced some emeralds.
[Note to self: Research known Native American trade routes on East Coast. Were they trading with a tribe in North Carolina?] |  | PEARL
Pearls are the only precious gems that are created by a living creature. Natural pearls are rarely found and not every pearl is valuable. Saltwater pearls are harvested by divers or dragnets. Only 1 oyster in 10,000 produces a pearl of gem quality. Freshwater pearls, especially in the USA, are extremely rare.
[Note to self: Review research on Native American sites in the Chesapeake Bay area. I believe I read somewhere about several excavations that discovered oyster shells.] |  | SAPPHIRE
Contains the mineral corundum, which is a crystal formed by a regular, closely-packed structure of aluminum and oxygen ions. In sapphires, iron and titanium ions take the place of some of the aluminum ions, creating a blue color. Cornflower blue is the most highly prized sapphire color. Sapphires can be found in Kenya, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Australia, India and the state of Montana. Small deposits of sapphires have been found in North Carolina as well.
[Note to self: Supports theory of trade route between Chesians and tribe in North Carolina.] |  | RUBY
Rubies are transparent red gemstones from the mineral corundum. Rubies vary in color from pale to deep red, the deeper the color, the more the gem is valued. The most valuable color is deep purplish red known as pigeon blood. Although brilliant, cut and polished rubies lack fire. However, flawless rubies are extremely rare and command higher prices than diamonds of similar cut and weight.
The finest rubies come from Myanmar. Other good quality rubies are found in Thailand and Sri Lanka. Inferior gems have been found in two regions of the United States, Montana and North Carolina.
[Note to self: Again supports trade route theory.] |  | CITRINE
Citrine is yellow quartz, often mistaken for topaz. Because of this, it is known as a false topaz and is sometimes sold as topaz. However citrine has a hardness of 7, which is less hard than true topaz.
[Note to self: Research where the largest citrine deposits in the United States are.]
|  | CRYSTAL
Quartz crystals are one of the most common of all rock-forming minerals. It can be found in rock, soil and on the seashore in the form of sand. Quartz can come in a variety of colors or can be colorless. The colorless rock crystal is used in jewelry as rhinestones. Fine quartz crystals usually form six-sided prisms.
[Note to self: I wonder if it is important that clear quartz transmits ultraviolet radiation.]
|  | Resources
Photos courtesy of Chelsie at www.oneredstone.blogspot.com.
Citrine. (2009). Encyclopedia Americana. Retrieved August 19, 2009, from Grolier Online http://ea.grolier.com/article?id=0095180-00
Gems and Gem Minerals. (2009). Earth Sciences for Students. Retrieved
July 20, 2009 from http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SciRC?ste=1&docNum=CV2640550085
Gait, Robert I. (2009). Emerald. World Book Advanced. Retrieved July 2,2009, from http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar179700
Quartz. (2009). Encyclopedia Americana. Retrieved August 19, 2009, from Grolier Online http://ea.grolier.com/article?id=0325860-00
Reingold, S. C. (2009). Coral. Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 26, 2009, from Grolier Online http://gme.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=0072030-0
Ruby. (2009). Encyclopedia Americana. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from Grolier Online http://ea.grolier.com/article?id=0337500-00 | |
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