BY MAJOR J. R. SANKEY. 67 
Owing to their extraordinary lustre, small white 
zircons are frequently mistaken for diamonds, but the 
difference in hardness is sufficient to distinguish them. 
Many very fine hyacinths have been found on the 
Anakie field, and stones have béen cut up to 24 carats 
in weight. 
Zircons are tound at Anakie, Nanango, Toowoomba, 
Stanthorpe, Herberton, Eungella, Boonah, and many 
other places in this State. 
Owing to the richness of color, the great range of 
delicate hues, combined with its fire, which comes next 
to that of the diamond, the zircon is an exceedingly 
attractive gem, and will no doubt. soon become very 
popular. Owners of good zircons should be careful not 
to mix them with sapphires,rubies or diamonds, as, owing 
to their interior hardness, they may be easily scratched. 
So little is known of the distribution of gem stones 
in Queensland that it may be mentioned that zircons, 
sapphires, topaz, garnets, tourmaline, crystal and cal- 
cedony may be picked up in the gravel of any railway 
platform between Brisbane and Ipswich at the present 
time. 
OLIVINE.—Composition: Silica, 41; Magnesia, 50; Fer- 
rous Oxide, 9. 
Hardness 6.5. 
Spec. Gravity, about 3.4. 
Crystallizes in the orthorhombic form. 
Color, rich leek green. 
It is essentially the gem of basalt. 
Found in Queensland on the Main and MacPherson 
Ranges, and also in the Logan District, and may be sought 
with fair probability in any basalt country. 
This is a most lovely green gem, and is frequently 
mistaken for the emerald, the difference being that while 
the emerald is a bluish green, the olivine is a rich golden 
green. 
This gem was very popular early in the 19th Century, 
but, owing to the turn of fashion’s wheel, it fell into dis- 
favour, but again became popular at the time of the 
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. 
