344 GEORGE F. KUNZ 



the sale of cut stones, and the money expended in cutting 

 them at these and other resorts throughout the country, may 

 amount to $20,000 or more a year, and the sale of specimens 

 to a like sum. 



Another ingenious fraud has been practiced at Hot 

 Springs, Ark., where clear, rolled pebbles of colorless quartz, 

 found on the banks of the Ouachita river, are in special de- 

 mand, being more valued for cutting than the crystals of the 

 vicinity, because of a mistaken idea that they will cut into 

 clearer gems. Fine pebbles of this kind are scarce, and so 

 they have been artificially imitated by putting a number of 

 crystals into a box, which is kept revolving by waterpower. 

 In a few days mutual attrition has rolled and roughened the 

 crystals into beautiful pebbles— so beautiful, indeed, that an 

 expert can distinguish them from the real ones by their more 

 perfect whiteness of surface. 



Along the coast of California and Oregon there are various 

 localities where many very attractive pebbles of chalcedony, 

 agate, etc., are found. The principal beaches are at Crescent 

 city, at the northern extremity of California; Pescadero, some 

 28 miles west of San Jose; and Redondo, a few miles south of 

 Los Angeles. These pebbles are very abundant and in great 

 variety, and are much sought by visitors. Many are put up 

 and sold in bottles of water, to preserve their bright colors and 

 markings and their translucency ; and many are drilled and 

 strung to make chains and similar fancy ornaments. Some 

 of those at Pescadero are little hollow geodes of chalcedony, 

 occasionally an inch long, inclosing a liquid with a moving 

 bubble. These little natural sealed flasks are found also on 

 the beach at Tampa, Florida. 



These minerals are forms of quartz (sihca), but differ 

 from those previously noted in being noncrystalline, or at 

 least the crystalline structure, if present at all, is only dis- 

 cernible by the microscope. They are also never transparent, 

 but vary from translucent to nearly opaque. With the ex- 

 ception of colorless chalcedony or white carnelian, they are 

 variously and often richly colored by metallic oxides, prin- 

 cipally those of iron and manganese, and furnish a number 



