9 2 THE PROSPECTOR'S HANDBOOK. 



Topaz may sometimes be distinguished from similarly- 

 looking stones by its perfect cleavage ; also when crystal- 

 lized, by its striation being parallel to the long edges, 

 whereas in rock crystal it is at right angles to them. 



Beryl, aquamarine (light bluish or greenish), and emerald 

 differ only in the colouring matter. Their cleavage is im- 

 perfect. The blue sapphire, oriental ruby, oriental ame- 

 thyst, oriental emerald are pure alumina coloured by 

 metallic oxides. Rock crystal is pure clear quartz. Ame- 

 thyst (violet or purple), smoky quartz, cairngorm, rose 

 rrtz are transparent silica variously tinted to which is 

 the peculiarity of its reflections. 



In a mica-schist country garnets opaque, translucent, 

 or transparent are sometimes very plentiful, and, if the 

 waterholes and parts of the rocky stream beds, such as those 

 under rocky ledges, be examined, they may frequently be 

 gathered, even by the handful, and often quite collected 

 together and apart from sand, &c. So, too, at the junction 

 of a stream and a lake, small pinkish or brown patches of 

 the little ones may be noticed at some little distance off. 

 Though garnets, unless some of the larger and nicely- 

 coloured ones, are of little or no value, their presence in the 

 above places may be useful to the prospector, who certainly 

 should examine the collections or patches for more valuable 

 minerals, such as diamonds and other precious stones, as 

 well as for minerals of greater specific gravity than that of 

 the main constituents of the country rock', although the 

 specific gravity of the garnet is only 3 4. Waterworn 

 garnets are frequently nearly globular. 



In the accompanying table certain peculiarities of precious 

 stones, such as hardness and specific gravity, may be useful 

 to the prospector ; at the same time, especially when there 

 is no apparent crystallization in a specimen to distinguish 

 a certain precious stone from one which may be similar in 

 appearance, yet, perhaps, of much less value, or, perhaps, 

 more, is not always an easy matter, even though hardness 

 may be a guiding test. To assist any one in doubt, and in 

 many instances to settle the point, the dichroiscope (in shape 

 a cylinder 2 inches long and 1 inch in diameter, and so 

 easily carried about) is most useful, taking for granted that 



