70 Report on the Exhibition of Gems. 



collection, as well as tliat of Mr. Turner and Mr. M. 

 Stephen, was a curious variety of the star sapphire, having 

 a jet black fixed star of six rays, with a black centre, and a 

 tine float of white light over the surface, as cut en cahochon. 

 I exhibited several sapphii^es cut by Mr. Spink, of an opaque 

 or slightly translucent character, which yielded the true 

 character of a cat's eye — but again they differed from the 

 onyx cat's eye, in being of a darkish peculiar colour. I also 

 showed several in the rough. Uncut were a few long crystals 

 of the yellow variety, the Oriental topaz, as also one or two 

 crystals of the gTajdsh-blue variety of the star sapphire. 

 These were in Mr. Stephen's collection. 



Of rubies we had only their representative, actually in the 

 exhibition, an opaque, red corundum stone, described and 

 named by Mr. Stephens — Barkl^dte — after our late governor, 

 Sir Henry Barkly. 



There is no doubt, however, that the true Oriental ruby 

 was found by Mr. Ulrich, near Mount Eliza, on Port Phillip 

 Bay. He assured me he had subjected it to every known 

 test of its purity. I may mention that lately I saw a genuine 

 specimen from New Zealand. Last year I exliibited a star- 

 ruby, found in Queensland, and cut in Melbourne, the size of 

 a small horse bean, and very fine both in colour and in the 

 star it displayed. 



Any of the above are admirably suited for ring-stones, 

 either for ladies or gentlemen ; and would certainly be much 

 more becoming than the bits of blood-stone and carnelian, 

 which are so generally worn by gentlemen now-a-days ; 

 while in the case of ladies' bijouterie, the real sapphire 

 would be a vast improvement upon ^dnegar garnets, and 

 either imitation or bad emeralds set with foil, and sure to 

 be ruined the first time they are immersed in water. 



TOPAZES. — COLOUES : WHITE, BLUE, AND PINKISH. 



White topazes are very numerous, and of them we had 

 some fine specimens from Beechworth, Gipps Land, and, 

 remarkably, from Flinders' Island, in the Straits. This may 

 be said of those from Flinders' Island, that they possess very 

 great fire and beauty when cut, and are nearly all of a pale 

 yellowish shade in the rough. There were plenty of blue 

 ones from Beechworth, and some in my collection from near 

 Talbot. But I had not any of the exceedingly large ones 

 from the last-named locality, which attracted so much atten- 



