Sharon asks…
How much is this rock worth?
I found this really awesome blue rock on the beach that you can almost see through. It is like two inches by one inch and about as thick as my calculator. I think it may be a semi-precious stone but I couldn't find anything like it. When you hold it up to the light you can almost see through it. When it dries it has like this white haze on it.
admin answers:
Sounds like budlite to me. That's my name for all beach glass. It could be a piece of a boats running light. However, let's not overlook the possibility of blue agate. Agates generally remain glossy even when dry, so that's probably not it.
Amethyst is another form of blue or purplish quartz crystal, but it is fragile, so it tends to have lots of internal fractures. I find a lot of white quartz crystal on the beach; it tends to be shaped like an egg or a potato. It looks just like quartzite when dry; but when wet, it turns crystal clear, except for a few internal fractures.
Try a scratch test. If a quarts rock scratches it, then it's probably glass.
I occasionally find blue rocks on the Pacific coast, but seldom translucent. I've only found one blue agate in a thousand hours of searching. Nevertheless, blue agates are practically worthless, unless they are perfect. By perfect, I mean you can cut it down to nice shape and have not cracks or ugly flaws in it, and it is pretty clear. Then, you might have a piece of jewelry worth the effort you put into cutting and polishing it, but not much more. There are just too many rockhounds and not enough rock buyers. That's why rockhounding is a hobby, not a profession.
Here's a good website with pretty pictures of rocks.
Mark asks…
What homophone or homonym or WHATEVER it is, fits these 4 clues?
No matter WHAT I call it, I get corrected. That's cool....This is merely intended to wake up your brain cells and have a little fun, friends.
The words SOUND alike but are spelled differently.
Spelling counts, obviously!
(1)proofreader's insertion mark
(2)one 24th part of otherwise pure gold
(3) unit of weight for precious stones, equal to 200 milligrams
(4) edible orange root
admin answers:
1. Caret - a mark used by an author or editor to indicate where something is to be inserted into a text
2 & 3. Carat, karat - the unit of measurement for the proportion of gold in an alloy and a unit of weight for precious stones.
4. Carrot - deep orange edible root.
Susan asks…
what were the inhabitants of the indus cities good at?
this was a civilization of many craftsmen. they produced much bead work and ornaments made of precious stones and shells.
admin answers:
Carpets and textiles
Linda asks…
Does anyone else find the idea of pearly gates and streets paved with gold rather unappealing?
I would rather think of Heaven as being a glorious halo like Halo 2, with a crescent towering and rising up to the sky, that one could scale up upon, and enormous planets visible nearby. Or a wondrous expanse of space with sunshine or night glow, rather dreamlike, and being able to sense God's presence intimately nearby at all times.
The idea of pearly gates, gold and precious stones is actually rather.........well......does anyone else believe it to be metaphoric or hope it to be something else?
admin answers:
Yes, you are so right. Id rather have a video game than pearls and gold.....
Lizzie asks…
What is the difference between natural zircon and cubic zirconia?
semi-precious stones
admin answers:
Nothing, I think, they're two names for the same naturally occuring mineral. Usually cubic zirconia or CZ, is cut, and looks like a diamond, while natural zircon is uncut, and looks like a whitish lump. Hope that helps
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