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The Beach
Stones of Redondo
by
A. K. Rutter
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1908, The Beach Stones of Redondo,
by A. K. Rutter, Source: Souvenir Great White Fleet Edition,
Redondo Reflex, United States Atlantic Fleet, April, 1908, Original copy at Redondo
Beach Historical Museum.
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“The Beach Stones of Redondo
An Article from the Pen of A. K. Rutter, Descriptive of the Different Varieties
of Semi-Precious Native Gems
Redondo Beach is especially favored with an abundance of pretty stones that are
cast upon its beach by the action of the ocean currents running from the south to
the north through the deep channels, where their soft matrix has disintegrated and
allowed the hardened substance to fall out in the their rough state, as are seen
on the beach.
I shall try to describe those that are the most desirable to have polished, although
it is exceedingly difficult to the so in every instance, on account of the many
different kinds. The novice need not despair in finding pretty stones, although
it takes years of experience to separate the best stones. Any one, by close observation,
can tell whether it is a pretty stone or not, and, what is more important, is whether
it is fractured too much or crystallized too coarse or not. If the grains or crystals
are too far apart and not of even texture, it is not susceptible of a good polish.
Now as to character and kinds that are found on this beach. While they are apparently
numerous, they are nearly all related and come under one hard, namely: Quartz, of
the carbon silicon group: either vitreous, cryptocrystaline, or granular. Among
the first named appears the clear crystal, sagenitic, or rutilated, enclosing hornblend,
asbestos stibnite, and often containing later, being transparent. Under the second
head comes the translucent chalcedony, or beach moonstone, of different colors.
When white we call it moonstone: green, it is called chrysoprase and a dark green,
with red blood spots, it is called heliotrope or bloodstone.
In great variety of colors and combinations of colors come the agate-jaspers, with
streaks of sardonyz running through them, and might be called the sacred jaspers
on account of their biblical description.
All of those coming under the last named head are a very hard substance; a polished
surface of these will stand the test of the hardest steel.
Opal is never found in the water and consequently is never found on the beach; it
being a much softer substance you will not find it with the other pebbles.
In might not be out of the place here to state that fine specimens of an aluminum
spar, the composition of Ceylon moonstone, is found here, but not so plentiful as
the chalcedony variety.
Under the last named class of quartz that are found here are the following: Beckite,
or coral changed to quartz; the conglomerates of different kinds; silicified wood,
or jasperized wood; geyserites, tripolite, etc. Almost all known forms of quartz
are found here and some forms that are not found elsewhere. The green porphyries
and the serpentines are also included in the last named class.
Although the book names will not interest some, it is quite interesting to know
them. Among them are just a few that are found at this beach, other than those already
given; Cairngorm, ferriginous-ainster, cherts, flints, hornstone, rutile, epidote,
prase, calcite, alibite, gympsum, fluorite, menilite etc.
No one with the aid of book description alone can tell the different and best stones
as he sees them and get the best results in cutting – it requires the practical
work of research and testing by cutting and polishing, and the more time you devote
to it the more proficient you become. No one can hope in the short time of six months,
a year, or two years, to know it all concerning the pretty stones that are found
at the beach, that appear in kaleidoscopic changes of no two stones alike.
The “freak” stones, with peculiar combinations of colors, with peculiar associations
and mineral enclosures, nature marks, taking different forms and figures of faces,
birds, and animals, and very valuable, are among the very fascinating gems to be
found at this beach.
No one can hope to give a full description of all the pretty gems that can be found
here. On one will ever know or see all the distinct and pretty, valuable stones
that can be found to add to your collection in your lifetime. Every trip made in
search of them disclosures new beauties, never before seen, and makes one wish to
live a hundred years.
It is interesting to know that for a great number of people these pretty stones
have a great attraction and is the magnet that draws them out of their thoughts
of sorrow and care and places them on the road to health and happiness.
A. K. Rutter”
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