Have you ever heard the expression “Don’t judge a book by its cover?" You probably have. It's a cheesy phrase that you see on bumper stickers or as an overused cheesy movie plot. It usually means that even if someone isn’t the most visually appealing, they could still be the nicest person you’ll ever meet.
But, you want to know another place where this phrase comes into play? Nature! Or, more specifically, rocks.
Now I know what you’re thinking. Avery, why are you comparing my glittering personality to something that is often found on the ground covered in dirt? Well, dear reader, would you believe me if I told you that something that looks like this,
could look like this inside?
I introduce you to the world of Gemology, or the study of gems and precious stones!
I have seen many overpriced rings with beautiful stones, but rocks are much more than just pretty jewelry. Each one tells its own story. It could be thousands of years old, a piece of history engraved in stone.
My obsession with gems started a few months back, when a friend introduced me to a show called “Steven Universe.” It's a cute animated series that's sweet at first glance, but becomes deeper the longer you stick around. It tackles important issues such as loss, LGBT+ representation, and the difference between healthy and abusive relationships. But the big idea of the show is that each character is a different kind of gem. I loved the main characters, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Steven, but it made me wonder about other gems. What would they look like as characters in the show? So I researched. And sketched. And doodled in class. I was devoted to creating a host of interesting characters.
From then on, I collected gems from every Farmers’ Market and gift shop I visited. I had already started a rock collection, but now I saw meaning in my gems. Some of my favourites in my collection being a chunk of epidote, and some untumbled amethyst. For my birthday my dad bought me a machine called a “Rock Tumbler.” It's a machine especially made for smoothing out edges on rocks, and making them shiny. You could find some boring rock at your local park and then find that it's some kind of quartz after tumbling! It's amazing to think that the whole “beautiful on the inside” metaphor exists not only in people, but in nature as well.
