Today’s Word Search: Emeralds or peridots? Cleopatra was none the wiser

Today’s Word Search: Emeralds or peridots? Cleopatra was none the wiser

Every once in a while, Mother Earth fashions her own jewellery. From the hardest diamond to the softest amber, gems and gemstones are Nature's colourful gifts, crafted patiently with centuries of rock and rain. Click to play today's glittering Word Search. These precious and semi-precious stones have been worn since humans first set eyes on them. Ancient Egyptians valued green gemstones in particular, and thought they brought luck to the person wearing them. In fact, the Egyptian queen Cleopatra loved one of the stones mentioned in our puzzle today – the peridot. It was called "the gem of the sun" because its beautiful green hue often had hints of golden yellow. Historians now believe that Cleopatra's legendary collection of emeralds were in fact peridots. According to the Italy-based Gemological Institute of Genoa website, this mix-up was a common mistake in ancient times due to the similarity of the stones. Regardless, peridots hold their own, and enjoy a pride of place as the national gemstone of Egypt, even today. Another enchanting gem, amber, is different from stones like peridots and emeralds because it is not a mineral. Rather, it is a hardened resin from certain trees that has fossilised over