The Day My Dad
Showed Me How an Echo Works
For kids, dad is a thing of wonder. When you are 5, words are beginning to mean a lot, and 5-year-olds have a lot of questions. Dads answer important questions. dads also realize there are things they know that they might share with words that the 5-year-old knows nothing about.
Case in point, the day I learned about echoes. We were in a canyon. Dad recognized the potential. He said, “I’m going to show you an echo,” and he shouted “Hello!” and a voice came back with “Hello”. My five-year-old’s eyes widened. My mind suddenly filled with questions.
Dad yelled “Hello!” again, and again “Hello!” came back. Dad yelled “Where are you?” and the question came back. He said, “You try.” I yelled “Hello!” and a smaller high pitched hello came back.
My immediate belief was that there were two people down at the other end mocking us, playing with us. I remember looking hard trying to see where they were.
My Dad could see that I was believing someone was down at the far end responding. He played with that for a minute. Then he explained in words what an echo was and how it worked. To me, as a five-year-old, the idea of an echo was pure magic.
As adults, we can become blasé about echoes. We know what they are and how they work. Interestingly, gem mines are one of the places where echo potential lives. Gem mines are often up in the mountains with sheer cliffs created by mining. Admission, I’ve never tested the echo potential of any of the Maine gem mines I’ve visited. I’ve never had a five-year-old with me to create the excuse or opportunity.
The Science of Echoes
How far does an object need to be for an echo to work?
The distance between the source of sound and the reflector should be at least 56 feet (so that the echo is heard distinctly after the original sound is over). Additionally, the intensity or loudness of the sound should be sufficient for the reflected sound reaching the ear to be audible.
An echo is a sound that is repeated because sound waves are reflected back. Sound waves can bounce off smooth, hard objects in the same way as a rubber ball bounces off the ground. Although the direction of the sound changes, the echo sounds the same as the original sound.
Echoes
A Mom and Her Daughter
As I stepped into the grand room, marble floors grew into marble walls. Ancient statues spanned from one end of the long room to the other. Life-sized sculptures of women in robes with laurel wreathes in their curls, torsos of strong men without arms, and obelisks with scrollwork loosely filled the vast room. Everything in the room was a subtle shade of cream; through the long skylight, the blue sky shown above.
As I stepped into the room, I heard the echo of the sound of my footstep. I spoke. My voice came back to me as an echo through the tall statues that filled the room. Caught up in the wonder of it all, I called out a bit louder, “Hooooooo.” The still room called back to me, “Hooooooo.” The crispness of the air and the beauty of the carved stone sculptures in front of me seemed to be calling back through time. Although I was there with my own young child, I was too thrilled not to want to call out again. The echo, in its quiet coolness, was the kind of magic you never outgrow.
Maine Tourmaline, A Maine Story
An American Gem
First discovered in 1820 and in subsequent finds over the years, these early discoveries put Maine on the world map as a source for high-quality tourmaline gems. A major discovery in 1972 on Plumbago Mountain in Newry, Maine established Maine as a significant world source of fine tourmaline gemstones.
Cross recognized the historical significance of this find and began working closely with the miners of these magnificent gems. The close partnership continues today with the ongoing discoveries in Maine’s western mountains.
100% Natural
We go to Maine’s gem mines. We know the miners. We know the gem cutters. We guarantee our tourmaline to be from Maine and is 100% natural. Cross maintains the largest collection of fine Maine tourmaline jewelry in the world.
Window of Opportunity
Fifty years have passed since the major 1972 tourmaline find in Newry, Maine where they found 3.5 million carats of tourmaline crystals. Over the years we bought more than we sold knowing that gem finds don’t last forever. There are now colors, sizes, and shapes that are extremely rare and, in some cases, no longer available. If you see something you love it’s best to act quickly. There’s no guarantee another gem like this one exists.
Case in point: In 2007 there was a find of tourmaline in Newry, Maine called Eureka Blue. People loved the color. The gems sold quickly, but the find was small and the mining only lasted a few seasons. Within three years of the discovery, all the large Eureka gems had sold. We still get calls from people who are now ready to buy. What they want, however, simply no longer exists from that find in 2007.
Gem finds are rare, especially in North America. Maine tourmaline is a piece of Maine and American history, it’s a connection to a place we all love, an exquisite creation of nature. Today, there is a rare opportunity to own a bit of Maine/American pride and heritage, and history in choosing a piece of Maine tourmaline jewelry.
