Guilding the Stone: July Trivia Quiz

Answer: Wisdom

The quotation above is taken from the following passage in praise of wisdom:
"Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her."
Additionally, Proverbs 31:10 says of a virtuous woman that "...her price is far above rubies." There is some question among Biblical scholars as to whether the Hebrew word translated as "ruby" does, in fact, refer to the gem we know by that name. Some argue that the intended comparison is to coral or some other reddish colored stones, and some believe that the jewel in question is the pearl. Some versions of the Bible translate the word simply as "jewels", but most versions retain the word "rubies".

Answer: The Sun

The red fire of the ruby was intended to represent the fire of the sun, which according to Hindu belief was the "lord of the planets", and a search was made to find a ruby splendid enough to occupy this place of honor. They found a suitable stone in the collection of a banker, from whom the emperor purchased the stone.

The name "Chhatrapati", meaning "Supreme King", was one that Candragupta assumed upon his ascension to the throne, while the word "Manik" is the Sanskrit for "gemstone". It was an oval cabochon-cut ruby, whose weight has been estimated at 20 to 21 karats (though some have estimated that it may have been as much as 40 karats. From the descriptions of its color, it was probably of the deep crimson known as "pigeon's blood", a description more fanciful than accurate.

The Chhatrapati Manik formed the centerpiece of Candragupta II's crown, which was passed down to his descendants. In the 17th century, the Sultan Abdul Hussein Qutb Shah, the last Emperor of Golconda, inherited the crown and had the gems unmounted.

He is said to have been so fond of the ruby that he had his name engraved on it, and commissioned a book of poems to be written extolling its virtues. After his overthrow by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, the ruby passed through various hands until at length it was mounted as the centerpiece of a tiara. It was last seen in London in 1934, after which it dropped from sight; its present whereabouts are unknown.

Answer: A ring

The "Star of Bhaarany" was set as the center of an 18k gold ring, and is surrounded by 24 tiny brilliant-cut diamonds. It was probably of Burmese origin, and was about 100 years old when it first came into the possession of its eponymous family. It is of a rich purplish red, and the 6-pointed star at its center is a silvery white.

It is generally considered the finest example of a star-cut ruby in existence. The "Star of Bharany" eventually passed into the hands of the Arizona-based "House of Louis XV", and has been listed on their website as of April, 2008.

It was priced at $30,000, but is generally conceded to be worth much more.

Answer: World War I

The "Peace Ruby" was discovered in a mine in the Mogok Valley in Burma on June 28, 1919, just two days after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I. It was hoped that the end of the "Great War" would usher in a period of peace (a hope which, sadly, proved to be futile), and the discovery of this spectacular stone was taken as a harbinger of better times to come.

It was purchased by Chhotalal Nanalal, an Indian gem merchant, who had it cut and polished in Bombay. The finished stone weighed 25 carats, and was at the time considered the finest ruby ever seen.

It was later sent to Paris, where it was bought by an American buyer for an undisclosed (but no doubt exorbitant) sum. Sadly, the present whereabouts of the "Peace Ruby" are unknown. Even more sadly, the era of peace which it was believed to herald never came about.

Answer: Al Jolson

Keeler was born Ethel Hilda Keeler in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1910; she was one of three daughters- Helen and Gertrude Keeler- all of whom became performers. The family moved to New York City , where Ruby attended St. Catherine of Siena parochial school.

It was in this school that she received her first dancing lessons. She began her career on the stage at age 13, to help support her family, and had worked for George M. Cohan before being introduced to the legendary Al Jolson. At the time, Jolson was the biggest star on Broadway, and had been married twice.

He fell madly in love with the lovely Ruby, who was still in her teens, and the two were married in September, 1928. They adopted a son, whom the named Al Jolson Jr.; Jolson nicknamed him "Sonny Boy" after the famous song of that name.

Although Jolson was crazy about her, Ruby could not deal with his controlling and possessive nature. They divorced in 1940, after which Keeler married John Homer Lowe, to whom she remained married until his death from cancer in 1969.

Her film and stage career had largely ended around the time of her second marriage, but in 1972, at the age of 62, she was cast in the revival of the classic 1920s musical "No, No, Nanette". The production was directed by Busby Berkeley, who had also directed her in "42nd Street". Keeler enjoyed a great personal success in the production, which introduced her to a new generation of theatergoers. She gave numerous interviews, but made the condition that she would not discuss her marriage to Jolson. In 1993, Ruby Keeler died of cancer at her home in Rancho Mirage, California. Having been raised in a large Irish-Catholic family, her dancing style reflected her Irish roots, in that most of the movement was below the waist, with the upper torso moving very little. This style of dancing would later become famous in such musicals as "Riverdance".

Answer: Sidney Poitier

"No Way Out" features Poitier in his film debut as a young doctor attempting to set up a practice among the residents of a slum, including a racist crook memorably portrayed by the late Richard Widmark. Dee, who had made her film debut in 1939 and had that year appeared alongside Jackie Robinson playing himself in "The Jackie Robinson Story" appeared alongside her husband Ossie Davis and Poitier, with whom she would later appear onstage in the premiere of Lorraine Hansbury's "A Raisin in the Sun". During their 56 year marriage, Dee and Davis have appeared jointly in the Spike Lee films "Do the Right Thing" and "Jungle Fever", and have been active in political and civil rights causes since the McCarthy era.

They were personal friends of both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X (at whose funeral Davis delivered the eulogy), and are the parents of blues musician Guy Davis. Ruby Dee's film and stage career has spanned 70 years; in 2007, at the age of 83, she received an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress in the film "American Gangster".

She has been a breast cancer survivor for more than thirty years, and is the recipient, along with Davis, of both the Kennedy Center Award and the National Civil Rights Museum's Lifetime Achievement Freedom Award.

Answer: Silver

L. Frank Baum wrote altogether fourteen books in the "Oz" series, but it is only the first (and best-known) book that features the magical silver slippers (though they are referenced in the sequels). As in the film, Dorothy inherits them after accidentally killing the Wicked Witch of the East. When her sister, the Wicked Witch of the West, tricks Dorothy out of the shoes, the girl angrily throws a bucket of water at her, causing her to melt, as in the film (though in the film, Dorothy splashes the Witch accidentally while trying to douse a fire which threatens the life of the Scarecrow). The shoes magically enable Dorothy to fly back home to Kansas; during the flight, having served their purpose, they fall off and are never heard from again.

In the 1939 film version of the novel, it was decided that the slippers should be made of ruby instead of silver, since ruby slippers would look better in Technicolor. It is believed that seven pairs of the shoes were made for the film, of which four are known to still be in existence. The shoes were red, covered with burgundy sequins (bright red sequins would have appeared orange in Technicolor, so a darker red was required) and were decorated with bows covered with red glass "jewels" and bugle beads. One pair of ruby slippers resides in the Smithsonian Institution, having previously been sold at an MGM auction in 1970 for $15,000.

Answer: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding

In this unusually light-hearted Poirot mystery, the famous Belgian detective is reluctantly persuaded to spend the Christmas holiday at an old English country home in order to solve the theft of an Eastern ruby of great monetary- and historical-value. It had been in the possession of a young, soon-to-be-married prince, who was enjoying a final fling in London with a rather shady female. To his chagrin, he soon found both the jewel and the girl missing, and in desperation turns to Poirot. The suspected thief and her associate are believed to be ensconced at Kings Lacey, the ancestral home of the elderly Colonel Lacey. Upon arriving, Poirot is introduced to Mrs. Lacey, the lady of the house, who is concerned about the rather unsuitable young man her daughter has gotten involved with. At dinner, the ruby unexpectedly turns up in the Christmas pudding, where it is mistaken for a colored glass replica. Poirot, however, is not deceived, and pockets the gem, an action which is noticed by the thief. Poirot enlists the help of one of the younger members of the Lacey family to set a trap for the culprit.

An enjoyable mystery in its own right, "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding" is also a nostalgic and charming study of a traditional English Christmas, at a time when such traditions were in danger of dying out. It was reprinted under the title "The Theft of the Royal Ruby" in the 1961 collection "'Double Sin' and Other Stories".

Answer: Black Oak Arkansas

Starr was born Constance Henrietta Mierziwak in Toledo, Ohio, in 1949. She began performing at age nine, under the name Connie Little; during the 60s, she changed her stage name to Ruby Jones. She was discovered singing in a club by Jim "Dandy" Mangrum, lead vocalist of Black Oak Arkansas, who invited her to join the band.

She changed her name to the more flamboyant Ruby Starr, and performed with the Black Oak band until the mid-Seventies, during the height of their popularity. In 1974, she formed "Grey Ghost", the first of three bands that she would form during her lifetime, the others being "Grey Star" and Henrietta Kahn.

In the early '90s, Starr began a second career as a Vegas headliner, a career that ended when she was diagnosed with lung cancer and a brain tumor.

She returned home to Ohio, where she died in 1995 at age 44. Known for her provocative attire and her unruly mass of red hair, as well as her dynamic stage presence and uninhibited, athletic style, Starr was featured in the top 30 single "Jim Dandy" with Black Oak Arkansas, and performed on several albums with her own bands, including "Scene Stealer" (1976), Smoky Places (1977), and "Grey Star" (1981).

Answer: Igor Stravinsky

The concept of "Jewels" was that the dancers were dressed in jewel-like colors- "Emeralds" in shimmering green, Rubies in brilliant red and "Diamonds" in sparkling white. Balanchine was an admirer of gemstones ("After all" he said in an interview "I am an oriental, from Georgia in the Caucasus. I like the color of gems, the beauty of stone." His idea was to highlight the jewel-like technique and polish of his dancers; the cast at the premiere featured such luminaries as Edward Villella, Violette Verdy, Francisco Moncion, Patricia McBride, and Jacques D'Amboise. The music for "Diamonds" was Tchiakovsky's Symphony no. 3 in D minor, "Emeralds" was set to music from Faure's "Pelleas et Melisande". For "Rubies", Balanchine chose Stravinsky's brilliant Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra, a piece which draws upon the jazzy rhythms of Stravinsky's adoptive country (the composer moved to America at the age of 58 and became a naturalized citizen in 1946). Balanchine and Stravinsky had worked together extensively; Stravinsky's contributions to the ballet repertoire include such groundbreaking works as "Firebird", "Petrouchka", and the watershed work "Le Sacred du Printemps", which caused a riot at its premiere in 1913. Balanchine's balletic realization of Stravinsky's "Capriccio" is a sprightly, playful piece which serves as an excellent foil to the suave Gallic elegance of "Emeralds" and the stateliness of "Diamonds"

This quiz has been created in honor of our beloved Guild member SocialMiguel, who sadly passed away earlier this Year (2009) and who was the moving spirit behind the "Guilding the Stones" series of quizzes, and who had suggested a few of the questions in this quiz (including the ones about Ruby Dee and the Ruby Slippers). We love you, Miguel!