Terry Thomas, age 8, of Gregory, S.D., for his question:

WHAT IS AN EMERALD MADE OF?

An emerald is made of a mineral called beryl. It is a rich green stone. Perfect and large emeralds are just about as costly as diamonds.

The emerald has a natural six sided form. The finest gems are found in Colombia, a country that is also the largest producer of emeralds. Others can be found in North Carolina in the United States and also in Russia, India and Rhodesia.