Bru's Quest in the Cavern of 100 Clues Quiz

Answer: pearl

When you think of it, there's an awful lot of commotion about an irritating bit of sand in a mollusk's shell, the pearl is the product of this. It's actually a carbonate of lime and animal's membrane that makes the lustre of the little round or oval shape. Ground pearls were used in medicine and cosmetics. Funnily enough, pearl the product of an impurity, is the name we give to "the Pearly Gates" for Heaven. Mother-of-pearl is of course the less rare irridescent shell material used in ornaments and jewelry.

Answer: ruby

The Stones sang this famous song:
"Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I'm gonna miss you... "
The ruby itself or corundum is the 2nd hardest variety of mineral known to us, its chromium content gives it its red colour. One pair of the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" in 1939 were donated anonymously to the American Museum of Natural History.

Answer: emerald

Smaragdum is emerald in Latin, the French is emeraude, the Sanskrit is "asma" (stone) "marakata" (emerald green color). The Polish word is 'szmaragd'. The stone is actually beryl. The Emerald Isle is of course Ireland. L. Frank Baum's "Wizard of Oz" series is of course, the source of the Emerald City.

Answer: diamond

Diamonds are the hardest substance known. This is why diamond precision tools like needles are effective. The diamond back rattlesnake is one who's easier to spot than some. That's what I told myself when I stumbled onto a nest of them sunning themselves in the Sierras. I simply excused myself and tiptoed away quietly.

Answer: copper

The origin of the word is interesting, as it was known in Italy as being the metal from Cyprus, it stems from the word for Cypriot, or Cyprus. The copperhead snake is another venomous snake from Northern America. Copper plates are used in the etching process along with the use of acid to engrave lines into them.

Answer: gold

Chemical symbol Au, see Inquizition's quiz on this subject here in Brain Teasers.

Answer: silver

The phrase to be born with a silver spoon indicating affluence is pretty obvious if we think to the traditional christening gift of a spoon.

Answer: golden

"Golden Years", David Bowie.

Answer: star

Some people want everything in the heavens as their treasure! Ah the cosmos, what other thing has engendered so many songs? "Star light star bright first star I see tonight."

Answer: moon

"To wexe and wane..As dooth the faire white mone" Chaucer. Some sources point to "to measure" for the word we use for the moon.
Human gestation is approximately ten lunar months or 280 days, therefore the moon is a better measure of time than the more abitrary calendar which gives us the rather awkward nine and a half months.

Answer: ring

No self-respecting triviaite would neglect to mention the suspected origin of "ring around the rosies, pocket full of posies, ashes ashes we all fall down". The Plague or Black death in the 1600's is said to be the origin, as the pink rings or pustules appearing on people, symptoms of their suffering, the sneezing then falling down...posies are the spices or herbs carried to ward it off. Ashes were substitued for atchoo or variants as they burned fires to purify the air.

Answer: silk

Silk fibre is produced in the gut of the silkworm, the caterpillar of the mulberry-feeding moth. As these were discovered in China, some trace the origins of the Latin word from the Greek word for oriental people or Seres. The word sericaria is one name for the silkworm. The city of Lyons, France was traditionally known for its silk production for several centuries.

Answer: jade

The term Jade (jadeite or nephrite) is said to come from "colic stone" or, "piedra de ijada" in Spanish or other Latin languages. Jade can be used for a worn-out horse, and also, a derogative name for a woman similar to hussy. To be "jaded" means almost literally becoming green with colic or fatigue perhaps. Jade Jagger is of course the daughter of the singer of "Ruby Tuesday".

Answer: coral

Coral is the skeleton secreted by a type of marine life for its habitat. The international movement to save the marine environments is very strong, as life is fragile in the coral reef. Many places on the planet use coral for jewelry, in Italy near Naples there is a well known tradition and in America the Zuni use it, the red color that accentuates the turquoise stones.

Answer: cake

Believe it or not, but there is a society for the protection of the fruitcake that claims that it is much maligned, hmmm, well, I'll eat it sometimes..if I know how many times it's circled the globe before arriving at my doorstep!

Answer: crystal

The word for crystal comes from its resemblance to ice, so "crystal clear" is an apt description. Yet another mineral reference found in the Wizard of Oz, the witch's crystal ball, perhaps my personal nemesis as a child when Auntie Em's kindly face disappears as it's the witch instead!

Answer: earth

Well some people do want the sun, earth and moon as well! The English word Earth is the only one for a planet that has no Latin origin, if we discount the use of Terra.

Answer: wine

There might very well be wine down in the cavern of words. The average French person has a wine "cave" or cellar with a few bottles. This might be in the storage space or the basement. Dandelion wine is purportedly good for you, and several recipes I've seen seem to have a good deal of spices and citrus to take away the taste. The greens are eaten here in Europe.

Answer: river

Well, this might be a subterranean river.

Answer: friend

The origin of the word friend in English is from its Germanic roots and Old English passing via Dutch from the verb "to love". This might account for its difficult spelling. As a matter of fact, with the popularity of the television series "Friends" in France, the small children often pronounce the syllables...Free ands. Thanks to all the friends I've made here at funtrivia.com. You're the most precious thing of all in the cavern.