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Precious Jewels and Gems Challenge

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E: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (currently reading)


I'm just glad I'm getting some takers, Lisa said she liked the idea but I didn't know how popular the challenge would be with the rest of the group though.
So thanks Amy and Sherrie! And to Lisa for helping me out!

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Moderate: Sapphire
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Easy: Pearl
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Birthstone: Peridot
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points earned previously (1= Opal)
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For May: Moonstone
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FINISHED!

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T Tara Thornton - in

Easy: Opal
O: The Old Man in the Corner - 3/25/11 to 3/30/11
P: Parker Pyne Investigates - 3/23/11 to 3/24/11
A: At Odds With Love - 3/24/11 to 3/25/11
L: The Lost Books of The Odyssey: A Novel - 3/21/11 to 3/26/11
Moderate: Sapphire
S: The Magician by W. Somerset Maugham - 4/2/11 to 4/13/11
A: All's Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare - 4/2/11 to 4/5/11
P: Pyramids - 3/26/11
P: Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie - 4/2/11 to 4/4/11
H: Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
I: The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart from 4/6/11 to 4/9/11
R: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson - Character: Randy Waterhouse - 3/26/11 to 4/14/11
E: Payment In Blood by Elizabeth George - 4/18/11 to 4/22/11
Difficult: Tanzanite
T: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde - Character: Thursday Next - 4/18/11 to 4/24/11
A: Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy - Character: Arabella - 3/21/11 to 4/24/11
N: Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch - Character: Inspector Nightingale - 4/26/11 to 4/27/11
Z: The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson - Character: Zalachenko - 4/18/11 to 4/20/11
A: Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy - Character: Arabella - 3/21/11 to 4/24/11
N: The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell - Character: Nancy Mitford - 4/4/11 to 4/26/11
I: This Perfect Day by Ira Levin - 5/1/11 to 5/4/1
T: Idylls of the King and a Selection of Poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson - 5/6/11 to 5/15/11
E: The Black Company by Glen Cook - Character: Elmo - 4/29/11 to 4/30/11
Birthstone: Emerald
E: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin - Character: Eddard Stark - 5/9/11 to 5/21/11
M: Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome - Character: Montmercy - 5/17/11 to 5/20/11
E: Eric by Terry Pratchett - 5/21/11 to 5/22/11
R: Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb - 5/22/11 to 5/24/11
A: Count Zero by William Gibson - Character: Angie Mitchell - 5/17/11 to 5/19/11
L: Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris - Character: Lynn Mason - 5/21/11 to 5/24/11
D: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion - 5/15/11 to 5/16/11

Easy: Ruby
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Moderate: Obsidian
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Difficult: Aquamarine
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Birthstone: Amethyst
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Difficult: Moonstone
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Moderate: Sapphire
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Birthstone: Peridot
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Precious Jewels and Gems Challenges
March 15th, 2011 - March 15th, 2012
Easy Level - Done!
O: Of Love and Evil by Anne Rice
P: PS, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
A: Angel Time by Anne Rice
L: Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk




Moderate Level
S: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
A: Amulet, Book 1: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi
P: The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
P: Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
H: Home to Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani
I: I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson
R: A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
E: Empire by Orson Scott Card








Difficult
A: All-American Girl by Meg Cabot
L: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
E: Everlasting by Iris Johansen
X: The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson
A: Airhead by Meg Cabot
N: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
D: Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
R: Ready or Not by Meg Cabot
I: I'll Mature When I'm Dead: Dave Barry's Amazing Tales of Adulthood by Dave Barry
T: Tricky Business by Dave Barry
E: Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin











Birthstone
C: Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt by Anne Rice
I: In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
T: The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey
R: Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb
I: Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
N: The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson
E: Something Blue by Emily Giffin








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E Eric Northman - in
T Tara Thornton - in

Start: April 18th, 2011
End:
Complete:
Easy: 0/4
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Moderate: 1/7
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M - Melina Marchetta (author) Finnikin of the Rock
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Hard: 0/10
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Birthstone: 1/9
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I - Inside Out
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A Amanda in -
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P Perkins, Stephanie -
H Harris, Charlaine -
I Isabella Vanger in -
R Rick Riordan -
E Erin Hunter -

Keep up the good work everyone!

Completed: 5/24/11
Easy: Opal
O: The Old Man in the Corner - 3/25/11 to 3/30/11
P: Parker Pyne Investigates - 3/23/11 to 3/24/11
A: At Odds With Love - 3/24/11 to 3/25/11
L: The Lost Books of The Odyssey: A Novel - 3/21/11 to 3/26/11
Moderate: Sapphire
S: The Magician by W. Somerset Maugham - 4/2/11 to 4/13/11
A: All's Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare - 4/2/11 to 4/5/11
P: Pyramids - 3/26/11
P: Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie - 4/2/11 to 4/4/11
H: Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
I: The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart from 4/6/11 to 4/9/11
R: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson - Character: Randy Waterhouse - 3/26/11 to 4/14/11
E: Payment In Blood by Elizabeth George - 4/18/11 to 4/22/11
Difficult: Tanzanite
T: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde - Character: Thursday Next - 4/18/11 to 4/24/11
A: Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy - Character: Arabella - 3/21/11 to 4/24/11
N: Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch - Character: Inspector Nightingale - 4/26/11 to 4/27/11
Z: The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson - Character: Zalachenko - 4/18/11 to 4/20/11
A: Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy - Character: Arabella - 3/21/11 to 4/24/11
N: The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell - Character: Nancy Mitford - 4/4/11 to 4/26/11
I: This Perfect Day by Ira Levin - 5/1/11 to 5/4/1
T: Idylls of the King and a Selection of Poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson - 5/6/11 to 5/15/11
E: The Black Company by Glen Cook - Character: Elmo - 4/29/11 to 4/30/11
Birthstone: Emerald
E: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin - Character: Eddard Stark - 5/9/11 to 5/21/11
M: Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome - Character: Montmercy - 5/17/11 to 5/20/11
E: Eric by Terry Pratchett - 5/21/11 to 5/22/11
R: Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb - 5/22/11 to 5/24/11
A: Count Zero by William Gibson - Character: Angie Mitchell - 5/17/11 to 5/19/11
L: Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris - Character: Lynn Mason - 5/21/11 to 5/24/11
D: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion - 5/15/11 to 5/16/11

Grand Total: 30/30 - Done! � posted 5/25
Easy: Pearl (5/5)
P. � Poison Study, by Maria V. Snyder ★★★★½ - Kindle 4/23
E. � Everything Forbidden, by Jess Michaels ★★★★� Kindle 2/22
A. � Always a Scoundrel, by Suzanne Enoch★★★★ � Kindle 3/30
R. � Return to Me, by Julia Templeton ★★★☆� PB 3/6
L. � Led Astray, by Sandra Brown - re-read ★★★☆� PB 3/16





Moderate: Diamond (7/7)
D. � Carolyn Davidson=The Wedding Promise ★★★★� PB 3/11
I. � Ilona Andrews=Magic Bites (Kate Daniels #1) ★★★★� OD audio 4/2
A. � Aftershock, by Jill Shalvis ★★★★½ Kindle 2/24
M. � Must Love Dogs, by Claire Cook � re-read ★★★★� 3/30
O. � Obsession, Deceit, and Really Dark Chocolate, by Kyra Davis ★★★★� PB 4/28
N. � Naked in Death, by J.D. Robb ★★★★� OD audio 5/11
D. �Carolyn Davidson=Maggie's Beau ★★★★½ PB 3/12







Difficult: Bloodstone (Almost, but not quite, by all authors.) (10/10)
B. �Elizabeth Boyle=Something About Emmaline re-read ★★★½☆ PB 3/14
L. �Linda Lael Miller=McKettricks of Texas: Austin (#3)★★★★� PB 4/5
O. �One Knight Stands, by Jocelyn Kelley re-read ★★★★� PB 3/18
O. �Maggie Osborne=The Promise of Jenny Jones ★★★★� HC 3/16
D. � Daniel's Bride, by Linda Lael Miller ★★★★� PB 3/29
S. � Shana Abé=The Smoke Thief ★★★★� 4/10
T. � J.R.R. Tolkien=The Hobbit re-read ★★★★� PB 3/30
O. � Maggie Osborne=I Do, I Do, I Do ★★★★½ PB 4/24
N. � Nora Roberts=Sea Swept ★★★★� OD audio 5/20
E. � Erin McCarthy=Heiress For Hire re-read ★★★★½ PB 4/26










Birthstone: Sapphire ( All heroes for me! Hee hee!) (8/8)
S. ✔Simon Dante in Across a Moonlit Sea, by Marsha Canham ★★★★� PB 4/22
A. ✔Alex Richardson in Hotly Bedded, Conveniently Wedded Adobe Digital ★★★★� 4/11
P. ✔Paul van Dorn in The Penalty Box, by Deirdre Martin ★★★☆� 4/9
P. � Peter Rosen in Mummy Dearest, by Joan E. Hess � OD Audio ★★★½☆ 3/31
H. � Houston Leigh in Texas Destiny, by Lorraine Heath★★★★� HC 5/8
I. � Iain MacKinnon in Surrender by Pamela Clare PB ★★★★� & a WOW! PB 5/13
R. � Reese Duncan in Duncan's Bride, by Linda Howard ★★★★� 5/22
E. � Eidolon in Pleasure Unbound, by Larissa Ione ★★★★� Kindle 5/23









Points Earned Previously: 3 (OPAL, DIAMOND, MOONSTONE)
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P Perkins, Stephanie -
E Effie in
R Rachel Hawkins -
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*Complete 6.29*
message 33:
by
yojharobed || I have no sword. I don't need a sword. Because I am the Doctor and this is my spoon. En garde!
(new)
message 34:
by
yojharobed || I have no sword. I don't need a sword. Because I am the Doctor and this is my spoon. En garde!
(new)

Difficult: Moonstone
M=Faefever by Karen Marie Moning
O=Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
O=Xala by ..."
how do you make the lines through the words?

Precious Jewels and Gems Challenge
0 Completed
GARNET- July
5/6 Books Completed
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E- Entwined by Heather Dixon
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I think that I will start with Pearl.
P=Palm Trees on the Hudson--Elliot Tiber
E=East of Eden--John Stinebeck
A=And the Rest is History--Marlene Wagman-Geller
R=Rumpole of the Bailey--John Mortimer
L=Last Ditch--Ngaio
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I think I'll do DIAMOND next.

DONE!!! 12/22/11
A: Angels' Blood
Moning, Karen: Dreamfever
B: Kitty and the Silver Bullet
Ernest Cline: Ready Player One
R: Robopocalypse





G:Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy
A: Archangel's Kiss
R: Resonance
N: Never Knowing
E: Extraordinary
Taylor, Laini: Daughter of Smoke and Bone






Difficult (August):
Tom Perrotta: The Leftovers
O:Shut Out
U: Unfamiliar Fishes
Rowling, J.K.: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Maggie Stiefvater: Forever
Albert Brooks: 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America
Lennon, Cynthia: John
I The Iron King
N: Need
E: The Sense of an Ending










My Birthstone (September):
S: Sapphique
A: The Art of Fielding
P: Precious Objects: A Story of Diamonds, Family, and a Way of Life
Perotta, Tom: Little Children
H: Human.4
I:one, Larissa: Pleasure Unbound
Roth, Veronica: Divergent
E: How Shakespeare Changed Everything










Start Date: 8/1/11
End Date: 1/31/12
28/28 Read
Easy:
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Moderate:
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Difficult:
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My Birthstone:
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Nothing But Reading Challenges
Precious Jewels and Gems Challenges
March 15th, 2011 - March 15th, 2012
Easy Level - Done!
O: Of Love and Evil by Anne Rice
P: PS, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
A: Angel Time by Anne Rice
L: Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk




Moderate Level
S: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
A: Amulet, Book 1: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi
P: The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
P: Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
H: Home to Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani
I: I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson
R: A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
E: Empire by Orson Scott Card








Difficult
A: All-American Girl by Meg Cabot
L: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
E: Everlasting by Iris Johansen
X: The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson
A: Airhead by Meg Cabot
N: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
D: Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
R: Ready or Not by Meg Cabot
I: I'll Mature When I'm Dead: Dave Barry's Amazing Tales of Adulthood by Dave Barry
T: Tricky Business by Dave Barry
E: Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin











Birthstone
C: Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt by Anne Rice
I: In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
T: The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey
R: Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb
I: Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
N: The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson
E: Something Blue by Emily Giffin








M McMahon, Jennifer -
A Ann Brashares -
L Lynn Weingarten -
A Alexia in -
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H Heather Dixon -
I Irene in
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*Complete



i will go with Difficult Level
10/10
T - The Gunslinger 11/23/11
O - Off Season 28/08/12
U - Unearthly 10/17/11
R - Room 01/25/12
M - Misery 10/15/11
A - Awaken Me Darkly 05/10/12
L - Lust 10/20/11
I - It Happened One Autumn 01/19/12
N - Nevermore 05/17/12
E - Entwined 02/11/12











Precious Jewels and Gems Challenge
Start: April 18th, 2011
End: November 14th, 2011
Easy: 4/4
R - Richelle Mead (author) Last Sacrifice
U - Udell (character) Fallen
B - Between Two Ends
Y - Yovanoff, Brenna (author) The Replacement




Moderate: 7/7
E - Emma (character) My Soul to Lose
M - Melina Marchetta (author) Finnikin of the Rock
E - Everyday Surveillance: Vigilance and Visibility in Postmodern Life
R - Rescue, Captain (character) A Mind Not Worth Controlling
A - Adam Mansbach (author) Go the F**k to Sleep
L - Librivox Short Science Fiction Collection Vol. 011
D - Darker Corners







Hard: 10/10
B - Bloodshot
L - Lend (character) Paranormalcy
O - Orwell, George (chracter) 1984
O - Onirh (character) Defiance
D - Devon, Joseph (author) Probability Angels
S - The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1
T - The Tinkerer's Daughter
O - Owen (character) The Shadowing: Hunted
N - Not Everything Brainless is Dead
E - The Emo Bunny That Should: A Story For Demented Children










Birthstone: 9/9
T - Torment
U - Umberto (character) Juliet
R - Ron L. Hubbard (author) Spy Killer
Q - Quickly, Climbs (character) A Beautiful Friendship
U - Ubie (character) First Grave on the Right
O - Okata (character) Bite Me
I - Inside Out
S - Spirit Bound
E - Elena (character) Dangerously Placed










Duration: February 1, 2012 - February 1, 2013
Books Read: 18
Updated: 8/26/12
What's in My Jewelry Box
Ring: Pearl (5/5 Books)
Peggy Webb's Elvis and the Grateful Dead (3/23/12)
Eat Prey Love by Kerrelyn Sparks (3/7/12)
Alexander, Jill S. The Sweetheart of Prosper County (2/13/12)
Russell, Mary Doria - Doc (2/10/12)
Larkin, Allie - Stay (2/19/12)
My Pearl Ring





Bracelet: Peridot (7/7 Books)
Patricia Brigg' Hunting Ground (4/7/12)
Egan, Jennifer - A Visit from the Goon Squad (3/9/12)
Rachel Caine's Glass Houses (3/12/12)
Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone (3/22/12)
Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger (2/4/12)
Outer Banks by Anne Rivers Siddon (5/4/12)
Truth About the Sparrows (The) by Marian Hale (2/20/12)
My Peridot Bracelet







Earrings: Blue Topez (9/9 Books)
Bronte, Charlotte - Jane Eyre (3/20/12)
Lloyd Jones' Mister Pip (6/28/12)
Undomestic Goddess (The) by Sophie Kinsella (5/11/12)
Evanovich, Janet - One for the Money (6/18/12)
Tippens, Missy- A House Full of Hope (6/25/12)
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (6/10/12)
Patchett, Ann - State of Wonder (4/13/12)
Edgerton, Clyde - Walking Across Egypt (7/5/12)
Zindel, Paul - Rats (5/26/12)
My Blue Topez Earrings









Birthstone Necklace: Amethyst (7/8 Books)
Alina Bronsky's The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine (3/18/12)
MacAlister, Katie - Sex, Lies, and Vampires (3/5/12)
E. Lockhart's The Treasure Maps of Boys (8/26/12)
Tea Obreht's The Tiger's Wife (7/21/12)
House at Pooh Corner (The) by A. A. Milne (5/7/12)
You Don't Sweat Much for a Fat Girl by Celia Rivenbark (2/25/12)
Sally Gunning's The Widow's War (2/27/12)
T-
Books mentioned in this topic
Emotionally Charged (other topics)We Were Liars (other topics)
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again (other topics)
The Lightning Thief (other topics)
The Mysterious Affair at Styles (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Lucy Christopher (other topics)Maria V. Snyder (other topics)
Alannah Lynne (other topics)
Julie Prestsater (other topics)
Leighann Dobbs (other topics)
More...
I finally decided to put this idea into action as an official new challenge.
Keep in mind that the title is a little tentative so if anyone can come up with a better title I'd be glad to hear it! So here's how it's gonna work.
This challenge is a spell it out accumulative points challenge, which means if you didn't already know that each word that's spelled out gives a point. I'm going to use gemstone and birthstone names, it's like a regular spell it out challenge except your going to find books to spell out gemstone and birthstone names.
I'm babbling I'm sure you guys know this stuff already! Moving on, here's what the format's going to look like.
Easy Level - Here you can choose to spell out Four,Five and Six lettered gem names. Ex. Garnet, Pearl, Ruby, Opal, Agate; etc. Make sense?
Moderate Level - With this one you can choose to spell out seven and eight lettered gem names. Ex. Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond, etc.
Difficult Level - And finally for those of you who are confidant in your reading and reading management skills, this level will allow you to read nine or more lettered gem names. Ex. Moonstone, Bloodstone, Alexandrite, etc.
I hope this is still making sense!
When you have done one of the three difficulty levels, I have a couple ways to earn more points!
Oh yeah and this is a accumulative point challenge, if for example you choose to spell out the gem name Alexandrite the whole gem name will be worth one point. I thought it'd be easier if I did it that way!
As for my other ways to gain more points? Here's the first. When your done with one of the three difficulties (you can do more than one difficulty if you really want too!) I'll give you the option of spelling out your birthstone gem.
Lisarenee's birthstone is Peridot she can choose to try and spell it out after she's done with one or more of the three difficulty levels, (hope you don't mind me using you as an example Lisarenee!)
Last but not least here's part of the challenge that you can choose to do for points or for fun!
I found this helpful site, that has charts with different birthstones. The Birthstones differ based on the culture and certain beliefs.
One of the charts listed is called a Zodiac Birthstone chart, this chart states your birthstone name based on what your astrological sign is. For example, if your a Pisces then one of your gems might be Jade.
I hope everyone's still with me, as I said this last part of the challenge can either be for more points or just for fun it's up to you! If you want to do this last part along with the three difficulties and the bonus, here's the link for the site I found.
I don't know how accurate this site is but it intrigued me, I hope you guys are into this!
Oh and if you need help finding out the names or spelling of gems they're listed in website I mentioned above, if you have any questions just put them in either this thread or in the Reading Challenges > Can anyone start a challenge? thread.
I hope you guys are into this, oh and one more thing I'm probably going to have it be a full year challenge like starting March 15th of this year, I'm not sure what time next year it will be ending I haven't completely decided yet.
Enjoy!