G’day; nothing much to do with jewellery, but firstly, wintergreen.
Oil of wintergreen was obtained from the willow, which grows in damp
places, and the idea was that that’s where rheumatisn came from, so
that oil should help, which it does, but doesn’t cure. As someone
else said it is a useful liniment for sore joints and muscles.
Synthetic 'wintergreen is methyl salicylate. It is prepared by
heating methyl alcohol with salicylic acid and sulphuric acid , and
the methyl salicylate distills off.
Wintergreen ‘Lifesavers’ giving off sparks? Yes, when crunched. It is
the sugar crystals in the sweet that produces the light when suddenly
crushed. Crunch a sugar cube in front of a mirror with your mouth
open in a dark room - your mouth will light up. Other Lifesavers will
do it too.
Cheers for now,
John Burgess; @John_Burgess2 of Mapua, Nelson NZ