Antlers are made of bone. They are grown and shed every year, and are usually branched (there is only one animal that has antlers with just one point.) Antlers are generally grown by male members of the deer family. Antlers grow from the pedicle, a bony platform above the frontal bone of the skull. They begin growing in late April or May, and start branching about two weeks later. By the end of May, they are well developed and covered with "velvet," a covering of skin with nerves and blood vessels. By August, the growth period ends and the velvet begins to dry at the tips. When the antlers are fully hardened, the velvet dies and starts to peel off in shreds. Once it is completely lost, the mating season begins. When mating season is over, the pedicle begins to separate from the skull and breaks off as a complete set when the animal bumps into something. Only a few embryonic cells are left and these form the basis of a new pedicle and antlers, which begin growing about six weeks later.

 Turquoise is a valuable mineral and is possibly the most valuable, non-transparent mineral in the jewelry trade. It has been mined for eons since at least 6000 BC. by early Egyptians. Its history also includes beautiful ornamental creations by Native Americans and Persians. Its popularity is still quite strong today. Although crystals of any size are rare, some small crystals have been found in Virginia and elsewhere. Most specimens are cryptocrystalline, meaning that the crystals could only be seen by a microscope. The finest turquoise comes from Iran but is challenged by some southwestern United States specimens. Turquoise is often imitated by "fakes", such as the mineral chrysocolla, and poorer turquoise specimens are often dyed or color stabilized with coatings of various resins. The name comes from a french word which means stone of Turkey, from where Persian material passed on its way to Europe.