The Jeweled Fowl

Mike Pihulic

SOLUTION:
  1. This is a Scrabble puzzle.
  2. Flavor text clues first word ruby with last line (stone with red glint).
  3. Answer all clues; attached numbers are scoring values.
  4. Constraints provided by limited number of Scrabble letters. Figure out which words must intersect, using letter constraints and scores. Place all tiles on board.
  5. All rules followed except slang, and proper nouns observed.
  6. Once all words are placed on the board, toss out all answers which refer to living things, as clued by the organic matter in the introtext.
  7. Read off intersections, left to right and top to bottom, to get cluephrase HER_SEPT_BROOCH (underscores are blanks).
  8. Answer is MARIA ALEXANDROVNA, who owned a famous sapphire brooch.
ClueAnswerClassification
Naturally, it was the last found (abbr.) (3) REMineral
Where a jeweler keeps his lens (4)LOUPEMineral
Bloodstone sign (5)ARIESMineral
Shortest of the 4 Cs (5)CUTMineral
Slang for fake (6)PASTEMineral
Vegetable high in protein (7)SOYVegetable/Animal
Smiling garden fellow (8)GNOMEVegetable/Animal
She's a heavyweight at 26.486 grams (9)SARAHMineral
A well-respected vine (9)IVYVegetable/Animal
A female hare (12)DOEVegetable/Animal
Ray Charles saw reflections with him (14)PEWTERMineral
Peten opercularis (15)QUINVegetable/Animal
Matz's Gem (16)RUBYMineral
The Great Mogul in a former life (16)ORLOVMineral
Orange drupe distantly related to poison ivy (16)MANGOVegetable/Animal
Opal in Canberra (18)POTCHMineral
A haddock cured with the smoke of peat earth (18)FINNANVegetable/Animal
A mating of copper and silver (19)HALFBREEDMineral
Olivine elite (22)PERIDOTMineral
A Malaysian deer or a Toyota passenger car in Brunei (24)KIJANGVegetable/Animal
You would find one on planet Zi (28)ZOIDVegetable/Animal
Despite its name, this type of opal is wholeHALFMineral
Might be found in the basement of W-7?BAKERITEMineral
#19 in Maui (68)HAWAIITEMineral
NC-2000 (88)EXCELSIORMineral

Here is a picture of the completed board.

Answer: MARIA ALEXANDROVNA