The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-08-20
The Diamond Worth s25 5,0OO@O0 that was
found in North Georgia.

The Diamond Worth 25,000D00 that was
found in North Georgia.
According to DR.. NJ. T. Stephenson, OF At
lanta, Ca, who has published a little volume
on the geology and mineralogy of that state,
its mineral wealth, as yet only partially deyel-
oped, is not to be compared with its future IN
the production of Jewels, particularly diamonds.
In the great belt of its plutonic and metamor-
phic formation, extending in a diagonal line
through middle Georgia to the line its lime
stone formation in northwestern Georgia, are
found five distinct outcroppings of fracoumlte
or elastic sandstone the matriX Of the diamond.
In each of these lodges diamonds of greater or
less value, according to DR.. Stephenson, have
been found.
The most extensive of these ledgcs is in Hall
County, in upper northern Georgia IN belt
about thirty miles wide, running diagonally
northeast and southwest about seventy-tlve
miles. In every gold deposit or branch mine
that has been worked in Hall County, splendid
diamonds have been found by the gold washers,
who, being ignorant of their value, have lost
or thrown them away. A few Of them have
been sent to Europe to be cut and set, but the
most of them have been lost. None were
picked up except those without incrustation,
and it is we'll known in BAIL that only one
tenth of the diamonds there are without in
crustation. In washing for gold all the large
diamonds would necessarily be lost on account
of the construction of the machines, or thrown
away with the quartz gravel. Only such as
passed into the tritflcrs with the grains of gold
and find sand we're found in the paintings after
the DAVIS work was finished. All those picked
up in Hall County were found this way. Most
of them weighed from two to six carats.
Three very large ones were found. The first
was broken in pieces by the ignorant miners to
sec whv it was so lustrous. The second was
used bv the BOYS of Gainesville for long time
as middle man in playing marbles. But the
largest was as large as guinea egg and partly
cncrusted was lost soon after it was found by DIR.
I,oyd. the overseer of the Glade Gold Mine, a
deposit about twelve miles northeast of Gaines
vile. This was ten or twelve years before the
war.
In the four years of Loyd's overseership of
this gold mine, he (Dr. Loyd) picked out of
the paintings every night after the days wash
ing about half pint of pretty, shining stones,
which he gave to his wife. Some of these the
children took fancy to for play things, and
they of course were lost. Of course the chill
dren took a fancy to the largest and most bril-.
liant Those which they rejected, Mrs Lloyd
put into an empty mustard bottle, and when
nut in all that her husband brought home as
store of future playthings for her children.
From the description of these it is inferred
some of them must have been worth from
500, 900 to $40, 900 apiece.
The large one DR.. Lloyd found not among
the paintings, but while working himself in
the place of sick hand. While raising grav-
el he found a stone just like the little ones, cX-
cept that it was bright and shining only on
one side, the other side being covered with
crust of brown. 1t was about the size of d
puinea egg. As he was obliged to work very
hard to Keep the wheelbarrows filled with
gravel for the trifllers, be laid his pretty stone
on the bank of the stream near by, at the root
of large gum tree. But at nightfall he was
very tired and forgot the pretty stone
Twelve years after that he was shown rough
diamond, and was instantly struck with its re-
semblance to the contents of the mustard bot
tie. and it struck him at once that the stones
were diamonds. He was at that time keeping
a hotel in Atlanta, his wife was dead and his
daughter had married and removed to north
western Georgia, taking from Hall County all
the furniture they had during their stay at the
mines. and with it an old cupboard, in which
the bag of diamonds had been carelcssly
thrown DIR. Lloyd, convinced OF the value OF
these stones, at once WelL 10 FlSlt LIS uduSutel,
but she had no remembrance of the bag or
mustard bottle.
Faint with disappointment the wcaried old
man turned his footsteps to the site of the old
Glade Gold Mine. The ground was under
cultivation, and where the forest and the old
gum tree formerly stood was field Of waving
corn. He found the old heaps of gravel, and
for weeks and months sifted the sands and grit,
searching diligently for the lost diamond. But
al! in vain At last, wearied and disheartened,
he gave up the bootless search, and returned
to Atlanta TO die.
Dr. Stephenson says that there is not doubt
that this stone was diamond, and ifpure and
of the size of guinea egg, as stated, it was
worth at least S25, 100000. According to Dr.
Stephenson, it is established beyond question,
that diamonds of great value have been found
in Hall County, and that it requires only
judicious outlay Of capital and labor to develop
diamond beds in that County, and perhaps in
other sections of the State, as rich as the dia-
mond fields of Brazil or South Atrica.-N T.
Sun.