Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-04-01
PRECIOUS STONES OF AMERICA.
.,eb Gems That are Found Iu the
United States.
san Francisco Call.

The government recently published
q volume on THE Mineral Resources
~ the United Staies," which among
other matters contains an interesting
cbanter on the history and production
~ GEMS in America 1t appears that
he total value of the various gems
mined in this country in 1884 was SS2-
AK but as about two-thirds of this
snrn represented minerals valuable as
cabinet specimens only, and there
fore not strictly to be classed as geus,
the net amount is small considering
The mineral wealth of the country. In
addition. the value of gold quartz
withheld from reduction for use in
iewelrv and as specimens is estimated
10 nave been $40, 600 The diamond
is found in Virginia, North and South
Carolina and California, the finest
specimens being those in our own
State. Prof. Whitney states that the.
Stone is found IN fifteen or twenty
nlaces in California, and the most
prolific locality has been at Cherokee
Flat Butte county; where hydraulic
mining has uncovered diamonds of
all colo,s-wnite, yellow, straw, and
rose. The largest he had seen was at
French Corral. 1t weighed seven and
q quarter carats. The highest price
paid for q California diamond in the
rough, so far as known, has been $500.
A good many have brought 500,
while large numbers have been sold
for from $40 to $50 The largest dia-
mond ever found in this country was
found by laborer at Manchester, Va.
about the middle of the century. 1t
was not recognized, and was put into
an iron furnace at Richmond, where
it remained in red heat for two hours
and twenty minutes, being taken out
unimpaireo and brighter than before.
When recognized it was valued at "a. :
600. 1t was cut at an expense of 1,500,
reducing its weight from 248 carats to
II 11-16 carats. At ore time Sc, 600
was loaned on it. 1t is off-dolored
and imperfect and is not worth more
than $500 to $500 now.
Very fine Saphires have been found
in North Carolina. One was the trans
parent part of a corundum crystal,
four by two by one and one-half in
ches. 1t would probably furnish gems
to the amount of one hundred carats,
and, being very rare, its value is over
$1,000.
Fine specimens of chrysoteryl and
spinel have been found in various
localities in New England, New York
and the southern states.
The best crystals of topaz have cone
from the Platte mountains in Color
ado. One weighs 1875 carats and is as
tine gem rs America has ever pro-
dGced.
Emerelds, beryls, and some of the
less commonly known minerals have
been found in small quantities, but
have not proven of much Importance
as gems.
America mas produced garnets com
parable with the best products of
Africa and eastern Europe and Asia.
Though smaller than those found in
the diamond miles of the Cape of
Good Hope, the garnets of the Color
ado river plateau are unsurpassed in
clearness and their clear blood color.
As a mineral they are found all over
the United States where the older
Concentrations are exposed, but only
occasionally transparent enough to
rank rs gems.
In transparent quartz particularly
fine crystals have been found in New
York, and the purple variety the well
known amethyst, is quite common in
New England.
Smoky quartz, quartz crystals with
fluid cavities containing bubbles green
feldspar known as Amazon stoBe) are
all classed as gems, and are more or
less common.
1t appears from the report that Cali
fornia is the banner diamond-produc-
ing state, ane new discoveries in the
future may he expected TO increase the
production considerably. Last year
the Golden state produced $2S $50
worth Of gems proper, while there
was imported from abroad 50, 600, 600
worth Of diamonds and other precious
stones.
Il