The Opelousas courier., 1886-05-01
PRECIOUS STONES.
The Search for Them in the
United States.
Extent Of the Discovery Of Diamonds and
Other Gem STONES.

IL is q Lnat,
although this country is so rich in miner
al resources, and the world draws from
us a great part of its supply of the prec-
ious metals, we have, SO far, discovered
here only an insignificant quantity Of
precious stones. The. total value of the
gems proper mined IN the United States
in 1884 was less than thirty thousand
dollars, and yet we imported during the
same year more than nine million dollars
worth of diamonds and other precious
stones.
The subject is deliberately treated by
Mr.. George F. Kunz in a recent volume
on t'The Mineral Resources of the Uni
ted States" published by the Govern
ment, and his paper contains an array of
facts of very great and peculiar interest.
Diamonds, itseems, have been found in
various parts of the country, but chiefly
in California and North Carolina, though
the largest diamond yet discovered here
was dug up by a laborer, thirty or more
years ago, in Manchester, Virginia. This
stone not at first recognized, weighed
originally % "a c~arats, and when reduced
by cutting, II 11-16 c~arats, and it was
deemed so valuable that at one time
So, 900 was loaned on it, though now,
because of its undesirable color and GER
tain imperfections, it is not worth more
than a twentieth part of that sum
The California diamonds found in ff-
teen or twenty different places, the most
prolific being Cherokee Flats, Butte
county, are of all the colors known in the
stone, white, yellow, straw, and rose,
but they are generally very small, rang
ing in value from ten to fifty dollars each.
The largest, discovered at French Corral,
weighed 7 IA %carats, and many are unearth-
ed whose value in the rough is not less
than one hundred dollars. Diamonds
are also found in North Carolina in asso-
citation with the flexible sandstone, called
itaeolumite, which is peculiar to that
State, where, too, sapphires of notable
brilliancy have appeared. A sapphire
found at jerks Mine, in Franklin county,
Is one of the finest known specimens of
the emerald green variety, and because
of its great rarity is probably worth one
thousand dollars.
Fine specimens of ~chrysoberyl, a stone
which sometimes is almost equal in ap-
pearance to the yellow diamond, and is
principally obtained in Brazil and Ceylon,
shave been fou,d in different parts of New
England, New York, and the Southern
States, and the spinel, a beautiful gem,
which is often sold for Oriental ruby, is
distributed in the same way. The best
crystals of topaz come from the Platte
Mountains in Colorado, one of these,
weighing 1875 carats, being an -cxtraordi-
narily fine gem. Only Insignificant guam
titles of emeralds and bcryls have been
found within our boundaries, but garnets,
which, although smaller, are equal to the
best of Africa and Ceylon, are discovered
on the Colorado River plateau. The
amethyst is quite COMMON in New Eng
land, and appears in several places in the
Southern States. One specimen, found
near Cheshire, in Connecticut, rivals in
color the best amethysts of Siberia, butt h
most remarkable native amethyst is that
lately deposited in the National Museum
by DR.. Lucas. 1t is a turtle-shaped pre-
historic cutting 2 "a inches in length, Q
inches in width, and liz inches in thick
ness, is transparent and fawless.
OF all the gem stones, however, the
greatest revenue, in 1884 ten thousand
dollars, comes from smoky quartz, the
finest specimens of which are found at
Bear Creek, in Colorado. There are also
many beautiful examples of the less val
liable stones which are in demand for
cabinet collections, such as the green
feldspar, or Amazon stone, found at
Pixies Peak.
But, so far, comparatively little atten-
ton has been paid to the search for prec-
ious stones in the United States, though
their use is much more general among
our people than among those of other
countries. Very likely if the hunt was
pursued ~mcthodically and persistcntly We
should not be sending millions abroad
annually to buy diamonds, sapphires, ru-
bies, emeralds, and other brilliant and
beautiful stones for the alornnlcnt of our
women, and to lend additional glory to
the Alderman, the ward politician, the
hotel clerk, and the barkeeper. Yet,
however great the results obtained from
from such a search, the actual profit de-
rived from the industry would probably
fail to justify and properly reward the
labor expended upon it.-New York Sun.
4 FITty-Iop Hanemer.
There is a curious personality in ham