Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1891-06-06
AMERICAN GEMS.
THE PRECIOUS STONES FOUND
IN THE UNITED STATES.
Extracts From a Bulletin on this Sub
ject Issued by the Census Bureau
Native Diamonds. Rubfes,
Carnets and Beryl.

Ietin prepared by George F. Kunz, special
agent, and issued by the census Office.
1t il stated that this important field
has never been covered by any preceding
census.
Up 10 the present time it is stated IN
the bulletin there has been very little
mining for precious or semi precious
stones in the Cnited States, aud then
only at irregular periods. 1t has been
carried on during the past few years at
Paris, Me, near Los CerrillOs, New
Mexico, in Alexander County, n. c.,
from 1881 until 1888, and Cd the Mis-
souri, River, near Helena, Mont, since
the beginning Of 1890. True beryls and
garncts have been frequently found as a
by-productin the mining Of mica, especial.
ly in Virginia and North Carolina. Some
gems, such as the chlorastrolite, Thorn
sonitc and agates Of Lake Superior, are
gathered on beaches, where they have
fallen from rock which has gradually
d~isintcgratcd by w~eathering and wave
action.
A very limited number Of diamonds
have been found in the United States.
They are met with in well-defined dis
tricts Of California, North Carolina,
Georgii and in Wisconsin, but up to the
prcsentstime the discoveries have been
rare and purely accidental.
- Ofthe corundum gems Sapphire, ruby
and other colorcd yarieties) no sapphires
Of fine blue color and no rubies of fine
red color have been found. The only
locality which has been at all prolific is
the placer ground between Ruby and
Eldoru1o bars, on the Missouri River,
sixteen miles east OF Helena, Montana.
Here sapphires are found while s%luicing
for\eold, and until now have been con.
sidered only a by product. Up to the
present time they have never been sys.
tcmatical rcmlned. In 1889 one com
pany took the option on 4O00 acres of
the river banks and several smaller com.
panies have since been formed with a
view OF mining for these gems alone or
in connection with gold. The colors of
the gems obtained, although beautiful
and interesting, are not the standard
blue or red shades generally demanded
by the public.
At Corundum hill, Macon County, n.
c., about one hundred gems have been
found during the last twenty years, some
of good blue color and some of good red
color, but none exceeding 500 in value,
and none within the pastien years.
OF the beryl gems emerald, aquama-
rine and yellow beryh the emerald has
been mined to some extent at Stony
Point, Alexandria County, n. c., and
has also been obtained at two other
places III the county. Nearly everything
found has come from the Emerald and
Hiddenite mines, where during the past
decade emeralds have been mined and
cut into gems to the value Of $1,000, and
also sold a. neurological specimens to
the value of $4,000; lithia emerald o,
~hiddenite, to be cut into gems, $500,
and for meteorological specimens, $500;
rutile, cut and sold us gems, $3.50, aud
us specimens, $50, and beryl, cut and
sold as gems, $50.
At an altitude Of IA, 900 feet on MouY
Antero, Col, during the last three wears,
materiel has been found which has af-
forded $1,000 worth of cut beryls. AT
Stoneham, Me, about $500 worth of
fine aquamarine has been found, which
was cut into gems.
At New Milford, Gonna propertv
was extensively worked from October.
1885, to May 1886, for mica and beryl.
The beryls were yellow, green, blue and
white in color, the formev being sold
under the name Of golden beryl." No
work has been done at the mine sine.
then. In 1856 and 1887 there were
about iU0O stones cut aud sold for some
$4,000, the cutting of which cost abou,
$4,000.
This mineral, which was worked by
Aztecs before the advent of the Spaniards
and since then by the Pueblo Indians and
largely used by them for ornament and
as an article of exchange. is now system
atically mined near Los Cerrillos. New
Mexico. Its color is blue and its hard
ness IS fully equal to tina, of the Persian
or slightly greater, owing TO impurities
but II lacks the s~oftness OF color belong
ing TO the Perian turquoise.
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