Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-20


in a number OF localities. During 1888 reg
| uar mining carried On for tourmalines
| IN Name, emeralds in North Carolina, tur-
quose in New Mexico, sapphires in Mon
| tana, and opaIs in Washington Idaho and
Oregon.
Elsewhere the discovery of gems in this
/ country depends on accident. They are
| often gathered on the surface of the ground,
as is the case with garnets and oltvines in
| Arizona and New Mexico; or in sluicing
| for gold, with sapphires in Montana:
or in connection with mining for mica. as
| the beryls OF Connecticut and North Caro-
| Ira, or from the beds of streams and de-
composing rocks, as the moss agates from
! Wyoming, on the beaches, the agates,
chlorastrolites and thomsonites from the
shores of Lake Superior. Nearly all of the
precious stones picked up in these ways
are sent to the large cities in small par
GELS or are sold in the neighborhoods where
they are found to tourists.
! Domestic Diamonds.
| Diamonds in this country are chiefly con-
fined to two regions. The first is a belt
| lying along the eastern base of the south
ern Alleghenes from Virginia to Georgia.
/ the other extends along the western base
of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges
in California and Oregon. Very recently
! they have been found also in Wisconsin
! They occur always in loose deposits of
gravel and earth, associated with garnets,
iron sands and particularly with gold. in
| the search for which they have usually
/ been discovered. This loose material Is
merely the debris Of the rocks of adjacent
| noun tains.
| Not long ago there was a sensation re-
gardlng a supposed diamond field in central
Kentucky. 1t was understood that the
| rocks in that region bore a striking re-
semblance to those of the great gem-bear-
| ing district of South Africa However. the
| field has not yielded any wealth as yet.
| The geological formations in the eastern
parts of the United States where diamonds
! have actually been found are more like
those of the diamond fields of Brazil and
portions of India. few diamonds have
| been discovered in North Carolina, being
| mostly taken from washngs of gold-bear-
| ing gravel. They probably occur spariBgly
distributed. throughout the auriferous belt
| of the Carolinas and northern Georgia.
Diamonds In the Gold Fields.
Many diamonds have been found Incl
dentally to the search for gold in California
| They occur there not uncommonly in the
| auriferous gravels Doubtless many thou
| sands of them have been destroyed unin-
| tentionally in the stamp mills. These gems
have often been picked from the sluices and
| fumes. The first discovery of diamonds in
that state goes back to the early gold-seek-
ing days of 1850. AS far back as 1854 at
tention was called to the similarity of the
California graves to the diamond bearing
gravels of Brazil. A few small stones have
been picked up in Idaho, in placer diggings.
but the excitement awakened by them has
been followed by no substantial results. A
small diamond field has lately been found
In Pierce county, Wis. 1t has yielded one
gem weighing three-fourths Of a carat as
well as many little ones.
Mining for Sapphires.
;pf, for
at Franklin, n. c. Quite a number of fine
stones weighing over one carat each true
blue and violet blue. We're taken out, as well
as several excellent rubies. The work was
stopped by the panic of 1873, but has been
resumed recently. In Montana these stones
are found along the Missouri river on
| several bars, the richness of which has
given them the names of Emerald bar.
French bar. Eldorado bar and Ruby bar
These bars were worked for gold MANY
years ago, but the gem material was not
sought to any extent, because of the cost
of cutting chiefly. Two years ago these
bars We're bought up by an English com
pany calling itself the Ruby and Sapphire
Mining Company, which has since obtained
large number of stones. Some of them
have been cut and exhibited in London.
These stones embrace a great variety OF
the lighter shades of red, yellow, blue and
green. The last named color is rather a
all of them. when well cut, have a metallic
luster that is strikingly beautiful and quite
peculiar to the sapphires from this locality
No true red rubies or true blue sapphires
have been discovered. At all of the GER,
bearing bars on the upper Missouri the
stones occur chiefly in a layer of gold
bearing gravel a few inches thick. In the
same layer with them occur garnets of a
rich ruby red color, often mistaken for and
called rubies. and topaz in small CRYSTALS
1t is impossible to know whether the gem
market of the world will ACCEPT these
fancy coiored stones in quantities. the de-
mand in the past having been only for ruby
and sapphire of standard tints Thus far
they have been disposed Of chiefly to tour
lists.
Mexican Turquoise.
The turquoise mines of Mexico. worked
anciently by the Indians of that region, are
now operated scientifically by two com.
panies and are yielding material equal tc
the finest Persian turquoise. 1t retains its
color quite as well. not changing within
short time, as does the Egyptian turquoise
Stones have been found weighing I'D tc
sixty carats each. one of which was sole
Tor A,OO 1t Is now possible for the first
time in the last fifty years to match a Der.
feet turquoise necklace. Turquoise has al.
ways been known as an unstable gem Even
the finest Persian stones are liable t.
change occasionally with scarcely any
warning. the alteration probably being due
W theh touhHS III contact with FATTY acids
or alkalies in soap, though wearers of tur.
quofse are warned to remove the rings while
washing their hands. Recent observa tons
also indicate that turquoise is sometimes In.
iured by perfumes. The sale of turquoise
by the two companies referred to has ex-
ceeded $lI5,O0O during 1893. Many of tho
stones have been sent abroad In fact from
the commercial point of view they are the
most important gems now mined in this
country.
About Topaz.
Topaz occurs in many of the states Tho
most brilliant and beautiful crystals are
from Thomas mountain, Utah-an isolated
and arid elevation about six miles long
These are always white, all color having
been removed from them by exposure 10
sunlight They are also very brilliant At
DEVILS Head mountain, thirty miles north
OF Pixies Peak, topaz is found in loose
crystals among smoky quartz 1t is mostly
cherry color. though some of the CRYSTALS
are wine yellow and milky blue. From this
locality about 5000 worth of this kind of
precious stone has been obtained and sold
Among the crystals secured were two cher
ry-colored gems weighing 125 and 1873 car
ats.
Many beautiful crystals Of emerald have
been found at Stony Point. n. c. They are
dug out of pockets in the rock at a consid-
cradle distance beneath the surface of the
ground. The output Of that locality up TO
date has amounted to about $4,000. No
but some Of the crystals secured have
nod fy>.,