The gold leaf., 1898-11-24
NORTH CAROLINA RHODCuTES
The Most Beautiful of Rose Garnets
Arc Found in This State.

The following from the american
Journal Of Science, Vol. V, April.
1898. describing newly discovered
garnet, is by W. f. Hidden and H.
Pratt:
during the past fifteen years there
has been found from time to time. on
very limited area Of Western North
Carolina, a variety of garnet which is
strikingly beautiful and quite novel
in several respects. 1t has been called
rose garnet alnandine and has also
received other strictly local names;
among mineralogists it has excited
UNUSUAL interest and admiration.
The peculiarities which distin-
guish this garnet from the ordinary
occurrences Of the species are: Its
variety of shades and tints. for the
most parts similar to those belonpiuu
SO the rhodondrone and roses: its sur
prisingly small amount of coloring
matter: its gem-like transparency:
it's freedom from internal imperfect
ions, microscope inclusions and striae.
all so universally Characteristic of COM
mon garnets: also its remarkable bril-
liancy when cut as gem. There is
but one variety Of garnet now known,
which approaches it in this last re-
spect. when in the gem form, and
that is the green demantold of ST.
IBERIA, which often vies with the dia-
mond in its lustre and dispersive
effect upon light. Most garnets are
beautiful only by trans mitted light
and then exhibit only dark shades of
color. while these new garnets give
most beautiful effects of brilliant and
varied coloring by reflected light
alone; thus proving the uncommon
purity and great clearness of this
new material.
''Ihesc garnets occur as one Of the
pebble constitutes of the gravel beds,
and they are found much after the
manner of mining for placer gold,
where hydraulic processes are used.
The exact place or ledge from which
they have been derived has not, as
yet, been discovered, but similar ma
terial of an inferior grade has been
found in stu at one place accompan-
led by much pvrite and blotite.
The locality is situated in Macon
county, North Carolina, upon brook
known as Mason's branch. This brook
flows southwestward from Lyle
Knob Ga spur of the Cowee noun
tains) Franklin, the county seat, is
about six miles distant.
Gas yet no crystals of the new
garnet have been found, all the ma
terial occurring as rolled pebbles,
fragmentary masses or as highly
etched (naturally corrodeO pieces.
The predominant color is pale, rosy
tint, inclined to purple, and some
carefully selected pieces OF this char
acter, which showed no inclusions
under the magnifying glass, were
used for the chemical analysis.
''In the analysis SILICA and the
bases were determined by the we'll
known methods. Ferroue by the
we'll oxides were determined by the
method described by one of us.
The analysis proves that this
garnet is not almandine nor wholly
pyrope, and is distinctive enough in
color alone to merit a varietal name.
We, therefore, propose the name
Rhodolite, meaning from the two
Greek words a rose, a stone, as an
appropriate name for this new gem.
This name has been selected as de-
scribing its most prominent charac
ter, namely, its delicate rose-like
color. 1t will be seen that these new
gems are very unlike all kinds of
garnets hitherto described.'
Cowee Valley, N. c., March IA, '9S
''Tommy, who was Joan of Arc?"
asked the teacher. "Noah's wife,"
was Tcmmy's guess.