Daily camera. [volume] (Boulder, Colo.) 1891-1928, 1900-05-17
WE ARE RICH In GEMS
Every Kind But One Is Found in
the United States.
This Country Has Never Taken Its
Proper Place Among the Na.
lions That Produce Pre-
0ious Stones.

their proper place among the gem-prO-
ducing countries, principally, it would
appear, because of the superior gains
offered in the metal mines, says the
Brooklyn Eagle Patient and skillfnl
working of the gem mines, however,
would appear to promise as well as
many of the metal industries. There
are in Montana sapphires of beauty
and value. True, they are light in
color, but. they have more brilliancy
than the Asian sapphires, and often
exhibit dichroism, or double color, I'M
der different lights. The supposition
that sapphire should be dark blue
is possibly responsible for the slow
ness of their acceptance in the mar
ket, but, as a matter of fact, sapphires
are not of necessity blue; they are
green, yellow, purple, white, and when
they are red we cali them rubies, for
the ruby and sapphire are identically
the same, save for fraction of per
cent. of the coloring matter.
Every gem known to the lapidary
has been found within our borders,
except that form of chrysoberyl
known as alexandrite, stone most
commonly found in the Urals, and
showing green by day and red by arti-
ficiat light. We have also found but
few of the cari-colored garnets OF
which Russia furnishes such remark
able and beautiful examples, and none
40 hni 1,,.iliI hn, ,rh l, ,.,,I
garnets of Arizona and contiguous
territory are unsurpassed in richness
We have several gems, moreover, that
are almost peculiar to this country
and that should be used more exten.
sively because of their intrinsic
beauty. Such are the golden beryls
of Connecticut, that are of a brilliant
yellow, full of light and sparkle, and
the curious chlorastrolites and thom-
sonites of Lake Superior, that are use.
full as green or notified grounds in the
making of designs.
Among the lesser known but inter
esting and often beautiful minerals
that are found in this country and
that lend themselves to purposes of
ornament are the grassgreen hidden
tie, the superior of emerald in vi.
yacity; the duller green diopside, the
utahite, which is a rival of turquoise,
if it can be made to keep it's color and
texture; the zircon, of red and brown,
and especially the tourmaline, which
presents wide range of color, from
jet black to almost water white, and
including pink, brown, blue and al
most every shade of green. These
tOurmalines are more appreciates
abroad than they are at home, and
whereas we buy sapphires and rubies
from Burmah, and diamonds from
Africa, and topaZes from Japan and
Brazil, and turquoises from Persia, we
remain seemingly Indifferent to the
gems that come from Maine and Con.
necticut. Collectors have known them
for years, however, and have priced
them at their value. Many of the
crystals show two and even three
colors, being red at one end and green
at the other, or green without and
.ueep pun "lluiH. VI phCSC 0ouA hltI-
lines $4,000 worth were mined last
year at Mount Mica, Me.
Turquoise has been known to the
Indians of the southwest for cen
turtles, and there is good reason to be-
1ieve that it was mined by the AZtecs
Brooklyn capital has been invested in
one of the New Mexico mines, and it
is said that superior quality has
been produced. There is probably no
ornamental stone that is so extensive
ly initiated. Hundreds of people are
wearing what they suppose to be tur-
quoise, but is in reality glass or enam-
ell or a composition that closely copies
it's color and apparent texture, and
does not fade, as the stone itself is apt
to do. There has been an addition to
the semiprecious stones of new va
riety of garnet known as rhodolite, Of
a pale rose red, but not many speci.
mems have been brought to the cities
and it has not appeared to any extent
in jewelry. 1t would seem to be worth
our while to work our gem deposits
more thoroughly, for, according to
the report for 1898 by Mr.. George F.
Kunz. the expert, there continues to
be profitable activity in the making
of jewelry. This country has i'm
ported as much as s14,50O,000 worth
of gems and gem material in single
year, while the home production has
always been relatively slight, albeit
there is gain. In 1898, for instance,
the production of precious stones in
the United States represented about
s161, 900, as against 100000 in the year
before, and $9s,OOO' in the year before
that. The indications are that we
have mineral veins and deposits that
will, when adequately worked, offer
rewards far in excess of these figures.
The Day After.