Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1907-09-20
PRECIOUS STONE INDUSTRY
THERE WERE REcoRD-BREAKING
IMPORTAfIONS LAST YEAR.
Search for Diamond Fields on This
Continent-Popularlty of the Pearl
Where Precious Stones Are Found
In This Country.

III IHlS NOuHITya
Precious stones of every variety
were imported into the United States
last year in larger quantities than
ever before, writes the Washington
correspondent of the New York Even
ing Post Most diamonds came in
than in the three years beginning 1897.
The importation of rOught diamonds
was seven times larger than in 1897,
the diamond cutting industry in this
country having greatly increased in
recent years. The total value of these
importations for last year amounted
to $34,998,513.
High prices paid for diamonds to-
day have made the search for these
precious stones in this country and
Canada keener than ever before. There
are four regions in this country where
diamonds have been found. The Pa
cific Coast, chiefly along the western
base of the Sierra Nevada, in the CEN
trail counties of California, associated
with gold in the cement gravel; along
the line of the moraine of the ancient
ice sheet in Wisconsin, Michigan, In
diana, and Ohio; in Kentucky and Ten
nessee; and in the Atlantic States
from Virginia to Alabama, chiefly
along the eastern base of the Appala-
chians in what is known as the Pied
mont region. Scientists have been I'M
able to discover the actual place OF
origin of the diamonds found in these
regions. Those of the Pacific Coast
and Atlantic States are known to have
been derived by erosion from nearby
mountain ranges, and the diamonds OF
the northern drift are supposed to
have come from somewhere in the
Dominion of Canada.
The diamonds discovered in Ten
nessee and Kentucky which have been
found in loose and superficial deposits,
and those in the Atlantic and Pacific
regions, which for the most part have
been met with in washing for gold,
are from sources which scientists OF
the Geological Survey have been un-
able to trace definitely, even in the
ory A report recently appeared that
two diamonds had been found near
Syracuse, n. Y, and that one of them
had subsequently been scld to a resi-
dent of Springfield, Mass.
Sapphires are found in considerable
quantity at Yogo Gulch, Mont, and
workings for these gems is gradually
developing into a great and perma-
nent mining industry. t is expected
that the production of sapphires in
this section will soon be quadrupled.
The Montana sapphires are not of
large size. They are brilliant, free
from flaws, and of good color, rang
ing from light shades to the rich deep
blue of Oriental sapphires. They are
sent to Amsterdam for cutting, and
are extensively used as watch jewels.
Wholly UNEQUAL to the demand in
the United States for emeralds has
been the supply of this popular gem,
which is imported mostly from Co.
lomb.a The emerald-bear.ng area
northwest of Bogota is declared to be
very extensive, the Government hold
ings alone being estimated at nearly
100000 acres. The emerald is today
at the high tide of its popularity and
price. Many of the finest of these
gems recently imported into this coun-
try were undoubtedly taken from old
Jewels by their owners in Colombia,
who were tempted to part with them
by the increased price at which they
are selling.
Pearls are as popular as ever, espe-
cially in the United States, and the
present demand is causing drain
upon the pearl banks of Ceylon which
has been recently the subject OF an
investigation BY the English Govern
ment for the purpose of studying the
life history Of the pearl oyster. its
parasites and enemies, and the meth
DDS for increasing its production.
Discovery of old and new gems in
various sections of the country has
stimulated the trade in American
gems. Utahlite is already coming in
to use as a gem and decorative stone,
and is especially popular in seml-bar-
barrie jewelry where a rich but not
pT6ClOuS SSul 10 OOoAAOA' II - -
green variscite, translucent and golden
green in color, and was discovered
near Salt Lake City.
California gems are growing in
popularity and the increased interest
in them has stimulated the search for
tourmaline, beryl, topaz and kunzite.
These crystals are Of especial interest
to mineralists, and George Frederick
Kunz, the gem expert who has made
a study of the region where these
gems are found, thinks that it bids
fair to rival the Ural Mountains,
which for fifty years have led the
world in the production of precious
stones. Some prospecting has been
done in Maine for gems at Mt. MI
chael and other mining localities, but
the tourmalines found did not exceed
in value a few thousand dollars. Tur-
quoise mines in California and Nevada
have increased in production, and
have more than made up for the de-
creased production of the turquoise
mines in New Mexico and Arizona.
Black quartz, cut IN the form OF beads