The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-06-01
AMERICAN GEMS.

||8 AMERICl
|l8 By Frederic
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By cutting off impor1ations OF
h precious and ssemi-precious stones.
the European war Is expected TO
prove stimulus TO the production
of native gems in America. which Is
one OF our most curious and least
known industries. The commercial
success of any variety of gem Is al
ways at least partly dependent upon
Had. and should fashionable de-
inland for certain American gems
spring up. it would result in keeping
l many millions OF dollars in this
tcount-y which are now sent abroad
Ito buy precious stones for Americans.
y Diamonds. emeralds. rubies. sap
tphires and turquoise OF excellent
j onality have all been produced IN
/ this country, while in the variety or
lsemi-precious stones found, We are
/ especially rich Thus during l91"
no less than forty varieties of preci-
/ Gus and semi-precious stones were
produced in the Tnited States: ana
yet, so small was the quantity OF most
4 OF the mthat their total value was
only S319, 900. while during the same
! year our imports of gems reacneo
itEe tremendous total OF $45,4S1,OoO-
. Thus a truly startling amount or
money has been spent abroad for
gems and precious stones by Amer
cans. The new tariff law. combined
with the war. will certainly serve 10
keep some of this money at home.
land in all probability VIII mean tnae
| at least some of it will be spent 1oF
i American gems
industries in America. and one OF
! the most promising. is turqouise
4 mining: Long before Columbus dis
i co-ered America splendid turquoise
were taken from the mines OF Arizo-
Ina and New Mexico. Not many years
ago a prospector in the EURO Noun
tains near Silver City, n NJ came
upon some large excavations. WIZ
great piles of earth beside them upon
(which grew the cactus and Spanish
| bayonet. Examining these curious
mounds closer. he first found the re-
mains of old stone hammers and
!other primitive implements which
/ had evidently been used in making
I the excavations Upon closed ex-
! animation some turquoise OF spien-
did color and quality were found.
and the fact established that tnese
/ excavations were mines which had
/ been worked by the Spanish con-
ouerors. and doubtless by the
Pueblo Indians long before the
iSpaniards came
These Burro mountain prospects
1 have since then become the site OF
4 a very profitable industry 1t IS
4 said that over seventeen tons of tur-
tquoise were taken out of these mines
I. in single year OF course the
\ greater quantity of this was OF poor
4 quality and was used only for belt
l buckles. hat pins and other cheap
4 ornaments a considerable guam
I, tiry of very fine turquoise was taken
4 out. however. most of it going TO the
i high-class New York market Single
1 stones worth over a hundred dollars
have been taken from these mines.
The mining operations are carried
4 on from an immense cut some 2OO
yards long, 100 feet wide and .
feet deep Numerous little vetniets
and pockets are easily worked from
this main excavation The turquoise
is found imbedded in matrix OF
wnftfsh rock II is broken out IN
rough pieces by the miners and sold
4 10 lapidaries by the pound The
prices run from one dollars to hum
dred dollars per pound. according
to the demand and the qualty OF tne
turquoise The lapidary who buys
the stone Is really Spectator. as IN
pound of turquoise he may ind
single stone that Is worth more than
i the price of the whole. or he may
not get enough out OF a pound 10
pay the price of the cutting
|! The immense production which
came from these mines soon after
they opened caused the market for
the cheaper grades OF turquoise to
drop, but there Is always an ade-
auate demand for stones OF me
quality and color
These New Mexico mines are only
one vicinity among many in the
United states in which these oeauu-
full stones have been found in mod
ern times Turquoise has also been
found in California, Nevada. IN
Texas and in small quantities IN
several other states
Quite in contrast to the turquoise
Industry is that of mining sapph1res.
which has been carried on in Montana
upon considerable scale The exls, ,
tence of these gems in the United
states was not even suspected M
teen years ago. Then one day;
prospector who was looking for placer
gold on Dry Cottonwood Creek IN
Deer Lodge county. Montana. found
several small and very beautiful
gems OF various .coIors In the bottom
of his pan They were quickly fden-
tilted by Iapidarfes rs variesated sap
nhires In the same state. on Sogo