recently been made in Colorado, which have resulted in
securing good specimens of topaz, phenakite, and amazonstone, of considerable value ; in other instances, native gems
have been discovered, not as the fruit of special effort for
this object, but incidentally, or in connection with mining for
gold or other substances.
North Carolina is probably the richest state in the Union for
its gem-minerals, many of which are of the first class. A few
specimens of the diamond, of small size but excellent quality,
have been discovered in six different counties in this state.
The corundum, though abundant in other localities in some of
its varieties, affords here gems of the first rank among precious
stones, which have been successfully mined through the enterprise of Col. C. W. Jenks. Zircon has appeared in several
places, in small, transparent crystals ; garnets, agates, malachite,
opal affording specimens for gems, spodumene, hiddenite, beryl
of rich, deep green, spinel, azurite, amethyst, rose-quartz, sagenite, rutile, and aquamarine, all suitable for ornamental stones,
have been obtained from North Carolina. The collection sent
to the New Orleans Exposition comprised a beautiful variety
of white beryl, and another of a rare shade of yellow, varieties
of quartz, fine specimens of hiddenite, emerald, spodumene,
ruby, aquamarine, rutile, jasper, Venus-hair-stone, remarkable
specimens of quartz inclosures, amazon-stone, citron-topaz, and
other kinds of gem-minerals.
California offers a considerable variety of ornamental stones,
including the diamond, corundum, opal, garnet, various kinds
of the quartz species, malachite, azurite, selenite, and obsidian.
A wonderfully clear specimen of quartz with moss-like inclosures afforded a very rare and interesting feature of the mineral department of this state at the Exposition, on account
of the remarkably beautiful effect it produced. The Suisun
