192 GEMS AND PRECIOUS STONES IN THE
crystals
have been found at the Black Hills, Dak. William P. Blake mentions
finding on Jordan Creek, Owyhee County, Idaho, a very fine specimen of
wood tin, 1/8 to 1/2 inch across, and of a very pure and clear
material. Cassiterite has also been found in large quantities at King's
Mountain, N. C, and in Rockbridge County, Va., though none of these
places has yielded a single fine gem, or has as yet been worked with
commercial success for tin.
With
the exception of small, richly-colored pieces that have been discovered
near Gainesville, Ga., hematite is rarely compact enough for cutting,
although one of the most abundant ores of iron, and found in many
localities in the United States. Most of the gems that are sold in the
United States come from abroad, where the mineral and labor of cutting
are inexpensive. The foreign material used is the straight, compact,
fibrous variety, and is usually cut in the form of small balls, which
are supposed to resemble black pearls, but their lustre is higher and
more metallic. It is also cut into cubes, into various charms and .
intaglio cane-heads.
Lodestone,
or native magnet, is the iron oxide that possesses magnetic
properties. Although not used as a gem at present, it was worn
centuries ago for the power it was supposed to possess and for the
charm it was presumed to give the wearer. Large quantities of it are
found at Magnet Cove, Ark. It is estimated that several tons are sold
annually to the southern negroes to be used by the voudoos, who employ
it as a conjuring stone. In July, 1887, an interesting case was tried
in Macon, Ga., where a negro woman sued a conjurer to recover $5 which
she had paid him for a piece to serve as a charm to bring back her
wandering husband. As the market price of the magnet was only seventy
cents a pound, the judge ordered the money refunded.
Rutile
is pure titanium oxide. Specimens from Graves Mountain, Lincoln County,
Ga., and from Alexander County, N. C, rival any that have been found;
the former for beauty of color, polish and sharpness of crystals, as
well as for their great size, and the latter for their perfection,
wonderful polish, and fine color. At Graves Mountain, rutile occurs
with lazulite.
