United States' Diamonds. 135
23-3/4 carats, and after cutting weighed upwards of 11-11/16 carats. This stone has been called, after some of its owners, the "Dewey Diamond" and the "Morrissey Diamond."
The
occurrence of itacolumite, or flexible sandstone, in North Carolina,
led at one time to the conclusion that Diamonds might be found
plentifully in that State, since it was believed by many mineralogists
that a similar rock formed the matrix of the Diamond in Brazil.
One
of the most prolific localities in the West has been the Cherokee
District, in Butte County, California, where the gold miners on
cleaning up the sluices occasionally find Diamonds. The stones are
associated, as pointed out by the late Professor Silliman, with several
rare minerals, including platinum.
About
the year 1870, large discoveries of Diamonds were reported from
Arizona, but it was eventually found that a gigantic fraud had been
perpetrated, the ground having been liberally " salted " with rough
Diamonds and other precious stones, such as Rubies and Sapphires,
purchased in England for that purpose.
The
interesting discovery of Diamonds in the great masses of meteoric iron
from the Canyon Diablo, in Arizona, has been described on p. 73, in
connexion with the discussion of the probable origin of Diamonds.
