experienced judges is pronounced of Brazilian origin, so that the occurrence is somewhat doubtful.
Many
experienced geologists hold to the opinion that so many of the
associations of the diamoud are present in North Carolina that they
have hopes of their being found there. The garnet districts of Arizona
and New Mexico may also be looked upon as favorable for the occurrence
of this gem. *
No
estimate can be put on the annual amount found. Many reported finds of
diamonds of large value in the newspapers are either myths or are based
on the finding of rock crystal or even glass, and a diamond value is
attached, as in the case of the Missouri diamond mentioned above. It
would be possible for diamonds to occur and be for a long time
overlooked in a district inhabited or frequented by no one who really
knows the diamond in its rough state, whereas rock crystal is often
mistaken for diamond.
[Mr. John H. Tyler, sr., of Eichmond, Virginia, furnishes the following account of the large diamond found at Manchester:
"This
diamond was found in Manchester, Chesterfield county, just opposite
Richmond, by a laborer engaged in grading one of the streets. It was
brought to me to ascertain its character and value. I pronounced it at
once a very valuable diamond, and recommended the finder to keep it
carefully and to see me again about it. I did not know his name, and
have not seen him since. The next I heard of this stone it was on
exhibition at Ball, Black & Co.'s store in New York, and that it
had been sold by the finder to some one in New York for $1,800, though
I could have got for him $5,000 for it. I understand that it was sent
to Germany to be cut. It was an octohedron, and had only oue small
black spot near one of the points, thus enabling it to be cut to great
advantage. I was the first to examine and pronounce upon it]
Sapphires and rubies.—Sapphires
and rubies have been found at Vernon, New Jersey, but always more or
less opaque, and although a number have been cut from this locality,
the probability is that there has not been a single gem.
At
the Jenks mine, Franklin, Macon county, North Carolina, where corundum
mining was being carried on some years ago and has recently been
resumed, the mineral being mined for use as a grinding and polishing
substance, fully fifty gems were found, some of them weighing two
karats. Only about one-half of these were of good color, most of which
were really gems in every sense of the word, (a) The colors were rich
blue, violet blue, ruby red, light red, pink, and yellow; and others
were colorless. No one of these gems had a higher value than possibly
$100. The smaller ones were the richest in color.
The principal locality for sapphires in the United States is in the garnet districts near Helena, Montana; Santa Fe, New Mexico; southern
a Collection of Dr. Jos. Leidy.
