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486 MINERAL RESOURCES.
Colorado, and Arizona. Here they occur in the sand, associated with peridot, pyrope and almandine garnet. From this district
they are sent to the cities in odd lots, as they happen to be met with,
and no regular searching for them is carried on. They are often found
with the asso-ciated gems on ant-hills, which abound in this district.
Two gems (a) from here may be mentioned, although weighing only
one-eighth of a karat each, one of which was a true ruby red. and the
other a sapphire blue, colors rarely met with. The gems are usually of
a light green greenish blue, light blue, bluish red, light red, and
red; also, of all the intermediate shades. They are usually dichroic,
and often blue in one direction and red in another, or when viewed
through the length of the crystal, and frequently all the colors
mentioned will assume a red or red-dish tinge by artificial light. A
very interesting piece of jewelry (b) was made of these stones in the
form of a crescent: at one end the stones were red, shaded to a bluish
red in the center and blue at the other end; by artificial light the
color of all turned red. Perfect gems of from four to six karats each
are frequently met with. Occasionally crystals are found which would
afford ruby and sapphire asterias of a poor quality.
The
value of the gems that are cut of material found in this district
amounts to fully $2,000 per annum. There are, however, a great many
found that are never cut, owing to the higher cost of cutting, and the
greater skill required in cutting this gem.
Spinel.—Spinel
has been only occasionally met with in gem formin the United States.
From the locality near Hamburg, Sussex county, New Jersey, may be
mentioned specimens of a smoky -blue, a velvety-green, and a
dark-tinted claret color; they are all very good gems and weigh about
two karats each, (c) Some, half dozen very line ones from San Luis
Obispo, California, of very good quality and weighing about two karats
each, are also worthy of note, (d)
Topaz.—Topazes
have been found in Arizona, New Mexico, and occasionally in southern
Colorado. Those from the last named locality are of a beautiful
light-blue color, and one (e) of them weighed over 30 karats. They have
also recently been found at Pike's Peak, (f) Colorado, and more
recently at Stoneham, (g) Maine. At both the last-named
localities they occur in large crystals, but if cut into gems would
afford only small stones of little value. The color of the Pike's Peak
topaz is light blue, and it is quite clear. The price of such stones is
regulated by the color, perfection, and size. The supply yields less
than
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