Ch. 3: Precious Gem stones in 1883/84

Ch. 3: Precious Gem stones in 1883/84 Page of 75 Ch. 3: Precious Gem stones in 1883/84 Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
PRECIOUS STONES.
727
of a plain wooden case, usually in the form of a house, and completely covered with specimens about au inch square of pyrite, galenite, ama-zonstone, ores from celebrated miues, and other Colorado minerals. They are glued on, and, as a rule, numbers are pasted on each referring to a list of the? minerals on the back of the case. The chick part con sists of a Connecticut Yankee clock. They have sold remarkably well since they were introduced, $15,000 worth in 1882, $11,000 in 1883, and $20,000 worth in 1884, to be retailed at an advance of 33 per cent. In addition there are a large number of paperweights, inkstands, and a variety of objects made that have netted several thousand dollars per year more.
Arrow points.—Mr. H. C. Stevens, of Oregon City, Oregon, writes that since 1878 he has personally handled 35,000 fine arrow points, peculiar to Oregon, and that fully 50,000 in all have been found by different persons. Before 1878 perhaps an equal number were found. Fully $3,000 have been realized on these in cash since 1878. At present few are found, except after a heavy freshet and overflow of the river banks, where the greater number have been found. These points at times represent the highest examples of savage stone chipping, aud are really so often gem materials that the demand for them as articles of jewelry is not surprising. The prices range from $1 to $2.50 each for the finer ones, which are usually made of rock crystal; flesh-colored, red, yellow-brown or mottled jasper, obsidian, or various colors of chalcedony. They are principally sold in the Bast, scarcely any being sold in Oregon for jewelry. They are not made by the present Indians of Oregon. Fine suites of Oregon arrow points were exhibited by Mr. M. F. Savage at the Bartholdi Loan Exhibition at the New York Academy of Design, December, 1883.
Trilobite ornaments.—The trilobites found in various parts of the United States are used, when of the proper form, as charms, scarf pins, and other ornaments. Perhaps 99 per cent, of those used for these purposes are found in the vicinity of Cincinnati, especially near Cov­ington, Kentucky. The species is Calymene senaria, which, as a rule, are found curled up, evidently in dying, and therefore appear either round or slightly oval in form, making very neat charms, aud the smaller ones very pretty scarf pins. They vary in size from one-fourth inch to 2 inches in diameter, and are sold at the locality at from 25 cents to $5 each, according to beauty or perfection. The casts of the Caly­mene senaria, variety blumenbachii, if perfectly flattened out and perfect in form, are worn at times as scarf pins. As they are entirely limestone, the surface, as a rule, is covered by thousands of microscopic brilliant crystals of calcite, the glitter of which is very effective. A number of the trilobites are sold annually at Trenton Falls, especially the Geraurus pleurexamthamus and Asaphas gigas from the Trenton limestone. They are sold, however, more as tourists' mementoes than as objects of orna-
Ch. 3: Precious Gem stones in 1883/84 Page of 75 Ch. 3: Precious Gem stones in 1883/84
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US Geol. Surv. 1883-84. Gemstones, Metals.
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