at
times one fourth inch long, and future finds in this vicinity may bring
some gems to light; up to this time no stones suitable for fine
cutting have been found, though a few might furnish mineralogical gems.
Jade.—Among
the implements collected by the Point Barrow (Alaska) Expedition were a
number made of dark green jade. This mineral is supposed to be found in
a place somewhere to the east of Point Barrow.
Rhodonite.—Rhodonite
has been found in an extensive bed at Blue Hill bay, Maine, on Osgood's
farm; also in bowlders at Cummington, Massachusetts, and in the
neighboring towns; at Warwick, Massachu setts; in Irasburgh and
Coventry, Vermont; near Winchester and Hinsdale, New Hampshire; and at
Cumberland, Bhode Island.
The
Alice mine, at Butte City, Montana, has produced a large quantity of
rhodonite associated with rhodocrosite, and it has here been used to
some extent as a gem stone.
It
has recently been described by Mr. William North Rice(a) as occurring
at the White Bocks, Middletown, Connecticut—only in a limited quantity,
however.
The variety fowlerite, found at Franklin, Hamburg, and Sterling, New Jersey,, is also very fine in color.
Rhodonite
has recently been used very effectively in combination with unpolished
or stone-finished silver, as handles for very line orna ments, the rose
color streaked with black presenting a very pleasing contrast.
Epidote.—Fine
crystals of epidote have been found at Haddam, Connecticut, which
might yield small gems. The large crystals in quartz at Warren, New
Hampshire, were all too opaque, though fine as cabinet specimens.
At
Roseville, in Byram township, Sussex county, New Jersey, epidote was
formerly found in good crystals that would afford mineralog-ical gems.
Dr.
F. A. Genth(b) mentions a crystal of epidote in the cabinet of the
University of Pennsylvania, from the gold washings of Rutherford
county, North Carolina. This crystal ia strongly pleochroic, like the
so-called puschkiuite from the auriferous sands of Katherinenburg, in
the Ural mountains, and would cut the best American gem yet found.
Some
fine highly complex forms have been observed at Hampton's, Yancey
county, North Carolina, by Mr. William Earl Hidden.(c) The Yancey
county crystals would also possibly afford cabinet gems, none of them
as fine, however, as the Tyrolese epidote.
In
Chester county, Pennsylvania, crystals 3 inches in length have .been
found. The principal localities are the Smith and McMullin farms, West
Bradford township ; East Bradford, where dark green specimens
a Science, Vol. I., No. 2?, page 601.
b "Minerals and Mineral Localities of North Carolina," 1881,.page44.
c Ibid., page 86.
