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PRECIOUS STONES.
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By George F. Kunz.
During
1800 work was carried on at the tourmaline locality at Mount Mica,
Paris, Maine. The work was more or less successful and over $2,000
worth of fine gems were obtained. For the first time in the history of
America, turquois of fine color, in many respects equal to the Persian,
was mined at the Castilian mine between Los Cerrillos and Santa Fe, New
Mexico, of which over $10,000 worth was sold in 1890. These stones are
well received by the gem trade, as the Persian mines have proved less
and less prolific for many years past. Turquois has also been
discovered in the Burro mountains, Grant county, New Mexico, and
Saguache county, Colorado. Of especial interest among newer discoveries
was the finding of a few crystals of diamond on Plum Creek, Pierce
county, Wisconsin, where they were found in searching for gold under
conditions almost identical with the finding of diamonds in North
Carolina. The option was obtained on a tract of 4,000 acres on the
Missouri Eiver near Helena, Montana, for the purpose of mining
sapphires. A preliminary examination made at the sapphire locality in
Montana reveals the fact that sapphires exist in large quantities in
the gold glacial gravels that lie immediately on the bed rock, a green
slate. From present appearances extensive workings will be carried on
for these fancy-colored stones, which are not true ruby red nor true
sapphire blue. The success of the enterprise depends very much upon how
mauy of these peculiar-colored gems the markets of the world will
absorb.
As
in former years, large quantities of garnets have been found in the
vicinity of Gallup and Fort Wingate, New Mexico, and Fort Defiance,
Arizona, whereas the search that is still being carried on at Ison's
Mills, Elliott county, Kentucky, with the hope of finding diamonds
there, has brought to light the fact that immense quantities of ruby
red garnets—pyrope—exist in that vicinity.
With
the exception of a single pebble of fire opal described in a former
report, no true gem opal had been found in the United States. During
1890, however, near Whelan, southwest of Colfax, Washington, almost on
the Idaho and Washington line, a brilliant fire and noble opal has been
found filling the cavities of amygdaloidal basaltic rock, the cavities
of which vary in size from that of a pea to a large walnut. Some of
these opals have sold for almost the price of fine noble opals
from Hungary.
445
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