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GEMS AND PRECIOUS STONES.
1041
The country rock is rather fine grained biotite granite gneiss, inclos­ing pegmatitic seams and streaks. The granite has disintegrated to a fight sandy soil at the surface and into a friable sandy saprolite to a depth of a few feet below the surface. The amethysts are found in the soil for a distance of about 150 yards in a northeast-southwest direction. Near the prospects they are very abundant, since many that were dug out had not been carried away. Probably 2 or 3 bushels of amethystine quartz crystals could have been collected in half a day from the surface of the ground. In the prospects, Mr. Fort states, the amethyst crystals were found in streaks and seams with a northeast direction, two or three parallel seams occurring within a space of a few feet.
The crystals are only moderately well developed, owing to mutual interference during growth, and nearly all have been somewhat frac­tured. Some of them have been only slightly chipped and others possess few if any crystal faces. The amethystine quartz and amethyst occur in pieces ranging from those of small size to those 2 or 3 inches across. Aggregates of crystals in parallel growth also occur, some of which consist of both colorless or smoky quartz and amethystine quartz. Many of the crystals are quite clear and trans­parent, but this is often partly concealed by etched and rough faces. The best specimens found on the surface and in the prospects had been carried off and no dark-purple amyethysts were seen. A few stones with sufficient depth of color to warrant cutting were seen, but the gems obtained would not be of the best quality. The abun­dance of amethystine quartz and amethyst found close to the surface at this locality invites more extended prospecting.
Mr. Fort says he has also found amethyst loose in the soil on the land of the late Capt. F. F. Ellis, 3 miles east of Raleigh.
Amethyst has also been reported from Warren County, N. C. Mr. Fort mentions a deposit on the land of Mrs. G. W. Alston, of Inez. Several years ago a prospect was opened by a clergyman at Folly Springs, near Warrenton. Some excellent crystals are said to have been found there. The principal rock of this part of Warren County is granite gneiss belonging to the same belt as that around Raleigh, nearly 50 miles southwest.
Amethyst has been found at a number of places farther west in the Piedmont Plateau region in Iredell and Lincoln Counties, N. C. A few of these are here mentioned. At some of the localities a little prospecting has been carried on and at others crystals have been found loose in the soil. In Iredell County a prospect was opened a number of years ago on the A. C. Cook place, 9 miles southeast of Statesville. A large quantity of pale amethyst and amethystine quartz crystals were found in seams and veinlets cutting coarse peg­matitic granite. Only a few stones of fairly good color were founa, though many were suitable for less valuable gems. Amethystine quartz was found abundantly. A few pale amethysts have been found in the soil on the land of Mrs. M. G. Martin, about one-half mile east of the Cook place, and on Burette Brawley's place, 1£ miles south of Cook's. Mai. W. A. Graham, of Raleigh, reports an occurrence of amethyst in Lincoln County on the Erhard Forney place, 1 mile from Denver and on the Rendieman place, 2 miles from Iron Station. Good crystals of amethyst found in Lincoln County were seen in a local mineral collection at Lincolnton.