BERYL. MASSACHUSETTS.
Aquamarine
was found during 1910 at the "Beryl Hill" mine, near Royalston, Mass.
No systematic mining was done, but during prospecting some excellent
specimens of aquamarine were uncovered. Some of this had a brilliant
blue aquamarine color and cut into fine gems. One stone weighing 12
carats was sold for $100. The best specimen was an almost perfectly
clear crystal measuring about 3 inches long, 2\ inches wide, and three-fourths of an inch thick.
From
a manuscript copy of a "Mineral lexicon of Worcester County, Mass.," by
Prof. B. K. Emerson, of Amherst College, it is learned that prospecting
was continued at the "Beryl Hill" mine (during 1911) and a number of
beautiful beryl crystals ranging in thickness from 1 inch to 2 inches
were found. These crystals were
p
ale to true sea-green
and some had the typical "blue beryl" color, the quality and brilliancy
were especially fine. A few dark orange-colored beryl crystals were
found also. Extensive mining was planned for 1912.
BRAZIL.
A remarkable crystal of beryl found in Brazil on March 28, 1910, has been described by George F. Kunz,1
in a paper read before the New York Academy of Sciences on April 3,
1911. The crystal was found in a pegmatite vein in Marambaya, a village
near Arassuahy, on Jequitinhonha River, in the State of Minas Geraes.
It was the largest precious beryl or aquamarine crystal ever found,
weighing 110.5 kilograms and measuring 48.5 centimeters high and 40 to
42 centimeters in thickness in different directions. The crystal was a
simple hexagonal prism with basal planes with a few irregularities. It
was so transparent that one could see through it from end to end. The
color was greenish blue, and the crystal was free from included
impurities. This beryl crystal was found by a Turk in what is known as
a "primitive mine," at a depth of 5 or 6 meters. It was transported by
canoe with great difficulty down Jequitinhonha River to the coast and
shipped to Bahia, where it is said to have been sold for $25,000. It is
estimated that 200,000 carats of aquamarines of various sizes could be
cut from this beryl.
BOWENITE.
NEW ZEALAND.
Notes
on the discovery and occurrence of a deposit of bowenite or
"greenstone" in New Zealand have been given by vice Consul General
Henry D. Baker and Consul General William A. Prickitt.2
Bowenite has been classed under serpentine in Dana's "System of
mineralogy" and is stated to have a hardness of 5.5 to 6. Bowenite has
been found loose in the beds of streams by the Maoris of New Zealand
and, under the name "tangiwai," has been fashioned into ax heads,
ornaments, and jewelry. The new locality is near Milford Sound, on the
west coast of the South Island of New Zealand. A large outcrop of the
bowenite has been found in a hitherto unexplored mountain
• Min. and Eng. World, July 8,1911. 2 Daily Cons, and Trade Reports, Feb. 2,1912, pp. 856-857.
