in
lenses, streaks, and nodular segregations in the serpentine as at the
Butte County locality described above. Some of the masses of
californite were at least several inches thick and larger ones were
p
robably found.
Joints, cracks, and seams are numerous, and large flawless pieces are
rare. The californite found here is grass-green, with a tint of yellow,
lemon-green, pale yellowish green, and nearly white. It is translucent
in the better specimens and much of it is evenly colored. In some of
the material there are occasional darker spots or patches as in the
californite described above. Considerable of the better grade from this
locality has been cut by the Southwest Turquoise Co., of Lcs Angeles,
and beautiful gems have been obtained. Stones for stick pins brooches,
cuff bottons, pendants, and necklaces cut from the grass-green or
lemon-green material are extremely pretty.
The
specific gravity of californite is variable. George F. Kunz * gives the
specific gravity of the Siskiyou County californite as 3.286. F. TV.
Clarke and George Steiger2 give 3.359 as the specific
gravity for green vesuvianite from Fresno County, and 3.586 for compact
white garnet from about the same locality. J. E. Pogue, of the National
Museum, found the specific gravity of the white californite from
Siskiyou County to be 3.57. Determinations made with the Jolly balance
give 3.410 for green, 3.470 for pale yellowish green, and 3.599 for
white californite from Butte County, and 3.351 for green californite
from the deposits of Watts Valley, Fresno County. As pointed out in
this report for 1910, it is difficult without an analysis to make a
distinction between compact vesuvianite and compact garnet. The series
of specific gravities cited indicates a gradation from one to the
other, the specific gravity of californite being greater in the fighter
colored varieties. . Under the microscope green californite from Butte
County has the low double refraction characteristic of vesuvianite and
white californite from the same prospect is isotropic like garnet.
As
the green and white material occur together and grade into each other
both in color and in weight, the term californite should include both.
In ordinary physical characters, such as hardness, toughness, luster,
and fracture, the compact vesuvianite and the compact garnet are
apparently identical and do not differ greatly from green and white
jade. The color also of some varieties of californite is not unlike
that of jade, but the material from the two localities described is
rather too yellow for substitution for that mineral. Consul General S.
S. Knabenshue, of Tientsin, China,3 says, concerning a
sample of California jade, that the leading firms of that city to whom
it was submitted "declared that jade of this particular greenish color
has no commercial value in the Chinese market. The jade which is most
esteemed is semitransparent, of a clear emerald-green. Next to this
white jade stands in greatest favor. The color seems to be the point
most insisted on." It is probable that this statement was made in
regard to californite from the North California Mining Co.'s property,
since that company received a similar reply concerning a sample sent to
China in search of a market. It seems that the choice of the Chinese
does not rule out white californite and such material should be
submitted to Chinese merchants for valuation. This has been found
