now
belongs to Fuller & Person, of Louisburg, N. C. A few specimens
have been found on Mrs. Jennie Connefi's plantation, about 2 miles
southeast of Inez. Good specimens and gems are reported to have been
found on the surface and in a pit at Folly Springs, about one-third of
a mile southwest of Warrenton.
Warren
County lies chiefly within the Piedmont Plateau region of North
Carolina along the border of the Coastal Plain. Its elevation ranges
from less than 200 feet above sea level along the rivers to about 500
teet in the less dissected parts of the plateau, in the western portion
of the county. In general the country is nearly flat or gently rolling,
with steep hills only along the larger drainage lines. Warrenton is
situated on a slightly dissected remnant of the plateau. Inez is
located in the fork of one of the elevated ridges, and the country
immediately around it has small relief. The Williams and Con-nell
places are on two forks of the same ridge, but are nearer Shocco Creek
and accordingly in more broken country.
Amethyst
has been found at two places on the Alston plantation, about 200 yards
south and about 150 yards southeast of the house. Both prospects are
located in a slight hollow, the former in the edge of a small patch of
woods and the latter in a cultivated field. At the time of examination
the prospect in the woods had been opened by a small pit and a trench
about 3 feet deep and 10 feet long on the vein. These openings were
about 12 feet apart in a N. 30° W.-S. 30° E. direction from each other.
No rock outcrops were seen near the amethyst prospect, but the surface
is covered with a light sandy soil containing scattered blocks of
granite and pegmatite. The country rock around Inez is chiefly granite,
with hornblende schist and mica schist both to the north and to the
south for a distance of a few miles. The amethyst occurs in a vein from
1 foot to more than 2 feet thick, striking about with the workings, N.
30° W. This vein consists of irregular seams, streaks, and pockets with
or without amethyst crystals, in decomposed fine granite and pegmatitic
granite. Black manganese oxide is associated with the crystals and
fills most of the seams and veinlets; in places it occurs as small
botryoidal and stalactitic masses. Many of the crystals are partly or
entirely coated with this manganese oxide, and it is only by breaking
them or scraping off the coating that the quality of the stone can be
determined.
The
crystals are rather stout and range from a fraction of an inch to 3
inches in diameter.. The majority have transparent clear portions,
suitable for gems when the color is good. The crystals range from
practically colorless amethystine to rich dark purple; They have a
distinctive reddish-violet tint and yield brilliant gems. Under
artificial light these gems lose nothing of their beauty but become an
even more beautiful lively reddish purple. In many crystals the color
is not evenly distributed but is arranged in layers or streaks parallel
to certain crystal faces. One transparent fractured crystal from this
locality exhibits a remarkable color variation when viewed in
transmitted light. The light transmitted directly through the the
crystal is a beautiful reddish purple. That transmitted with an
interior reflection is a magnificent bluish purple.
About
half a bushel of rough crystals were obtained from the two openings. Of
these possibly a quart were suitable for cutting into gems of
especially fine quality, 2 quarts could be cut into gems of
