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8 MINERAL RESOURCES, 1918—PART II.
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production
depend on the assistance rendered by the gem miners and dealers, and
their help is greatly appreciated. The Geological Survey carries on a
large correspondence concerning precious stones, and the information
furnished by the individual producers enables the Survey to put
intending purchasers of rough material directly in touch with them.
Corundum, quartz, tourmaline, and turquoise constituted 79 per cent of the total value of the precious stones produced in 1918.
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Reports
of actual production were received from 57 persons and companies. A few
of these persons are either lapidaries or collectors and not regular
producers of precious stones. Thirty-eight distinct mineral species
were mined; including all varieties as reported, a total of 75 named
precious stones were produced. These came from 27 States (including
Hawaii), 8 of which had a production valued at more than $1,000 each.
Montana
continued to lead all the other States in the value of precious stones
produced in 1918. The output consisted chiefly of corundum of the
variety sapphire, which represented almost half of the total value of
all precious stones produced in the United States in 1918. Other gem
minerals produced in Montana were agate
1
Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and
Wyoming. Production of each State less than 11,000.
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