war
was followed by a reaction, and that high wages have enabled the
American people to spend large sums of money for jewelry and other
luxuries.
The
imports of pearls into this country in 1919 amounted to $11,008,973,
the highest record for the last 10 years except that of 1916, when it
reached $11,336,971.
CORUNDUM (SAPPHIRE).
The
mine of the New Mine Sapphire Syndicate, in Fergus County, Mont., was
handicapped in its operations in 1919 by the scarcity of miners and
other laborers, and by a shortage of water, the supply of which gave
out early in August, bringing operations to a close. The mine was
active only about 10 weeks. During the year there was taken from the
mine an exceptionally fine stone, which was cut and sold in Hatton
Garden, London, for £400. It weighed 10 carats in the rough and cut a
gem weighing 5 carats.
DIAMOND.
UNITED STATES. ARKANSAS.
According
to a report received from the Arkansas Diamond Co., Little Rock, Ark.,
which owns the Arkansas diamond mine, work was done there in 1919 only
by the watchman, who took out casually a very few stones. Mr. Reyburn,
president of the Arkansas Diamond Corporation, which now has control of
the property, states3 that the diamonds that have been
recovered from the mine average in weight a little less than half a
carat. Many of the stones are of the finest quality, and the few that
have been cut are said to have made beautiful gems. The company, under
the supervision of its chief engineer, S. H. Zimmerman, was in April,
1920, installing on the site a mill for testing the value of the
property. The actual diamond area covers about 60 acres. The diamonds
occur in peridotite, which is similar in its geologic characteristics
to the diamond-bearing rock in South Africa.
The
Kimberlite Diamond Mining & Washing Co., which holds a lease on the
Mauney mine and owns the Ozark and Kimberlite mines, did not operate
the mines in 1919, owing to the loss of its two plants by fire on
January 13, 1919.
The American mine, which is owned by T. E. Fluornoy, was not operated.
No work was done at the Black Lick prospect, which is owned by the Grayson-McLeod Lumber Co.
According
to the best information available, about 5,000 diamonds, mostly from
the Arkansas, Ozark, and Mauney mines, have been found in Arkansas
between the discovery in August, 1906, and the end of 1919. These
included white, brown, and yellow stones, and their average weight was
between 0.3 and 0.4 carat. The largest
3 Reyburn, S. W., Diamonds in Arkansas : Eng. and Min. .Tour., Apr. 24, 1920.
