mi
VOL. II., NO. 5.
PINEHURST, N. C, NOV. 25, 1898.
PRICE THREE CENTS.
II VI ft I
NORTH CAROLINA GEMS.
Great Variety of Precious Stones
Produced in this State.
Diamonds, Emeralds, Rubies, Sapphires
Found in Small Quantities.
Hiddenite, Rarest of All Gems and Noted for
Its Beauty of Color, Discovered Here.
Many of the varieties of precious stones
or gems of commerce are found in this
state, and have been searched for in
spasmodic exploration for a number of
vears. The accidental discovery some
fifteen years ago of emerald and hidden
ite in Alexander county, where gem
mining on a considerable scale was con
ducted for several years, may be consid
ered the beginning of this industry. The
indications rarely justify the expenditure
of much capital, and the existing condi
tions barely justify the rating as an in
dustry. Vet it is a source of revenue to
a few persons who wash the gravel or
gouge out the crystals from the mother
rock.
The largest plant operated for gems
exclusively was that in Alexander coun
ty, where emerald, hiddenite, beryl,
rarely terminated rutile, and exquisite
shades of garnets were found; and next
to this should be mentioned Corundum
Hill in Macon county, where rubies,
sapphires, beryls and garnets are gath
ered incidentally in washing corundum
for the nnrkets. Again, garnets, beryls,
rubies, sapphires, hyacinth, emerald, cit
rine topaz, amethyst and rare quartz
gems are taken incidentally in McDowell
county, on the property of the Marion
Improvement Company, under the skill
ful management of Col. II. C. Demming,
of llarrisburg, Pa. And in a desultory
way, in Mitchell, Yancey, Macon, Bun
combe, McDowell, Burke, Alexander,
Iredell, Lincoln and other counties vari
ous gem stones are gathered and sold to
local and foreign dealers.
Diamond. There is recorded the find
ing of thirteen small diamonds in the
state. Seven of these are credited to the
auriferous gravel beds of Burke, McDow
ell and Rutherford counties centering
about the Brindletown region. The larg
est one of these weighed four and one
third carats, and was found in McDowell
county. The remaining six are credited
to the following counties : Lincoln, 1 ;
Mecklenburg, 2 ; Franklin, 2 : Richmond,
L There is but small indication that
diamonds may be found with more fre
quency in the future, yet the forest-clad
hills may one day give to the diamond
hunter rewards little dreamed of now.
Hiddenite. This is an emerald-green
variety of spodumene, found only in Al
exander county, when it occurs sparsely
in the soil and gneissoid rock, along with
emerald, mouazite, rutile, allanite, dolo
mite and quartz crystals of generally
smoky color and rare modifications. At
one time a considerable amount of min
ing was done by the Emerald and Hid
denite Mining Company in search of
these gems, and with gratifying success,
as crystals of hiddenite and chrome
green beryl of exceptional size and con
spicuous beauty were obtained.
Hiddenite was named after Mr. W. E.
Hidden, of New Jersey (a mineralogist
of note who has done much valuable
work in this state), by Prof. J. Laurence
Smith, who identified the mineral. To
the energy and enterprise of Mr. Hidden
is due the introduction of hiddenite as a
gem of rarity and with an established
commercial value of $100 or more per
carat for richly colored specimens ; but
specimens of the natural crystal were
exhibited in the cabinet of Mr. J. A. D.
Stevenson, of Statesville, N. C, for sev
eral years prior to Mr. Hidden's exploi
tation. The gem is justly esteemed for
its great beauty of color, its superiority
over the emerald in the splendor of its
fire, and in its being the rarest of the
precious stones.
Emerald. Beryls of chrome-green
color have been found in many localities
in Mitchell, Yancey, Macon, McDowell,
Burke, Iredell and notably in Alexander
county. The most celebrated specimens
are still uncut in the hands of collectors
outside the state. One of the finest crys
tals ever found here was taken from the
property of the Emerald and Hiddenite
Mining Co., and is now in the private
collection of Mr. C. S. Bement, of Phila
delphia. It is eight and a half inches in
length and weighs nine ounces. There
were other handsome crystals doubly
terminated, and perhaps of better color
found, but somewhat inferior to this in
size. Mi', o. a. u. Stevenson secureu a
crystal (fractured) a few years ago with
in outside border or coating of rich
chrome-green color, which weighed very
nearly twenty-seven ounces. This spec
imen offered fine material for the lapidist,
but its lack of symmetry and absence of
terminations lessened its scientific value.
Aquamarine. Pale bluish, bluish-
green, pale green, greenish-yellow, yel
low, golden yellow and limpid white
beryls are found in the mica veins of
Mitchell, and in feldspathic and micace
ous rocks and in the soil in Yancey,
Macon, McDowell, Burke, Alexander,
Iredell and other counties. These tints
e more abundant than the chrome-col
ored, and are sought after by those liv
ing in proximity to the localities and of
fered to collectors; eventually finding
their way into cabinets or the show cases
of gem dealers.
Many of these crystals are of great sci
entific interest because of the remarkable
terminations, oftentimes rivalling the
lapidist in the number and brilliancy of
the facets presented.
Many fine crystals and fragments of
various shades of coloring, and ranging
in size from the minutest forms to those
of more than two feet in length and as
much as seven inches in diameter have
been found at the mica mines, and some
specimens from other localities. These
immense crystals are opaque and gener
ally bluish or greenish in color, and are
of value only as specimens.
Bum. The ruby is derived from the
red crystals of corundum, and the finest
specimens in the state so far discovered
are from Macon county, and the majority
from the Corundum Hill mines. A few
are found in Clay, Jackson, Iredell and
Gaston counties. There have been but
few found of the coveted pigeon-blood
color.
Sapphire. Like the ruby, sapphires
come from crystals of corundum, and
they are to be found at the same locali
ties designated for ruby. Many nice
gems have been found in the state. The
term "oriental"' is applied in commerce
to ruby, sapphire, emerald and topaz,
and in speaking of oriental sapphire, it is
meant that it is a corundum sapphire,
and so on through the list. Corundum
is next to diamond in hardness, and gems
from that source are more highly prized
on that account.
Cyanite. This mineral is not very
rare in its occurrence in this state, and
comes from practically the same locali
ties designated above for corundum
gem. It is of an exquisite deep-blue
color much resembling sapphire, but of a
softer substance, yet hard enough for
gem purposes. The finest specimens are
found at Yellow mountain, in Mitchell
county.
Gaunet. This material is widely dis
tributed in the state and is a constant
constituent of many of the micaceous
and other igneous rocks, and in flattened
crystals in muscovite and biotite crystals
as inclusions. It is found massive and
in trapezohedron crystals weighing from
six to eighteen pounds each, and through
many intervening forms down to the
small fractured masses in Kinzigite and
in sands. In color it ranges from black
into red, cherry, cinnamon, almandine,
purple, rose and other pale tints. The
most desirable shades for gems come
from Macon and Alexander, but good
gems are found in Mitchell, Yancey,
McDowell, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba
md other counties. Pyrope and massive
garnet for conversion into abrasives is
found in McDowell and Burke counties.
Massive manganiferous garnet is found
in Kutherford, Lincoln, Gaston, Kock
ingham, Stokes, Chatham and other lo
calities.
Quartz. The widest distribution
characterizes this material. It is com
paratively abundant in about one-third
of the area of the state. Many rare and
interesting forms are to be found, as well
as some remarkably large crystals; in
fact crystals approaching three hundred
pounds in weight are credited to Ashe
county. Caldwell county furnishes
some beautiful and perfectly limpid spec
imens. Alexander county is a more
prolific source and supplies specimens of
many shades in color and of great scien
tific interest because of rarely modified
terminations. Both Mr. J. A. 1). Stev
enson and Mr. W. E. Hidden have for
warded fine collections ranging in color
from almost black through varying tints
of brown and yellowish-brown to limpid
white, to Germany at the request of an
eminent erystallographer, the late G.
von Bath, of Bonn, who carefully stud
ied and figured them, announcing in his
results many new forms or planes hith
erto unknown to science.
Under the general head of quartz, ref
erence may properly be had to several
gems belonging to this classification.
Sagenite, Venus' hair, arrows of love
and rutilated quartz, are the names us
ually applied to one of the most striking
of the quartz gems. It occurs as a crys
tal or mass of quartz holding as inclu
sions scores of acicular crystals of rutile ;
these are brown, red and yellow in color
and are meshed in confusing lines of
fiery brightness which are very effective
in artificial light. Iredell county has
supplied many fine specimens ; as have
Alexander, Catawba and Burke counties.
Citrine topaz yellow quartz is also
found in Burke and adjoining counties;
but rarely in deep, rich color. It makes
striking gem when the coloring is
good, and is much esteemed.
Smcky topaz cairngorm occurs in
many shades of blown, from very deep
almost black through varying rich
tones and fading into limpid white. This
gem, while of low price, is much ad
mired in some of its richer colorings.
Vmethyst purple quartz is widely
distributed, almost as great In extent as
quartz. It occurs in deep and pale
shades of purple, and is two well known
to demand extended notice. Catawba
and Lincoln counties have produced
handsome crystals in clusters.
Some few specimens of opalescent
quartz have been found which under the
lapidists wheel have turned out fair re
sults. Cabarrus county has supplied the
best of this variety of quartz.
In addition to the above there have
been found many quartz crystals with
nclusions of various substances, which
have presented when cut, attractive
gems. Some of the prettiest of these
ame from the property of the Marion
Improvement Company in McDowell
county.
Other Gem Stones. There are a
number of gem bearing stones, which
while affording occasional gems, are not
sought like the foregoing. Among these
may be mentioned zircon, which occurs
in small crystals in many localities.
Som limpid white gems (small) have
been cut, but no large gems of any color
ive been discovered.