Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 May 1891 — PRECIOUS STONES. [ARTICLE]

PRECIOUS STONES.

Where They Are Found in the United States and the Value of the Output. Superintendent Porter, of the Census Bureau, yesterday issued a bulletin upon the subject of precious stones, diamond-cutting and lapidary work in the United States. The bulletin shows that up to the present time there has been very little mining for precious or semi-precious stones in the United States,and then only at irregular periods. This is particularly true of diamonds, of which only a very limited number have been found. They have been discovered in certain districts in California, North Carolina, Georgia, and recently in Wisconsin, but the discoveries have been rare and purely accidental. Sapphires of inferior col or have been found near Helena, Mont. The emerald and other beryl gems have been raided to some extent in Alexander county, North Carolina, on Mount Antero, Colorado and at Stoneham, Me. The turquois and garnets have been found in Arizonia and New Mexico. The entire production of the precious and semiprecious stones and ornamental minerals in the United States during the year 1889 was $188,807. Of this amount $53,175 was agatized and japerized wood, $24,675 turquoise stones and $14,000 quartz. Diamonds to the value of $1,066,716 were cut during the year in the nineteen lapidary works in New York and Massachusetts. The importation oi rough and uncut diamonds in 1880 amounted to $129,207, in 1889 to $250,187 and the total for the decade was $3,133,529, while in 1883 there were imported $443,996 worth, showing that there was 94 per cent, more cutting done in 1889 than in 1880, but markedly more in 1882 and 1883. The imports of diamonds and other precious stones noted during the past four years are given, as follows: 1886, $9,254,438; 1887, $10,686,403; 1888, $10,223,630; 1889, $11,705,809.