History of the Gems Found in North Carolina
Kunz's monograph on NC gems — emeralds, rubies, sapphires, hiddenite (which he named), aquamarine. Beautifully lithographed plates depict rough and cut…
Public-domain full text preserved in the Mountain Man Mining Library. Original source: archive.org.
North Carolina Geological Hand Economic Survey
Joseph Hyde Pratt, State Geologist
Bulletin No. 12
History Of The Gems Found In North Carolina
By
GEORGE FREDERICK KUNZ, Pn.D,
Raleigh
E, M, Uzzell & 00., Public Pis inters and Bind:rs
Geological Board
Governor R. B, Glenn, e& officio Chairman . . . — Raleigh.
Henry EL Fries . , Winston-Salem.
Frank R. Hewitt, , . . Asheville.
Hugh MacBae . . Wilmington,
Frank Wood . Denton.
Joseph Hyde Pratt, State Geologist
Chapel Hill.
Letter Of Transmittal
Chapel Hill, N. C., November 15, 1906.
To ITis Excellency , Hon. R. B. Glenn,
Governor of North Carolina.
Sir . — I have the honor to submit for publication as Bulletin No. 12 of the Geological and Economic Survey, the report of Dr. George Frederick Kunz on the History of the Gems found in North Carolina.
Yours obediently,
Joseph Hyde Pratt, State Geologist.
Contents
Page
Preface , . ix
Introduction . . . . . . . xi
Chapter L™Histoeical sketch of gem mining in North Carolina* 1
II* — Diamonds 5
III. — Corundum gems . ID
Iv* — Oem Minerals Of The Pegmatite Dikes. 25
The feldspars . . . . , . . £7
OrthocLase . 27
Microline 27
Oligoelase 27
Labradorite 2S
Leopardite 28
V. — Quartz 29
Crystalline varieties 29
Hock crystal 29
Amethyst . . 21
Smoky quartz ... 22
Hose quartz 33
Quarts inclusions 33
Fluid inclusions 34
Non-Crystalline quarts 35
Chalcedony 35
Chrysoprase 35
Jasper 35
Opal . 36
Hyalite . 36
VI. — Beryl, spodumeke (hiddenite) 37
Beryl 37
Emerald beryl . 37
Aquamarine 42
Yellow beryl „ 42
Hiddenite or lithia emerald ... 45
VII.- — Garnet, zircon, rutile, octahedrite , . . 49
Garnet . 49
Almandite 49
Pyrope 50
Rhodolite 50
Zircon . 51
Rutile 52
Octahedrite ... 53
VIII. — Cyanite, epidote, tourmaline, chrysolite (peridot), ser- pentine, smaragdite, lazulite, malachite, pearls , . 54
Cyanite 54
Epidote . , 55
Tourmaline 55
Chrysolite (peridot) 56
Serpentine . 56
Edenite (smaragdite) 57
Lazulite 57
Malachite 58
Pearls S3
Illustrations
Facing Page
Corundum gems from North Carolina. c I
Wiseman Beryl Mine, Mitchell County, N. C., 18 miles from
Marion 2
Diamond and beryl crystals from North Carolina 8
A, Transparent blue and green sapphire, natural size, Macon County, N. C. ; £ ? Corundum showing alteration, natural size,
Haywood County, N, C . . 1U
Quartz gems from North Carolina. . . . , 26
A, Quartz crystals (smoky), natural size, Alexander County,
N. C.; B t Amethyst crystals, Lincoln County, N. C 30
A, Smoky quartz crystals 7/1 G natural size, Hid deni te P. O., Alexander County, N. C.; S, Quartz crystals with amethyst
tips, natural size, Lincoln County, N. C 32
A t Group of quartz crystals, parallel crystallization, % natural size, Lincoln County, N. C + ; £, Group quartz crystals en- closing clay and water, % natural size, Burke County, N. C. 34
Beryl crystals from North Carolina. 38
Emerald mine, Crabtree Mountain, Mitchell County, N. C., about
25 miles from Marion . , 42
Beryl crystals, natural size, Burnsville, N. C 44
At Spodumene (Mddenite) in matrix, natural size, Stony Point,
N. G.; B t Cyanite, natural size, Burnsville, N. C 48
Garnet and cyanite gems from North Carolina, 50
At Rutile crystals, natural size. Stony Point, N. C*; £, Rutile, reticulated, natural size, near Hiddenite P. Ch, Alexander
County, N. C 52
At Rutile with dolomite and muscovite; £, Rutile group, natural size, Stony Point, N. C 56
Preface
The preparation of the report on the History of the Gems Found in Worth Carolina was turned over to Dr. George Frederick Kun z of New York as the recognized authority on gems- He has had access to all the information relating to gems and gem minerals on hie in the office of the Survey, and has also drawn freely from the various publications by himself and others relating to the gems of the State, In his introduction. Dr. Kunz calls attention to the fact that the production of gems in the State has been largely incidental to the mining and production of some other mineral and that there have been but few localities that have been developed solely for gems. At the present time, however, there are several companies operating in North Carolina simply for gem minerals, the two more important companies being the United States Euby Com- pany and the American Gem and Pearl Company,
The report is freely illustrated and many of the colored illustrations are of gems in the Morgan -Tiffany and Morgan-Bement collections at the American Museum of Natural History of New York City.
Chapter I gives a brief historical sketch of gem mining in the State, but detailed accounts are given in many instances under the head of the individual mineral.
The various gem minerals are described in the next five chapters. The localities are also given and reference is made to the commercial value of the gem material found.
This report does not pretend to take up a detailed account of the geological occurrences of the gem minerals, or a study of their chemical and physical characteristics, as these will be discussed in a later publi- cation, It has been published especially for distribution at the James- town Exposition.
Joseph PIyde Pratt, State Geologist.
Introduction
North Carolina, with its magnificent mountains and its swiftly running rivers and streams, has now for some years come to possess almost as great a charm for the Northern as it long before had for the Southern tourist 44 The land of the Sky” has become a favorite resort for the traveler, the invalid, the sportsman, the lover of nature, and the seeker for rest, from almost every part of the country. For the mineralogist, too, it has peculiar interest, so great, indeed, that its scenic attractions have, for such as he, been almost overmatched, not to say overlooked, in the search for the beautiful crystals that are found in its mountains, and the variety of rare, minute, and interesting minerals that occur in the brooks and streams associated with gold. Among these crystals and sands occur many minerals that have yielded true gems, and North Carolina has hence become one of the most notable States for gem pro- duction in the American Union.
The finding of these minerals, however, has been in most cases a secondary or incidental result in the search for and mining of substances more immediately desired for practical use on a larger scale. These last have been essentially three, which have developed in succession, and mark several stages in the mineral production of North Carolina.
These stages were : (I) The gold-mining, from early in the last century to the time of the Civil War: (11) t lie corundum and mica industry, for the quarter-century following that great struggle; and (III) the devel- opment of the “ rare earths,” and the monazite sands, in connection with recent scientific discoveries and appliances, within the last 10 or 15 years. To these may be added a fourth stage, viz,, that of systematic mining for the gems themselves at various times, such as for sapphire at Corundum Hill; for ruby and rhodolite in the Cowee Valley; for beryls in Mitchell County, and later, for amethyst at Tessentec Creek, Macon County.
Through the gold belt of the western Carolinas and Georgia, that metal occurs widely distributed, but in very variable amounts. At certain points mining has been conducted with profit, and in some instances nuggets of impressive size have been obtained. More or less active working has long been done in the North Carolina gold fields, and the
Introduction.
total product has been very considerable; but* strange as it may seem, many of the discarded gold- wash lugs of a century ago are now yielding more to the owner of the land for the obscure and long unknown monazite sands than for the gold originally obtained with them. In regard to this latest development, extended mining has recently shown that the hillsides* from which the monazite sands in the “ branches 55 and streams originally came, contain an endless store of these rare minerals, and that when the ancient brook- washings are exhausted, the hillsides can he resorted to for a century to come. It is in the search for this mineral that most of the small and beautiful garnets* rutiles* sapphires* epidotes, and other gems have lately been found.
Between the gold-mining of earlier times and the more recent and varied developments, came the terrible years of the ie war between the States/ 5 When that was past, brave and patriotic men like the late Gen. Thomas L. .au, afterwards United States Senator, turned their attention to developing the natural resources of their State and retrieving in every way possible the ruin and devastation that had swept over the South, Then commenced a period of exploration and discovery in the mineral and gem treasures of North Carolina that has progressed and expanded to a wonderful extent. It began with the corundum industry and the mica mines. The presence of the former mineral had been Mown for some years before the war* but it had not been developed. The first notice of its occurrence in the State was in 1846* by Prof. 0. D. Smith* but with no particulars as to the locality. About 1850 General Glingman announced it from Madison County; and in 185$* Prof. K. T. Brumby* of the College of South Carolina* collected and labelled specimens from Clubb Mountain* in Lincoln County, and placed them in the College cab- inet at Columbia, S. C. In the next year Professor Ebenezer Emmons* of the University of North Carolina* in a report on the midland counties of the State, mentioned a discovery of corundum by Dr. C. L, Hunter* in Gaston County. Little or nothing was done in regard to it* however, until immediately after the war, in 1865* when the Bov* C. D. Smith, of Frank- lin, Macon County* who had been an assistant to Prof. Ebenezer Emmons on the Geological Survey of the State, identified specimens that were brought to him, visited the spot whence they came* and discovered a number of important localities. In the next 5 years a great amount of exploration was done, mines were opened, and an important and enduring industry was called into being. Among those most active in this field of study and progress* besides Mr. Smith and General Clingman, were the able State Geologist. Prof, Washington C. Kerr* the enthusiastic and indefatigable collector, Mr. J. Adlai D, Stephenson, of Statesville* and
Intb0Duct10N.
Mr, C. W. Jenks, who opened the Corundum Hill mine, at Franklin, N. C., about 1870, and was the first to find gem sapphire in its original matrix. During the same period, numerous valuable scientific reports and analyses were prepared and published by such authorities as Prof, F. A. Genth, Dr. J. Lawrence Smith, and Dr, T. M. Chatard; and the North Carolina corundum, its history, mineralogy, and composition, was thus made widely known.
Although the main value of the mineral as mined was for use as an abrasive material, yet pieces were obtained that had color and transparency enough to rank them in some cases as true gems and largely as valuable specimens. Among the first fine crystals were some obtained by Prof. C. 17. Shepard ; one of these, now in the Shepard collection at Amherst College, Mass., weighs over 300 pounds. Besides the collecting tours of Professor Shepard, many annual visits were made to the corundum region by Mr. Norman Spang, of Pittsburg, Pa., a wealthy and noted collector, who encouraged exploration, and brought back with him much of the choicest of the “treasure trove." Mr. W, E. Hidden, of New York, devoted a large part of SO years to energetic and intelligent search for minerals and gems with wonderful success; and recently the State Geologist, Dr. Joseph H. Pratt, and Prof. J. Y, Lewis have given ex- tended and detailed study to the whole subject of the various occurrences of corundum in the State. All this activity has not only developed the industry itself, but has led incidentally to other discoveries. It may be, indeed, that more has been spent in the search and in attempts at mining, not always judicious, than the product itself has yielded; hut the effect on the development of the State has been immense. In the matter of gems and remarkable specimens, these years of exploration have succes- sively brought to light one and another fine gem, crystal, or rare mineral, to such an extent that to-day, were the North Carolina specimens removed from the great collections of the world, a gap would be left that could not be filled, in such places as the American Museum of Natural History, New York, the British Museum of London, the Imperial Museum of Vienna, the U. S. National Museum at Washington, the Field Columbian Museum of Chicago, the Musee de Historie Naturelle, Paris; and many others, important but less famous.
During the same general period, the mining of mica came to be another important industry in the revival of the State, and this also led to discoveries of other rare minerals in the search for valuable localities for mica. One of the most curious and interesting facts brought to light in this connection, was the dear evidence that some of the best mica mines had been long and extensively worked by ancient aborigines, either Indians
Introduction.
or earlier “ mound-builders (if these indeed be distinct peoples) or both. Ornaments cut from mica, as also shells and quartz crystals, are not uncommon in the burial-mounds of the Mississippi valley; and, as no mica occurs in that part of the country, it is clear that the old excava- tions, rudely made with stone tools, along the outcrops of large mica veins in North Carolina, were the source of this material, which was evidently prized by the prehistoric tribes and widely distributed among them.
It is a “far cry from prehistoric mounds and ancient and long- forgotten mica mines to the incandescent lighting of our present civiliza- tion and the properties of rare chemical elements. But such are some of the contrasts that present themselves in speaking of North Carolina minerals. It is now some IS years since the introduction of the Weisbach incandescent burner, or rather mantle, that has so improved our gas illumination. Instead of using the light produced by white hot carbon particles, as in ordinary flame, a hood or mantle is employed, which, when heated by the burning gas, glows with far greater intensity. This mantle consists of a loosely woven fabric impregnated with certain compounds of rare elements. The first forms of it employed zirconia salts ; and this fact led to active mining of the small, opaque, and previously unimportant zircon crystals that are abundant at several points in North Carolina. Since then it has been found that even greater brilliancy is obtained by the use of nitrate of thorium. This latter is a rare metal, found in very few minerals and in small amounts; but it is notably present in monazite, a phosphate of this and other oxides of rare elements. Monazite was formerly regarded as a very uncommon mineral, but it has been found to occur quite abundantly in the sands of the stream-beds in the South Mountain region, comprising several counties of North Carolina, being derived from the disintegration of the country rock. Thus the monazite industry has now become highly important, and it is likely to continue and increase; as the demand for thorium salts for incandescent burners is very gTeat. This latest stage of North Carolina mining — ‘the search for the “ rare earths/ 5 so-called — has developed extensively within a few years; though General Clingman was active in the earlier stages of it, in promoting the zircon mining, and Mr. W. E. Hidden first brought into use the monazite sands, and induced the Weisbach Company to experiment with them in 1884. In 1901 the monazite output of North Carolina was 748,000 pounds, valued at some $50,000. Only Brazil surpasses, or even approaches, this production. In 1906 the output was 697,275 pounds, valued at $125,510. A total of 8,426,004 pounds valued at $635,568, was mined in the 14 years 1893 to 1906, inclusive.
With these general historical outlines in mind, we may pass to a more
Introduction* Xv
special account of North Carolina gems, that have been found, as above noted, chiefly as incidents in the course of mining enterprises.
The diamonds of North Carolina, although small in size and few in number, are undoubtedly authentic* The localities have been visited and the discoveries verified by good mineralogists* Whether their occur- rence will always be as sporadic as these, or whether others will be found, time only can tell. Babies, as fine in color as those of Burma, but gener- ally small or containing imperfections, have lately been found in the Cowee Valley, in Macon County; considerable mining for them has been done, but the financial outcome is still somewhat problematical* Eme- ralds, remarkable as crystals, but rarely transparent enough for gems, were obtained in Alexander County, some years ago; but a greater quan- tity has been sold from the more recent Crabtree Mountain discovery, in Mitchell County, where the emerald is translucent to transparent, in a white granitic rock, and the whole is cut together as a matrix material— the quartz and feldspar contrasting charmingly with the emerald green* Aquamarines, which for beauty of colors have never been rivalled in any country of the world, have been found in some profusion, and many gems have been cut weighing from 1 to 30 carats, of the most beautiful sea- blue color. Beryls, both sea-green and yellow, than which none richer have ever been found, are also obtained in Mitchell County and elsewhere* Mention should also be made of the peculiar "lithia emerald,” or hid- demte, found with the large emerald crystals above noted, at Stony Point, Alexander County* This gem-stone was discovered in 1879 by Adlai D. Stephenson, then sent by William E. Hidden to Dr* Lawrence Smith of Louisville, who named it hiddemte. The garnets of the gold washings are well known; but it remained for the Co wee Valley to produce a new variety of garnet which has received a distinct name, rhodolite , and has brought of late greater financial returns, probably, than any other North Carolina gem. The amethysts from various localities equal those found in any country of the globe ; while smoky quartz, wonderful as crystals, that have commanded the attention and study of some of the greatest living crystallographers, has been obtained in Alexander and adjoining counties* These specimens have frequently been fine enough to cut into gems. But quartz in its choicest form,- — rock crystal — has been found in Ashe County in such magnificent masses that one of the finest art objects shown at the Paris Exposition of 1900, was made from rock crystal ob- tained in this county in 1888 by the author as was the cover of the “ Adams gold vase M presented to the same museum. These now form parts of the Matthiessen gift and Edward D. Adams gift to the Metro- poll tan Museum of Art, in New York, where they are two of the finest objects in the entire museum*
Introduction.
It is intended in this report to illustrate some of the principal North Carolina gems, more remarkable usually as crystals than as precious stones for jewelry, that grace the great collections before alluded to. All those shown on the colored plates, and many of the others, are contained especi- ally in the Morgan-Tiffany collections, presented by the munificence of Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan to the American Museum of Natural History, at New York; these comprise the splendid collections formed by the author for Tiffany & Company, of New York, of American gems and precious stones shown at the Paris Exposition of 18S9, and the still finer and more extensive one displayed by them at the Paris Exposition of 1900; also the Tiffany collection shown at the Cotton States Exposition at Atlanta, in 1894, and presented to the TJ. S. National Museum by Prof. L. T. Chamberlin.
Many of the figures are loaned by the courtesy of the publishers of “Gems and Precious Stones of North America/* and will form part of the new edition of that work, treating of the Morgan-Tiffany and Morgan* Bement collections of minerals in the American Museum of Natural History; this latter made up of the Spang collection and many from the Hidden, Wilcox, and other collections. It was thought well to illustrate for this report specimens in places which are readily accessible, and no collection on this continent contains so many choice examples of North Carolina gems as does this one.
Fuller discussions upon all these subjects, with geological, mineral- ogical, chemical, or crystallographic details, may be found in the reports issued by the North Carolina Geological Survey, which contains many most valuable papers and monographs by such authorities as Kerr, Shep- ard, Genth, Ohatard, Hidden, Lewis, and Pratt, and in the Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, published at Chapel Hill ; also in the Annual Reports of the Department of Mining Statistics of the United States Geological Survey, prepared by the author under the directorship first of Albert Williams, Jr., and then of Dr. David T, Day, who has done everything to encourage and increase public interest in the development of the precious stone and mineral resources of the United States. Many papers have likewise appeared on the same topics in the American Journal of Science. Among all these, much of the literature of the gem product of the State may be found. It is the purpose of the present report to present in a clear and concise manner such facts as may interest the mineralogist, the collector, or even the tourist who wishes to acquaint himself with these “crystallized flowers,” as the celebrated Abbe Hauy called them, whose enduring beauty remains unchanged by the variations of climate found upon our globe.
Introduction,
The mineral collections in the State Museum at Raleigh include a number of valuable and interesting collections of gems and gem minerals prominent among which is that of Mr, J. A, D. Stephenson* for more than 30 years a resident of North Carolina and an enthusiastic explorer of its natural resources*
Much credit is also due to the late James D. Yerrington* for many years the agent of the Henry D, Morse Diamond-Cutting Company* who for 30 years carried on correspondence with North Carolina* doing much by his kindly advice and care to encourage the people to send small gems* which in many cases led to valuable results,
George Frederick Kunz.
Plate No 1
A
Section of o Sapphire crystal.,
Laidfci blue and yfl low. ,’enks Mine. Moron County. North Carolina.
Ruby,
-jenivs Mme, Mctuk bimiy NorthCoitt ina
B
Asteriateci sapphire, Jackson County , North Cora! jna
D
First Sapphire und in rnuh'iM
Cor:.f ndum Hi!!., fi aeon Con ntv. NorthOaroIma
Rfcsfortd forriafris dftef cut
E
Supphirvi.i binwn liatayant.
M<‘ DnwHI i ‘cii.-ml v
North GiHsrui
Ruby,
C'o'iVfV' Vrillev,
Mo. ' ' I ! I ! v Nor I". ' ’( ] no ' ;r (
G
Ruby,
YviIGVi Maeon 1 oiijvK' Nortn'.'croJitei
:Hi t .lt l(t
pptwrrdi wxield(d!uof Orrrjr r Koic.
'"-TORY OF TDK OEMS I’OUMt i NORTH CAROLINA.
riiAPT L
mSTO.RtOAL SlvETOFF OF CEM MINI NT*.
Gem c.inuj North 4 ..rdixi;: bad - vir . ; or-,. i t b- hnd or led crystals it* the gold vraahnsge in acvewtl sdUi of gem Trine,, natabiv a few diamonds and occasionally a arireo epidcto hen in the developme o. th,; mi,: icmes f.c e of .ich
!*t. rn i very beavuGi ber; ' ai t garnet*. Srome '
in me? c ratals of worn] color an, ' . n \rv-;- v. O ;!
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’
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- ro. : ? a*’o n l A m npoaed by rost and wea., oritig In
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fioop " .-ea.nl r r' for o h fir’- of
History Of The Gems Found In North Carolina.
By George Frederick Kunz, Pit. D.
Chapter I.
Historical Sketch Of Gem Mining.
Gem mining in North Carolina had its origin; first, in the finding of rolled crystals in the gold washings in several counties, some of them of gem value, notably a few diamonds and occasionally a zircon or epidote; then in the development of the mica mines, some of which furnished some very beautiful beryls and others, garnets. Some of the garnet crystals of wonderful color and brilliancy were frequently found flattened between the plates of mica.
The first systematic mining for gems was undertaken by Mr. C. W. Jenks, in 1871, when he opened the corundum mine, on Corundum Hill, near Franklin, Macon County. This proved interesting scientifically, and many choice gems were obtained; and the name of the Jenks, or Culsagee, mine became noted. The amount of gems found, however, did not warrant permanent operations for gem corundum only, and after a few years the mine was operated for corundum for abrasive purposes. Another promis- ing mine, opened soon afterwards, was the Buck Creek, or Cullakeenee mine, in Clay County ; but this has had much the same history. Next came the mining for emeralds in Alexander County, at Stony Point, where crystals had been found loose in the soil formed by the disintegration of the country rock. As this region has never been subjected to glacial action, as the northern part of the country has, anything found in the soil, apart from stream-beds, has its origin presumably near the spot where it is met with. The entire soil and upper portions of the rocks here consist of what Professor Kerr called the “ frost drift,” i. e., the same as the under- lying rock, but decayed and decomposed by frost and weathering in general. Credit should be given here to the late Mr. J. Adlai D. Stephen- son, of Statesville, who recognized these conditions and stimulated the country people to search the surface of their fields for such crystals, of
History Of The Gems Fgond In North Carolina,
which he gathered a great collection, in the hope of locating mines near the points where anything of special interest was encountered. It was thus that the emerald locality at Stony Point which also yielded the new and remarkable hiddenite gems, was traced. Later, the beryl mine at Spruce Pine, Mitchell County (PI. II), was opened, and worked from time to time, affording beautiful beryls. Then came the discovery of true rubies near Franklin, Macon County, which has led to considerable development and to the finding of some crystals which had gem value, although never very great. Near this place occurs also the rhodolite — a garnet between pyrope and almandite. This has been developed by two companies with remarkable success, and apparently more gems in value have been sold from this mine than from all other sources in North Carolina combined. More recent still is the development of the emerald matrix mine at Crabtree Mountain, near Bakersville, in Mitchell County. Here the emerald occurs as small richly colored crystals, thickly strewn through a white matrix of feldspar and quartz; and the whole rock is cut and polished together, as a green and white ornamental stone, which is quite in favor. Amethyst of good quality, but not to any great extent, has been developed in Lincoln and Macon counties.
Thus far, with the exception of rhodolite and beryl, the gem mines of North Carolina have not proved remunerative enough to warrant a continued development, either from absence of sufficiently rich material or else from the use of methods that lacked cohesiveness to assure success.
A few notes may be given here as to some of the circumstances con- nected with mining development and the men who were active in it. General Clingraan has been referred to already; another early and very active worker was Mr, C, W, Jenks, who will be mentioned further in relation to the first corundum development. One of the most energetic explorers and discoverers of North Carolina minerals was Mr. J. A. D, Stephenson, of Statesville. In 1888 he prepared for the author a sum- mary of the results which he had attained in the years following the Civil War; and from this little unpublished work the following passages are taken, to show the spirit and the methods of his activity:
The Piedmont region lying between the Catawba and Yadkin rivers, is remarkable tor the number of minerals, both common and rare, that are found in unusually fine crystals. Being a native of this section, and an ardent admirer of all the phenomena and beauties of nature, these crystals attracted my attention in early life, and the collection and study of them . . . . convinced me that they w r ere of more than usual interest: and my early experience In the placer gold mines of North Carolina familiarized me with the occurrence of such rare materials as monazite, xenotime, zircon, columbite, etc., in this region; and knowing that these materials are found
Geological And Economic Survey Bulletin No. 12. Plate Ii
Historical Sketch Of Gem Mining.
associated with precious stones in other countries, impressed rae with the idea that by ... . systematic search, valuable gems would be found here, but want of time and opportunity delayed the search until 1874.
I selected this section as the most convenient for my work. But the same indications cross the State from northeast to southeast in fact, to draw a line , ♦ . . from Paris, Maine, to Gainesville, Ga., It is surprising to me how near it passes all the gem localities east of the Mississippi River.
My plan ... was to go among the people of the country, and endeavor to interest them in collecting the different crystals found in their respective sections; this I found an easy matter, especially with the children, as they took hold of the idea readily and many of them soon became familiar with the work, and not only did good service In developing the mineral resources of the State, but many of them have acquired a good knowledge of mineralogy and general natural history.
Mr. Stephen son’s discoveries form almost the only exception to the general statement made at the outset, that the discoveries of gems and gem-minerals in hTorth Carolina arose incidentally in the search or min- ing for gold, corundum, mica, or the rare earths. Mr. Stephenson had described how he set about the search for gems directly, in the assurance that they must exist and could be traced by sufficient endeavor. In almost all other cases, the discoveries have been made accidentally in the course of other mining operations.
A recent letter to the writer from Mr. D. A. Bowman, of Bakemille, for example, states the usual facts as follows :
As to the discovery of beryl, and other gems, this was invariably by mica mining, for outside of a mica vein, I have never known a beryl to be found. In working for black mica, the beautiful beryl at Buchanan Mine was found. It was the same at Grassy Creek, where Wiseman and McKinney found the deep green aquamarines, and then sold to the American Gem Company/*
1 identified the beryl found by Wiseman and McKinney and shipped it to Tiffany & Company.
ft was Mr. Rorison and myself that first discovered the emerald matrix
at Brush Creek Mountain, in 1S94 or 1S95 For 35 years I have
worked hard to bring to light the various minerals and gems, and through your kind assistance I feel I have not worked in vain, and have been of some little service to my country.
In the same letter, Mr. Bowman gives an interesting account of the first opening of a mica mine, shortly before the war. In 1858, General Clingman, while traveling in the western part of the State, stopped over night with a Mr. Silver, near Bakersville, and was interested to find a window filled with 8 by 10 inch panes cut from sheets of mica, or as it was generally called, isinglass. The very next day, having been shown the spot where this novel material was found, General Clingman hired workmen and began sinking a shaft. Mica was taken out in magnificent
History Of The Gems Found In North Carolina.
blocks; but General Clingman was more interested in a brilliant pyrites in the adjacent feldspar, under the impression that it was a silver ore. After the war had closed, in 1869, the old mine, long known in the vicinity as the “ Sink-hole,” was brought to the notice of a stove company in Knoxville, Tenn., who began to operate it for the mica, with great success. Another mica mine in the same section, the “ Cloudland,” was discovered accidentally at about the same time, and proved to be also valuable. Quite a local excitement sprang up, and much prospecting was done for mica, with the result that several important mines were discovered. One of these, the “ Clarissa,” has yielded as much as Half a million of dollars, by Mr. Bowman’s estimate. It has been worked down to 400 feet, and is now stopped by water; but only awaits improved machinery and a rise in the price of mica, to be reopened with profit.
With all that has been discovered, however, and all that has been done, in North Carolina gems, there are evidently much greater possibilities in the future. One suggestion of a practical kind may be made in closing this introductory chapter.
A wonderful development has gone on in North Carolina in the direc- tion of the great hotels at Asheville and Toxawav and the mountain re- sorts at Linville, Cranberry and elsewhere, and a large tourist class visit this region every year. If some of the native prospectors should use their spare moments as do those in Russia, they would gather, mine and then cut the rock crystals, smoky quartz, and other stones of the region, shaping them into ornamental forms, as the inhabitants of the TJral Mountains have done since the eighteenth century, when Catherine the Second sent two Italian lapidaries to educate them in the art. This might well prove a source of interest and profit to the people of the State.
Chapter Ii.
Diamond
The mining of gems in this State had its origin in the finding of rolled crystals of gem value in the gold washings. In these regions have been found crystals of diamond, either loose in the soil, or taken from the washings of auriferous gravel. 1 The portion of the State which has yielded these valuable substances is that known as the Piedmont region — a broad belt of country, as its name indicates, at the foot of the mountains, along the eastern base of the Blue Ridge. The rocks here are raeta- morphic and crystalline, with some Cambrian beds a little farther west. There runs throughout much of this region a belt or belts of itacolumite, the so-called “ flexible sandstone,” which is also found in Brazil and in the Ural Mountains, and has frequently been supposed to be the matrix of diamond crystals. The presence of this peculiar rock and the occasional discovery of diamonds in adjacent districts have led to the idea that the itacolumite belt of North Carolina might prove to be a valuable diamanti- ferous region; but as yet no diamonds have actually been discovered there, and but few have been found in the loose d6bris of the crystalline beds. The late Prof. Frederick A. Genth, of the University of Pennsylvania, described 2 the occurrence of the 2 crystalline varieties of carbon in that State, — the graphite in beds interstrati tied with schist or gneiss; the diamond in the debris of such rocks, associated with gold, zircon, garnet, monazite, and other minerals, and after speaking of this occurrence in connection with rocks of identical age, as a very interesting circumstance, he says: “The diamond has not been observed in North Carolina in any more recent strata, and in the itacolumite regions no diamonds have ever been found, as in Brazil; from which it appears that the itacolumite of Brazil is either simply a quartzose mica slate of similar age with the North Carolina gneissoid rocks, or, if it be contemporary with the North Carolina itacolumite, the diamonds were not produced in the same, but came from the older rocks and were redeposited with the sands resulting from the reduction to powder of these, and are now found imbedded in the same, their hardness having prevented their destruction. Seven or 8 diamonds have thus been found. They occur distributed
1 Gems and Gem Mining in the South, by Joseph Hyde Pratt; The Southland, Vol. I, No. 2, p. 4, 1901.
Mineral Resources of North Carolina, p. 28, Philadelphia, 1871.
yvv. .yW. v'.'M )
(i HISTORY OF THE GEMS FOUND IN NORTH CAROLINA*
over a wide area of surface In the counties of Burke* Rutherford* Lincoln, Mecklenburg* and Franklin* and I have no doubt if a regular search were to be made for them* they would be more frequently found/ 5 To the counties named by Professor Genth* must now be added McDowell, and these all form, with the exception of Franklin* a group lying together in the line of the general drainage of the country, southeast of the Blue Ridge, Franklin County is far to the northeast of the others; and any diamonds occurring there must be derived from the disintegration of another belt of crystalline rocks* that traverses the eastern portion of the State* near Weldon, in Halifax County* or else have been transported for a long distance by streams.
Up to the present time there are about ten authentic occurrences of diamonds in North Carolina* besides several reported discoveries that are not entirely reliable/ One such instance was that of a quartz crystal found near Danbury* which was examined* and pronounced a (genuine) diamond* by the local jewelers* who valued it erroneously at some thousands of dollars.
The first specimen in order of time, was found in 1S43* by Dr, F, M. Stephenson* at the ford of Brindletown Creek, in Burke County. It W'as an octahedral crystal* and was valued at $100 ; but no particulars of it arc on record. Another was found in the same neighborhood by Prof. George W. Featherstonhaugh* but there seems to be no account of its characters preserved* In 1845* a diamond of carats* a distorted octa- hedron with curved faces* clear and flawless, though tinged with yellow, was found In the gold washings of J. D. Twitty’s mine* in Rutherford County* It became the property of the late General T, L, Clingman, of Asheville* who for many years took great interest and did great service in developing the mineral resources of North Carolina, This stone was described by Prof, Charles U. Shepard/ who announced the existence of itacolumite in the gold-bearing region of North Carolina, at the meeting of the American Association of Geologists and Naturalists in 1845* and under the impression that the itacolumite is their matrix* had predicted the further discovery of diamonds in that region* as in Brazil, For this reason diamonds* when found* were naturally submitted to him, C. Leventhorpe, of Patterson, Caldwell County, N, reports a small and poor specimen found in a placer mine on his property in Rutherford County* and states that he presented it to Prof. Shepard* who retained it in Ids cabinet. The next important diamond was found in gold-washings
1 Sketch of N. C. t Issued by the Dept, of Agriculture, Raleigh, to accompany the State Exhibit at the Charleston Exposition, 1902. Diamond, pp. 40, 41.
4 Am, Jottc. HcU VoL II, p. 253, Sept, 1840.
Diamond.
in 1853, by Dr, C. L. Hunter, near Cottage Home, Lincoln County. It is described as an elongated octahedron of a delicate greenish tint, trans- parent, and about half a carat in weight. Another, said to be a very handsome white crystal of 1 carat, was obtained in the same year, at Todd’s Branch, Mecklenburg County; it became the property of the late Dr. Andrews, of Charlotte, X. C., who also informed Prof. Genth that a beautiful black stone “as large as a chinquapin” was afterwards found by some gold-washers in the same locality. This specimen, unfortunately, was crushed with a hammer, sharing the fate of several American diamonds when submitted to the mistaken test which confounds hardness with strength. The fragments of the black diamond scratched corundum with ease, thereby proving its genuineness. 5 Soon after this two dia- monds, one a beautiful octahedron, were reported by Prof. F. A. Genth, as obtained at the Portis mine, in Franklin County. This locality is far removed from the others in North Carolina, — a point which is referred to presently.
Two discoveries are recorded in McDowell County, one of two or three small crystals found at the headwaters of Muddy Creek, and the other a fine stone picked up at a spring near Dysartville, in 188 6. 0 This was a distorted and twinned hexoctahedron, of carats, transparent, with a grayish-green tint. The little son of Mr. Grayson Christie, going for water to a spring on the farm of Alfred Bright, observed this peculiar shining pebble, and brought it home. After some local interest had developed, its nature was suspected, and it was sent to New York and there at once identified. A model of it was exhibited at the Paris Ex- position of 1889, and is now in the Tiffany-Morgan collection of the American Museum of Natural History. The present writer subsequently visited the spot, and fully authenticated all the facts of the discovery. The sediment in the bed of the spring was taken out and examined, and also the small hollows on the adjacent hillside. None of the ordinary associations of the diamond were observed, and hence it is probable that the crystal was washed down with decomposing rock-soil from higher ground, perhaps during some freshet ; or possibly it may have been carried to the spring by miners, and left unobserved or unrecognized among the “ wash-up JJ of the gold-bearing sand from some neighboring placer. There are gold mines in McDowell County, worked chiefly by hydraulic sluicing, but as a rule the stones that remain in the sluices are carefully examined, as the miners know that gems are sometimes thus found. The value of the Dysartville diamond as a jewel will hardly represent the
3 Handbook of North Carolina, Raleigh, 1880, pp. 197, 198.
8 Am. Jour. Sd., Vol. XXXIV. Dec.. 1887, p. 490.
History Of The Gems Found In North Carolina.
interest that attaches to it as a local specimen of large size and fine appearance. (See Plate III.)
Another diamond is reported to have been found 9 years before* in 1877* by a small boy* in the same region as the last. It Weighed carats* and is described as white and lustrous* but somewhat flawed* and of irregular flattened form* resembling a bean 3 with the crystal faces obscure. The finder sold it in Marion for a mere nominal sum. Mr. B. B. Price* of Marion, put it foT disposal into the hands of Mr. James
M. Gere* of Spruce Pine* an extensive buyer and miner of North Carolina mica. He took it to Syracuse* X. Y.* and sold it there to Messrs. C. M. Ball & Co.* jewelers* for the sum of $18. It was finally sent to New York* where it was cut into a small gem and its identity lost. 7
Still another crystal is in the State Museum at Baleigh, The partic- ulars of its discovery are not known; but it was purchased by the State with the collection of the late Dr. J. A. D. Stephenson* of Statesville*
N. C.* who had possessed it for some years, and reported that he bad bought it* with other minerals* from a countryman in Burke County. It has an oblong spheroidal form* the faces being curved and rounded; and it weighs 5/16 of a carat. These particulars are given in a recent letter from Mr. T. K. Brunner* Secretary of the State Department of Agriculture at Baleigh.
The latest well established discovery was in 1893, in Cleveland County* near King’s Mountain. It was a polished octahedron* weighing J carat* of a bright light canary yellow.
It will be noticed that most of these localities are situated in the same section of the State* — in the mountainous district* lying just north from the northernmost extension of the border of South Carolina. Here the counties of Burke* Rutherford* McDowell* and Cleveland lie closely adjacent* and Mecklenburg only a short distance eastward.
The foregoing list includes all the authentic diamonds thus far discovered in North Carolina. A number of small stones* exhibited as diamonds* have been found at Brackettstown. They are similar to supposed diamonds found by J. C. Mills at his mine at Brindletown* but these were transparent zircon or smokv-colored quartz* the former of which has a lustre readily mistaken by an inexperienced person for that of a diamond. A number of pieces of rough diamond, exhibited as from the same section* have been decided to be of South African* not Carolinian origin. It is to be hoped that the few legitimate discoveries
T Addendum to The 44 Minerals and Mineral Localities ot North Carolina,'' by William Earl Hidden, 2, 1889; Reprinted from Jour, of the Elisha MIteholl Scientific Society, 6tli year, part II, Raleigh, 159 G.
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actually made in this locality will not lead to deceptions, which would greatly retard any natural development of interest. It is quite possible that diamonds may be found widely distributed throughout the auriferous belt of the Carolines and northern Georgia ; and that, in the often rude and hurried methods of gold- washing employed, they may have been overlooked in the past, and now lie buried in the piles of sand that Stretch for miles along the water-courses.® It is stated that 3 diamond crystals were obtained many years ago on Koko Creek, at the headwaters of the Teliico River, in East Tennessee, on the Bench lands ” of the Smoky or Unaka Mountains. If this statement be correct, it probably points to a western extension of the diamond belt of Forth Carolina, or to the transportation of the stones thence by streams.®
Franklin County is far removed, both geographically and geologically, from all the other points above noted; and indeed in both aspects, a possible relation is suggested rather wit b the celebrated Manchester, Vir- ginia, diamond. In both these eases, M the diamonds came from the Blue Ridge, they must have been carried a long distance by streams. There is, however, a possible nearer source, in the belt of “ Atlantic " or “ Tide- water” gneiss, which runs down from Few York to and through the Carolinas, forms the rapids in the James at Richmond, and goes on directly toward Franklin County, Forth Carolina. This is merely a suggestion, however, caused by the geographical isolation of these two occurrences; nowhere else along this gneissic belt have diamonds ever been found.
s Gems and Precious Stones of North America, by Geo. F. Kunz, New York, IS 00, p. 21. 8 vo, 363 pp.
1. o., p. 35.