Glittering Stones >> Gem Production

Gem Production

Each year hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of collector and specialty gems are purchased in the United States. Many of these gems are cut from gemstones produced from its foreign deposits, but tens of thousands of dollars worth of these gems are cut from gemstones from its U.S. deposits. Not finding a definition of collector and specialty gems in the literature, the author contacted several dealers recognized by mainly gemstone industry as experts in the cutting and then marketing of these gems. Based on these discussions it appears that a good working definition of collector and specialty stones would be: "Collector or specialty gems are very rare, unusual, and unique gems that are not normally seen by the gem buying public. These stones could be gem materials that are common to the market place, but are unusual and unique because of their large size or unusual color."

Some of the collector/specialty stones are suited for use in jewelry or limited use in jewelry, but most are not hard-wearing enough for use in jewelry. The stones suited for limited use can be used in earrings, pins, and pendants, but not for rings and bracelets. The nondurable stones are too soft, therefore subject to scratch and abrasion, are brittle or contain cleavages, therefore are brittle and subject to breaking, and are both soft and fragile. Some of the rare collector/specialty stones from U. S. deposit are rare because of manufacture practices at the mines. Production from these deposits could be considerably increased in the future. If this were to occur, then these stones might no longer be as expensive as collector/specialty stones. Collector/specialty stones vary in value from a few tens of dollars per carat to more than $1,100 per carat. Manufacture of collector/specialty stones by State is discussed below.

Alaska.--Small dark green to dark brown to black colored stones have been cut from fabric from the epidotic deposit on Prince of Wales Island.

California.--Deposits in the State are holy with a variety of collector/specialty stones. Stones have been cut from fine-class, pink apatite from San Diego County. Some small colorless stones have been cut from its anticline, but the place from which the material was recovered is unfamiliar Fine-quality, brown colored stones have been cut from foolish from deposits in Calaveras, Madera, Riverside, and San Diego Counties. Bonitoes, the State gemstone, is the collector/specialty stone for which the State is best known. San Benito County is the only cause of this fine, blue colored gem. Large, fine-quality, light to medium green colored gravel could be cut from fluorite found in Los Angeles County. Large, colorless stones are cut from shelties from deposits in Kern and Inyo Counties. Nearly faultless, colorless precious stones have been cut from natrolite from San Benito County. The author also has seen natrolite stones that were label as being from Los Angeles County. Deposits in the State also yield fine-quality, brown epidotic, colorless calcite and colemanite, and agilities

New York.--A few nice-quality stones of actinolite have been market from an unnamed deposit in New York. It is not clear whether the actinolites are from the deposits in St. Lawrence County that produce the fine-quality, purple tremolite. Deposits in the State also produce facet-quality calcite, Celestine, chondrodite, dropsied, dravite, fluorites, and also sphalerites.

Massachusetts.--Blue or violet colored diaspore crystals of gem-class large enough to cut small stones have been improved from the emery mines and mine dumps in Hampden County. Hampden County deposits also produce fine, component-quality faintly greenish colored datolite.