American Gemstones

[T L]

Date: 6/26/2010 8:57:44 PM
Author: morecarats

Date: 6/25/2010 9:51:40 PM
Author: VapidLapid
I like to take the collecting of stones from localites they are named after to another level I call Expatriate Gems. This would be examples of stones named for one place but found in another. Thus danburite from mogok, goshenite from africa, californiaite from italy, vesuvianite from california, sinhalite from burma, labradorite from finland....

Mineralogists call the location where a mineral was first found the 'type location.' But even when a mineral is named after the type location, almost everyone knows that the mineral is not identified with the type location -- specimens will probably occur elsewhere (not yet true for tanzanite, however). Apparently there is no more goshenite from Goshen, MA or danburite from Danbury, CT. All the supply comes from elsewhere.

Even though this point seems obvious, it appears to have been lost during the debate about paraiba tourmaline. There was an article in Colored Stone a few years ago, where the editor argued passionately that you couldn't have paraiba tourmaline from Mozambique, since the very name indicates that it only comes from Paraiba, Brazil. Is it any wonder the magazine went out of business? Here's a link to the article:

http://www.colored-stone.com/stories/may08/paraiba.cfm

I think the difference between Paraiba and other gems is that it's so expensive for fine qualities, and people want to keep the Paraiba name isolated to the locale that the best quality came from. These other gems are nowhere near as valuable per carat like Danburite. There are arguments on both sides. I see where you're coming from.

Bixbite and benitoite are rather expensive in larger sizes, but they continue to be one source gems.

 

[morecarats]

Date: 6/26/2010 8:46:10 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
I heard Hiddenite, a rare gem, is named after a city in North Carolina.

This is actually a case where a town was named after the gemstone, rather than the other way round. Hiddenite was named after William Earl Hidden, who first discovered it in 1879 in North Carolina. The town that became known as Hiddenite was known as White Plains prior to Hidden's discovery.

In an analogous reversal of the usual naming sequence, the element fluorine was named after the mineral fluorite, as was the phenomenon of fluorescence.

 

[sparkles]

Beautiful Pink Tourmaline Harriet, but it really deserves it''s own thread.....

 

[Harriet]

Ok, I get the hint.

 

[iluvcarats]

Date: 6/26/2010 8:17:32 PM
Author: Harriet
Here''s my pink tourmaline from Pala, CA. It''s a baby, but I love the colour and it''s atypically clean for material from the locality.

That is a gorgeous color pink Harriet

Can''t wait to see how you set that!

 

[sparkles]

I haven''t seen a belly button ring thread here! Maybe the tourmaline would make a nice belly button ring.....haha.

 

[Harriet]

Thanks, iluvcarats.

Sparkles! Maybe for Miami.

 

[gsellis]

Here are a few that are missing:

Montana sapphires
diamonds from Crater of Diamonds
Jackson Crossroads, Four Peaks, Diamond Hill and a few other amethyst
AZ peridot
turquoise (best in the world)
Ant Hill garnets
Idaho star garnets
Emeralds (Spruce Pine/Little Switzerland area)
rubies from Cowee Valley NC
opal from both NV and OR
Oregon Sunstones
Fire Agate
Various jaspers and agates (Lake Superior springs to mind)
Maine tourmalines
blue topaz (Texas)
Ammonite (opalized - UT)
Aquamarine - Mt Antero
Jade

 

[chrono]

Date: 6/28/2010 8:13:14 PM
Author: gsellis
Here are a few that are missing:

Montana sapphires
diamonds from Crater of Diamonds
Jackson Crossroads, Four Peaks, Diamond Hill and a few other amethyst
AZ peridot
turquoise (best in the world)
Ant Hill garnets
Idaho star garnets
Emeralds (Spruce Pine/Little Switzerland area)
rubies from Cowee Valley NC
opal from both NV and OR
Oregon Sunstones
Fire Agate
Various jaspers and agates (Lake Superior springs to mind)
Maine tourmalines
blue topaz (Texas)
Ammonite (opalized - UT)
Aquamarine - Mt Antero
Jade

I think some on your list may not count because they were not first discovered in the US. For example, sapphires were first discovered in the East Indies?

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Date: 6/26/2010 12:15:03 AM
Author: VapidLapid
But that wouldn''t make it an american gemstone. it was formed naturally but not here; in outer space. then crossed into america unsurprisingly via arizona. The moldavite can claim to having been formed of native materials because of an impact. Moissanite then must be a naturalized alien stone.

Although the AZ find was from outerspace, it can be produced terestrially, including a deposit in WY.

 

[Barrett]

nice thread morecarats..me likee..was also thinking about a different aspect..well we all know tanzanite is only found in tanzania and benitoite in cali and red beryl in utah..at least gem grade but red beryl is also found in 2 places in utah and one place in new mexico, benitoite has been found in tennessee, tanzanite has been found in brazil(vanadium bearing), chromium bearing hiddenite has also been found in china, afghanistan, burma, madagascar, california, etc. and pink topaz has been found in the US before..even a couple gem grade emeralds have been found right north of Atlanta even some fantastic gem gradd diamonds have been found right east of atlanta in hall county..supposedly even a rough the size of a hens egg that was lost..there is even a diamond mine in south georgia near savannah...just little notes I picked up over the years researching these different stones..there are tons more.. although many of these places didn't produce anything worthwhile or gem grade still pretty cool to know some of these locations or minerals which I thought only came from here or there have actually been found in places I never would have expected

 

[movie zombie]

Date: 6/26/2010 8:17:32 PM
Author: Harriet
Here''s my pink tourmaline from Pala, CA. It''s a baby, but I love the colour and it''s atypically clean for material from the locality.

pink tourmaline from pala was once very highly priced by chinese royalty. i can see why with your stone!

mz

 

[Harriet]

Thanks, MZ. I was lucky and given a piece from old material.

Franklinite! How did I forget.

 

[VapidLapid]

Date: 6/28/2010 10:08:23 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy

Date: 6/26/2010 12:15:03 AM

Author: VapidLapid

But that wouldn''t make it an american gemstone. it was formed naturally but not here; in outer space. then crossed into america unsurprisingly via arizona. The moldavite can claim to having been formed of native materials because of an impact. Moissanite then must be a naturalized alien stone.

Although the AZ find was from outerspace, it can be produced terestrially, including a deposit in WY.

The rule of the original post was named for locality of discovery, not but subsequently found many other places, so I stand by my alien introduction theory since the first find, and the naming find, was meteoric --> alien. Native-formed deposits discovered later don''t change the circumstance of the discovery and naming. the discovery of terrestrial peridot was not challenged by the later discovery of meteoroidal peridot and it is still called forsterite though neither Levy nor Forster ever found a meteor. Peridot as a gem was named millenia before it even had a mineral family name. Yes moissanite can be and was produced here too, at least in wyoming. I aint arguing Im just sayin