10 plants operating in 8 States. The
States, in descending order of value of
production, were California,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington,
Arizona, Michigan, New Mexico, and
Ohio.
Arizona is known for its variety of
gemstones that include agate, amethyst,
antlerite, azurite, chrysocolla, fire agate,
fluorite, garnet, jade, jasper, malachite,
obsidian (Apache tears), onyx, peridot,
petrified wood, precious opal, shattuchite,
smithsonite,  and  turquoise.  Yet,
turquoise, peridot, petrified wood, and
azurite-malachite accounted for more than
90% of the total value of gem material
produced.   Arizona was the largest
domestic producer of azurite, fire agate,
peridot, petrified wood, and turquoise.
Also, it is estimated that Arizona was the
world's largest producer of peridot,
turquoise, and petrified wood and a
significant producer of pyrope garnet.
Many gem and mineral dealers believe
that the value of mineral specimens
produced from Arizona deposits is equal
to, if not greater than, the value of
gemstone produced. The USBM does not
survey the production of mineral
specimens, but its gemstones survey does
capture data on that portion of the
mineral specimens that are gemstones.
The mineral specimen information
collected is for gemstones that are used as
specimen, because the value of the
specimen is   in the total value of
production of the individual gemstone.
This is particularly true for the
production of Arizona's petrified wood.
Additionally, four manufacturers of
synthetic or simulant gem materials in
Arizona produced about $0.3 million
worth of material.
Arkansas continued to be the State
with the greatest value of quartz
production. At least four firms produced
significant amounts of gem and specimen
rock crystal from deposits in the areas
around Hot Springs, Mt. Ida, and
Jessieville. As stated earlier, the rivers,
lakes, and reservoirs of Arkansas
continued as the second largest source of
U.S. freshwater mussel shell and pearl.
Arkansas also produces several different
mineral specimens other than rock


crystals, but only the rock crystal
specimen production is in the gemstone
production numbers.
During 1993 at Crater of Diamonds
State Park, Murfreesboro, AR, visitors
reported finding 800 diamonds that
totaled  144.44  carats.  Crater of
Diamonds State Park is the only location
in the United States to have reported
sustained production of diamonds for any
appreciable length of time. Diamonds are
found by visitors to the State park who
pay a daily fee to hunt for diamonds
using only handtools. It is possible that
1993 could be the last year that Arkansas
has the only operating diamond mine.
Mining tests were underway during late
1993 and early 1994 on two diamond
properties in the Colorado-Wyoming
Stateline Mining District. Since 1972,
hobbyists have found from 300 to 1,500
diamonds per year at the Crater of
Diamonds State Park. From 1906 to the
present, it is estimated that production
from the deposit is 100,000 to 150,000
carats; this amount of diamond production
is insufficient to classify the United States
as a diamond-producing country. Still,
the potential to become a diamond
producer may be there, and efforts were
underway to evaluate this potential more
fully.
Gemstone production from California
includes a variety of materials almost a
large  as  Arizona's.    Tourmaline
production from the State is significant,
and California has the only producer of
benitoite. Additionally, deposits in the
State produce agate, alabaster, beryl,
dumortierite, fire agate, garnet, gem
feldspar, jade, jasper, kunzite, lepidolite,
obsidian, quartz, rhodonite, topaz, and
turquoise. Yet, even with this long list of
gemstones, most people think of
California in terms of its State gem
benitoite, its high-quality tourmalines,
and its fine orange spessartine garnets.
The State also has a freshwater culture
pearl farm at Marysville, but it did not
harvest shell or pearls during 1993. The
farm uses animals imported from
Tennessee and other southeastern States.
Production includes pearls, shell, and
finished nucleus for cultured pearl
implants.


California also has four manufacturers
of synthetic or simulant gemstones. The
value of production from the State is the
largest of any State for synthetics and
simulants.
Colorado is not known as a gemstone-
producing State, but it does hold some
gemstone honors.   It has the only
commercially mined deposit of lapis
lazuli in the United States and one of the
few fee-for-dig topaz deposits currently
operating. Additionally, the State was the
first to produce turquoise commercially,
and it still has commercial turquoise
mines. It also produced the United
States' finest gem-quality rhodochrosite
and a quantity of high-quality rhodonite.
During 1993, two diamond deposits in
the  Colorado-Wyoming   State  Line
diamond district were tested by bulk
sampling. Reports in the International
California Mining Journal, February
1994, issue indicated that the Kelsey Lake
project of Colorado Diamond Corp.,
project manager for Redaurum Red Lake
Mines Ltd., collected several bulk
samples from the alluvial deposits
associated with the Kelsey Lake
kimberlites. A 6.2-carat, gem-quality
diamond was recovered from one sample
and a 1.1 -carat stone from another. To
date, sampling of the Kelsey Lake
projects has yielded 268 stones larger
than 2 millimeters, of which 60% was
gem quality and 25% was more than 1
carat. Plans have been completed and
activities are underway for a 100,000-ton
test mining program. On May 31, 1994,
the Denver Post reported the underground
mining test by Royal Star Resources Ltd.,
a Canadian company, of the Sloan Ranch
kimberlite deposit 40 kilometers
northwest of the town of Fort Collins.
Samples totaling 1,200 tons were
processed and yielded more than 3,500
diamonds, the largest a 5.51-cant stone.
Additional kimberlite will be mined and
processed before a decision can be made
about the economic feasibility of mining
diamonds  from   the  Sloan  Ranch
kimberlite.
Many locations in the State produce
small quantities of aquamarine, the
Colorado State gemstone.  The best
locations and the locations with the


GEMSTONES-1993










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