corundum, USA.12, North Carolina.12, Montana.12, gems

Kunz reviews the precious-stone industry and trade in 1887, beginning with American gem mining and estimated U.S. production, then describing recent discoveries and developments involving diamond, zircon, beryl, phenacite, garnet, tourmaline, hiddenite, rock crystal, chrysoprase, agate, pectolite, feldspars, rhodonite, turquoise, cyanite, labradorite, and ornamental stones. Kunz-1888-Precious stones.pdf A substantial section treats foreign sources, particularly the rapidly expanding South African diamond mines, their mining and sorting methods, production, values, consolidation, and effects on the international diamond trade; Kunz also discusses Brazilian, Indian, and Australian diamond production and the growth of diamond imports, cutting, and consumption in the United States. Of particular gemological interest are detailed accounts of the Kashmir sapphire deposit, discovered in 1882 in the Zanskar Range, and the Mogok ruby mines of Burma, including British attempts to lease the mines, contemporary mining practices, royalties, and trade. Kunz also surveys changing fashions in gems, including cat’s-eye, alexandrite, moonstone, opal, and amber, and notes the rapidly growing American interest in carved jade and other hardstone objects. He discusses Alaskan jade, Central American jadeite artifacts, Burmese jadeite, and Māori jade objects, while recording contemporary theories concerning the provenance of American jadeite. The report concludes with accounts of important gem collections and their dispersal or acquisition, including the Hope collection, the French Crown jewels, C.W. King’s engraved gems, the Sommerville collection, W. Hayes Ward’s ancient cylinders, and Isaac Lea’s collection of gems studied for microscopic inclusions.