corundum, Colombia.12, gems, sapphire, benitoite, Australia.12, jade, nephrite, New Zealand

Kunz reviews developments in the precious-stone industry during 1907, covering both American occurrences and the principal foreign sources. U.S. material includes turquoise, amethyst, kunzite, chalcedony, benitoite, sapphire, diamonds, and other ornamental stones, with particular attention to the newly developed Arkansas diamond field and the recently discovered benitoite of California. Foreign sections discuss South African and Brazilian diamonds, Queensland sapphire, Burmese tourmaline, Australian topaz and opal, New Zealand jade, Burmese jadeite, and verdite. Of special interest is a report of sapphires from an otherwise unknown locality in Colombia, described as white, colorless, yellow, pale blue, and hexagonal, flat and barrel-shaped. Kunz notes that although emerald had long been associated with Colombia, the occurrence of sapphire there had not previously been recognized. The article also surveys changing jewelry fashions and the commercial market, noting renewed demand for blue stones, particularly sapphire, the continued popularity of green gems, and the effects of the 1907 financial crisis on diamond imports and trade.