American Gemstones

[morecarats]

If you enjoy gemstone trivia, here''s a quiz with an American angle --

The USA is not really known as a major source for gemstones, even though 100 years ago it was the leading tourmaline producer in the world.

However, there are a number of gemstone varieties that were first discovered in the USA, and named after Americans or American locations. What are they?

 

[Kismet]

Danburite and Benitoite both spring to mind.

 

[virgoruby]

Kunzite?

 

[chrono]

Kunzite named after G.F. Kunz
Morganite named after J.P. Morgan

There''s probably more but I''ll have to think a little harder.

 

[T L]

Benitoite named after San Benito, California. Ooops, I see Kismet got that already.

 

[morecarats]

Hint: there are at least two more. One of them even had its own thread recently.

 

[Kismet]

Would Hiddenite count?

 

[morecarats]

Date: 6/25/2010 8:55:52 AM
Author: Kismet
Would Hiddenite count?

Well done, Kismet! First discovered by William Earl Hidden in North Carolina in 1879. Hidden was sent to North Carolina by Thomas Edison in search of platinum for production of his electric light bulb. Hidden never found any platinum, but he did find a number of other minerals, including the green spodumene that was named in his honor.

 

[chrono]

So we can do by location names too? If so, I can think of a few more.

ETA
Bixbite (red beryl) discovered in Utah by Maynard Bixby?

Is it just me or do I notice a pattern here? All these American gems named after their discovers end with "ite".

 

[morecarats]

Good one, Chrono. The interesting thing about bixbite is that there was also another mineral named after Maynard Bixby (bixbyite, a manganese iron oxide) and the name bixbite has now been deprecated by CIBJO to avoid confusion with bixbyite. The official name is now just "red beryl", but you''ll often see it sold as bixbite (if you can find it, since it''s quite rare).

 

[morecarats]

Date: 6/25/2010 9:10:09 AM
Author: Chrono

Is it just me or do I notice a pattern here? All these American gems named after their discovers end with ''ite''.

The "ite" suffix derives from the Greek word lithos meaning rock or stone (the adjectival form of lithos is "-ites"). It''s a convention in the mineral world that new minerals are given names ending in "ite." The Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association publishes guidelines for naming new minerals. So not only American gems follow this convention.

If the timekeeping properties of quartz had been known before the mineral was named, it might have been called Chronoite ...

 

[chrono]

Which explains Sugilite which is a relatively new find and a couple others. MC, you are such a fountain of knowledge. Thanks!

 

[VapidLapid]

Goshen Massachusetts, ite

 

[morecarats]

Yes, goshenite is the one we were missing.

It''s interesting that two white gemstones with quite good hardness were discovered in tiny little towns in New England, Goshen, MA and Danbury, CT. Danbury is not even famous for danburite, it''s better known as the birthplace of Charles Ives, arguably America''s greatest composer.

 

[RockHugger]

very interesting thread!!

 

[StonieGrl]

Great thread!

 

[movie zombie]

i think collecting american stones would be a lot of fun!

mz

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 6/25/2010 10:18:57 AM
Author: morecarats

Date: 6/25/2010 9:10:09 AM
Author: Chrono

Is it just me or do I notice a pattern here? All these American gems named after their discovers end with ''ite''.

The ''ite'' suffix derives from the Greek word lithos meaning rock or stone (the adjectival form of lithos is ''-ites''). It''s a convention in the mineral world that new minerals are given names ending in ''ite.'' The Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association publishes guidelines for naming new minerals. So not only American gems follow this convention.

If the timekeeping properties of quartz had been known before the mineral was named, it might have been called Chronoite ...

In Europe the suffix ''ine'' is often used instead of ''ite''...

So, spessartine garnet rather than spessartite.

I tend to stick with the ''ite'' ending myself as it''s what I''m used to, but my tutors almost always use ''ine''.

 

[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....

 

[PrecisionGem]

I believe Rhodolite garnet is named after the Rhododendron flowers that grow wild in the mountains in North Caroline where these stones can be found.

 

[morecarats]

Date: 6/25/2010 9:54:32 PM
Author: PrecisionGem
I believe Rhodolite garnet is named after the Rhododendron flowers that grow wild in the mountains in North Caroline where these stones can be found.

There is an interesting controvery about this. It is sometimes claimed that rhodolite garnet was first discovered by William Earl Hidden in North Carolina. I''ve seen the claim repeated in respectable publications such as JCK. Here''s an example:

http://www.jckonline.com/article/285931-Rhodolite_Garnet.php

But since rhodolite is just a mix of almandine and pyrope, both of which have been know for many centuries, it is doubtful that this claim is true.

As far as the name is concerned, it is probable that rhodolite and rhododendron were both named from the Greek "rhodo" (rose), as were several other gems, including rhodochrosite and rhodonite.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

It could be argued that moissanite is an American stone. Although the discoverer was French, the sample he was looking at came from AZ. There have been very few finds of natural moissanite, but I believe most of the come from the US, mainly AZ and WY.

 

[morecarats]

I had never thought of natural moissanite as an American gemstones, but you''re right, it was first discovered by Henri Moissan in a meteor crater in Canyon Diablo, Arizona, in 1893. Unlike moldavite, some natural moissanite actually has an extraterrestrial origin.

 

[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.

 

[empress]

Herkimer Diamonds.

 

[morecarats]

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.

Though moissanite was discovered in Arizona in 1893 (by a French mineralogist and not, fortunately, by an immigration officer), it actually arrived long before the creation of the United States, and thus counts as native American.

 

[morecarats]

Date: 6/26/2010 12:25:34 AM
Author: empress
Herkimer Diamonds.

Herkimer Diamonds are actually just double-terminated quartz crystals (named after Herkimer County, NY). But many New Agers attribute mystical powers to them, thus making them thoroughly American.

 

[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.

 

[T L]

I heard Hiddenite, a rare gem, is named after a city in North Carolina.

 

[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