![]() A small brownish diamond was found in1911on section 64, block 44, Foard County. There is only one well-authenticated find of diamond in Texas. It is very difficult to obtain crystals that will allow the cutting of flaw less stones of more than 4 or 5 carats.īluish and colorless celestite of gem quality and fine crystals have been found near Lampasas, Lampasas County, and near Brown wood, Brown County, but neither of these localities has been very productive of good gem material.Ĭelestite geodes have been found in parts of Coke, Fisher,and Nolan counties, but these geodes contain little gem material. The smaller crystals are frequently more transparent and consequently better suited for cutting. The crystals are mostly white or colorless and fractured near the base or where attached, but the tips of the crystals are commonly clear celestine blue and completely free of flaws.Ĭrystals several inches in length have been found, but the average size is about 1 inch. The celestite crystals occur in vugs or geodes in limestone. These same properties make this mineral exceedingly difficult to facet however, faceted stones are seen in large collections.įine crystals of colorless and blue gem quality celestite have been found at Mount Bonnell and other localities west of Austin, Travis County. Being very soft, brittle, and having three cleavages, celestite is completely unsuitable for jewelry. CelestiteĬelestite is very seldom cut into gems. ![]() It seems likely that careful prospecting of Texas pegmatites will reveal at least some gem-quality beryl. Unfortunately, these crystals are so badly flawed and fractured that they are not suitable for lapidary use. ![]() Some very tiny colorless beryl crystals have been found that are transparent,but thus far such crystals have been too small to be cut into gems.įine blue beryl crystals have been found in the Franklin Mountains near El Paso, Texas. The color of the crystals found thus far is bluish,greenish, pinkish brown, yellowish, and colorless. Most of the beryl crystals do not approach gem quality and are entirely unsuitable for any lapidary use. These crystals are commonly several inches long and exceed 1 inch in diameter but are very badly fractured. Berylīeryl crystals have been found in pegmatite dikes in Llano, Blanco, and Gillespie counties. Although the faceted and cabochon-cut stones are not particularly attractive, some of the larger pieces of augite might be utilized for carving. The augite is associated with black spinel and some dark gray to black pieces of natural glass. Specimen sand pieces of cutting quality 1 inch in diameter are common, and fragments over 2 inches in diameter have been found. ![]() Most of the augite occurs as loose pieces and crystal fragments that have weathered out of nearby igneous rocks the augite can also be found in situ in the igneous rocks. Although this material is very dark greenish brown and not commonly thought of as a gemstone, lapidaries have used it to fashion black faceted stones and cabochons that resemble obsidian. AugiteĪugite of gem quality occurs near Eagle Flat, Hudspeth County, Texas. The softness of amber limits its use to brooches, necklaces,and other jewelry that is relatively safe from abrasion. Tertiary formations of the Gulf Coastal Plain, but thus far no gem quality material has been found. Occasional finds of poor quality brownish amber have been reported from the
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