Description:
Nearly all the known varieties of gems and precious stones are
found in the United States, and several varieties are found in Arizona.
Little systematic mining has been carried on for them, and no extensive
search for them has been made, except in the states of Maine
and North Carolina. In most cases, the discovery of gems in the
United States has been accidental in connection with other substances
that are being mined, or in small veins.
These gems are mostly sold in local markets; gem collectors and
mineralogists also purchase them, for private collections, as a rule.
Arizona Gems. The best known gems found in Arizona are turquoise, garnet,
peridot, chrysocolla, azyr-malachite, malachite, agate, chalcedony,
amethystine quartz, diamond (meteoric) dioptose and topaz.