Maryland " Patuxent River Agate" !

Effective October 1, 2004, the State Legislature named the Patuxent River Stone the State Gem of Maryland . The Patuxent River Stone is actually an Agate, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz. This particular variety found only in Maryland, the Patuxent River Stone's colors of red and yellow reflect in the Maryland State Flag.

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The Patuxent River Stone is a recently newly-discovered gemstone that has extraordinary color and has high potential as a gemstone. It also reflects the geology of Maryland and is found only in Maryland. Wisps of red and yellow, traces of bone like cell structure, and a glowing translucence make the Patuxent River Agate an excellent stone for cutting, polishing, carving, and setting into jewelry.

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The gem is occasionally found in the late Cretaceous gravel of the Arundel formation, which has been mined for decades for construction material. It is silica replaced fragments of petrified bone material, mostly dinosaur bone, and is evidence of Maryland's roughly 115 million year old bay type environment. Perhaps 10,000 generations of dinosaurs are represented in the exposed Arundel formation which outcrops though the middle of the state. The petrification process amounted to infilling of bone marrow by silica and minute amounts of clay. Perhaps, there may have been some later changes in the crystal structure due to depth of burial. Recently found specimens prove that there is a link to dinosaur bones. Many of the internal bone patterns can be readily seen in the cut stones and slabs. The history of this stone itself is an asset as a gemstone. The gems can be found best in a narrow band running from Washington D.C. northeast through Baltimore and, thanks to movement by the glaciers, the gems also exist in younger sediments througout the Eastern shore area. The nature of the formation of these stones may also be connected with the Geothermal hot spots that still exist on the Eastern shore. .

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North Dakota "Teredo Petrified Wood" ?

North Dakota falls in line with Pennsylvania in that it really does not have a State gem, stone, rock or mineral, but it also names a fossil as the State Symbol. Although many charts refer to the Teredo Wood as the state stone, in 1967, the South Dakota Legislature was the first State in the Union to name a Fossil for its Official State Symbol.

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Teredo Petrified Wood bears the boreholes of shipworms, genus Teredo, hence its name. Shipworms are actually a type of mollusc (not worms at all) that were the bane of mariners past and still wreak havoc today on wooden boats and dock posts. During the Paleocene Epoch, about 60 million years ago, North Dakota was partially covered by the last seaway to invade North America, the Cannonball Sea. The swamps and lowlands bordering this sea were home to 50 foot long crocodiles and giant predatory birds. The marine fauna includes bony fish and sharks, crabs, lobsters, snails, and clams. Trees that washed into the sea were frequently attacked by shipworms before they were fossilized, leaving them riddled with holes. This wood belongs to a variety of species, including bald cypress, ginkgo, redwood, and magnolia trees.

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Because of the uniqueness of this Petrified Wood, it is collected and worked on by lapidarists and collectors alike in making jewelry, bookends and paperweights. The best collecting sites are in the south-central portion of the state in the Bismarck-Mandan area.

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Pennsylvania "Trilobite" ?

Pennsylvania actually should be added to the list of states - Kansas, New Jersey and Virginia - which have not designated an official State gem, rock, stone or mineral. However some charts show Trilobite and leave it at that. However, the fossil from the Phacops rana Trilobite was named by the State Legislature as the State Fossil in 1988.

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Phacops rana (Trilobite) is a fossil organism known as a Trilobite (pronounced “tri-lobe-ite”). Trilobites are an extinct category of jointed-legged animals related to crabs, lobsters, shrimp, spiders, insects, and so on. This group of creatures, called arthropods, are among the most complex of all the animals without backbones and trilobites are no exception. They had well-developed nervous systems and large antennae. Trilobites had many appendages for swimming, walking, or feeding. Although these appendages are relatively rare in most groups of trilobite fossils. Phacops is one of four genera for which they are fairly well known and studied. Trilobites also had a hard outer skeleton composed of chitin, a complex organic protein, and the mineral apatite.

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Trilobites are a common fossil in many of the early to middle Paleozoic rocks of central Pennsylvania, i.e., rocks that are between 570 and 365 million years old. Complete fossil specimens are rare because the animals were composed of rigid outer skeletal segments joined by flexible organic connections that decayed on the death of the animal. An interest in trilobites is not restricted to scientists and geological dilettantes. They are prized by lapidarist and jewelry and curio collectors. This interest is a long-standing one. Trilobites were found on necklaces belonging to the prehistoric inhabitants of 15,000 year old rock shelters of Europe. The Ute Indians of the western United States fashioned trilobites into amulets. The Ute name for these fossils was, “timpe khanitza pachavee” which means “little water but like stone house in.”

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The best place to hunt for Trilobite is at Swatara State Park. Fossil beds are exposed along the Old State Road and provides a variety of Devonian age (375 million years ago) marine fossils. Swatara State Park is in Lebanon and Schuylkill counties, 14 miles north of Lebanon and three miles west of Pine Grove. The park is easily reached from I-81.

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Picture of Pennsylvania Trilobite from fossilman
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Massachusetts "Rhodonite" !

Rhodonite was recognized by Massachusetts State Legislature in 1979 as the state gem or state gem symbol. Rhodonite varies in hue from a light pink to a deep rose or reddish pink, and is considered the most beautiful gem type of material found in Massachusetts ..
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The best known Rhodonite in the world come from the Sverdlovsk district in the Ural Mountains of Russia, however massive deposities of Rhodonite has been found at Plainfield, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. Gemrock Rhodonite was recorded from these Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts as early as 1825. In describing Rhodonite from one mine in Cummington, Kunz wrote: "Blocks were taken out weighing some hundreds of pounds each, having a rich pink and red color ... were equal in quality and beauty to the Russian Rhodonite, which is made into vases and also table-tops and mantels."

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There was a time in the 1950's when pink and black were so-to-speak fad colors, especially for men -- e.g., they/we wore pink shirts, black ties, etc. At that time, Rhodonite, with its pink and black colors, was popular for such things as tiepins and large cuff-links.
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Rhodonite is a manganese inosilicate and a member of the pyroxene group of minerals, crystallizing in the triclinic system. It commonly occurs as cleavable to compact masses with a rose-red color, often tending to brown because of surface oxidation. Rhodonite crystals often have a thick tabular habit, but are rare. It has a perfect, prismatic cleavage, almost at right angles. .

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Large pieces of Rhodonite have been carved into vases, plates and objects standing some 20 feet tall or 20-25 feet in diameter. Many can be seen at The Herimatage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia. One such bowl was an amazing site to view, carved out of a single block of Rhodonite.

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Mississippi "Petrified Wood" !

After considerable discussion about minerals, rocks and gems, the Mississippi State Legislature recognized Petrified Wood as the state stone on May 14, 1976.

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Petrified Wood in Mississippi comes in several varieties: a nondescript type called "silicified wood," a denser type called "massive silicified wood," and a third type known as "petrified palm wood." Because it is difficult to know exactly which trees these woods came from, they are assigned to paleobotanical form genera with the suffix -oxylon (meaning "looks like") -- hence wood which resembles that of modern palms is called Palmoxylon, but may or may not be from trees closely related to modern palms. Most of the best petrified wood from Mississippi comes from trees which grew in the state during the Oligocene Epoch, around 30 million years ago. The Gulf of Mexico's shoreline extended further north at that time, which explains why the wood is found in the more northern parts of the state. The only one of its kind in the eastern half of the United States, the Mississippi Petrified Forest is a privately-owned Registered National Landmark featuring 35-million-year-old fossilized logs. Once part of a massive primeval forest, the trees were uprooted by a large flood that eventually turned the wood into stone at the bottom of the river. Most of the logs are now between five and 10 feet long, but they were over 100 feet high and perhaps 1000 years old.

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Missouri "Mozarkite" !

Mozarkite was adopted by the Missouri State Legislature as the official state rock on July 21, 1967. At the same time Galena was named the State's official mineral, the same material that Wisconsin selected. An attractive rock, Mozarkite appears in a variety of colors, most predominantly green, red or purple. The rock's beauty is enhanced by cutting and polishing into ornamental shapes for jewelry.

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Mozarkite is most commonly found in Benton County. Mozarkite is a form of Chert. The name is a contraction of Mo (Missouri), zark (Ozarks), and ite (meaning rock). Mozarkite consists essentially of silica with varying amounts of Chalcedony. It has won distinction as a particular form or variety of Chert because of its unique variation of colors and its ability to take a high polish. It has the hardness of 7-7.5 on the Mohs scale, which qualifies it as a suitable material for a semi-precious gemstone, Typically, the colors are different hues of red, pink, and purple with varying tints of green, gray and brown. It is collected and admired by lapidarists across the country.

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Interest in collecting Mozarkite in Missouri started in the early 1950s, in Benton County. It is found primarily in west-central Missouri, south of the Missouri River, and west of the Lake of the Ozarks. Mozarkite occurs in the Cotter Dolomite of Ordovivian age, which means it is some 450 million years old. It is found in residual boulders in the soil on hill slopes, along ditches, and in roadcuts where the boulders are exposed in the soil formed by weathering of the Cotter Dolomite.

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Vermont "Grossular Garnet" !

Vermont's Legislature designated the grossular Garnet as it's official state gem in 1991.

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Grossular or grossularite is a calcium-aluminium species of the Garnet group though the calcium may in part be replaced by ferrous iron and the aluminium by ferric iron. The name grossular is derived from the botanical name for the gooseberry, grossularia, in reference to the light green Garnet of this composition. Other shades include cinnamon brown (cinnamon stone variety), red, and yellow. The more common variety of grossular Garnets are called hessonite from the Greek meaning inferior, because of its inferior hardness to Zircon, which the yellow crystals resemble. Grossular Garnets, like other Garnets, form rounded crystals with 12 rhombic or 24 trapezoidal faces or combinations of these and some other forms. This crystal habit is classic for the Garnet. As stated, Grossular is the calcium aluminum Garnet and forms in contact or regional metamorphic enviroments as does andradite Garnet, the calcium iron Garnet. It is believed that these Garnets form from the metamorphism of impure siliceous limestones. Grossular has many color possibilities and is probably the most colorful of the Garnets. The orange variety is the most common and specimens of orange grossular crusts are prized by many collectors. The dark green variety is called tsavorite and is cut as a gem. Hessonite is a red to yellow variety of grossular and is also used as a gem.

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Windom and Lamoille counties are the primary locations for Garnets in Vermont, but collectors are reminded to obtain written permission to search for them on priviate property or old mine sites. Beautiful brownish-reddish grossular Garnets can be found near Mt. Belvidere, Eden Mills, Vermont.

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Wisconsin "Ruby" ??

Even though several gemology and other semi-official sites list the Ruby as Wisconsin's State gemstone, nothing can be found officially where the State Legislature ever declared it as the State gem.

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What is listed in Official Wisconsin documentation is that Galena (Lead sulphide) a combination of abundance, uniqueness, economic value, historical significance and native nature, lead to the appointment of Galena as the State mineral in 1971. Galena is the primary ore mineral of Lead. Worked for its lead content as early as 3000BC, it is found in ore veins with Sphalerite, Pyrite and/or Chalcopyrite, and in Sedimentary rocks as beds or impregmentations. The crystals are bright when fresh but often receive a dull tarnish after exposure to air.

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Likewise Red Granite was chosen for its economic importance in the state in 1971 as the State rock. This speckled rock is composed of quartz and feldspar. Granite is an igneous rock and is formed from magma. Granitic magma has many potential origins but it must intrude other rocks. Most granite intrusions are emplaced at depth within the crust, usually greater than 1.5 kilometres and up to 50 km depth within thick continental crust. The origin of granite is contentious and has led to varied schemes of classification. Classification schemes are regional; there is a French scheme, a British scheme and an American scheme. This confusion arises because the classification schemes define granite by different means. Generally the 'alphabet-soup' classification is used because it classifies based on genesis or origin of the magma.

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New York's "Garnet" !

The wine red variety of Garnet was designated the State gem of New York in 1969. Garnets have been considered precious for thousands of years and are found in early Egyptian, Greek and Roman jewelry. Red is considered the Garnet's principal color, but Garnets actually come in several hues, including various shades of green, a light to intense yellow, a fiery orange, and several earth-colored hues.

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The Barton Garnet Mine contains the world's largest Garnet deposit. The mine is located at the on top of Gore Mountain near North River, New York. Crystals of Garnet have been found here that are as big as 20" across. Collecting facet grade material is very easy, requiring little more than a hammer to break open the crystals and a watchful eye. Specimen collectors need to take more time to collect crystals intact. The mine is about four hours from New York City and offers a guided tour of their facilities. Mineral clubs must make arrangements in advance for mineral collecting at the mine.

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Deposits of industrial grade Garnet are found at two locations in New York. In the Gore Mountain area, industrial garnet is mined as the primary product; and near the town of Willsboro, byproduct of it is recovered as wollastonite mining. The deposit near Gore Mountain is an almandite-bearing diorite of uncertain, igneous or metamorphic origin. The Garnet is present as imperfectly developed crystals surrounded by a rim of coarsely crystalline hornblende. The crystals range from about 1 millimeter to almost 1 meter in diameter but average about 100 millimeters in diameter. The Garnet has a pronounced laminated structure, which enables it to naturally break into thin plates from about 2 to 6 millimeters in thickness. Garnet fragments maintain this platy particle shape even as they are crushed smaller and smaller. These same deposits in Warren County contain good to fine quality facet-grade Garnets. The Garnet is a solid solution of pyrope-almandite-grossularite that results in a pleasant deep brownish-red material which often has an orange cast. Beautiful small stones can be faceted, but larger stones are too dark to be attractive.

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South Dakota "Fairburn Agate" !

Named by the State Legislature in 1966, the South Dakota state gemstone is the Fairburn Agate, a semiprecious stone first discovered near Fairburn, South Dakota. The stone is found primarily in an area extending from Orella, Nebraska to Farmingdale, South Dakota. It is used in jewelry and is a favorite of rock collectors.

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The perception of beauty varies from person to person, and from culture to culture. Beauty in a mineral may mean color, luster , transparency, or brilliancy resulting from skillful cutting and polishing. The South Dakota Fairburn Agate is one of these beauties. It consist of alternating layers of fibrous Chalcedony with circular to semicircular layers, patterns, or bands like rings of targets. These layers may be composed of different thicknesses and colors. The layers are usually concentric and parallel to the walls of the rock cavity in which they are deposited. Fairburn agates are noted for their strikingly contrasted, thin bands of wonderful natural colors and that the color patterns are generally yellowish-brown with narrow opaque white bands, or dark red with white bands. However, another beautiful combination shows salmon-pink bands alternating with white bands. Other colors included in these Fairburn Agates are black, yellow, grayish-blue and milky-pink.

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New South Dakota legislation now states that no more than one square meter of land may be disturbed by people collecting for their own enjoyment. In general, permission must be received before any samples are collected from privately owned land, and no collecting is allowed on state or federal lands. Even small samples collected along South Dakota's roads and highways can only be picked up after permission has been granted from the nearest Regional Department of Transportation (DOT) office. The DOT's concern is that rock removal may hasten erosion and road cut instability. Permission must be granted from tribal authorities before collecting begins on Indian lands.

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Utah's "Topaz" !

Topaz became the State Gemstone of Utah in 1969, when the State Legislature finally made a decision since so many different gemstones can be found among the State's Rhyolite formations: Quartz, Hematite, Bixbyite, Garnet, Pseudobrookite, Amethyst, Cristobalite, Durangite, Cassiterite and Red Beryl in the cavities of Rhyolite formations along the Thomas Mountain Range in Juab County. Topaz, occurs as very hard, transparent crystals in Beaver, Juab and Tooele counties.

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But, Utah has a whole mountain named for the gemstone, Topaz Mountain located in the Southern most portion of Thomas Range. It is characterized by light gray to white Rhyolite. The south eastern most point is Topaz Mountain Amphitheater, also know as Topaz Valley. This is the main and easiest accessible collecting area of the range. Topaz Valley was set aside by the B.L.M. Department of the Interior as a rockhound area. Despite rumors of it being completely picked over, with hard work and a lot of patience you are often rewarded with some fine clear or sherry colored Topaz. The Topaz crystals at Topaz Mountain are naturally amber colored, but become colorless after exposure to sunlight. The crystals formed within cavities of the Topaz Mountain Rhyolite, a volcanic rock which erupted approximately six to seven million years ago, Tertiary Period, from volcanic vents along faults in the area. If someone is looking for Blue Topaz, or other colors of Topaz, you won't find it here.
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Single colorless Topaz crystals can be found in the washes around Topaz Mountain, however the crystals are usually less than an inch long. Larger amber crystals or clusters of Topaz and the other gems and minerals listed above, can be found by breaking open the white Rhyolite to find cavities.

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Topaz can be collected on BLM public lands, School Trust Land (state land) and possibly on some gemstone leases. Precautions should be taken when hunting for the Rhyloite Rocks, hoping to find Topaz inside. A four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended but not required for the last few miles of the journey. Do NOT collect on marked claims. Bring a rock hammer, chisels, and protective eyewear if you intend to break pieces of rock. A hat and plenty of water is recommended. Always be on the watch for rattlesnakes. If you feel like a 3000 ft climb, no roads or paths, some of the better materials can be found higher up in the mountain.

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Many times faceted White Topaz is used in place of Diamonds in jewelry creations.

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Picture of Topaz crystals in Rhyloite from a mineral specimen from JohnBetts-FineMinerals.

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Indiana's "Limestone" !

Limestone, specifically Salem Limestone, was officially designated as the "state stone" of Indiana by the Indiana General Assembly in 1971. Indiana Limestone or Bedford Limestone is a common term for Salem Limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana between Bloomington and Bedford. Bloomington, Indiana has been noted to have the highest quality quarried Limestone in the United States. Salem Limestone, like all Limestone, is a rock primarily formed of calcium carbonate. The Limestone was deposited over millions of years as marine fossils decomposed at the bottom of a shallow inland sea which covered most of the present-day Midwestern United States during the Mississippian Period.

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The Native American Indians were some of the first people to discover Limestone in Indiana. It was not long before settlers used this rock around their windows and doors and for memorials around town. The first quarry was started in 1827, and by 1929 Indiana quarries yielded 340,000 cubic meters of usable stone. The expansion of the railroads brought great need for limestone to build bridges and tunnels and Indiana was the place to get it. American architecture of the late 19th and early 20th century included a lot of limestone detail work on buildings, but as architectural styles changed so did the demand of limestone. With the Arab oil embargo of 1973, the price of alternative building materials skyrocketed so Indiana Limestone reemerged as an energy efficient building material.

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Although rarely worn in jewelry, Limestone is a basic material for statues, ornaments and building exteriors and more recently as counter tops in businesses as well as homes. Today most Limestone is found in either block or slab form.

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Minnesota "Lake Superior Agate" !

In 1969, the Lake Superior Agate was designated by the Minnesota State Legislature as the official state gemstone. Its wide distribution and iron-rich bands of color reflect the state gemstone's geologic history in Minnesota.

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The Lake Superior Agate reflects many aspects of Minnesota. It was formed during lava eruptions that occurred about a billion years ago. The stone's predominant red color comes from iron, the major industrial mineral. The widely distributed agate reveals the impact of glacial movement across Minnesota a mere 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. More than a billion years ago, the North American continent began to split apart into two separate continents. This catastrophic event, spurred by molten rock moving deep within the earth, poured out massive, iron-rich lava flows. These flows now are exposed along the north and south shores of Lake Superior. The tectonic forces that attempted to pull the continent apart, and which left behind the lava flows, also created the Superior trough. The trough eventually became the basin of Lake Superior and the lava flows became the birthplace of Lake Superior agates. Water vapor and carbon dioxide became trapped within the solidified flows in the form of millions of bubbles, called gas pockets or vesicles. Later, groundwater carrying ferric iron, quartz, and other dissolved minerals passed through the trapped gas vesicles.

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The Lake Superior Agate differs from other agates found around the world in its rich red, orange, and yellow coloring. This color scheme is caused by the oxidation of iron. The most common type of Lake Superior Agate is the Fortification Agate with its eye-catching banding patterns. Each band, when traced around an exposed pattern or "face," connects with itself like the walls of a fort, hence the name Fortification Agate. Probably the most popular Lake Superior Agate is also one of the rarest. The highly treasured Eye Agate has perfectly round bands or "eyes" dotting the surface of the stone.

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South Carolina "Ametheyst" !

The gemstone Amethyst was designated as the official South Carolina State Gemstone by the General Assembly June 24, 1969. South Carolina is one of three US States where the gemstone Amethyst is found and is of high quality. The curator of mineralogy for the Smithsonian Institute has graded one of the largest early specimens from this State as the finest seen in this country and is the most prized type of quartz for its wide use and various shades and hue from deep orchid color.

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The United States has a great diversity of Amethyst deposits from Maine, Pennsylvania and the Carolinas to Montana and Colorado. The color range of American Amethyst is generally from medium to high in saturation and may include smoky or translucent versions of crystal. Amethyst of Maine and the Carolinas is usually dark with North Carolina Amethyst having a bluish tint unique to that area. Very dark stones are sometimes heated to lighten and intensity color. Of course Amethyst is found all over the world with some of the best coming from Brazil, Uruguay, Russia and Zambia.

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One of the primary mines in South Carolina still in operation is the Diamond Hill Quartz Prospect in Antreville. Ametheyst is found at many other locations throughout the state on priviate property. Some owners allow digging, others do not and have their lands posted.

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Delaware "Sillimanite" !

Although sometimes used as a gemstone for carvings and jewelry, Sillimanite is actually a mineral and was so adopted by the Delaware Legislature in 1977.

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Sillimanite is a polymorph with two other minerals; Kyanite and Andalusite. A polymorph is a mineral that shares the same chemistry but a different crystal structure with another, or other, minerals. Sillimanite is the rarest of the three trimorphs. A variety of sillimanite called "Fibrolite" is what is predominately found in Delaware in its common fiberous massive form.

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Sillimanite is widespread in the metamorphic rocks of the Delaware Piedmont and large masses of Sillimanite can be found as boulders at Brandywine Springs. These mineral boulders are remarkable for their size and purity. Sillimanite has no industrial value and is not mined as an ore or raw material. Delaware sillimanite has a fiberous wood-like texture and can be cut into non-faceted gems showing a "cat's eye" effect. A brown, gray, white, or pale green mineral, it is used as a gemstone and for ornamental carvings. Another historical name, Fibrolite, comes from its appearance; the official name Sillimanite was given in honor of Yale's first professor of mineralogy, Benjamin Silliman. Similar formation are found in Mexico, New Mexico and Arizona where Mexican Indians fashioned many tools from the Sillimanite masses.

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New Hampshire's "Smoky Quartz" !

The New Hampshire State Legislature designated Smoky Quartz as the official state gem on May 31, 1985. Quartz is a common mineral found in many types of rocks, including Granite, which was also named as New Hampshire's official state rock.
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Sometimes incorrectly called Smoky Topaz, this brown transparent Quartz is sometimes used for unusual faceted cuts and is quite popular in many types of jewelry. Smoky Quartz has an unusual color for a gemstone and is easily recognized and is well known by the general public. Only a few other brown or black minerals are ever cut for gemstones such as black Diamond, smoky Topaz, the very rare black Beryl or brown Corundum. Smoky Quartz is also popular as an ornamental stone and is carved into spheres, pyramids, obilisks, eggs, figurines and ornate statues. The cause of the color of Smoky Quartz is in question but it is almost certainly related to the amount of exposure to radiation that the stone has undergone. Natural Smoky Quartz often occurs in granitic rocks which have a small but persistent amount of radioactivity and/or high hot therma fissures. Most Smoky Quartz that makes its way to rock shops and to some gem cutters has been artificially irradiated to produce a dark black color. Natural Smoky Quartz comes from many sources around the world, a few of the more noteworthy locations include Brazil, the world's largest supplier; Pikes Peak area of Colorado, USA, where it is associated with green Amazonite; Arkansas, USA in the Quartz rich area around Hot Springs, and the Swiss Alps, which has produced many tons of fine specimens.

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Smoky Quartz is found throughout Quartz deposites found in the Granite fields of New Hampshire. It is also know as Cairngorm, as when found it reminded the early settlers of their Scottish homeland.
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West Virginia "Chalcedony" !

Chalcedony is a catch all term that includes many well known varieties of cryptocrystalline quartz gemstones. Chalcedony includes Agate, Bloodstone, Carnelian, Chert, Chrysoprase, Flint, Fossil Coral, Heliotrope, Jasper, Onyx, Sardonyx, Sard, Petrified Wood, and Petrified Dinosaur Bone just to name a few of the better known varieties.

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Lithostrotionella, preserved as the siliceous mineral Chalcedony, was designated by the West Virginia House on March 10, 1990, as the state gemstone. It is found in the Hillsdale Limestone formations in portions of Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties and is often cut and polished for jewelry and for displays. Lithostrotionella is technically a silicified Mississippian Fossil Coral. This coral and many other varieties lived about 340 million years ago, during the Mississippian Period, at a time when the state was encroached on by a shallow sea. In addition to corals, this sea hosted a teeming fauna of brachiopods, trilobites, and fish. When the coral died, it became saturated with water which contained a dissolved mineral called silica. The silica replaced the coral's decaying soft parts. In other words, the coral became silicified or mineralized. This West Virginia Chalcedony occurs in a variety of colors, but primarily in blue-white, grey-tan, yellow and brown in the Hillsdale location.

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Illinois "Fluorite" !

A bill designating Fluorite as the Official State mineral was passed in 1965 by the Illinois General Assembly. Fluorite is now also recognized as a gemstone for use in jewelry. Although most Fluorite found in Illinois was yellow or purple, due to impurities, Fluorite can come in almost any color as well as the quite colorful 'rainbow' variety.

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Since the early 1800s, fluorite has been mined in southeastern Illinois. The fluorspar-rich region, which reaches from southeastern Illinois into parts of Kentucky, was called the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar Mining District. In Illinois, fluorite was mined almost exclusively in Hardin and Pope Counties. The main production came from fissure-vein deposits in the Rosiclare district, and stratiform (bedding plane) deposits in the Cave in Rock district . Other areas in the two counties yielded smaller amounts of the mineral. Most mining was underground, as much as 1,300 feet deep. But open-pit mines operated where fluorite deposits intersected land surface. Illinois displaced Kentucky as the country's leading producer of fluorite in 1942. For many years, Illinois accounted for more than 50% of total U.S. fluorspar production. But by 1990, more than 90% of the fluorite used in the U.S. was imported. The last fluorspar mine in Illinois closed in December 1995. Fluorspar is no longer mined anywhere in the United States.

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Florida's "Moonstone" !

Moonstone is characterised by an enchanting play of light. Indeed it owes its name to that mysterious shimmer which always looks different when the stone is moved and is known in the trade as 'adularescence'. This enchanting gemstone belongs to the large mineral group of the feldspars, of which almost two thirds of all the rocks on Earth consist. Moonstone is actually the feldspar variety known as 'adularia', a potassium aluminosilicate of gemstone quality. In earlier times, people believed they could recognise in it the crescent and waning phases of the moon. Moonstones from Sri Lanka, the classical country of origin of the moonstone, shimmer in pale blue on an almost transparent background. Specimens from India feature a nebulous interplay of light and shadow on a background of beige-brown, green, orange or brown. These discreet colours, in connection with the fine shimmer, make the moonstone an ideal gemstone for jewellery with a sensual, feminine aura.

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United States astronauts Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin landed on the moon July 20, 1969, preparing for man's first personal inspection of the lunar surface. Since the Apollo 11 and all other manned spaceflights had blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Brevard County, it came as no coincidence that the State Legislature sought to memorialize America's unprecedented international, scientific and technological triumph. Therefore, ten months later, May 20, 1970, Florida lawmakers passed and sent to the Governor a bill adopting the 'Moonstone' as the official State Gemstone of Florida.

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Ironically, Moonstone is not found naturally in Florida... nor was it found on the moon. It is a symbolic named official gemstone.

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Arizona & New Mexico "Turquoise" !

New Mexico designated Turquoise as the official state gem in 1967. Turquoise was designated as the official gemstone of Arizona in 1974. Probably one of the oldest gemstones known, Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral. Until the 20th Century only the prized robin's egg blue color was used to make gemstones and be placed in jewelry. The majority of the world's finest-quality turquoise comes from western and southwestern United States, the largest producer of turquoise in the world, surpassing the famous blue Turquoise of Persia. Turquoise has been used extensively by both southwestern U.S. Native Americans and by many of the Indian tribes in Mexico since about 200 B.C. to make solid turquoise beads, carvings, and inlaid mosaics. Turquoise, especially the robin's egg blue gemstone worn by Pharaohs and Aztec Kings, is probably one of the oldest gemstones known to man. Nearly all important deposits of Turquoise are located near copper deposits in arid desert regions of the world.

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Until the 1920's, New Mexico was the United States largest producer of Turquoise. However, since then Arizona and Nevada have surpassed New Mexico in terms of both annual and total production. Production of Turquoise from deposits in the Cerrillos Hills, Santa Fe County (the oldest known Turquoise mine on the North American Continent goes back 2000 years) ; the Burro Mountains and Little Hachita Mountains, Grant County; the Jarilla Hills, Otero County; and the Guadelupe Mountains, Eddy County; can be traced to prehistoric Indians. Several different mines have operated at each of the New Mexico locations mentioned, producing seam and nugget turquoise. Many of the more famous and higher-quality deposits are now economically depleted. Turquoise can still be found in New Mexico, but production in any significant quantity is a question of economics and the determination of the individuals involved.

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Most of Arizona’s turquoise mines are actually large open pit copper mines in which the turquoise deposits are leased. Many of the Turquoise deposits are located on Indian Reservations, and access is controlled by the reservation. The Bisbee mine "the Lavender Pit", near Bisbee, Arizona, is one of the more famous. Castle Dome was active in the 1970s. The Ithaca Peak mine is located in northwestern Arizona above the Kingman mine, and is famous for its beautiful blue with Pyrite matrix. Morenci Turquoise is mined in southeastern Arizona. It is high to light blue in color. Morenci has an unusual matrix of irregular black pyrite that, when polished, often looks like silver. The Sleeping Beauty mine is located near Globe, Arizona. Its Turquoise is noted for its solid, light blue color with no matrix, which set the world standard after the Persian material. This mine is one of the largest in North America and is still operating. Turquoise Mountain and "Birdseye" Turquoise come from the same mine in northwestern Arizona near the Kingman mine. This mine was closed in the 1980s. Cave Creek Mine is a new mining operation, near Cave Creek, Arizona. The material is medium to dark blue in color and has an "old Kingman" or Morenci look to it, alot of times with Pyrite in it. Most times, the company or person with a lease for a particular Turquoise location is called in to mine the Turquoise when a pocket is hit as the copper mining takes place. Regardless of the size or the sophistication of the initial copper mining or recovery operation, the actual Turquoise is recovered by careful extraction using age old hand methods.

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Turquoise and Turquoise Jewelry worldwide has surged in and out of fashion like a strobe light, yet never really losing its popularity, just being more popular at certain times than at others. Currently Turquoise popularity is on a rise and high note in the fashion world. From as far back as 6,000 B.C., Turquoise has been mined, traded, and revered by ancient cultures in Egypt, Persia, Turkey, and China as well as in the New World, by the Aztecs, Incas, and tribes of the American southwest and Mexico. Turquoise comes in a variety of colors, from all shades of blue to all shades of green, although rare, even yellow, red, brown and white. But one must be very careful when purchasing Turquoise, especially colors other than blue as many times what is offered is actually dyed Howlite, Magnesite or Ivoryite. Even actual Turquoise can be stabilized, or reconstituted. Also plastics and other newer resin materials can be made to look like Turquoise. Price is usually the determining factor as to real verses fake, stabilized or reconstituted Turquoise, or if it is colored Howlite. The picture to the left above is of Howlite, but yes there is a White Turquoise found only in Arizona, known to the Indians as "Sacred White Buffalo Turquoise". Most white Turquoise sold as "White Buffalo" Turquoise is actually either Howlite or Magnesite.

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Nevada "Black Fire Opal" !

Nevada is a bit unique in that it has designated both a gemstone and a semi-precious gemstone for its State symbols. In an official statement, the State Legislature stated that "The precious gemstone known as the 'Virgin Valley Black Fire Opal' is hereby designated as the official state precious gemstone of the State of Nevada". This took place in 1987. At the same time, they also designated Nevada turquoise, called the 'Jewel of the Desert' as the official state semiprecious gemstone.

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Nevada has become famous for it's fantastic Black Opals. The best-known Opal field in Nevada is located in northern Humboldt County at Virgin Valley. One can go to the Bonanza Opal Mine to dig your own opals amid the rugged beauty of the Virgin Valley. For a small fee one can hunt for Fire Opals and with some luck go home with a treasure. Opals have been mined at this location the early 1900's, and have always produced some of the most Beautiful Fire Opals in the world. Another great location is the Rainbow Ridge Opal Mine, also located in Northwest Nevada, approximately 135 miles from Winnemucca, Nevada, and approximately 100 miles from Lakeview, OR. The closest town is Denio, NV, which is 35 miles away. Denio Junction has now reopened and has food, fuel and rooms are available. All roads to the mine are blacktop, except for the last 7.5 miles, which are gravel and dirt. During wet weather, the last couple of miles is very bad, and should not be attempted. The opals from Rainbow Ridge are casts after wood, and are some of the most beautiful opals in the world. Tailings digging is offered and is where many different wood and opal combinations may be found. The tailings are up to eight feet deep, and are turned from time to time, and are constantly added to from the virgin ground loads. The virgin ground loads are materials taken from the river bank with a loader, and are then worked on a flattened area near where one can park. Everything one finds, regardless of value, is for them to keep. Although luck plays a part in finding opals, an "educated" eye is very helpful. Another area where one can look for their own opals is the Royal Peacock Mine, located off State Route 140 west of Denio.

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As mentioned, Turquoise is the state's semi-precious gemstone. Sometimes called the “jewel of the desert,” Nevada turquoise is found in many parts of the state. Long popular as jewelry among Native Americans, turquoise is also a state symbol of Arizona and New Mexico. Nevada is host to the most turquoise claims of any state in America. Nevada's Turquoise Deposits vary greatly from those in Arizona, rather than turquoise being the biproduct of a large copper mining operation, in Nevada most mines are owned by small "ma & pa" miners. In the past Nevada had over 400 registered claims for turquoise. These days most of these small mines have been mined out or are no longer being mined. The fate of the remaining mines rests with the political environment of the United States, unfortunately this is one turquoise fact that is sad but true. Several mines offer tours and/or allow collectors to hunt for turquoise for an entry fee.

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Nebraska's "Blue Agate" !

During Nebraska's centennial, the governor signed a bill designating blue Chalcedony, commonly called the blue Agate, as Nebraska's official state gemstone. The Blue Agate became the state gem on March 1, 1967 .

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The specific named Blue Agate has been found in place in wind-deposited claystones in the Chadron Formation of Oligocene Age in northwestern Nebraska in Sioux and Dawes counties. These gems have been found in colors other than blue and the large oval stone is a doublet with a blackened back to highlight the plumes in this material. Chalcedony, the more correct name, is found in many deposit forms. Stalactite growths of the mineral are seen in numerous places and often assume fantastic shapes and forms. It also may replace materials such as wood. The Chalcedony probably originated from silica that was freed when devitrification (changing from a glassy to a crystalline state) of wind-blown volcanic ash took place. The Chalcedony appears to have formed in or near sources of alkaline water and is also known by the name 'ledge Agate".

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As a side note, do not confuse Ellensburg Blue Agate with Nebraska Blue Agate. "Ellensburg Blue" agate is found as an amygdaloidal agate nodule or geode in Kittitas County near Ellensburg, Washington. Colors grade from almost white to a rich, deep, pure blue.

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Although Nebraska's blue Agate (Chalcedony) makes nice specimens and lapidary slabs, it does not normally produce crystals for faceting. Even obtaining a piece large enough for a clear cabachon is unusual.

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Maine's "Tourmaline" !

Tourmaline was the first gemstone mined in the United States by miners other than prehistoric man or Native Americans. Tourmaline mining began at Mount Mica, Maine, in 1822 and, with starts and stops, has continued to the present day.

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Over the years, mining operations on Mount Mica produced hundreds of kilograms of tourmaline. Museums and private collections around the world contain outstanding examples of tourmaline from the deposit. The largest reported crystal from the site apparently is one that is 39.4 centimeters long, 17.8 centimeters wide, and weighs about 14.3 kilograms. Apparently, a flawless, blue-green 256-carat stone is the largest cut stone from Mount Mica. Mount Mica may have been the first tourmaline producer in Maine, but it is by no means the largest. Newry Hill, a spur off Plumbago Mountain, or more specifically the Dunton Mine on Newry Hill, is the most prolific tourmaline producer in Maine. Other mines and quarries in a three county area produce gem- and specimen-grade tourmalines. The level and type of activities at each mine or quarry vary from year to year. Currently, most of them are open to hobbyist or professional collectors for a fee or with the owners permission.

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Maine tourmalines come in a wide variation of colors, deep grass green to light green to yellow-green to blue green. They are also found in all shades of red, from pink to deep red, and blue-green to light blue to deep blue, and as colorless crystals. The State's mines also produce bicolors and watermelon crystals. The colors can be very fine and some believe that Maine tourmalines set the standard for non-chrome green tourmaline. Although the State Legislature has never officially declared the Tourmaline the state gem, rock or mineral, ask anyone who knows about Tourmaline, and most would tell you it is the State gemstone.

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Connecticut's "Garnet" !

The Garnet, normally considered a gemstone, was officially designated the state mineral of Connecticut in 1977. The Garnet “group” of gemstones is well known from many localities around the state. Both ornamental and functional, Garnet is readily identified by its small granular crystals, most often seen in a deep reddish brown color. Some of the finest almandine Garnet in the world is found in Connecticut. Garnet varies in color from pale to dark tints, including the deep violet-red of the almandine Garnet. Garnet is a hard mineral also used as an abrasive in grinding wheels, saws, and sandpaper, thus this mineral played an important role in the history of Connecticut industry.

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Garnets are a common constituent of the igneous rock pegmatite, and of coarse granite and granite gneiss. Garnets are also frequently found in mica schist, a common metamorphic rock. One can also find tiny garnets in beach sand and in sandstone deposits. Garnets are called a “group” because similar minerals of different chemical composition have the same atomic structure. The variety 'Almandine' is an iron aluminum Garnet. Other varieties found in the state include Pyrope, magnesium aluminum; Grossular, calcium aluminum; Spessartine, manganese aluminum, and Andradite, calcium iron. Transparent Garnets of good color can be cut as gemstones, but other than the 'Almandine' which is some of the best in the world, it is rare to find garnets of that quality in Connecticut, thus why the Garnet was named more as the States mineral rather than a gemstone. Most commonly, rough garnet is used as an abrasive, as in sandpaper and emory boards, a major industry in Connecuticut.

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Some of the best Garnets are found around Roxbury, Redding and Colchester. Greens Farm Garnet Mine is an old, classic location. Large almandine Garnet crystals to 1" across can be found in both hard rock or loose in the soil. The old mine dumps are also scattered around the woods and provide loose crystals without much work. Much of the matrix is very soft, but the best garnets are found in the harder schist. The mine is located in a rural area of northwest Connecticut, near West Redding.

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Alabama's "Star Blue Quartz" !

Although called 'Blue Star Quartz' by some, Alabama's Legislature named the commonly found 'Star Blue Quartz' as the States official gemstone in 1990. It is one of the most beautiful of the more common gemstones, and the cheapest, because there are so many.

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Most quartz is a lasting souvenir of the volcanoes, which melted silica, which is then carried by water into crevices, where it crystallizes. Quartz is silicon dioxide. Such quartz often includes traces of other minerals picked up by water flowing underground. The Star Blue Quartz in Alabama contains microscopic inclusions of amphibole minerals and occasionally exhibits asterism. Plus there are many varying colors of Quartz in most of the States in America, and some have also named Quartz as their State gemstone; New Hampshire has smokey Quartz, South Dakota rose Quartz and Georgia clear Quartz. Once dug up, Quartz is made into glass, eyeglasses, electrical components, abrasives, gemstone jewelry and building stone, called granite, slate and marble. There is a little bit of quartz in every rock. .

Several varieties of quartz are valuable as gemstones and found throughout the state, including the popular amethyst and rose varieties. The star blue variety, which is abundant throughout the state is found in the best gemstone quality in Cullman County. Many people don't recognize the Star Blue Quartz once it has been cut and polished, as it appear more whitish than blue. It can come in both a 4 or 6-star version.

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Colorado "Aquamarine" !

Aquamarine was officially adopted as Colorado's State Gemstone by the State Legislature in 1971. Unlike Peridot, Topaz, Garnet, Rose Quartz, Amethyst, Pyrite, Citrine, Amazonite, Rhofdnite, Fluorite and Agate, Aquamarine is actually only found in one place in Colorado, the mountain peaks of Mount Antero and White Mountain. -- but it is very high quality.

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Aquamarine is the blue, or perhaps more correctly, blue-green or aqua variety of the mineral Beryl. Other gemstone color varieties that are also the mineral beryl include Emeralds (green), Morganite (pink/purple) and Heliodor (yellow). Other colors of beryl are simply referred to by their color, such as Red Beryl. Aquamarine is sometimes found in huge crystals (unlike emerald). It is also known in a glassy form, often without showing crystal form, and sometimes with many holes or other odd shapes. Other times a large cluster of prismatic crystals can be seen to all have the same alignment - a sign that it is really a single crystal with many faces.

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Mining and collecting the Colorado Aquamarine is only for the well fit. Mt. Antero is the 10th highest peak in the state at 14,269 feet in elevation. It is located between the towns of Buena Vista and Salida and borders the west of the Arkansas River valley in the Collegiate Peaks range. Today it is still a challenge and adventure to go up the mountain, whether by foot or four-wheel drive. The 7 mile "one way" drive is rocky, bumpy, steep, narrow, and above the timberline involves some hazards. One miscue on the switchbacks or shelf road could result in a tumble of a thousand feet or more! There are both patented and unpatented mining claims in the area, but most of the land is considered open for hand-digging. The only known off-limits area is the actual tunnel of the California Mine (patented claim). As of a few years ago the access portal had caved in and was covered with slide debris. Things can change, so be aware of any strictly enforced "keep out" areas that may exist. As a side note from an article published in late 2007: Things have definitely changed and not all for the better. It has become increasingly difficult for outsiders to legally hunt up on the mountains due to a recent proliferation of new mining claims. Mt. White has seen an enormous amount of activity. Most of the claims have been productive off and on, although no record of recent major finds. Another problem facing collectors is that the State closes down the roads (if you can call them that) in both locations in bad weather except to claim holders. But not all is lost with the profusion of other gems, minerals, rocks and fossils available all over the state.

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Louisiana "Agate" !

In 1976, the Louisiana Legislature adopted as the State's gemstone Agate, a variety of translucent microcrystalline quartz called “chalcedony,” which is characterized by well-defined banding. This might be confusing, because scientifically agate is considered a variety of the mineral Quartz. Minerals are the building blocks of rocks. Agate is considered both a mineral (cryptocrystalline Quartz) and a rock, and is formed by chemical precipitation from silica-rich solution in rock cavities. Agates are found within the Citronelle Formation and younger sediments in the Feliciana Parishes. Both Agate and cCert originally formed within limestones that covered the central United States. Erosion released the state's gemstone from these limestones, and ancient rivers carried them into Louisiana and they are still carried into Louisiana by today's Mississippi River.

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The best collecting localities for Louisiana's Agate is located close to Baton Rouge. The gravel beds along the Amite River are the primary collecting locality for this Louisiana gem. In this specific location a variety of banded Agate is quite common.
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Minnesota and Nebraska have also named the Agate as their State gemstone, but selected specific varieties. And like Texas, Louisiana has also named Petrified Palmwood as its State rock.
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Washington's "Petrified Wood" !

Because of the abundance and popularity of this item, the Washington State Legislature designated Petrified Wood as the state gemstone in 1975 (though rock-hard and beautiful, petrified wood is not actually a gem but a fossil).

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The most popular and abundant fossil to garner state honors is Petrified Wood. Most of the petrified wood in Washington grew during the Miocene Epoch, some 5 -12 million years ago, when the state was swampy and mild, and played host to vast forests of cypress, oak, elm, and ginkgo trees. Petrified wood forms when logs are buried, and their organic matter is replaced by minerals in the groundwater, primarily silica. Although much petrified wood is buried in river sediments and is thus found in mudstone or sandstone, the trees in ancient Washington grew next to large volcanoes which spewed tons of ash into the air when they erupted. This volcanic ash settled and buried the trees in place; sometimes they were even engulfed by lava flows. The major petrified wood-bearing unit in Washington is the Columbia Plateau basalts. The most famous petrified wood site in the state is Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park near Vantage. Many types of wood are preserved there, but the abundance of Ginkgo wood gave the park its name. Ginkgos are gymnosperm trees (non-flowering plants in the same grouping as pines, spruces).

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Although Petrified Wood occurs in the western portion of the state, it is rarer than in the east. The western portion of North America is a newcomer by geological standards, consisting of a mèlange of terranes which have been splatted up against the ancient core of the continent by plate tectonic action. Thus the eastern portion of the state has been dry land for a longer period of time, and has had more time than coastal regions to develop forests and fossils.

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Petrified wood of different varieties are also the state stone of Texas, and the state fossil of North Dakota and Louisiana.

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