The Trapiche Gemstones !

Everyone should always keep their eye open for some of the neatest and fairly rare gemstones in existance --- the Trapiche Gemstones ! The Spanish word trapiche was used in Colombia with a literal translation that means 'wagon wheel'.

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It was and still is applied to a rare form of Emerald that has inclusions aligned along the edges where the crystal faces meet, which causes the stone to literally look like a wagon wheel. The most famous and best known is the 'Trapiche Emerald'.
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A Trapiche Emerald, found only in Colombia at Coscuez, La Peña in the celebrated Muzo mining district
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But......the trapiche 'wagon wheel' formations can indeed occur in other types of gemstones, i.e. Ruby, Sapphire, Tourmaline and particularly in a form of Andalusite. So the term 'Trapiche' must be clarified by adding the name of the Gemstone along with it.
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For insatnce Trapiche Ruby, of which there are two distinct types, one with the carbon 'wheel' from Viet Nam and the second with the lighter colored 'Calcite' or 'Dolomite' wheel' from the Mong Hsu region of Myanmar (Burma).
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A Trapiche Sapphire, probably of Burmese origin.
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A Trapiche Tourmaline, of this green variety, can be obtained from the Kavungu mine in the vicinity of Jivunda southeast of Mwinilunga in northwestern Zambia.
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A Trapiche Andalusite, called Chiastolite, has the same kind carbon spokes as the Emerald and Ruby. This particular form of Chiastolite is found in areas around Georgetown, California. It is also known to many as "The Cross Stone" in religious circles.

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And I have been told there is a Trapiche Garnet, but have never seen one or even a picture of one, so definitely something to look for.

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Pictures from own collection and those of some close friends. The locations indicated are where these particular speciems originated from.

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North Carolina Emerald - a Big One !

An emerald so large it's being compared with the crown jewels of Russian empress Catherine the Great was pulled from a pit near corn rows at a North Carolina farm. The nearly 65-carat emerald, its finders are marketing by the name Carolina Emperor ,was pulled from a farm once so well known among treasure hunters that the owners charged $3 a day to shovel for small samples of the green stones. After the gem was cut and re-cut, the finished product was about one-fifth the weight of the original find, making it slightly larger than a U.S. quarter and about as heavy as a AA battery.

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The emerald compares in size and quality to one surrounded by diamonds in a brooch once owned by Catherine the Great, who was empress in the 18th century, that Christie's auction house in New York sold in April for $1.65 million, said C.R. "Cap" Beesley, a New York gemologist who examined the stone. While big, uncut crystals and even notable gem-quality emeralds have come from the community 50 miles northwest of Charlotte, called Hiddenite, there has never been one so big it's worthy of an imperial treasury.

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It is the largest cut emerald ever to be found in North America. The discovery is a rarity for emeralds found not in the rich veins of South America and Asia but in North America. Most of the stones that have come out have not been gem-quality that I would mount in jewelry, said Simon, who was part owner of a 7.85-carat, dime-sized emerald found in the same community in 1998 that has since been set in jewelry and sold to a private owner. Terry Ledford, 53, found the roughly 2-inch-square chunk rimmed with spots of iron a year ago on a 200-acre farm owned by business partner Renn Adams, 90, and his siblings. The rural community of Hiddenite is named for a paler stone that resembles emerald. "It was so dark in color that holding it up to the sun you couldn't even get the light to come through it," a quality that ensured an intense green hue once the stone was cut with facets that allowed light into the gem's core, Ledford said. The North Carolina stone was cut to imitate the royal emerald. A museum and some private collectors interested in buying the emerald have been in contact. Modeling an empress's emerald is likely to have less influence on the North Carolina stone's sale price than its clarity, color and cut.

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Adams said decades ago when his parents owned the farm, they allowed anyone with a shovel to dig for emeralds on the property for $3 a day. Virtually all of it was too full of flaws to be cut into precious stones and was mostly sold to mineral collectors.

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Thanks to the AP and IGS for alerting us to this find.

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North Carolina's "Emeralds" !

After several years of legislative debate, the North Carolina Legislature finally in 1973, settled on the Emerald as the Official State Gemstone. This selection was made hard by the fact that North Carolina is host to more than sixty-three different types of naturally occurring gemstones and minerals! Many of these are very rare, including Emerald, Aquamarine, Sapphire, Garnet, Topaz, Amethyst, Citrine, Rutile, and Tourmaline, along with an abundance of world class smoky and clear Quartz crystals. In addition, North Carolina is famous as the only place on earth where the very rare gemstone "Hiddenite" can be found!

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Nestled snugly in the foothills of the beautiful Brushy Mountains of North Carolina is located the small town of Hiddenite. This locality is recognized as one of the most unique and interesting geological locations on the North American continent. Each year, thousands of rockhounds, tourists and educational field trip participants flock to this popular North Carolina attraction to experience the thrill of finding rare gemstones in the rough. Whether a serious or amateur prospector hoping to fulfill dreams of finding hidden treasures, a student experiencing an enriching "hands on" learning experience or a family seeking quality outdoor recreation, they can all be found in this area.

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Another very popular area is in the mine fields around Franklin, in Macon County, in the western tip of the state. No matter which direction you arrive from, you'll pass through some of the prettiest areas of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Waterfalls, rock-clustered streams of rushing water, scenic mountain views, something for everyone. This area is especially noted for its Corrundum finds. Sapphires and Rubies are both variations of corundum. We tend to think of Sapphires as blue, but they can be green, pink, yellow, and many other colors depending on the presence of different impurities. All colors of Corundum are called Sapphire except one: Red Corundum is always a Ruby. A few mines in the area produce the rare Star Rubies and Sapphires, stones that produce a six-pointed star when they're cut into a cabochon shape, with a smooth, rounded, dome-like top. The star is the result of needle-like inclusions that react with light.

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Depending on who one talks with or which advertisement is read, there are between 30 to 50 gemstone producing mines in North Carolina, with only a small handful working commercially these days. Some mine have been in continuous use since the 1870s.

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Again, don't confuse the Emerald as being the State Gemstone with the State Rock named in 1979, which is Granite. Although Granite is found all over the State, the most famous location is Chimney Rock State Park which is located just 25 miles southeast of Ashville.

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