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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

.

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 .

.

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".

.

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.

.

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.

.
.

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

.

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.
.

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.

.

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.

.
.

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.
.

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.

.

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.
.
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.
.
.

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).

.

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).

.

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.

.

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

.
.