Sapphires, Chrysoberyl, and Spinel: Locations and Markets

Sapphires. Fine blue sapphires originate in Siam in larger numbers than in any other locality. Kashmir, in India, also supplies splendid specimens of large size. Ceylon, too, furnishes a good deal of sapphire, but mostly of a lighter color than the Kashmir sapphire. The Ceylon sapphires are found in the streams, but originate in rock of igneous origin.

Montana furnishes considerable quantities of sapphire, some of which is of very good color. It is, of course, as good as the Oriental if of equal color, being of the same material. The better colored sapphire from Montana is mined from the rock. Most of the sapphires found in the river gravels near Helena, Mont., are greenish-blue or of other colors, and not of fine blue.

Queensland and Victoria in Australia supply considerable quantities of sapphire. When blue the Australian sapphire is usually too dark to be very valuable. The golden and other "fancy" sapphires of the trade come largely from the Ceylon gravels. Siam yields silky brown stones and some fine green ones. Some of the Australian sapphires when cut in certain directions yield green stones.

Chrysoberyl. Chrysoberyl of the variety Alexandrite now comes mainly from Ceylon, although formerly from the Ural Mountains.

The cat's-eyes also come chiefly from Ceylon,

The yellowish-green chrysoberyls (which jewelers sometime call chrysolite) come both from Ceylon and from Brazil. They are frequently found in papers of "fancy sapphires" or "fancy color stones," so called.