168 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



rivaling the brush of any modern artist. The rock crystal is at times accompanied 

 by crystals of rutile, hornblende and tourmaline. In these the hairs are frequently 

 as fine as human hair and again they may be as thick as the lead of a pencil. In the 

 white colorless quartz the crystals are nine inches long; in others the crystals are 

 brilliant reddish brown, twisted and distorted. Fine delicate rutile "hairs" in quartz 

 crystal come from Madagascar. There are some interesting quartz crystals in which 

 the successive growths of the crystal have been registered by a deposition of some 

 other substance as the quartz was growing, presenting a series of "phantom crystals." 

 These have been polished on the sides. 



The skill of the lapidary in cutting and polishing excessively thin sections of 

 precious minerals is demonstrated in the case of a piece of jade thirty inches in length, 

 twenty-four inches in width and one-fourth of an inch thick, polished on both sides, 

 a triumph of lapidary work. Another example from the Onot River, from distant 

 Siberia, is a section of a boulder skillfully mounted, only one-sixteenth of an inch 

 thick, and yet measuring twenty inches in length and twelve inches in width. A sec- 

 tion of a meteorite from Kiowa Co., Kansas, is filled with golden yellow olivine 

 (peridot) . 



The turquoise exhibit is of unusual interest; very notable is the great Persian 

 turquoise engraved with two thousand words, an entire chapter of the Koran; 

 this laborious task must have required a year's time for its accomplishment. Addi- 

 tional examples here are a turquoise matrix from Persia; bone turquoise (odontolite) 

 from France; a magnificent turquoise from Los Cerrillos, New Mexico, as well as 

 beads and charms made, mounted or cut by the Navajo Indians. 



The pearl series numbers 2442. It contains a great variety of examples collected to 

 illustrate the various forms and colors of freshwater pearls in the different parts of the 

 United States. Some of them are large and important gems and are of great beauty and 

 value. There is an extensive series of common clam, abalone and conch-shell pearls. 



The rare gems are well represented, such as the titanite from Tavetschtal, Switzer- 

 land, which almost rivals the diamond in brilliancy. 



Of other gem-minerals we have brown and gold andalusite from Ceylon; euclase 

 from Brazil; cut sphalerite from Santander, Spain; cyanite from Russia and 

 Bakersville, North Carolina; apatite from Georgia and from Canada; rutile; sun- 

 stone; chlorastrolite from the one locality in which it is found, Isle Royale, Lake 

 Superior, Minnesota; prehnite from Paterson, New Jersey; oligoclase from New 

 Bakersville, North Carolina; microcline from Norway; thomsonite; willemite; 

 hyalite from Lake Co., California; and many others. Moonstone is well repre- 

 sented by a number of large and beautiful gems. 



The agates and moss agates form a great series of large, important and beautiful 

 specimens, notably the great bowl that measures thirteen inches across, cut out of 

 natural agate and showing the wonderful mammillary structure. Some "mocha 

 stones," as agates are termed in India, measure four inches across. Interesting in 

 their way are a number of beautiful smaller pieces from Brazil and Wyoming. 



The Morgan collection at the 1900 Paris Exposition aroused such great and 

 universal interest in gems and minerals, that when Mr. Morgan's attention was 

 drawn to the Bement collection of minerals he realized that the people as well as 

 the Museum authorities would greatly appreciate it, and he generously presented to- 

 the Museum this greatest private collection of minerals, embracing also one of the 

 greatest private collections of meteorites. 



To recapitulate, the catalogue of the collection numbers 2064 cards listing the 

 following specimens: pearls 2442; diamonds — rings, 10, cut stones 8, in rock 6; 

 sapphires 166; beryls 57; aquamarines 30; emeralds 13; topaz, cut 55, uncut 

 15; tourmaline, cut 79, uncut 13; beads 500; cylinders (Babylonian) 32; shell 

 cameos 3. 



