THE Sx\PPHIRE COUNTRY 271 
cently been discovered, and it is from these mica 
mines that beryls were first obtained, the discovery 
of the sapphire gems coming later. No one can be 
in the mica mining regions of the mountains without 
noticing the glitter of the dry roads as well as the 
sparkling appearance of man and beast when these 
have traversed the highways, thereby becoming 
covered with "diamond dust." 
As well as the sapphire and beryl gems, the rocks 
of these fortunate mountains yield beautiful crystals 
of the cyanite group, closely related to topaz and 
named from a Greek word meaning blue, because of 
their prevailing color, the finest of these blue stones 
resembling Oriental sapphires. As to tourmalines, 
they seem to be awaiting their discoverer, only black 
ones of gem quality being generally found, although 
what one might call the haunts of the tourmaline are 
frequent enough. 
Very beautiful quartz crystals are abundant in 
different parts of the mountains, the finest gem of 
which is the purple amethyst, not the Oriental or 
sapphire amethyst, but still an exceedingly beauti- 
ful stone. A valuable mine of these gems was once 
brought to light in an unusual and romantic manner. 
This happened on Tessentee Creek that enters the 
Little Tennessee a few miles south of Franklin. Here 
a landslide exposed a large vein of crystalline quartz 
to a depth of twenty feet, and in the decomposed 
rocks of this vein amethysts were found in large 
quantities, there being many beautiful ones from 
half an inch to three inches long, both light and dark 
