Ontario Gems & Lapidary Materials
Given that almost any rock or mineral can be cut and polished, this is by no means a complete or perfect list. Lapidaries, I need your help, send me an email telling me what I've missed.
Valid mineral names are in CAPS, rocks, invalid varietal names, and mineral group names are not.
ACTINOLITE - F, C
Small green stones, rarely gemmy, known from Bancroft district localities. Leach (1964, p.7) mentions cats-eye material from Wilberforce and environs.
Agate - see QUARTZ
ALMANDINE - F(?), C
Brown to purplish pink to deep red almandine from the River Valley occurrence would probably cut fair to good cabs, and I strongly suspect somebody or other has found a clear bit to facet. Sabina(1971) suggests that at least a small amount of the River Valley material was gemmy.
Amethyst - see QUARTZ
ANHYDRITE - F, C, O
This is one of the rarer collector stones found in the province, found in solid masses at the Faraday / Madawaska Mine in Bancroft. Small stones have been facetted, some exquisite shades of blue and purple, but clear sections are rare.
Banded Iron Formation, AKA Banded Jaspilite -C, O
Striking material displaying black bands of magnetite or hematite cutting red chert, known from the Adams mine, Kirkland Lake area (Sabina, 1974, GSC Paper 73-30, pp.8-10), also from McInnes Lake, Patricia District (Parsons, 1983)
Basalt Porphyry, AKA Daisy Stone - C, O
Known from Mica Bay (Sabina, 1991, p.66)
BERYL - F, C, O
Tons of common green beryl were mined from the Beryl Pit near Quadeville, NW of Bancroft in the last century, a very, very small amount of which is blue enough to be called aquamarine. A 9 cm mass, attractive blue but opaque, was collected in 1999, from the dumps, by the author. Green material of a certain degree of glassiness is still available, and will probably produce modest cabs. Very little clear colorful material is known, but some small facetted stones have been produced. The largest seems to be 3.1 ct (Waite, 1944).
The ROM collection has a 15.46 ct aquamarine cabochon from the T.B.Caldwell occurrence in Renfrew County.
Waite (1944) reports a 2.1 ct stone from near Kearney, Butt Township, Nipissing District, and also mentions that stones from near Kearney and Quadeville match the best from Brazil in color and clarity.
CALCITE - F, C, O
Facetted stones to over 300 carats are known from the Faraday/Madawaska Mine in Bancroft. A lot of clear cleavages with brassy sulfide inclusions came from this mine, and would probably cut a fine and unusual stone. The ROM has a colorless 12.1 ct stone from this locality, and a pink sphere from East of Fox Road in Hastings County. Fine opaque material is common in the Bancroft District and elsewhere, in shades of white, yellow, cream, blue, and striking orange. Interesting pure white calcite banded with dark purple fluorite is known from the Dwyer Mine in Bancroft, and white calcite with green fluorite bands is known from silver mines in the Thunder Bay district. There are too many localities for opaque calcite to list them all here, and doubtless there are other localities for facet-grade material as well. So-called "Cave Travertine" from the "Hill (Albertson) Farm" near Verona is said to cut "small but striking cabochons." (Leach, 1964, p.10, 31)
CANCRINITE - C, O
Some very nice bright yellow material is known from the French River; 331 cts worth of yellow beads and brown cabs to 25 cts are in the ROM collection. Fairly decent, often murky yellow-brown material is found with blue sodalite at Cancrinite Hill near Bancroft, and is still collectible. The ROM has a sphere and yellow cabs of 213 and 151 carats from Nephton, in Peterborough County. The Blue Mountain Quarry has produced pale yellow and pink (!) translucent cancrinite that is pale but suitable for lapidary purposes, Sabina(1970).
CELESTINE - F
Clear material is known from the Dundas Quarry near Hamilton and the Amherstburg Quarry near Windsor. At least one 2 ct stone is known.
"Clinoamphibole" - C ?
The Richardson (Fission) Mine, Wilberforce district, is said to be a source of cutting-grade emerald green material. This isn't a recognized species, it's a puzzle which amphibole species it is. Sabina(1986), p.80
Chert - C, O
Chert and other quartz varieties can be found in various gravel pits. Leach (1964, p.8) mentions gravel pits along Hwy 500 as a source.
Jasper Conglomerate, AKA Puddingstone - C, O
Large masses of jasper conglomerate, with bright red jasper pebbles, 2-5 cm, in a matrix of milky white quartzite, are found in the Bruce Mines area, and at several places along the north shore of Lake Huron; as well as the shoreline of St.Joseph Island and adjacent islands, Sabina(1991) The material takes an excellent polish, and has been displayed at International Exhibitions in London, Paris, and Philadelphia. A polished slab constitutes the cornerstone of the Geological Survey of Canada's building in Ottawa. First Noted by John Bigsby, a member of a party surveying the NW part of Lake Huron, in 1820.
A nice conglomerate from the Cobalt district, with pink to red pebbles in a black matrix, is mentioned by Sabina, GSC Paper 73-13, p.20. Also from a Hwy.66 road cut, Timiskaming, Sabina, 1974, GSC Paper 73-30, p.13.
CORDIERITE, AKA "iolite" - F, C
Lovely bluish-violet stones known from the Geco Mine, Thunder Bay District (A.Sabina, G.S.C.Misc.Rep.49, 1991,p.83). Very beautiful, but small and fairly rare.
CORUNDUM - F(?), C
A large amount of corundum was mined in the Bancroft area, especially at Craigmont, and some of it has cut fine star stones. Usually bronze, grey, black, rarely blue, very rarely (if ever) facet grade. Brownish corundum with a bit of cats-eye is known from Craigmont (collecting at Craigmont is not advisable at the moment, some of the property is posted). A 4.6 ct star sapphire from the York River area, Bancroft, was cut by Ellsworth (Waite, 1944). The ROM has cabs to almost 40 cts.
DATOLITE - F
Another interesting collectors item, nice bright small stones, probably none over a half carat, are known from the Smith-Lacey Mine near Sydenham (AKA Smith Property) and the Faraday / Madawaska Mine in Bancroft. The ROM has a 0.34 yellow kite-cut stone from the former, and the author has a colorless 0.25 ct. round from the latter.
DIAMOND - F
Canada's first diamond was found near Peterborough, Ontario. The 33 carat stone, non-gem quality, turned up some time around 1920 by a worker cutting the rail line between Toronto and Ottawa (Krajick, 2001). The James Bay Lowlands of Northern Ontario are presently being explored by De Beers. Kimberlite has been found, and probably micro diamonds, but it is uncertain whether a mine will result. Field-collecting your own micro diamond in Ontario is not a total impossibility. They've been widely transported by glaciers, so seiving gravel or collecting and examining the heavy portion of stream sediments might turn up a 1 mm diamond if enough work is done.
DIOPSIDE - F, C
Waite (1944) mentions a 0.67 ct light green facetted stone from Bird's Creek, Bancroft; it's a common mineral in the area but clear sections of any size are rare. A 0.42 ct light green stone from the Bancroft district is in the author's collection.
Feldspar Group - C, O
This is a group plagued by varietal names; in Ontario you can find peristerite, moonstone, sunstone, amazonite, adventurine, perthite, plagioclase, and spectrolite, none of which are legitimate mineral names. Most are probably microcline or intergrowths of a couple of feldspars, many are found in the Bancroft area. A 13x7x5mm "peristerite" cabochon with more brilliant fire than Ceylonese moonstone, if somewhat less transparent, was mentioned by Waite(1944) from a locality near Sundridge, Strong Twp., Parry Sound District. The pegmatites at Quadeville have produced modest pale green microcline, some of it red-striped, as well as superb color play material with either a reddish or white background and a fine blue or golden color play. This material is fairly easily collected, and while much of it is too fractured to cut, solid material produces striking cabs. Spectrolite is being mined near Marathon, and labradorite is known from road cuts in the same area. The feldspar-epidote mixture known as "unakite" is found at the Canada Radium Mine; what is apparently the same mixture, given the name "mylonite", is mentioned from Monk Road, Bancroft, by Leach, 1964, p.9. David Millis (1999) mentions the feldspar-epidote combination "unakite", fine cutting material with good color, from the Marmora Quarry, near Madoc.
FLUORAPATITE - F, C, O
This is one of Ontario's most beautiful gemstones, found in vibrant greens, yellow-greens, and even blue. Fine stones are known from localities in the Wilberforce - Bancroft area; the ROM collection has cabs to 6.21 cts and a step-cut stone of 9.71 cts. Most material is highly fractured, so the average stone is much smaller. Part of the Bear Lake Deposit near Bancroft was recently under claim, with gem fluorapatite being the goal; the present state of this operation is unknown to the author.
FLUORITE - F, C, O
The fluorite mines of Madoc have produced large crystals of green fluorite, some strikingly transparent and finely colored. The largest cut fluorite known from Canada, 280 cts, is from Madoc. The Dundas Quarry near Hamilton provides clear yellow-brown facet rough, and blue material comes from quarries in the Niagara Falls area. Green fluorite veins cutting white calcite are known from the silver mines of Thunder Bay, and dark purple fluorite veins cutting white calcite come from the Dwyer Mine in Bancroft. Doubtless other localities for cab and facet rough exist.
FLUORORICHTERITE - C
The Earle Property near Bancroft produces the world's best fluororichterite crystals, and at least one dark green to blackish cab has been cut by some enterprising lapidary. Doubtless there are many other amphiboles and pyroxenes in the Bancroft area that could be cabbed, lots of room for experimentation.
GOLD - C
Striking and unusually valuable cabs can be cut from veins of bright native gold cutting white quartz, material found at many Ontario gold mines.
Graphic Granite - C, O
Not particularly rare, but interesting and quite attractive, known from various localities in this granite-swamped province. The ROM has a 126.5 ct grey cab of graphic granite. Sabina mentions 13 localities in GSC Rep't 39, 1986.
GROSSULAR - F, C
Very fine orange facet rough has been found at the York River Skarn Zone near Bancroft, but it is very rare and small. Modest orange cabs could probably be cut from the larger xl fragments or masses found at this locality. The ROM collection has two round brilliants, 0.2 and 0.17 carats, locality Bancroft, most likely the same locality.
GYPSUM - F (?), C, O
The Dundas and Lincoln Quarries have produced both water-clear colorless gypsum and the more common milky kind. The latter could definitely be carved, and if the cleavage and extreme softness could be overcome I bet the clear stuff could be facetted. By no means a rare mineral in the province, millions of tons have been mined, there are lots of other localities.
HEMATITE - F, C, O
Fine metallic black hematite is known from the Atikokan iron mines and would doubtless cut fine, lustrous "black diamonds".
Jasper - C, O
Good bright red material is known from the odd gravel pit in Northern Ontario.
KYANITE - C
Leach, (1964, p.9) mentions material from Fernleigh providing small blue cabs. I'd imagine anything of size or solidity would be pretty rare.
Limestone - O
An abundant rock, mined by the hundreds of thousands of tons in the province, some of which is attractively banded in shades of brown and could be carved or might make a nice slab. When intergrown with white chert can make appealing cabs.
Marble - C, O
Found in shades of sky blue, white, light grey, pink, green, light brown or black, from the Madoc, Perth, and Bancroft Districts (Leach, 1964, p.9 and Sabina, GSC Paper 69-50, p.78). Sabina(1983) mentions a white marble with salmon-pink inclusions from the Long Lake Zinc Mine, about 40 km north of Kingston, as being taking a good polish. There are probably lots of other localities as well. Leach recommends it for carving, but suggests avoiding the more coarsly crystallized material.
MUSCOVITE - C, O
Pink cabs to just under 40 cts of what is supposedly a fine-grained muscovite from the Sudbury District are in the collection of the ROM. Mentioned from the Boyce Mine, Kingston, by Sabina, 1974, GSC Paper 73-30, pp.34-35.
NEPHELINE - C, O
Leach (1964, p.9) indicates that some of the nepheline from the Goulding-Keene Quarry near Bancroft will produce good cabs, in pastel shades and variable opacity.
Porphyry - O
From the Bannockburn Occurence near Matachewan comes a fine-grained dark grey to near black matrix with white/reddish/greenish feldspar phenocrysts (Sabina, GSC Paper 73-13, pp.106-108.)
PREHNITE with COPPER - C
Pale green prehnite with bright copper specks is known from Simpson Island in Lake Superior (Sabina, 1991, p.98). Quite uncommon material I suspect.
PUMPELLYITE-(Mg), AKA "chlorastrolite", AKA "greenstone" - C
Small green nodules with distinctive patterns are found with agates on Lake Superior beaches and islands. Quite distinctive and uncommon, and seldom even a centimeter in size. The ROM has cabs to 2.9 cts.
QUARTZ, variety amethyst - F, C, O
A number of mines in the vicinity of Thunder Bay have produced superb material, both clean deep purple facetted stones usually under 3 carats but known up to 22 carats (R.O.M. collection), and striking white-banded material suitable for just about any of the other lapidary arts. All shades of purple are found, but facet rough is a small minority of the production, and is usually found in the very tips of the crystals or in their centres. Druses of small crystals, lustrous and colorful, make distinctive and beautiful pendants, simply grind the back smooth and electroplate or wrap with gold wire.
QUARTZ, variety agate - C, O,
Agate from the north shore of Lake Superior is world famous, the best is well-banded in shades of red, brown, and white, etc, and makes spectacular cabochons. Various harbors and islands have produced agates to 45 cm across (Sabina, GSC Misc.Rept.49,1991, pp.72-73). Waite(1944) mentions th end of Michipicoten Island as a plentiful source of top quality red and white banded material of highest quality. The recently discovered Thunder Bay Agate mine is producing some good material, the best is of good color but most is brownish or pastel shades, and yield is low due to extreme fracturing. Fine tubes with nice concentric banding have been found, openings with quartz crystal linings are not uncommon. Excavation has revealed what is claimed to be the largest mass of agate found anywhere.
QUARTZ, - rose, smoky, colorless, milky - F, C, O
A large and impressive rose quartz quarry is at Quadeville, near Bancroft, where good material can be collected for a fee. Just seeing the very high wall of rose quartz, and hot pink boulders a meter across, is worth the trip. Some is clear enough to facet but the color is mostly on the pale side and clarity isn't perfect. Smoky, milky, and colorless quartz are also present here, at the nearby Beryl Pit, and at other pegmatites in the Bancroft area. Facet-grade colorless quartz is known from Lyndhurst (Leach, 1964, p.9), the iron mines at Atikokan, and probably other localities as well. Naturally lustrous and beautiful, colorless to smoky quartz crystals (looking much like "Herkimer diamonds" from New York) from the Greely Occurrence near Ottawa have been set in bracelets and other jewellery.
Quartzite, AKA "aventurine" - C, O
Bright green material, colored by chromium micas, was quarried as a decorative stone at the Rainbow Quarry, west of Hudson, near Sioux Lookout. The ROM has a green specimen from North Bay.
Scapolite Group - MARIALITE or MEIONITE - F, C
The scapolite group is common in the Bancroft area, but cutting grade material isn't. Leach (1964, p.10) mentiones facet grade material from the National Graphite Mine near Bancroft. Presumably solid material from a number of localities would yield modest yellow-green cabs but the mineral doesn't take exposure to the elements too well. The ROM collection contains a purple scapolite from Gooderham, presumably a cab. The "Old Spain" mine, Khartum, Griffith Twp., Renfrew County, prodced a large single crystal which yielded an unven pale green, flawed, step cut 1.75 carat stone, Waite(1944). Also a very clear, pale yelow, triangular mixed cut 0.25 ct stone is known from Drag Lake, Dudley Township, Haliburton County, Waite (1944)
Serpentine - C, O
Fine green near-transparent serpentine, yellow-green to dark green, some translucent, that cuts attractive cabochons is known from the Curtis Quarry (AKA Stoklosar Quarry) near Madoc (Leach, 1964, p.10), Sabina (1972, p.109). Leach (1964, p.10) mentions that fibrous serpentine that will cut cats-eye cabs is known from many localities in SE Ontario.
SILVER - C, O
Native silver veinlets and dendritic structures, with or without surrounding metallic minerals, in a black or pinkish carbonate matrix, from any of the various Cobalt silver mines, is quite attractive stuff when slabbed and would make some nifty cabs.
Soapstone - O
Noted from the Thunder Bay district and probably elsewhere by Sabina, 1991, p.159. A soapstone deposit has recently (2002) been discovered at Tweed, halfway between Ottawa and Toronto, which is being exploited by Stephen Solmes, 613-478-1291. (Per.comm.)
SODALITE - F, C, O
Perhaps Canada's most famous gemstone, at its best from the Princess Sodalite Mine in Bancroft. Also known from Cancrinite Hill across the road from the Princess, and in smaller amounts elsewhere in the Bancroft region. The finest material is superb deep solid blue, commonly slabbed and cabbed, but some is actually facetted. An ink-blue 1.28 carat stone in the author's collection is mind-blowing when backlit. The Bancroft district is also known for the unusual color-change variety of sodalite which is colorless when collected but turns deep pink to purplish when exposed to ultraviolet light, fairly quickly fading back to colorless. Rare stones to 1.9 cts have been cut from this material.
SPERRYLITE
Believe it or not, in the early days of the famous Vermilion Mine, in Sudbury, loose sperrylite crystals, with a naturally brilliant metallic luster, were set in jewellery. Inco presented Bernard Pappin with a sperrylite-inlaid ring when he was ordained bishop (http://web.syr.edu/~rcranger/henriran.htm). I don't know whether to laugh or cry over this one. Wonder where that ring is now.
SPHALERITE - F, C
A 6 ct golden-brown round brilliant is known from near Wiarton. The Dundas Quarry near Hamilton produces a lot of sphalerite, some of which looks eminently facetable. Beat-up xl clumps or massive material is pretty common at Dundas and might produce an interesting cab.
SPINEL - F
Tiny and rare lavendar stones are known from the Cameron Quarry near Carleton Place, from 10 points to perhaps a quarter carat.
TALC - C, O
Gray, green, and pink are known from the Madoc district, fibrous varieties will cut cats-eye cabs (Leach, p.10).
THOMSONITE - C, O
Known from Lake Superior shores, islands, harbors. (Sabina, 1991, p.72). Fairly small and on the rare side. Waite(1944) mentions a 31x16x10 mm cabochon from Michipicoten Island; typical pattern in red-brown, but without contrasting colors.
TITANITE - C (?)
The Bear Lake Occurrence near Bancroft, among others, produces plenty of brown titanite specimens that aren't great specimens and could be cabbed for a real collector stone.
Tourmaline Group - F, C
Not common in Ontario, elbaite or possibly uvite or dravite has been facetted into tiny stones; dark green & crimson from Wilberforce, 0.82 ct, Waite(1944); 2x2 mm, 0.04 ct from Perth (Lapilia website).
TREMOLITE - F, C
Leach (1964, p.10) mentions green gemmy material from Harcourt, in the Bancroft district, which would yield cats-eye cabs or tiny facetted stones. Sabina (1974) mentions cats-eye cabs from the Richardson Feldspar Mine, Kingston. Waite(1944) mentions a deep blue marquis brilliant 0.70 ct stone from Wilberforce, Monmouth Township, Haliburton County, also a step-cut 0.50 ct brilliant emerald green stone from the same locality, and plentiful grey-green cat's eye material from Haliburton.
WOLLASTONITE - C
Leach (1964, p.10) mentions fine cats-eye material from the York River Skarn Zone, Bancroft.
ZIRCON - F
A common mineral in the Bancroft district but very rarely facet grade. Stones are typically beautiful but tiny. The ROM collection contains five stones from Kuehl Lake in Renfrew County, red to sherry, 0.5 to 1.84 cts. A 0.22 ct stone from the McLaren Mine, near Perth, is in the author's collection. Waite(1944) mentions a fine orange-red 0.8 ct marquis brilliant obtained from a large crystal fragment, from Brudenell Township, Renfrew County.
| Important: Mineral localities listed on this website are not necessarily open for collecting. Those foolish enough to trespass on posted land or enter active mines without permission endanger themselves and may cause the permanant closure of that site. |
REFERENCES:
Purvis, R. (1962): Canadian Gem Stones, Clay Publishing Co. Ltd., Bewdley, Ontario
Field, D.S.M.: Canadian Gems and Gem Localities; J.Gemmol., vol.
I, No.5, Jan. 1948, pp.20-30; vol.I, No.8, Oct.1948, pp.21-33; vol.II, No.1, Jan. 1949,
pp.6-15