THE STEWART MINE - A BRIEF HISTORY

Photo:  Gems of  the Stewart Mine - Morganite (front left), bicolor tourmaline (front right)
and gem quality pink tourmaline (rear).  Photo:  Earl Lewis.  Photo courtesy of Blue Sheppard.  Copyright (c)  1996 Millenium Inc.
 All rights reserved.  Unauthorized reproduction in any form strictly prohibited.

In the world of treasures, few precious and desirable things can ever exceed the pink tourmaline of Pala, California. Gem quality natural pink tourmaline is five times as rare as gem diamond and more than ten times as valuable as gold in its pure form. Tourmaline is harder than quartz (Mohs 7.253), is highly reflective when cut, and produces exquisite gemstones. The word tourmaline has its root in India and Ceylon (because the early traders to Asia returned with these gems from there), with the word "turmali" meaning rainbow in one of the Sinhalese dialects. This early name is indeed correct, for tourmaline has more variety of different colors than any other gem. Indeed, colors range through the spectrum with pink, blue, green, and bi-color being the most prized and valuable.

In the 1860's, the first expeditions into Riverside and San Diego Counties to explore for gem and mineral resources were undertaken by miners who were experiencing problems with the gold rush farther north. It was at this time that Pala and Mesa Grande were located as huge deposits of what is known as pegmatite mineralization. These include quartz, feldspars, lepidolite, beryl, apatite, topaz, tourmaline and other rare species.

Though many stories and myths abound, Pala in the late 1800s was practically uninhabited. The old mission was in bad disrepair, there were no indigenous people, and the only settlement was Salmon's City up at the headwaters of Salmon's Creek. The first discoverers of the pegmatite  now known as the Stewart Mine are unclear for a very surprising reason: erosion had laid open dozens of large pockets of gem tourmaline since before recorded time, and no one had ever just collected it all up; as a consequence, the first individuals who gathered these easy pickin's from the surface did so without knowing the conventions of laws or mine claims. There are no known Indian artifacts utilizing tourmaline, and no mention of it being used by Spanish artisans.  Reference is made to  a "colorful gem" in the diary of a Spanish missionary in 1811 in San Diego, but it is uncertain as to its origin.  The Stewart Mlne got its name from one of the original partners who flnally claimed the mine in 1888. Though the property was worked for two decades before, it began to go into serious production with results making news around the world by 1890.

In the 1890s, more than 80 Chinese miners from the China Camp at Salmon's City were employed to extract the lepidolite for its 5% lithium. These ores were refined and used worldwide for flare colorants, ceramic glazes, ceramic clays, optics and for grease. The modern uses in batteries, as a drug, and for nuclear production now come from other sources less expensive to extract, but the lepidolite ore, with its beautiful sprays and sprinkles of pink tourmaline, is still mined for its beauty. When cut and polished, lepidolite from the Stewart Mine is a symphony of lilac, lavender and pink. Soft and sensuous as it is, this material takes on a dramatic purple hue when oiled, enhancing its translucency.

Most of the pink tourmaline that was mined at the Stewart Mine went to the empress of  the Ch'ing Dynasty Imperial Court and her entourage, who purchased everything they could get in order to have it exported to China. In 1903 Frank Salmons and other farmers in Pala sold out their land to the government, and Native Americans and Mexicans from Bonsall, Temecula, and Warner Springs and other areas were transported to the valley around the old mission. The Stewart Mine and several other pieces of private property in the area did not sell out and, they remain productive to this day, enjoying a good rapport with the community that makes up Pala.

The mine is a labyrinth of several miles of underground tunnels. It has been worked for well over a century, but has more than 80% of the pegmatite yet to be mined. The Stewart Mine is a fine example of an environmental benefit. The steep rocks that formed Queen Mountain are softened, aerated, and watered by the nonpolluting work that goes on at the Stewart. Though fire swept the whole valley a few decades ago, the strongest  regrowth has occurred at the mine and at the other mines of the area. The Stewart Mine continues its long history of care and stewardship for the natural harmony of the earth, towards a productive and clean future: mining mindfully!

The Stewart Mine will always be one of the great classic locations for mlneralogists. The Stewart produces the world's finest natural pink tourmaline, both for mineral specimens that spotlight the world's museums and. also, for gemstones that highlight the World jewelry industry, but especially for the fabulous blue-capped pink tourmaline specimens that hallmark Pala as the very crest of the best in tourmaline over the whole planet.   Today, at Gems of Pala, mineral specimens, gemstones, jewelry, carvings, and gifts are presented in a natural country store atmosphere.  Please visit our "digs" and experience the Stewart legend!

Dear Rockhounds: Please note that due to ongoing construction activities at the mine, gem buckets for screening
ARE ON A CALL AHEAD AND RESERVE BASIS