Rhode Island Bowenite

[CMD]

Bowenite is the state mineral of Rhode Island:

"Bowenite, a serpentine mineral, a close relation of Jade and can be considered a semi-precious stone. It is found in the Northern part of Rhode Island in association with Limestone and is found in different colors; light yellow, canary yellow, light and dark green, gray and blue. It was discovered in the early 1800's by a Rhode Island geologist, George Bowen, and named in his honor....."

"......The most-common variety of serpentine in the gem trade is bowenite, the hardest of the serpentine minerals. It is a massive variety of antigorite that ranges from blue-green to green and green to yellow. It is translucent to semi-translucent, and has been used in various types of jewelry, as well as in decorative and ornamental applications."

http://www.ereferencedesk.com/resour...d/mineral.html

http://www.mindat.org/min-744.html

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowenite

This particular raw specimen was collected by a friend of my wife's father many years ago, at the Conklin Limestone Quarry, in Lincoln, RI. It is an exceptional specimen, due to the deepness of the green color. If cut and polished, it would make a stunning specimen. I have heard, but never confirmed, that bannerstones from the Midwest have been found that were made of RI Bowenite. It is found in the same neck of the woods where Conklin jasper was sourced prehistorically, so it does seem likely the natives were aware of this gemmy mineral. And perhaps it was traded far afield from RI. This specimen has nice translucency, even given its thickness......

[CMD]

Hmmm. Well, I did find a thread from several years ago where Bowenite came up in relation to an artifact from the Midwest, but Roger, who certainly knows minerals better then I, did not suggest Bowenite per se.....

http://forums.arrowheads.com/forum/general-discussion-gc5/artifact-questions-answers-gc9/69320-indiana-jade?_=1479742223121

[painshill]

Hi Charlie

I don't think there was complete conviction that the "Midwest" artefact shown in that thread was actually Native American (whether Jade, Nephrite, Bowenite or anything else). Clovisoid thought it might be a Chinese cicada figure! It was posted on our Facebook page with a provenience that it had been found in a culvert in Indiana.

Did you intend this post to be in "Learn About Lithic Material Types" rather than "Rocks, Minerals & Geology"? or was it intended to be a proposal for the Lithic Materials section of the Information Centre?

[Ron Kelley]

Hey Charlie, That is a beautiful translucent material. Wish I had a small piece to knap.

[CMD]

Unfortunately, one can no longer collect at the Conklin quarry, and I don't personally know where to find it elsewhere in that area of RI. Otherwise, I'd be happy to send you a piece, Ron.

[CMD]

Hi Charlie

I don't think there was complete conviction that the "Midwest" artefact shown in that thread was actually Native American (whether Jade, Nephrite, Bowenite or anything else). Clovisoid thought it might be a Chinese cicada figure! It was posted on our Facebook page with a provenience that it had been found in a culvert in Indiana.

Did you intend this post to be in "Learn About Lithic Material Types" rather than "Rocks, Minerals & Geology"? or was it intended to be a proposal for the Lithic Materials section of the Information Centre?

No, Roger, not that thread. Greg had mentioned one of the Midwest archaeology journals had an article describing bannerstones made from RI Bowenite. It was a very well known artifact journal, but I can't think of the name of it. I mention that fact in that thread but, no, I am not saying that artifact in that thread is Bowenite. Sorry if I caused confusion. Might have been the Central States Journal, just not sure. But I imagine Greg might remember. I will ask him.

No, I just intended it to be here in the rocks and mineral section. I've always wanted to show the piece, but it was on loan for a long time and was returned to my wife yesterday. I had another piece, but much paler green in shade, and so I waited until I had this piece and photographed it just this morn. It would be great if Greg could show us artifacts believed to be made of Bowenite however. But this was just intended to show off this specimen of raw Bowenite from RI.

[CMD]

OK, Google is once again my buddy. I just needed to be sure I spelled Greg's name correctly:-). Here is the thread in question:

http://forum.arrowheads.com/index.ph...land-northeast

The journal in question was Prehistoric American.

[gregszybala]

Found it Charlie and here are a couple of pics not great but referenced. If you want better let me know, I'll get some better pics in natural light.
First pic, the banner on the left:


Second pic, the banner on the left and bottom with write up.

[CMD]

Thanks, Greg. That fills in some details, and the first artifacts I've seen made of Bowenite. From that earlier thread. Roger noted areas, without specifics, that would represent sources closer to Crib Mound then the Rhode Island location for the mineral. And I don't know enough about that RI source to know all the colors that were found there, though brown is indicated. I've only ever seen shades of green around here in fact. And I know only what's in the caption of your photo where Crib Mound and Bowenite was concerned. But that's fascinating wherever they obtained it. So much I don't know, makes me wonder if any artifacts made of Bowenite are known from right here where it was named state mineral! I don't know of any, and I don't know if there were outcrops available. In modern times, mineral collectors obtained it deep in the huge open pit limestone quarry at Conklin's. The ancient jasper workings were not known before the 1990's. I am not sure if any sources of Bowenite that would have been available on the surface in prehistoric times are known hereabouts. Not much on the Internet white Bowenite and artifacts are concerned, that I know. If and when I ever learn more, I'll update that info.

Thanks very much for the photos, Greg!

[CMD]

Greg, after reading Roger's comments in that old thread you created on Bowenite, seems like the RI source might not be that further distant from Crib Mound, and maybe closer, then some of the other sources. Thanks again.....

[gregszybala]

The trade routes during these periods were extensive. I walk the remnants of a mound group here in NW Indiana and have found pieces of Knife River Flint and Obsidian. Reportedly some of the shells were from the gulf region and copper from the UP of Michigan. As beautiful as bowenite is I could see it being a highly prized trade item.

[painshill]

This is from “Gems and Precious Stones of North America” (Kunz, 1890):

“True jade or nephrite has not been observed in the United States, although early mineralogists referred the bowenite of Smithfield, R. I., to that mineral…
…Bowenite is a variety of serpentine found in some quantity at Smithfield, R. I., varying in color from a pure white through light green to deep green. It is the “jade” and “nephrite” of the early American mineralogists, so-called on account of its remarkable toughness and its hardness. As yet, however, no archaeological objects made from it have been found. Its rich color and peculiar toughness and hardness suggest it for use, to some extent, where jade has previously been employed. Prof. Genth mentions as having been found at Easton, Pa., a bowenite of a greenish and reddish-white color and of great tenacity, frequently containing a small quantity of tremolite. The ease with which this material is worked, and the effective designs that can be made from it, suggest it for decorative purposes.”

Remember that was in 1890, and things both have changed and may have changed since then. It’s now known to be untrue that jade and nephrite are not found in the United States (even allowing for the fact that Alaska was not part of the United States in Kunz’s time). The main localities for nephrite are in California. There are in fact also minor deposits of nephrite jade in New England (Litchfield Co, Connecticut).

Bowenite was named by James Dana in 1850 based on type specimens from the Dexter Quarry at Lime Rock, Providence County, Rhode Island. Subsequently, it has been reported from other New England locations and the vicinity:

Massachusetts (Middlesex Co.) at Stoneham.
New York (Westchester Co.) at New Rochelle.
Pennsylvania (Northampton Co.) at Easton and Chestnut Hill (College Hill; Lafayette Hill; Mount Lafayette; Paxinosa Ridge) – although unconfirmed.
Rhode Island (Providence Co.) at Cumberland (Sneech Pond copper mines/Copper Mine Hill), Lincoln (Arnold Lime quarry) and Lime Rock (Conklin Quarry, Dexter Quarry and Harris Quarry).
Vermont (Windham Co.) at Newfane (Adams Brook nickel prospect).

Whether Native Americans knew or had access to these locations is not well documented. As Charlie says, some of them are deep underground and/or only discovered (or rediscovered?) in modern times.

There is however, one more New England location, which is interesting. Bowenite occurs in Maine (Franklin Co.) at Eustis as glacial drift boulders, and they’re not deeply buried. They’re reported as frequently occurring in gravel pits and streams.

Kunz correctly refers to bowenite as variety of serpentine rather than a variety of jade or nephrite. More accurately, it’s variety of antigorite in the serpentine subgroup. Kunz also hits the nail on the head by saying it’s the “jade” and “nephrite” of early American mineralogists and this kind of loose terminology persists today… mainly perpetuated by archaeologists who are not geologists.

For example, of the two materials deserving the term “jade” from a geological point of view, jadeite occurs in Mesoamerica but nephrite does not. But Mesoamerican archaeologists have persistently used the term “jade” in a way that doesn’t differentiate between jadeite and other superficially similar-looking, hard greenstones rich in albitite, omphacite, chrysoprase, and even quartzite. Bowenite doesn’t occur in Mesoamerica either, but there is a fair amount of literature relating to Costa Rican artefacts described as being made from bowenite (Carnegie Museum publications being the worst offender) which almost certainly is nothing of the sort.

I wouldn’t ignore the possibilities for mis-description by non-geologists. Also, if you search on eBay, there are people selling “bowenite” items from time to time, including bannerstones. I wouldn’t vouch for their authenticity or their geological heritage based on pictures alone.

[CMD]

Where Conklin or Limerock jasper was concerned, in modern times mineral collectors found it in the same open pit limestone quarry as the Bowenite. Conklin's was famous for rare minerals, and because it was a working concern, mineral collectors could look forward to new exposures every Sunday, the only day of the week it was open to collectors. Archaeologists always wondered if that jasper had ever been available to the prehistoric peoples. It was not until the late 1990's that a site was identified where Limerock jasper was indeed shown to have been sourced beginning at least in archaic times. As described here:

https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1169&context=bmas

Anyway, that's what I mean when I say I don't know if prehistoric people actually utilized RI Bowenite. The sources Roger mentions seem to be mostly quarries, although Sneech Pond and Copper Mine Hill might have had surface sources. I am not sure. It is assumed, as mentioned in the above article, that there very likely were other surface sources for the jasper in the past, but they were erased by the several modern era quarry workings and other development.

I think one thing we can be certain of. If Bowenite could be sourced in RI in prehistoric times, it was known to the natives. They're just not going to miss anything where outcropping rocks in their landscape was concerned.

[Kyflintguy]

Interesting material and conversation. I am fascinated by how Native Americans worked semi precious stones or minerals into adornments and banners etc. And also the jouneys some of those items could take... I have seen several fluorospar artifacts from Kentucky that were pretty amazing, I couldn't imagine working those hard materials with primitive tools...