Editor’s Note
This article explores the fascinating geological and historical origins behind the phrase “As false as a Canadian diamond,” tracing it back to Jacques Cartier’s 16th-century misidentification of Quebec’s quartz crystals. It reminds us that a region’s true treasures are often found in its stories, not just its stones.
In the soils and mountains of Quebec, magnificent gemstones lie hidden. Although they rarely end up mounted on a ring, these minerals are no less coveted.
When Jacques Cartier passed by the cliffs of what would later be called Quebec, he thought he saw diamonds, hence the name given to the cape on which the city’s citadel stands. The sparkling reflections turned out to be… those of quartz. It is from this anecdote that the expression “As false as a Canadian diamond” originates!
Nevertheless, Quebec’s territory is home to a multitude of precious and semi-precious stones, today called gemstones. There are even diamonds – and not false at all! Only one mine is currently active, the Renard mine in the Otish mountains, 350 km north of Chibougamau. Other diamonds have also been discovered during exploration work in the Torngat Mountains (Ungava Bay), in the Wemindji area (James Bay), and in Témiscamingue. The diamond is one of the four so-called precious stones, along with sapphire, ruby, and emerald.
On the semi-precious side, “an agate mine and two quartz mines are exploited in an artisanal manner and only during a well-defined period of the year,” indicates a spokesperson for Quebec’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. These are the Mont Lyall Agate Mine in Gaspésie, and the Cristal du lac quartz mine in Lac-Saint-Jean, and the Mine Cristal in Estrie, which offer tours or sell their products in shops. But from Outaouais to the Côte-Nord, many more stones have been found by prospectors, collectors, or officials: aquamarine, tourmaline, nephrite jade, apatite, pyrope, labradorite, scapolite, gaspéite…
But first, what do the terms “precious” and “semi-precious” mean scientifically? Nothing at all! They are primarily classifications for the ornamental stone industry. The case of sapphire is particularly telling.
Blue corundum has been discovered in Quebec, but it was not sufficiently translucent and beautiful to generate interest, says the geologist.
For cutting stone, hardness is important. The presence of cleavage planes in the mineral is, however, detrimental. These are angles in the stone that are somewhat ready to break. Olivier Rabeau has an example at hand – his office resembles a gallery.
In terms of pretty minerals, Mont Saint-Hilaire is a Mecca. It contains more than 400 minerals.
Local collectors do too, as evidenced by the pieces of serandite and analcime collected there by Lise Lepage and Denis Villeneuve, a Quebec City couple passionate about minerals for 20 years. But for them, cutting crystals amounts to wasting them. They prefer to display them in their living room and basement in neat showcases.
They found most of the elements in their collection themselves. Their favorite local finds? Mr. Villeneuve brings out two pieces of apple-green vesuvianite picked up at the Jeffrey mine in Estrie, at a time when it was still accessible. Ms. Lepage draws our attention to emerald-green garnets from the Black Lake mine in the Chaudière-Appalaches region, then a piece of sparkling pyrite, picked from the river in Quebec City.
The man and woman show a rock the size of a cannonball collected at the Lyall mine.
Back home, they cut it in half to find a magnificent mauve agate inside. For them, this souvenir is a treasure.
