Sunday, August 14, 2011

A Day at the Gem Mine - Hunting Down Crystals and Gems

Always on the lookout for a new adventure, my family decided to visit a gem mine two hours away to search for crystals and gems. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was excited nonetheless.

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I found out that mines can operate in different ways. Some have prefilled buckets of dirt. The owners of the mine will take buckets with dirt brought up from the mine and let you go through them looking for gemstones. Some owners will prefill the buckets with some crystals and gems to ensure that everyone gets to find something.

GARNET HILL

The mine that we visited worked a little differently and is what is known as a fee dig. A fee dig is when you pay a set amount of money and can take home what you find.  Think if it like leasing the land to mine for gems for a given period of time, in this case, a day.

When we got there, we brought in our own five gallon buckets, as instructed on their website. We met the owners at the main office and paid a flat fee for each person. This entitled us to a bucket's worth of whatever we found and wanted to take home.

We descended the hill toward the main digging areas. The folks who owned the mine would bring up dirt from underground, then spread it out in the digging areas using a bulldozer for visitors to go through.

Using hand tools and shovels, we all got down and dirty and began searching for crystals and gems amongst the dirt. Not having a background in geology, I was worried that we would throw away something valuable. Not to worry though, because there were always friendly people around to help out and keep us from throwing back anything worth keeping.

In order to improve your experience before heading to the mine, use guide books to know what kind of minerals are typically found in the area that you are visiting.

Also, bring a field guide with you when you go to the mine. Gemstones in their natural form look quite different than the polished or cut versions most people are familiar with.

To help find the smaller gems among the dirt, most mines will have a sluice.  This is typically a wooden channel with running water.  You take a scoop of dirt and place it in a sieve, then set it in the running water.  The water will wash away the smaller bits of dirt and clay, leaving behind rocks for you to pick through.

Be careful, though, that smaller crystals with potential value don't get washed away, and if you're unsure if something you have is worth keeping, always ask someone. We wound up finding quite a few nice crystals and gems that day at the mine, and so can you!

A Day at the Gem Mine - Hunting Down Crystals and Gems

GARNET HILL

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