Location: North Carolina

Discussion: Where in North Carolina will they let you dig at the mine itself?Reported This is a featured thread

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treasurefever
Where in North Carolina will they let you dig at the mine itself?
Apr 26 2008, 11:59 AM EDT | Post edited: Apr 26 2008, 11:59 AM EDT
The next gem hunt I go on I want to go to the mine myself and dig. I think it will be more exciting and more of a chance to find the good stuff and not something that has been sifted through are salted. If anybody knows of a place in N.C. are any other state close to Alabama,I sure would appreciate it.
Thanks,Brenda Do you find this valuable?    
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purplepat
1. RE: Where in North Carolina will they let you dig at the mine itself?
Apr 26 2008, 2:55 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 26 2008, 2:55 PM EDT
"The next gem hunt I go on I want to go to the mine myself and dig. I think it will be more exciting and more of a chance to find the good stuff and not something that has been sifted through are salted. If anybody knows of a place in N.C. are any other state close to Alabama,I sure would appreciate it.
Thanks,Brenda"
Look up "Crabtree Emerald Mine" on the net. This is an old emerald mine (the mine shaft flooded when they hit an underground river) and is no longer worked. For $15 a day you can hunt through the tailings for whatever you can find...emerald, golden beryl, aquamarine, garnet and a few others. Do you find this valuable?    

treasurefever
2. RE: Where in North Carolina will they let you dig at the mine itself?
Apr 26 2008, 3:16 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 26 2008, 3:16 PM EDT
Thanks purplepat, have you ever been there and did you have any luck? I'm fixing to look it up now!
Brenda Do you find this valuable?    

purplepat
3. RE: Where in North Carolina will they let you dig at the mine itself?
Apr 28 2008, 3:49 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 28 2008, 3:49 PM EDT
"Thanks purplepat, have you ever been there and did you have any luck? I'm fixing to look it up now!
Brenda"
Brenda -

I went to the Crabtree Mine on my vacation, but due to some snafus I was only able to stay there a little over an hour (with daylight...I went before the sun came up). But in that short amount of time, I brought a small handful of rocks that looked potentially interesting and did find small emeralds on two of them so far. Everything looks too small to cut any gems from (so far), but I'll still scratch and dig around the rock to see if they are bigger than they look. The stuff in right on the surface, and man, is that Crabtree matrix rock HARD! I set those rocks aside a few weeks ago to work on the emerald-in-matrix that I found in one of my buckets I got at Jerry Call's Rio Doce establishment. The emerald on that rock is huge, and should cut a very, very nice stone. In fact, I'm now working on a different area of the rock that's also showing a good amount of emerald beneath the surface matrix material.

There are other places in NC that you can dig at the mine itself, or places that sell unsalted material to search through, besides the Crabtree.

http://www.cherokeerubymine.com/index.php
http://www.masonsrubyandsapphiremine.com/
http://www.tjrocks.org/masonmtnmine.html
http://www.sheffieldmine.com/
http://www.oldpressleymine.com/
http://www.wncrocks.com/resources/Collecting%20site%20little%20pine%20mine.htm
http://www.rosecreekmine.com/index.htm (some buckets may be salted, assuming the "dig" is not)

Here's another generic link to many sites (most indicating whether they are native, salted, or both)

http://www.ashevillenow.com/s_outdoorActivities/gem_mineral_mining/western_nc_gem_mines.asp





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treasurefever
4. RE: Where in North Carolina will they let you dig at the mine itself?
Apr 28 2008, 11:08 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 28 2008, 11:08 PM EDT
That sounds so exciting,I can't wait to get back to N.C. We went to the Mason Mountain Mine and that was my 1st time gem hunting. Everybody there was so nice and James the man that works there help us identify the gems. I kept everything even the gravel. ha We had a ball. I redone a Terrarium and put the gravel and some fools gold in it and it turned out pretty. I sure do appreciate the information you gave me and good luck on your hunting. I looked at you pic's in the gallery and you have some beautiful gems.
Brenda Do you find this valuable?