deedolce
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2006
Posts: 1,828
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Post by deedolce on Jan 21, 2008 18:58:26 GMT -5
I'm on another forum, someone posted this to me:
If ever you find yourself in Northern California you absolutely must visit "Gaumers" Gaumer's Mineral and Mining Museum features fifty years and four generations of collecting. Beautiful, rare gem and minerals specimens from around the world , stone carvings, fossils, Native American artifacts, a fluorescent mineral display, and a detailed replica of an old mine tunnel complete with ore car, tracks and mining equipment. The free museum is open to the public during normal business hours. The best part is every single rock, artifact, stone, gem, etc. can be purchased (quite inexpensively I might add!) They will sell many things on display as well as have a HUGE collection of raw materials in which to work with throughout the main store. The coolest museum ever!
Anyone ever hear of it? Been there? It's in Red Bluff, CA.
~dee
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Post by stardiamond on Jan 21, 2008 19:23:29 GMT -5
Red Bluff is way off my beaten track. I would consider it only if I were on the way to Oregon and it wasn't 110 degrees. The closest thing we've done regarding rocks is go to the Jackpot of Gems show in Reno over Mother's day weekend. We've gone twice and probably go again this year.
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rallyrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2005
Posts: 1,507
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Post by rallyrocks on Jan 21, 2008 21:28:21 GMT -5
Susan and I stopped in there on our way back from Shasta in October, it really is an awesome store if you are into rocks, their museum section has some extraordinary pieces, and their selection of slabs and rough is pretty awesome too.
In fact I have a couple pieces from there on the dop sticks right now, but all my attention today is on the slab saw....
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southforkmining
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2006
Posts: 275
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Post by southforkmining on Jan 21, 2008 22:47:41 GMT -5
Hi Dee...it is about 3 hrs from Happy Camp...I did stop in there a couple of times...I agree...GREAT PEOPLE..wonderful store and museum...they have some of the stones I collect in their store....so I started asking some detailed questions...the older gentleman looks me sqare in the eye..and says are you from Happy Camp...lol..nobody asks so many questions about Idocrase, Vesuvianite, Grossular Garnet, Californite...so he takes me out behind the store and shows me some pieces he had....ofcourse...I had to but them...even though my yard is full of them...I brought them home to hang out with their freinds...lol..and yes the prices were right...a must stop..it is like 2 minutes of the I-5 ..........Rich
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Post by bobby1 on Jan 22, 2008 0:07:01 GMT -5
Unfortunately not open on the weekends. Great museum! Clean, orderly, knowledgable, nice people! Great jewelry! Great slabs! Travelling through the area in summer......110 to 115 degrees........ but the shop is air conditioned. Bob
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deedolce
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2006
Posts: 1,828
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Post by deedolce on Jan 23, 2008 18:17:03 GMT -5
Thanks guys! This online friend isn't a rockhound, so I wanted to confirm it with 'those who would know' before I took the 2 1/2 drive up there! Perfect day trip when my vacation comes up! (Good to know too, it's not open on weekends! Thanks Bob!)
~Dee
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rallyrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2005
Posts: 1,507
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Post by rallyrocks on Feb 19, 2008 0:03:23 GMT -5
So Susan and I had to stop in again today on our way home from skiing at Mt Shasta.
Right when you walk in you can walk down an aisle that has bins of slabs, with bins of rough below them. I forgot how many tons of really awesome display pieces are in there, a couple cabinets with cabs and polished pieces of Morrisonite and Hart Mountain Jasper that are all to DIE for!
But here is the secret insiders place to look- in a room behind their "museum" (the priday Queen Plume is in there- they say it is considered the finest piece of plume agate ever discovered, and I couldn't think of any argument against that statement) but in back there they have a few more bins of slabs, and right next to them is a cabinet of drawers that have cabs stuck to them-
I thought the drawers might be full of cabs, but no they all have little slabs- the cabs are there to show what the slabs can be turned into.
I pretty much lost it right there, Morrisonite, Willow Creek, Varisite, Biggs, on and on, and most of the slabs here are priced very generously- like $2-3 for nice little slabs that will yield several cabs each- I wound up spending like $40 before reason came back to me and I decided I'd had enough.
Let me restate the line that started this thread- if you happen to be passing through Red Bluff on a week day before 5PM-, you simply MUST stop in there, they are just north off of Antelope road Exit immediately west of the freeway- (drive 2 minutes as Rich suggests and you will be long past it) across from Luigi's Italian.
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