hand2mouthmining
spending too much on rocks
Purveyors of California Gem Rock
Member since September 2011
Posts: 495
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Post by hand2mouthmining on Jul 18, 2013 15:11:21 GMT -5
Hi, geoenthusiasts! I'm flying out to North Carolina on August 5, and staying with me Mum through the 13th. I'd love to do some rockhounding, or just meet up and swap stories and rock! I'll be sending out LFRB's of our best rock to trade and show to tile & rock shops. I hope to meet and trade rock with lots of rockhounds.
I'd also appreciate tips on any easy access locations around Taylorsville. Mom's 80 this year, and while her rockhounding enthusiasm is still strong, her stamina is delicate. Any suggestions or guidence would be most appreciated.
See y'all soon!
Kris
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Post by rockmanken on Jul 18, 2013 16:05:35 GMT -5
Kris, you do know that Hiddenite in taylorsville is a salted place. Go to wncrocks.com and hook up with Rick Jacquot (pronounced jay-co) He may be able to give you some pointers. The group is M.A.G.M.A. (mountain area gem and mineral association) Discussion board is American Rockhounds. They may have a trip to one of the local mines in NC, SC, or GA while you are there. Or you could go to Franklin and hit some of the salted ruby/sapphire mines. Ken
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hand2mouthmining
spending too much on rocks
Purveyors of California Gem Rock
Member since September 2011
Posts: 495
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Post by hand2mouthmining on Jul 21, 2013 17:03:01 GMT -5
Thanks for the good advice, Ken. i've read about the tourist mines in N.C, salting is pretty much the rule. I'll post to American Rockhound and query the Magma folk. I'll check out the roadside rockhounding scene around Taylorsville, and give a report upon my return.
later!
Kris
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 22, 2013 4:12:29 GMT -5
For the sake of clarity, not all of the mines in Hiddenite are salted. The area in and around Hiddenite has hydrothermal quartz veins which can/do contain pockets with many other minerals. The occurrence of Emeralds, Hiddenite, Amethyst, Smokey Quartz, Rutile, Tourmaline, and a host of other minerals do naturally occur there. And corundum has been found in the Feldspar in the area. Commercial gem mining in Hiddenite began back in the late 1800s. In the late 1960s thru the 1970s the Ellis and Rist mines were open to the public for fee digging and many great native specimens and gems came out of there. About 1980 a private mining company again bought those mines for commercial mining but their plans never really got off the ground. Also around 1980 Fred Walker opened a track of land next to the Ellis mine property for public digging and operated it for several years. It wasn't until the mid 1980s that Mike Watkins and his wife purchased a track of land nearby and started the first salted tourist mine in the area. However, the Watkins still had an area reserved for the digging out the native quartz veins which sometimes contained gem pockets. In 1995 the Ellis and Rist mines were divided into tracts and auctioned off. Rockhounds and a few professional gem miners bought several of the tracts and still currently dig those properties, as well as other privately owned lands around Hiddenite. At the 1995 Ellis & Rist Mines auction a local wealthy woman bought much of the land and donated it to the state with the intention for the state to create a state owned and operated mine for the public, but apparently those plans never materialized. I believe the Watkin's property is now called the Emerald Hollow Mine. Last I heard they do salt the buckets of dirt and also salt the grounds and the creek for surface hunters. You can look them up on the internet and see if they still allow actual digging of the native material. If not Mike would probably tell you if there is a land owner in the area that still will allow people to fee dig for native stones. If you were flying in a couple of days sooner I would suggest you drive up to the NC mineral and Gem Festival which will be held August 1st - 4th in Spruce Pines, NC. This show is one of the oldest annual shows in the country and combined with the Grassy Creek Gem and Mineral Show and the G&LW Wholesale show all held the same week in Spruce Pines, makes for the largest annual gem show gathering east of the Mississippi. I'm about 90 minutes from Taylorsville. So if you would like to try and get together one afternoon you can email me off site at QuailRiver@Northstate.net . I know there's a few other members on this site in western NC. If a few others are interested in meeting up maybe we can arrange a time and place to all get together and bum-rush a pizza buffet one afternoon . Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 22, 2013 4:12:44 GMT -5
For the sake of clarity, not all of the mines in Hiddenite are salted. The area in and around Hiddenite has hydrothermal quartz veins which can/do contain pockets with many other minerals. The occurrence of Emeralds, Hiddenite, Amethyst, Smokey Quartz, Rutile, Tourmaline, and a host of other minerals do naturally occur there. And corundum has been found in the Feldspar in the area. Commercial gem mining in Hiddenite began back in the late 1800s. In the late 1960s thru the 1970s the Ellis and Rist mines were open to the public for fee digging and many great native specimens and gems came out of there. About 1980 a private mining company again bought those mines for commercial mining but their plans never really got off the ground. Also around 1980 Fred Walker opened a track of land next to the Ellis mine property for public digging and operated it for several years. It wasn't until the mid 1980s that Mike Watkins and his wife purchased a track of land nearby and started the first salted tourist mine in the area. However, the Watkins still had an area reserved for the digging out the native quartz veins which sometimes contained gem pockets. In 1995 the Ellis and Rist mines were divided into tracts and auctioned off. Rockhounds and a few professional gem miners bought several of the tracts and still currently dig those properties, as well as other privately owned lands around Hiddenite. At the 1995 Ellis & Rist Mines auction a local wealthy woman bought much of the land and donated it to the state with the intention for the state to create a state owned and operated mine for the public, but apparently those plans never materialized. I believe the Watkin's property is now called the Emerald Hollow Mine. Last I heard they do salt the buckets of dirt and also salt the grounds and the creek for surface hunters. You can look them up on the internet and see if they still allow actual digging of the native material. If not Mike would probably tell you if there is a land owner in the area that still will allow people to fee dig for native stones. If you were flying in a couple of days sooner I would suggest you drive up to the NC mineral and Gem Festival which will be held August 1st - 4th in Spruce Pines, NC. This show is one of the oldest annual shows in the country and combined with the Grassy Creek Gem and Mineral Show and the G&LW Wholesale show all held the same week in Spruce Pines, makes for the largest annual gem show gathering east of the Mississippi. I'm about 90 minutes from Taylorsville. So if you would like to try and get together one afternoon you can email me off site at QuailRiver@Northstate.net . I know there's a few other members on this site in western NC. If a few others are interested in meeting up maybe we can arrange a time and place to all get together and bum-rush a pizza buffet one afternoon . Larry C.
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