I live about 2 hours from a place in NC that has open pit mining for Hiddenite. It has become more of a tourist attraction over the years from what I understand but have also read some of the mines produce good quality stones. As an ubernovice I don't know what to believe. Does anyone know the area and is worth going exploring? I have never seen a real stone, only pictures. Is it related to emerald? Thank you for your input.
I have been to Hiddenite about 4 times in the last 2 years. Most of what you get there is "salted". That means they buy cheep rough from other places and add it to the buckets of dirt. I think that most of the rough is from NC mines but some of it is likely from other states or countrys. There are actualy 3 or four mines in that area, only the Emerald Hollow Mine is open to the public. It is a nice place and the staff is friendly. They do have what they call "native" buckets that come from the mine and are not salted. Those are the ones I go for . I find mostly quartz and mica in these buckets. You can find some nice pieces in there. It is also a lot of fun for the kids. I will try and post some pictures of what we 'found'.
In the Spruce pine area and Franklin NC there are other public mines available. I have been to Spruce pine 3 times and there is a very nice mineral museum there.
Thank you for the advice. I have been through a ton of salted buckets over my early years of learning and they serve a good purpose that way. Actually I have had some pretty pieces of rough cut at Gem Mountain. I love the Spruce Pines area and that area of the Parkway. I don't need any more mica or quartz. Thanks for the heads up. I have heard you have to hit or be near a quartz vein in order to find Hiddenite and other gems as well. Is that true in that area, do you know? Thanks for offering to show your pictures I would love to see them. Sincerely wanda1
Hiddenite is a pale-to-emerald green variety of spodumene, like Kunsite is the pink variety. It was made by Mother Earth as a joke on faceters, with perfect cleavage.
Last time I tried to facet it, I started with a 15 carat chunk and after it kept splitting off pieces, the finished stone was only about 2 carats. Was the most frustrating rough I have ever cut.
_________________ "Distracted by something shiny."
On my second trip to Hiddenite at the Emerald Hollow mine I purchased a native bucket. I walked over to the area where they are kept and saw this big rock on top of one of the buckets. Naturaly I picked that one .
Being from the area, I would recommend visiting the Crabtree Emerald Mine in Little Switzerland NC, just a few short miles from Spruce Pine. This is an unsalted mine, but very tough to find emeralds (they are there, but scarce) you can easily find black tourmaline and with some work you will be able to find yellow beryl crystals embedded in the host granite. You have to get a permit from Emerald Village, which is closed for the season at the moment. I dont know where you can get a permit out of season, unless you happen to catch someone at Emerald Village.
It used to be you could do the paperwork through MAGMA (Mountain Area Gem and Mineral Association) to go to Crabtree, though it's possible something has changed. One notable feature about the Crabtree emerald mine is that it was apparently mined not for facet rough but for emerald-in-matrix cabochon rough. The bright green emeralds in a white quartz and black tourmaline matrix are very striking and make an excellent gem on their own. It's not super likely you'll find something cabochon-grade there, but it's a ton of fun and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it. Finding emeralds there is totally possible, it just takes persistence (and a keen eye, as they're usually gonna be pretty small).
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2011 11:48 am Posts: 416 Location: KY
You can still get in by making prior arrangements with MAGMA. You must join the club for legal liability coverage. There have been a few recent threats of poaching, so be prepared to present your papers as they are checking regularly (middle of the week, freezing cold weather). It's a shame it has come to this but not surprising.
You can google Crabtree Emerald Cab to see what Scarodactyl is referring to. There are also knives made from this material. The emeralds do fluoresce in UV.
Having been there over the New Year holiday with friends, my husband was fortunate enough (after a lot of work!) to find the following.....
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Crabtree1inchCrystal.jpg [ 30.27 KiB | Viewed 1078 times ]
Thanks to everyone who responded. The pictures you all posted are beautiful and make me even more eager to get in the mines. I will wait until the weather warms up in Spring and hit the road and rocks. I happened to find a piece of black tourmaline in quartz matrix and love it. I have some ruby in matrix from the Spruce Pines area and a bunch of rough rubies and garnets from the area too. My favorite is a piece of dark green tourmaline I had cut and mounted to wear on a necklace. That and a bloodstone I had cut into a cab and mounted in a sterling silver ring are my treasures. I have learned a lot from you all already. Thanks again for sharing. Wanda
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