Any Rock Hounds?

[sushidog]

Here's where I found the 4.6ct star ruby. It was our first time at the Cherokee Gem mine near Franklin, NC. http://cherokeerubymine.com/

The people running it were very friendly and knowledgeable. You won't find a lot of trinkets, but if you do find a ruby it will generally be worthwhile as the quality of their stones is some of the best in the area.

In the same area, we have had success in the past at the Rose Creek mine and the Old Cardinal mine, with the latter being more productive recently. Both staffed with super friendly folk, and their per bucket fee is reasonable.

If you prefer to mine in a creek, there's a nice place in Cleveland, GA called Gold and Gem Grubbin that allows both dredging and highbanking on a per day basis. They also allow people just to come shovel through and screen or pan the tailings by their beautiful creek for $25/day. I typically average about a gram of gold an hour panning there - but be advised, it is a labor of love (and the yield is inconsistent - sometimes you will do well and sometimes you won't) and it's backbreaking work - for men younger than I. I prefer their gem sluice and have found a large pyrope garnet there that cut out to 6.5 carats (I found a nice unique strawberry colored ruby there too.). Here's the garnet:

It's visibly flawless and has a deep red color like a pigeon blood ruby, with no orangy tones typical of garnets. A nice find. I'm not very good at taking pictures though (Hey, I didn't do a bad job on the penny! ).

Chip

 

[Dennis]

Muleshoe, NM has lots fire agate in the dry wash.

Is that the name of a town or of the dry wash?  Can't find a town by that name other than the one here in Texas.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

I like to mine on the east coast. We go to northern Georgia, from Dahlonega to Helen, and in NC around the Franklin area. The various mines have been very productive over the years. Not too much luck with gold - only a couple small vials for a lot of labor invested, but better luck with gems.

Cherokee, NC!!! That's it! I think it was Rose Creek we went to. Looks like you've found all kinds of great stones. Ever found any hiddenite? Do you cut your gemstones yourself or what? I've never found anything big enough to cut, but if I did...... I came back from NC with plenty of orange clay though---all over everything. What fun it was!

Thanks!

 

[TrainChaser]

"there are Geodes beds south of Blythe off Willey Well Road. thought I would mention it because it's not far from Blythe, Ehrenburg, and not far from the Q. over the mountains from Palo Verde. also not far from the Oregon Sunstone area there is a banded Obsidian collecting area and a Thunder Egg(Geode) collecting area... oh, I have dozens more." highdesertranger

Kind of sounds like someone needs to write a rockhounding guide.........

 

[sushidog]

Cherokee, NC!!! That's it! I think it was Rose Creek we went to.  Looks like you've found all kinds of great stones.  Ever found any hiddenite?  Do you cut your gemstones yourself or what?  I've never found anything big enough to cut, but if I did......  I came back from NC with plenty of orange clay though---all over everything.    What fun it was!

Thanks!

Franklin NC lies just south of Cherokee, NC. There is a ruby/sapphire seam that runs through the area, so there are a few mines open to the public. The Cherokee mine is the northern most mine on the seam. It doesn't produce a lot of rubies, but the quality is unusually high. I like to camp at the Rose Creek CG, adjacent to the mine. l've been to this mine many times over the years with varying results - though the people running it are great! It is a great place to begin your mining adventure, though after you've had more experience, I can recommend other places in the area that you might find more rewarding (and a few to avoid too.)

I haven't been to Hiddenite, but I hear their emeralds are the bomb (plus they have a nice variety of other naturally occurring stones there too, besides beryl)! In fact, we're planning a trip there next year. Emeralds are the most expensive stone to cut (usually around $60/carat)  but they tend to be smaller and are worth a lot of money per carat, so it's easy to recover your investment by cutting a nice stone.

Cutting gems is an art and a science - pulling the best, most colorful (even saturation) and minimally flawed stone takes years of experience and many thousand dollars in lapidary equipment. It is very easy to mess up your finds in an amateur attempt. Cutting and polishing a star sapphire so the star shows up in the center of the stone is very much an art. Poorly done it could make the difference of hundreds of dollars a carat. For example, I've seen poorly cut and shaped star rubies valued at around $150/carat or less. Expertly done they can be worth $1,100/carat - if you have a very nice stone. Since gem cutters all charge by the carat, it is important that you find an ethical cutter with a good reputation who has been in business for years due to his repeat business. It is easy to cut out the max carat weight you can get from a stone, but that may include a large flaw or an off color part that ruins your stone's value. Cutting half the possible carat weight, from the ideal part of the stone, however, may produce a stone that is much more valuable though a little smaller. For instance my 4.6 carat star ruby started as a 25 carat raw stone. The best you could hope to get is about 1/2 the raw weight after it is cut, but the odds of it being a good stone are slim to none. So an unethical lapidary might cut it out at 12 carats, so he can charge his $30/carat fee (some charge more) and make a lot of money - but produce a virtually worthless stone that probably wouldn't star. My guy chose to cut out the part that stars and has a pretty, even color, though the finished weight was only 4.6 carats. However instead of being worth about $100/carat x 12 carats = $1,200 (yet cost $360 to cut) netting only $840 in value - that is if you could sell a stone of such poor quality. My stone is worth around $700/carat x 4.6 carats =  $3,200 - by far the most valuable stone we've found to date (and only cost $138 to have cut). Nope, I'll let a trusted pro do it, thank you. If you have any stones you want cut, PM me and I'll give you a recommendation of a cutter I've trusted for years.



Chip

 

[WriterMs]

Um, Chip, you seem to attract a LOT of color. Don't make any sudden moves but there is a bright parrot on your shoulder in the Cherokee Mine pic you posted. LOL

Seriously thanks for all the details and pics. I hate the "lush" areas most of the year because it is humidity with HEAT. Right now it is still 86 outside here at 9 pm. And this time of year the humidity gets worse at night.. clings like a sauna. That being noted, perhaps I'll get a chance for a short boondock down there this fall or early winter.

So thanks again.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

Sushidog, WOW! What a plethora of information! I'm going to have to come back later and read it again when my mind is more present.

I'd really like to find a nice hiddenite since it's supposed to be the only gemstone that can't be replicated because of it's structure. I'll definitely be sending a PM. Interesting about the emeralds. Okay, enough for now, will come back later.

Thanks!

 

[Kathleen]

I used to love going to the crystal mines when I was younger.  Hope to be able to do it again one day.  I've got friends that get a group together to go but I've not been in a position to participate---think it would be a fun group outting though.

Anybody else dig rocks?

YES!!!! Get into lots of mines here due to field trip leader's high level qualifications. NM is very gemmy! Would like to meet up with forum members whenever I finally get my Bxtt on the road!

 

[Kathleen]

Spent a decade looking at birds in the sky while driving. Scared a few passengers but never got a ticket or had an accident. :s Love watching osprey, hawks, falcons, eagles and certain other feathered creatures as they dive, fish, fight, call or scream in the sky. The northern forests and open plains where I drove nurtured large bird populations.

After a decade looking up, sudden health problems forced me off road. Fortunately I lived next to the National Forest. Walking in nature was good for my health and there were such pretty rocks I spent the next 8 years looking down. The arroyo (wide sandy path) where I walked was unique in its diversity. Ancient coral, agatized wood, opalized shells, a wide range of fossils, quartz in many colors, flint, and even a large heart shaped piece identified as a meteorite.

I joined an advanced Geological Society and went on field trips. Our leader had high level clearance so we were permitted to go to many mines. I showed our mining institute ID person what I was finding up my arroyo. She said "That's not supposed to be there." So we had to come up with a theory on why that particular area was so diverse when the next arroyo over was mostly red rock.

There is a lovely mica mine open north of where I live. On a sunny day it is lit up with micaceous stones and literally millions of tons of quartz above and below ground, along with feldspar, kyanite, tourmaline, garnet, tuff of every color, and rare earth minerals. The last are a bit trickier to find but exciting to locate.

I love rocks and fossils, and always look for something to stump the experts in my group. Great fun!!

 

[WriterMs]

Kathleen,
Glad you started up this older thread again. If you were still mobile, you might not be able to move your rig from the weight of your collection!

Your subhead indicates you are in the Santa Fe area? I'm sure to be in northern NM when I am able to travel again. I'd love to meet up with you and absorb some knowledge as I've been away from collecting for decades.

Your enthusiasm for rocks is contagious.. at least to me.

 

[Kathleen]

Kathleen,
Glad you started up this older thread again.  If you were still mobile, you might not be able to move your rig from the weight of your collection!  

Your subhead indicates you are in the Santa Fe area?  I'm sure to be in northern NM when I am able to travel again. I'd love to meet up with you and absorb some knowledge as I've been away from collecting for decades.

Your enthusiasm for rocks is contagious.. at least to me.

Yup, Santa Fe. Five years ago I planned to buy a house, so I brought home hundreds of pounds of gorgeous stuff. Collector friends who traveled felt it necessary to give me more. I'm surprised my house is still standing under the weight!

I'm not buying a house and will be mobile again in my minivan. Just a matter of seeing family and getting rid of possessions. Then I'll be out on a trial run.

Glad you picked up on my enthusiasm. Please stay in touch. Tell me re your life, where you are, what you've collected.

 

[abnorm]

I keep thinking of the old movie "The Long Long Trailer" with Lucy and Ricky................

My BIL Butch .....RIP......traveled The Western states every vacation collecting "rocks"........Petrified wood ......arrowheads.......fossils......geodes....crystals....even a petrified APPLE.....Now they're ALL mine

What to do with them?

I GUESS I'll take them in the VAN with me and TRY to put them back where they came from ??????

doug

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

A local high school science department might be very happy to accept them as a donation . . .

 

[Kathleen]

I keep thinking of the old movie "The Long Long Trailer" with Lucy and Ricky................

My BIL Butch .....RIP......traveled The Western states every vacation collecting "rocks"........Petrified wood ......arrowheads.......fossils......geodes....crystals....even a petrified APPLE.....Now they're ALL mine

What to do with them?

I GUESS I'll take them in the VAN with me and TRY to put them back where they came from ??????

doug

A petrified apple??!! :heart: I'd love to have it. What a find. I pick up old stone artifacts too, arrowheads, granite grinding stones, pottery, when I'm walking friends' ranches. One a field trip I kept picking up sharp edged specimens. Our mining institute ID lady said repeatedly "Kathleen, that's an artifact!"

Are you going to the RTR this year? My family is coming from EU for holidays, so I may not be able to join the group until the summer gathering. You could return them to nature. Or bring them to gatherings. I'm sure by the end of the RTR every stone in your van will find a new owner!

 

[Kathleen]

A local high school science department might be very happy to accept them as a donation . . .

So true! Kids of all ages love rocks. I work with stone beads. The little ones truly see what's there and often have the deepest appreciation.

 

[abnorm]

Summer RTR will be my first.................

I'll bring them along and "salt" the campsite............................

 

[Kathleen]

Summer RTR will be my first.................

I'll bring them along and "salt" the campsite............................

Haha, that's hilarious. Maybe I'll salt a few myself. People get excited when they find something pretty. Should try that on my geology bunch.     Do we know yet where Summer RTR will be and the dates? Sure would like to know, but have not seen that posted. Did learn what happened last summer. Love the way Bob takes responsibility for events that unfold. Ok, no politics here, but I wish some of those guys/gals would do the same. Hope this does not get deleted because I said the "P" word.

 

[Kathleen]

Summer RTR will be my first.................

I'll bring them along and "salt" the campsite............................

Haha, that's hilarious. Maybe I'll salt a few myself. People get excited when they find something pretty. Should try that on my geology bunch.     Do we know yet where Summer RTR will be and the dates? Sure would like to know, but have not seen that posted. Did learn what happened last summer. Love the way Bob takes responsibility for events that unfold. Ok, no politics here, but I wish some of those guys/gals would do the same. Hope this does not get deleted because I said the "P" word.

 

[TrainChaser]

Kathleen: "I showed our mining institute ID person what I was finding up my arroyo. She said 'That's not supposed to be there.' So we had to come up with a theory on why that particular area was so diverse when the next arroyo over was mostly red rock."

Pack rats (the animal kind). They pick up something interesting and carry it around until they find something else. Then they drop the first thing and pick up the new one. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. The old prospectors would sometimes lose a button and find a gold nugget in its place. (They were not upset.) Sounds like that area has a LOT of packrats.

Abnorm: "I keep thinking of the old movie "The Long Long Trailer" with Lucy and Ricky........"

I did, too!

 

[Dennis]

Kathleen, is most of your rock hounding near Santa Fe or do you know anything about the Silver City area for that?