Sunday, August 2, 2015

FIND EMERALS IN NORTH CAROLINA

FIND EMERALS IN HIDDENITE, N.C. 
MINE OPEN TO PUBLIC
The Emerald Hollow Mine is the only emerald mine in the world that is open to the public for prospecting. Located in the heart of one of the only emerald bearing deposits on the North American continent, finds worth thousands of dollars are not at all uncommon here. One recent find in the area is currently valued at over one million dollars! Best of all, the surface has hardly been scratched, offering mind boggling potential for plenty more big finds. The latest finds are astounding, breaking the largest emerald crystal record of 1686 carats. We invite all to visit the mine and try your luck at prospecting for valuable gemstones. We offer three large "state of the art" sluiceways where you may wash buckets filled with ore taken directly from the mine. Additionally, unlike most gem mines that are open to the public, we offer other prospecting options as well. Encompassing more than seventy beautiful wooded acres with access to over a half mile of winding creeks, we also allow visitors to prospect for gemstones in the creeks and permitted digging areas. Besides the excitement of finding valuable gemstones, the mine offers breathtaking scenic views, abundant wildlife and plenty of nature at its best. Please do not pick the wild flowers. We have wooded picnic areas and public restrooms. All set in a rustic mining town atmosphere, we also have a gift shop and lapidary shop where you may shop for fine jewelry and affordable gemstone gifts. Located less than an hour from the Blue Ridge Parkway, there are plenty of hotels, restaurants and other accommodations available in the nearby towns of Statesville and Taylorsville. We also offer a very popular educational field trip program for schools, scout groups, and other organizations.  Whether a serious prospector or a family looking for great outdoor recreation, everybody enjoys a trip to the Emerald Hollow Mine! For your convenience, we have provided complete pricing information below. Pricing Information Sluicing: (Sluicing Permit=$5.00) Sluicing is the most popular (and easiest) method of prospecting at the Emerald Hollow Mine. This simple process involves taking a seat on our covered sluiceway and washing buckets of ore to find gemstones. The buckets we offer are filled with ore taken directly from the Hiddenite grounds. Miners can sift through either "Native" or "Enriched" buckets. Any of these buckets are subject to produce big finds. More than sixty-three different types of natural gems and minerals occur here and are subject to being found in any of these buckets. Many of these are very rare, including emerald, aquamarine, sapphire, garnet, topaz, amethyst, citrine, rutile, tourmaline and hiddenite. spacerSluicing Ore at the Emerald Hollow Mine There is a $5.00 general admission fee for sluicing. We include one complimentary bucket of ore with your admission fee. Additional buckets of ore must be purchased. Prices for additional buckets range from $5.00 to $1000.00. We have many varieties and prices of buckets to choose from. For example, we have the popular $15.00 "Super Bucket" which is a large 5 gallon enriched bucket that is recognized as a great value. For the truly serious, we have the $100.00 "Cutter's Choice" bucket which is guaranteed to produce facet grade rough gemstones! NOTE:All persons taking a seat on the sluiceway and sluicing ore, must pay the admission fee. HELPFUL HINTS: Don't wear your Sunday best for this activity! During the chilly seasons, latex gloves to keep your hands dry will come in handy. Also, if you're planning to make a day of it, a seat cushion will make things a little more comfortable. Creeking: (Sluicing/Creeking Permit=$10.00) Cutting through the gemstone rich ridges of the mine, there are creeks with sparkling clean, clear, mountain waters gently flowing through them. Through thousands of years of natural erosional processes, the creek beds have filled with gemstones from the mine above. Making for ideal prospecting, these creeks are seldom over ankle to knee deep. Prospecting in the creek can be very rewarding. It is most productive to work the creek gravels with a screen, although some prefer the easier method of just "eyeing" the thousands of rocks in the creek bed, hoping to catch a glimpse of a nice gemstone. Full of beautiful, serene views and especially refreshing during the summertime, the creek is a great place to make a big find! Creeking at the Emerald Hollow Mine Access to prospect the creek is only $5.00 more added on to your general admission fee of $5.00. This $10.00 creeking/sluicing permit allows you unlimited access to both the creek and sluiceway. Also, if you don't have tools, we will rent you a creek screen and hand shovel for only $2.00 more. A $5.00 deposit is required for the creeking set. $3 of your deposit will be refunded upon return of the tools. NOTE: All persons going to the creek must purchase the $10.00 sluicing/creeking permit. Children three and under are free (as long as they don't take up a seat on the sluiceway). Digging: (Combination Permit=$20.00) Digging at the mine can be hard work, but many motherlode finds are made chasing veins. For those who prefer easier prospecting, there is also lots of bare ground for surface collecting in the mining area. Purchasing a $20.00 "combination" permit will give you access to all the mine has to offer! Not only are you permitted to the sluicing and creeking areas, but you may also go up to the mine and try your hand at digging in our permitted areas. If you did not bring digging tools, we rent digging sets for $5.00. A $10.00 deposit is required for the digging set. $5.00 of this deposit will be refunded upon return of the tools. NOTE: If you are a serious digger with serious equipment (i.e., anything more than buckets, shovels), the digging permit is $45 instead of $20, per OSHA/EPA regulations. YOUR TOOLS MUST BE APPROVED. Please understand that digging here can be very difficult. This mine is in a real Emerald deposit and is preserved for pick and shovel mining. Veins are vertical and are full of mica (the big key for our veins). spacerDigging at the Emerald Hollow Mine Our hours of operation are 8:30am to sunset (ranging from 5:00pm in mid-winter to 8:00pm in mid-summer). We are open every day of the year, except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. There are RV parks with complete hookups very nearby. Our friendly, knowledgable and helpful staff is always available to answer your questions, offer instructions, and help identify your finds. We also have a complete lapidary shop that will turn your rough gemstones into beautiful cut stones and jewelry. Click here to learn more about our lapidary services. HELPFUL HINTS: Wear old clothes and shoes. Plan on getting soil on you! Bring a change of clothes and shoes, an old towel or two, and sunscreen and bug spray. Pricing Summary Sluicing Permit = $5.00 Sluicing/ Creeking Permit = $10.00 Combination Permit = $20.00 Not only are you permitted to the sluicing and creeking areas, but you may also go up to the mine and try your hand at digging in our permitted areas. Creek Screen and Hand Shovel = only $2.00 more. A $5.00 deposit is required for the creeking set. $3 of your deposit will be refunded upon return of the tools. Digging Tools = we rent digging sets for $5.00. A $10.00 deposit is required for the digging set. $5.00 of this deposit will be refunded upon return of the tools. If you are a serious digger with serious equipment (i.e., anything more than buckets, shovels, small rock hammers & picks), the digging permit is $45 instead of $20, per OSHA/EPA regulations. YOUR TOOLS MUST BE APPROVED

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