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WNC gem mining: 6 places to uncover hidden treasures this summer
WNC gem mining: 6 places to uncover hidden treasures this summer

Yahoo

time23-06-2025

  • Yahoo

WNC gem mining: 6 places to uncover hidden treasures this summer

Western North Carolina is known for its hills full of hidden treasures. From rubies and sapphires to emeralds and gold, the region is stocked with gems, stones and minerals still waiting to be discovered. The region has a rich history of commercial mining, with abandoned mines dotting the landscape, and others still producing quartz so pure, it's become a critical component of the tech industry. But for those amateur rockhounds who don't mind getting a little dirty and maybe a little wet, there are plenty of opportunities to dig for treasure. While Tropical Storm Helene devastated Western North Carolina with severe flooding and landslides at the end of September, outdoor recreation businesses, vital the region's economy, are starting to reopen. Here are some of the best WNC gems mines and other spots to prospect, dig and pan this summer. Bob Koch of Stuart, Fla., pans for gems and minerals with his children Ava, 7, left, Quinn, 10, center, and friend Hunter Stoecklin, 10, right, at Emerald Village in Little Switzerland, June 18, 2025. Emerald Village About an hour's drive northeast from Asheville, near Spruce Pine, Emerald Village is a popular spot for families to search for gems they can take home. The North Carolina Mining Museum is located here as is the Crabtree Emerald Mine, which once produced emeralds for New York's Tiffany & Co. There, visitors can pay for a digging permit and head up to the remote mine with hand tools to scour its dumps for gems. Ava Koch, 7, left, Quinn Koch, 10, center, and Hunter Stoecklin, 10, right, of Stuart, Fla., pan for gems and minerals at Emerald Village in Little Switzerland, June 18, 2025. Emerald Village, which is open for the season through Nov. 2, also hosts a black light mine tour, where visitors can go underground and catch fluorescent glimpses of feldspar and hyalite opal. Learn more at Museum of North Carolina Minerals Off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Spruce Pine, rockhounds can learn even more about the region's mining history at the Museum of North Carolina Minerals. While the parkway sustained severe damage during Helene and the portion near Spruce Pine is still closed, visitors can still access the museum from N.C. 226. The Museum of North Carolina Minerals This free National Park Service museum has hands-on, interactive exhibits where visitors can learn how the Blue Ridge Mountains were formed and evolved to produce such precious stones and minerals. Learn more at Lucky Strike Gold and Gem Mine The Lucky Strike Gold and Gem Mine in Marion, east of Asheville, offers visitors the opportunity to try their hands at panning, sluicing and crevicing for gold along the Second Broad River. The Lucky Strike Gold and Gem Mine The mine also has a campground with RV hookups for those who want a mulit-day mining experience. Learn more at Western North Carolina Nature Center Though the red pandas and river otters are typically top draws at the WNC Nature Center in Asheville, parents can buy a bag of mining roughage at the Nature Center Gift shop and let their children pan for gems and fossils in a mining sluice. Sluicing for gems at the WNC Nature Center. Bags with gems and sand are available to purchase, as are bags with a mix of fossils, shark teeth, emeralds and more. Learn more at Elijah Mountain Gem Mine Elijah Mountain Gem Mine in Henderson County. Henderson County's Elijah Mountain Gem Mine not only offers visitors the chance to take home precious stones, but it also features a goat farm, obstacle course and creek for little rockhounds to play in. There's also German-style beer on tap and a crystal and fossil store with museum-quality offerings. Learn more at Cherokee Ruby and Sapphire Mine The Cherokee Ruby and Sapphire Mine The Cherokee Ruby and Sapphire Mine in Franklin, about 90 minutes southwest of Asheville, offers another 'dig-your-own' experience in an area with a rich mining heritage dating back to the 1870s. Here, amateur miners can uncover ruby, sapphire, garnet, moonstone and other native gems. Learn more at More: Asheville 2025 unofficial Ice Cream Trail: A guide to sweet, cool treats More: Free things to do around Asheville this summer: Get outside, stay indoors or catch a show Jacob Biba is the Helene recovery reporter at the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Email him at jbiba@ This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Gem Mining in WNC: 6 places to uncover hidden treasures this summer

WNC gem mining: 6 places to uncover hidden treasures this summer
WNC gem mining: 6 places to uncover hidden treasures this summer

Yahoo

time23-06-2025

  • Yahoo

WNC gem mining: 6 places to uncover hidden treasures this summer

Western North Carolina is known for its hills full of hidden treasures. From rubies and sapphires to emeralds and gold, the region is stocked with gems, stones and minerals still waiting to be discovered. The region has a rich history of commercial mining, with abandoned mines dotting the landscape, and others still producing quartz so pure, it's become a critical component of the tech industry. But for those amateur rockhounds who don't mind getting a little dirty and maybe a little wet, there are plenty of opportunities to dig for treasure. While Tropical Storm Helene devastated Western North Carolina with severe flooding and landslides at the end of September, outdoor recreation businesses, vital the region's economy, are starting to reopen. Here are some of the best WNC gems mines and other spots to prospect, dig and pan this summer. About an hour's drive northeast from Asheville, near Spruce Pine, Emerald Village is a popular spot for families to search for gems they can take home. The North Carolina Mining Museum is located here as is the Crabtree Emerald Mine, which once produced emeralds for New York's Tiffany & Co. There, visitors can pay for a digging permit and head up to the remote mine with hand tools to scour its dumps for gems. Emerald Village, which is open for the season through Nov. 2, also hosts a black light mine tour, where visitors can go underground and catch fluorescent glimpses of feldspar and hyalite opal. Learn more at Off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Spruce Pine, rockhounds can learn even more about the region's mining history at the Museum of North Carolina Minerals. While the parkway sustained severe damage during Helene and the portion near Spruce Pine is still closed, visitors can still access the museum from N.C. 226. This free National Park Service museum has hands-on, interactive exhibits where visitors can learn how the Blue Ridge Mountains were formed and evolved to produce such precious stones and minerals. Learn more at The Lucky Strike Gold and Gem Mine in Marion, east of Asheville, offers visitors the opportunity to try their hands at panning, sluicing and crevicing for gold along the Second Broad River. The mine also has a campground with RV hookups for those who want a mulit-day mining experience. Learn more at Though the red pandas and river otters are typically top draws at the WNC Nature Center in Asheville, parents can buy a bag of mining roughage at the Nature Center Gift shop and let their children pan for gems and fossils in a mining sluice. Bags with gems and sand are available to purchase, as are bags with a mix of fossils, shark teeth, emeralds and more. Learn more at Henderson County's Elijah Mountain Gem Mine not only offers visitors the chance to take home precious stones, but it also features a goat farm, obstacle course and creek for little rockhounds to play in. There's also German-style beer on tap and a crystal and fossil store with museum-quality offerings. Learn more at The Cherokee Ruby and Sapphire Mine in Franklin, about 90 minutes southwest of Asheville, offers another 'dig-your-own' experience in an area with a rich mining heritage dating back to the 1870s. Here, amateur miners can uncover ruby, sapphire, garnet, moonstone and other native gems. Learn more at More: Asheville 2025 unofficial Ice Cream Trail: A guide to sweet, cool treats More: Free things to do around Asheville this summer: Get outside, stay indoors or catch a show Jacob Biba is the Helene recovery reporter at the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Email him at jbiba@ This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Gem Mining in WNC: 6 places to uncover hidden treasures this summer

Antiques Roadshow guest sobs 'I don't believe it's true!' as expert reveals staggering real value of gems she thought were 'costume jewellery'
Antiques Roadshow guest sobs 'I don't believe it's true!' as expert reveals staggering real value of gems she thought were 'costume jewellery'

Daily Mail​

time28-05-2025

  • Business
  • Daily Mail​

Antiques Roadshow guest sobs 'I don't believe it's true!' as expert reveals staggering real value of gems she thought were 'costume jewellery'

An Antiques Roadshow guest sobbed when an expert revealed the staggering real value of gems she thought were 'costume jewellery'. Sunday's instalment of the popular BBC show saw expert Susan Rumfitt presented with a selection of pieces of jewellery. The guest brought along two necklaces, one came with matching brooch and a pair of earrings which had been gifted to her by her grandmother when she was 18 years old. 'How wonderful, that's quite a present, isn't it?' Susan remarked. The guest explained how she thought they were 'just costume jewellery, that's what she told me'. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The other necklace belonged to her mother, 'I think she inherited it, possibly, I can't really remember,' the guest explained. Susan examined the items and noted that one of the the necklaces contained amethysts and topaz, while the matching set was made from garnet. The expert dated the amethyst necklace to the 1880s to 1890s, 'amethysts are absolutely gorgeous, lovely saturation of colour and obviously mounted in yellow gold'. She described it as a 'beautiful piece of jewellery, with a case, which is what everybody loves at the moment.' Susan then explained the garnet necklace set dated to the 1800s. Revealing the value of the pieces, the expert said: 'The amethyst and white topaz necklace, if this came up for auction, an auction estimate of between £1,000 and £1,500.' 'As for the garnet parure, a set of jewellery, absolutely lovely. At auction because of the popularity of Georgian jewellery at the moment, auction estimate of £3,000 to £5,000,' she went on. The guest was visibly shocked and exclaimed: 'Oh my goodness, I didn't think I was wearing anything like that.' She added: 'Am I in a dream here, I don't believe it's true!' During another instalment, a guest on Antiques Roadshow was left floored by the whopping value of a 'grotty' item that had been abandoned in her garage for 20 years. Expert Marc Allum was presented with a designer piece of luggage at Beaumaris Castle. 'It's a pretty kind of grotty looking old piece of luggage this, it looks like it's had a really hard life,' Marc commented. The guest had acquired the Louis Vuitton chest after a family friend passed away and didn't originally realise the possible value of it. The guest's cousin who lives in Texas owns the item and she is the 'custodian' of it. 'We opened it and it said Louis Vuitton and I've actually had it in my garage for the past 20 years covered up,' she revealed. The expert explained how the trunk featured an 'unpickable lock' and inspected the inside details of the luggage box. He dated it to around 1890 and noted that though it needed 'quite a bit of work' he still gave an impressive valuation. 'As this stands, it's worth in the region of £2,500 to £3,500 at auction. It's a really nice thing,' Marc explained. 'Wow, wow,' the guest remarked.

Under pressure from India, Sotheby's halts auction of purported Buddha relics in Hong Kong
Under pressure from India, Sotheby's halts auction of purported Buddha relics in Hong Kong

Malay Mail

time07-05-2025

  • Business
  • Malay Mail

Under pressure from India, Sotheby's halts auction of purported Buddha relics in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, May 7 — Sotheby's in Hong Kong postponed an auction of gems with ties to early Buddhism today after opposition from India, which said the jewels were the country's religious and cultural heritage. The Piprahwa gems, which the auction house said dated back to around 200 BC and were unearthed in 1898 by Englishman William Claxton Peppe in northern India, were scheduled to go under the hammer in Hong Kong today. The Indian Ministry of Culture issued a legal notice on Monday calling the jewels 'inalienable religious and cultural heritage of India and the global Buddhist community' and said the sale violated Indian and international law. It asked for the auction to be cancelled and the jewels repatriated to India, as well as an apology and full disclosure of provenance documents, according to the notice posted on X. Sotheby's said this morning that the auction has been postponed 'in light of the matters raised by the Government of India and with the agreement of the consignors'. 'This will allow for discussions between the parties, and we look forward to sharing any updates as appropriate,' the auction house said in a statement. Sotheby's said the night before that the auction would 'proceed as planned'. The Indian Ministry of Culture wrote on X that it was 'pleased to inform' readers that the auction was postponed following its intervention. The gems in the Hong Kong auction were part of a collection of close to 1,800 gems and precious metal sheets — including amethysts, pearls and gold pieces worked into small beads. They were excavated at the Piprahwa village near the Buddha's birthplace and have been attributed to a clan linked to the religious figure. Indian authorities said an inscription on one of the caskets confirms the contents — which include bone fragments — as 'relics of the Buddha, deposited by the Sakya clan'. In an article written for Sotheby's, Chris Peppe said his ancestor 'gave the gems, the relics and the reliquaries to the Indian government' and that his family kept 'a small portion' of the discovery. — AFP

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