MINES & MOUNTAINS
Video Documentation of Gemstone Source
Videos of The Mines
See videos of the Gem Hunts. From mines to markets, we are always searching for the best sources of rough gemstones. See some of the locations below and follow them over to YouTube to see all the mining videos.
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What's Next? This summer I will be visiting all gem mining locations in The Western United States. From the Sapphire mines in Montana to locations where you can get large Rhodolite garnets, Topaz, Tourmaline and Red Beryl. We will be faceting gems on the mine site with a custom mobile faceting truck. Yes, the Ultra Tec is running on solar power. After that? Madagascar Sapphires!
Gold - Philippines
See our 8 part series on gold mining in the Philippines. From the beaches of Paracale where the Spanish found locals gold mining in 1572 to the Gold Rush town of Mt Diwalwal in Mindanao that was started in 1982. It's great to see happy small scale miners who love what they do. Miners really are happier in the Philippines.
Emeralds - North Carolina
From huge rubies to creeks with emeralds, North Carolina is very under rated. If you like length, width and girth then Spruce Pine qnd Prost Farm has the gemstones for you. Did I mention all the huge sapphires of every color? Red is Ruby!
Sapphires - Thailand
I went sapphire mining in Chanthaburi Thailand, the precious gemstone capital of the World. 80% of the gem trade goes through Thailand. Chanthaburi is the original mining area in Thailand. It is still the largest gem trading market in the World. Hundreds of gem trading buyers and sellers from around the world get together in a open market Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 10-5pm. The amount of weekly gems traded is bigger than any gem show like Tucson, Hong Kong or Bangkok.
Sapphires, Spinel - Sri Lanka
I went in a Sri Lanka Sapphire and Spinel mine. The water was leaking in as fast as they could pump it out. There are 7 gem markets where you can negotiate for real jewels. They have the best rough sapphires but you will have to fight for each one. See classic of gem market negotiations. The gemstones I bought here are being faceted on my second channel Gemstone Faceting