New Member from Gastonia, NC

[mitch]

Hello to all. I am sure glad that I found this forum. I have been going to Hiddenite every weekend in hopes of finding one of those huge emeralds. After reading several threads on here, I now know that I am pretty much wasting my time. I have found some nice smoky crystals, but not much pay off for all of my hard work. I am excited about MAGMA and the numerous field trips they offer....I will be joining soon. I think I am ready to switch to the Crabtree Mine. I attached a photo of some of the smoky quartz that I did find at Emerald Hollow.

Thanks to everyone for all of the great information.

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[mitch]

Another photo of the same crystals.

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[carnelianpete]

Welcome to the group. You won't find a better group of knowledgeable, friendly and helpful people anywhere. Good luck on the future hunts.

Pete

[tracey]

Welcome Mitch....wave from Hickory.......I'm still fairly new and Pete is 100% correct, super helpful nice folks here. Crabtree was my first club experience and it was great! Good luck.
Tracey

[mitch]

Thanks Pete and Tracey!! I am so ready to go the Crabtree and leave emerald hollow behind.

[Ryan]

Welcome Mitch, I come down from PA once or twice a month for work and nearly always make a day to hunt. At first I was mislead with the Emerald Hollow too. Not much there
However there's a great place called the Ray Mine not far from the Crabtree. Id highly reccomend collecting there. Its a feldspar pegmetite with mica, black tourmaline, and beryl. Green, golden, and aquamarine all found there. Up the hill a mile or so is an old Kyanite mine. Theres still blue xls lying about up there. Ill hit u up next time I go down via personal message and show ya the site if you want. You guys in NC are so spoiled with collecting spots down there. I swear half the members on this board would commit hari-kari if they lived up here. theres fossils, and......... Shale..... everywhere...shale, for miles in all directions. ooooh look! Sandstone! woo. ;D
But seriously, there are more spots to dig up in NC than I ever thought. The one mod on this board wrote a nice book on rockhounding in NC that would serve as an excellent starting point for info on the hobby in your area.
Also, I learned a ton just from reading everyones posts here. Ive even met some cool people and hooked up with other club members to collect. Not to mention, my collection has increased exponentially as my garage has turned into a rock discard pile. Happy hunting.

[mitch]

Thanks for input Ryan. Yes I know how spoiled we are here in NC. My parents were members of the local gem and mineral club when I was a kid and I attended quite a few trips with them. I even remember collecting amethyst that was close to home. I don't know if that was the Reel mine that I went to so many years ago, but it was in the same general location. I am excited to be back in the hobby and would love to join you when you are down this way.
I am still not totally convinced that something can't be found at emerald hollow, I think it just takes way too much work and most is probably unreachable without machines. I was lucky enough to find some virgin ground with undisturbed rock that had numerous veins of quartz. I am still not sure what type of host rock I am in but pretty sure that it is not home to emeralds. The rock is about 4 feet below the surface and soft. It varies in color from chalk white to black. I have attached a photo of the area that I am digging. Any feedback would be appreciated.

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[Doug]

Hey Mitch,

Just up the road in Belmont and L O N G termer on here. Come on out to the Gaston Gem, Mineral & Faceter's Club meting next Tuesday 7PM at the Adult Recreation Center on the corner of Franklin and Clay. It used to be the Armory and is just west of 321. Our show is October 1,2 & 3 at the Dallas Park is you are interested also. We try to do a field trip each of the colder months as long as we can find a fairly close site to dig. THAT is getting harder due to rampant STUPIDITY among other collecters.

Doug

[mitch]

Thanks Doug. Would love to come to the meeting, but my kids have football practice. Do you meet only one Tuesday each month?

[earthnhands]

mitch, welcome to the board. it might be decomposing feldspar....
rebecca

[Ryan]

Mitch, Ive dug into that stuff at the E.H. Mine. Looks like mica and kaolin clay intertwined with your beautiful NC Red. I was told once that the emeralds are below the quartz veins. I went down the hill and tunneled into the hillside making sure to remove a good amount of the stuff above me to prevent cave in, I ran into and dug below a 4 foot thick "wall" of quartz. It was hard work, I moved a LOT of soil and rock. I blasted away at the quartz with a pick and sledge and undermined it. And I found .... NADA. There are a lot more productive places to go.

[romare]

Sounds like you are in a feldspathic body shot with decomposed tourmaline. It is possible to find decent quartz xls in it, and sometimes beryl although the beryl will tend to be more toward aquamarine if intact. Most likely the beryl if found will be in a decomposing state as well. The only things that seem to survive in that particular weathered environment are the quartz and sometimes mica unless material is locked in the quartz and therefore protected. Emerald occurs in zones of diorite, which is much, much harder and denser, and may appear blackish and blocky as it breaks down in near-surface areas.

Mark

[Doug]

Mitch we do only meet once a month BUT our annual show will Be October 1, 2, & 3 at the Dallas Park right off 321 on Hwy 279. Hours are 9am-6pm and parking & admission are FREE! Hope to see you there!!
Doug