Although the United States produces a diversity of gemstone varieties, the quantity produced is very small. In calendar year 2017 the total gemstone production of the United States was only $13 million. That amount is very very small compared to the $22.6 billion in gemstones that were imported for consumption. The United States has greater than a 99.9 percent dependence on foreign gemstone supplies.

Most of the gemstone production in the United States comes from very small mines with just two or three employees who are often part-time or seasonal workers. Very few of the mines have more than a dozen employees and operate during all four seasons of the year. In 2014 about 250 gemstone mines were operating in the United States. They employed between 1,200 and 1,500 people.

A significant amount of additional gemstone mining in the United States is done by rockhounds (amateurs who search for rocks, minerals, gemstones, and fossils as a hobby). Many of them do their rockhounding on public land (areas owned by the government where individuals can collect if they observe the rules). Others go to fee mining sites. These are proven gemstone deposits where visitors can pay a fee, look for gemstones, and keep any that they find.