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The first commercial gemstone mine in the United States that was operated by miners who were not Native Americans was at Mount Mica, Maine. There a large deposit of tourmaline was discovered by children in 1820. Two years later a mine was opened and it yielded thousands of carats of gem-quality tourmaline crystals. Since then the pegmatite deposits of…

Idaho’s nickname is “The Gem State.” It has a long history of producing a variety of gem materials. The most important gems produced to date have been star garnet and opal. Notable amounts of jade, topaz, zircon, and tourmaline have also been found in Idaho. Agate, jasper, and petrified wood in many colors and patterns have been found and produced from small deposits throughout the state.

The most popular gemstone locality in Arkansas is Crater of Diamonds State Park, where anyone can pay a fee, look for diamonds, and keep any that are found. The site is an operating state park, and visitors usually find hundreds of small diamonds every year. There are several other fee mining areas in the state where you…

Many different gemstones are produced in Colorado. These include aquamarine, amazonite, garnet, topaz, tourmaline, lapis lazuli, quartz, smoky quartz, rhodochrosite, rose quartz, amethyst, turquoise, peridot, sapphire, zircon, agate, and jasper. A rough diamond from Colorado was cut into a 16.87-carat stone. It is the largest cut diamond ever produced from United States rough. Aquamarine is the state gemstone of Colorado, and it is mostly found at high elevations on Antero…

Montana’s most popular gemstone product is sapphire. Yogo Gulch sapphires have been famous for over 100 years, and the production of sapphires in Montana continues today. Sapphires are produced from both rock and alluvial deposits. They occur in a wide range of colors which include blue, blue-green, green, pink, pale red, purple, yellow, and orange (colors…

Tennessee is well-known for a single gem material – pearls. The American Pearl Company operates the only freshwater pearl farm in the United States. They produce cultured freshwater pearls from native river mussels. The coin-shaped pearls in the photo are from the American Pearl Company and display iridescent shades of golden, pink, and blue.

Utah produces a wide variety of gemstones. Although topaz is Utah’s state gemstone, the gemstone that is getting a lot of recent attention is red beryl, also known as bixbite. The faceted red beryl shown here from the Wah Wah Mountains is a beautiful example. Amethyst, garnet, jasper, agate, and opals are also found at numerous locations in the state. Utah…

California is widely known for its tourmaline and turquoise production. Native Americans were the first to treasure these minerals, and a commercial gemstone industry was active by the late 1800s. The tourmaline deposits of Riverside and San Diego Counties have supplied more tourmaline for cutting and mineral specimens than any other tourmaline deposits in the northern hemisphere. California gemstones…

Oregon produces some of the best gem-quality feldspars in the world. Several small mining operations have become world-famous for producing “Oregon Sunstone,” a transparent feldspar that is loaded with tiny copper platelets aligned in a common orientation. When a sunstone is tilted in the light, at just the right angle, these platelets simultaneously reflect a flash of…

Most people are surprised to hear that rubies, sapphires, and emeralds can be found in North Carolina. Although the area does not support a large gemstone mining and cutting industry, there are many pay-to-prospect mines where anyone can enter, pay a small fee, and keep all of the gemstones that are found. Some local businesses have skilled gem cutters…