How to Pan for Gems in Michigan

Lake Michigan houses one of the largest colored rock collections in the world. Each year, amateur rock collectors flock to the lake expecting to return with pounds of precious gold, silver and diamonds, but many end up disappointed. Although these materials are abundant in the lake, finding them requires a lot of expertise and experience. More realistic novice rock collectors stick to searching for semiprecious gemstones, which are far more common in the lake. The abundance of petoskey, greenstone, agate and other semiprecious stones means that collectors rarely leave empty-handed. Finding the best samples still requires patience and practice, however.

Things You'll Need

• Gemstone screening tray
• Trowel
• Lake Michigan gem identifying chart

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Instructions

1. Finding Gemstones

   • 1

     Look for gemstones in a shallow part of the lake where there is plenty of silt on the bed.

   • 2

     Dig up the silt using the trowel and put it into the gemstone screening tray.

   • 3

     Dip the bottom of the screening tray into the water and move the tray from side to side.

   • 4

     Lift the tray out of the water and sieve out the silt.

   • 5

     You should have some stones remaining in your tray.

   • 6

     Match the stones in your tray to those on the identification chart.