Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Gather tools, such as chisels, shovels and a magnifying glass, topographical maps of the area you will be searching, and a gem identification guide. There are no operating topaz mines in Texas, but you can go to one of two ranches in Mason County, pay a small fee for a day's access to the land and go rock hunting. You get to keep what you find. The two ranches you can contact are Seaquist Ranch (no website; 325-347-5413), $15 a day, or Lindsay Ranch Cabin on the Creek (lindsayranch.net; 325-347-4052), $10 a day. Lindsay Ranch also has cabins to stay in. Both are open every month except November, December and January, when they are closed for hunting season.
Sift for topaz by digging in wet or dry stream beds. Dig about 2 to 3 feet down as topaz is heavier than quartz, which is very plentiful in this area. Use a shovel or trowel to dig down in the sediment and lift the dirt into the sifting tray. For irregular looking chunks of stone and dirt, break apart gently with a few taps from a hammer to see whether topaz is nesting inside. Spend a little time in one area to dig around, then move on to a new spot in the stream bed.
Use a pick to get into quartz-looking rocks. Most naturally occurring topaz will be in varying shades of yellow, from clear to brown, although there is a chance you will find a sky blue one. Keep anything that looks interesting and has the possibility of being quartz or topaz. You can have it identified in town later.
Move to slightly higher ground if you don't have success with the riverbeds. Dig down into the ground near rock outcroppings. You can tell by digging around whether there are any clusters of quartz; if so, dig down further to find topaz. Most gems will be somewhat cloudy in their natural form. Shine and brilliance will come with cutting and polishing. There should be enough sparkle and depth of color, however, to tell you that it is more than just a rock.
Dig in ravines where there may be a good collection of quartz and topaz. If you find significant veins of quartz, dig underneath to find topaz. What may be a clear-looking quartz may turn out to be topaz in clear form. Anything that has sharp edges and a yellow-gold-brown, even pink crystallized appearance, could very well be topaz. Different colors are due to impurities in the composition.