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How to Find Precious & Semiprecious Stones in the USA

You don't need to scour the ocean floor to find treasure --- the earth beneath your feet is filled with gems and minerals. There are as many techniques to finding precious and semiprecious stones as there are types of these baubles, but finding them in the rock isn't as big a challenge as finding out who mines them. You can always buy gemstones online, but for treasure hunters, mines and gem businesses exist across the United States to fulfill your sparkly dreams. All you need to do is know where to look and prepare to get dirty.

Things You'll Need

Internet access or telephone
Vehicle

Instructions

- 1
  Use the gemstone information available on the U.S. Geological Survey website listed in the Resources section of this article to determine which stones are located in your state.
- 2
  Contact the geology professor at your local or state university. Ask whether there are any free or fee mines or dig sites located nearby and if they are open to the public since many mines are located on private land.
- 3
  Input the name of the stone you're looking for as well as your state into a search engine to locate mines and dig sites. Contact the businesses directly and remember to ask if you get to keep everything you find and whether there are any excursions to rarer sections of their mines, which might cost more but also deliver better quality precious and semiprecious stones.
- 4
  Consult the websites for the Discovery, History and Travel Channels (see Resources) to get ideas about which stones you're really after, where the best specimens can be found and what to do after you have found them.
- 5
  Visit rock and fossil shops in smaller towns. Ask the proprietors if they could let you know the location of any special, public or secret dig sites --- most often they will be happy to point you in the right direction and know where to get the best specimens at little or no cost.

Rocks & Minerals