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Gem panning in Mitchell County, North Carolina
About this photograph
- Date created
- July 4, 2006
- Location
- Spruce Pine, North Carolina
- License
- This photograph copyright ©2006. Terms of use
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- Search LEARN NC for gem mine, gem panning, gems, Mitchell County, mountains, panning, and Spruce Pine.
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These are gems in a panning frame at a mine in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. There are stones of all different colors; fairly common finds include emeralds, sodalite, mica, sapphires, rubies, garnet, amazonite, aventurine, and a variety of quartzes, including milky, smoky, rose, amethyst, and citrine. Most mines will cut your gems for you. Gems are measured in carats, after the unusable parts that aren’t transparent have been cut away.
