Rio Doce Gem Mine is perched along Highway 226 almost in sight of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. We had visited Linville Caverns earlier in the day. I had read about this gem mine and it was open on Sundays, so we decided to try it out. The mine was easy for me to find with a tall sign and beautiful, colorful flowers inviting us to give it a try!
We visited on a Sunday afternoon in mid-July and were lucky enough to be the only visitors. We hear they can be quite busy any day of the week but are often busier when it is raining and after about 3 p.m. when many hikers are done exploring and ready for their next adventure. Their hours are posted on the web site.
Gem mines typically offer various sizes of buckets that are mostly filled with something like gravel with some uncut gems interspersed within the mix. This gem mine offered a variety of bucket sizes with several additional options. Those purchasing larger buckets could choose a mix of gems or buckets with specific gems or fossils. Those wishing to have a gem cut can select pricing for either one or two cut gems which are mailed to you within a few weeks. For an extra $5, you can choose a family bucket that has one small special pre-cut gem, but we didn't opt for that since I had three kids with me.
Gem mining is a popular family activity throughout North Carolina, but I don't recall ever having done so. My kids have had the opportunity to do gem mining several times, so I leaned heavily upon their opinions regarding how this gem mine compares to other ones they visited.
We selected the family-sized bucket with a mix of gems sourced locally and internationally. Kim picked out our bucket and showed us what to do. We scooped out the mix into boxes with wire bottoms for sifting. Water flows along a track that will wash the dirt off so you can pick out any gems. I recommend looking at the beautiful flowers below the sluice.
Some of the gems were pretty obvious with bright colors and larger sizes. We were not sure about a few of the rocks, so I told my crew if in doubt to include the rocks with their special finds just in case. With four of us working together, we sifted through the large bucket in about 15 or 20 minutes. It was a fun activity of searching for birth stones and special finds!
After we had separated our special finds, we were invited back into the store. Kim and Elain then separated the gems we saved and identified each one, showing us examples of cut stones of the same type. It was fun for me to just stand back and watch the excitement in the room as various stones were identified. Each of us had a sandwich-sized Ziplock bag filled with gems to take home.
Elaine and Kim both seemed quite knowledgeable about the stones. Some stones were easy to identify, but some were different shades from the ones on display and were a bit harder to identify. Their official web site has nice photos of various stones that folks may find in the buckets. They had boxes of prepared stones and showed us how our various stones could look if they were polished and cut. It was actually quite educational and interesting to learn about the various rocks.
Kim mentioned that she is an accountant who helps on Sundays. Elaine is one of the owners and has a delightful British account that she acquired growing up in London. They took the time to chat with us for quite a while as we talked about the rocks, jewelry, and more. We learned quite a bit about different markings on jewelry. Elaine and Kim were quick to answer questions and offer suggestions after learning about my kids' different interests.
My kids mentioned that this gem mine had a larger number of gems per bucket compared to other gem mines they had visited. They also mentioned that at the other mines, they were handed a card for identifying the gems but that nobody looked at their gems to help them to identify what they had found. I think the personalized experience set this gem mine above the rest for my crew.
Lapidary supplies are in the back of the store where the stones are cut. If you are interested in learning more about various techniques for cutting and setting stones, they offer weekly and daily classes by appointment only and also sell lapidary supplies.
The store has a nice variety of items for sale, from arrowheads and jewelry to stone sculptures and lights. We enjoyed looking at all the impressive stonework in the store. Prices seemed to be in line with other stores in the area.
We traveled along I-40 and then Highway 221 for the vast majority of our travel time. If you have children who are prone to get carsick, I recommend waiting to eat and considering sea bands to prepare because Highway 226 has quite a few steep curves and is on a moderate grade for the foothills/mountains area in North Carolina.
My crew thoroughly thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon we spent at Rio Doce Gem Mine. This was a great activity for a hot and humid day in July. Both Elaine and Kim suggested that we visit the Orchard at Altapass, but we opted not to go there after a torrential downpour hit just as we were reaching the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Visit Rio Doce's official web site for complete address, hours, online store, prices, and more.
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