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Where is the best place?

Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 10:56 am
by luzianne
Where is is the best place in the western part of the U.S. that will allow you to mine your own rocks and gems. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Re: Where is the best place?

Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 2:14 pm
by yuccahead
I don't know where the 'best' place is but Rockhound State Park in SW New Mexico near Deming is a possibility. You can camp out, mine and haul away up to 15 lbs. of rock, minerals, gems, etc.


http://newmexico.org/explore/state_parks/rockhound.php

Re: Where is the best place?

Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 4:27 pm
by Sandman
Lands managed by the BLM are usually the least restrictive for rock hounders and casual miners. There are a wide selection of books available to assist in planning a trip. Geode hunting can be fun. Cut or break them open to find the suprise inside!

Re: Where is the best place?

Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 10:59 am
by roc2rol
Being that its too hot to go hounding now
and more people have joined since this post
perhaps some could post some locations ?

Thanks
Ed

Re: Where is the best place?

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2011 6:08 pm
by roc2rol
Things have been a bit slow
but summer almost gone!
Here are some local Phoenix rocks I hounded & polished
Image

Image

Image

Image

Thanks for looking
its lonely down here
at rock bottom
:lol:

Re: Where is the best place?

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 12:12 am
by coazon de oro
Hey Ed,

What is that yeller stone? That sure would make a nice knife handle.

You may want to check out Mr. Fisher's custom knives www.jayfisher.com

Just go to the gemstone knife handle pages. They got me drooling! :lol:

Homar P. Olivarez

Re: Where is the best place?

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 5:55 am
by cubfan64
Man, I agree with Homar as far as that last yellow stone goes!! If you hadn't said it was a stone, I would have thought it was a really nicely aged and polished piece of bone.

Re: Where is the best place?

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:44 pm
by roc2rol
Hi Paul!

Bone is real popular amongst us rock hounds/lapidaries
Especially petrified dinosaur bone
Here is a slab of dinosaur bone and friend gifted me
Image
Must be 65 million years old

Here is a dino haert I made from part of that slab
Image

what is so cool with t he bone is that you can see the cell structure
and when I grinded/polished it had real peculiar odor

Thanks
Ed


Thanks
Ed

Re: Where is the best place?

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:54 pm
by roc2rol
coazon de oro wrote:Hey Ed,

What is that yeller stone? That sure would make a nice knife handle.

You may want to check out Mr. Fisher's custom knives http://www.jayfisher.com

Just go to the gemstone knife handle pages. They got me drooling! :lol:

Homar P. Olivarez
Hi Homar!

Thanks for that link! Its definitely drool worthy! A knife maker and a lapidary!
The dude my hero! Ha Ha

I've done one cheapo knife with stone scales. Some people call the stone handles 'scales'
Its an art to make them worthy and so very fine when done that way!

That yellow jaspers would have made nice handle. Pretty solid dense material.
Wish I could find some more of it. Chance find amongst the billion & billions of rocks in Phoenix.

Thanks for posting
Ed