Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2008 4:32 pm Posts: 28 Location: Torrance Ca
Anyone been to the Himalaya Tourmlaine mine in Ca? I want to go, but not sure if i want to make the drive Would love to hear any experinces, The good or bad. Thanks ~Michael
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 4:40 pm Posts: 2667 Location: South Dakota
Isn't that the place where they stopped letting folks dig in the original tailings by the mine and now they just haul the tailings to some place else and let you go through them? i heard it was alright. Let us know what you find if you go.
_________________ MrAmethystguy ~ Some jokes just fluorite over my head!
I'm going there this weekend. I've never been there so it's like a small adventure. You stay at Lake Henshaw and they truck the "ore" down from the mine.
I'll post on how it goes maybe with a picture or two when I get back.
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 4:40 pm Posts: 2667 Location: South Dakota
yea I heard it's a good operation. trying to get tourist up to the original mine is a little dangerous as the roads are not the greatest so they wised up and started trucking it down..I heard you can find some real good stuff there..let us know how you do and take some pics...please
_________________ MrAmethystguy ~ Some jokes just fluorite over my head!
OK, Here's the deal with the hymylaya mine digs.
1. The dig site is located "in" the Lake Henshaw campground. You have to drive through the grounds to get to the gate. Just ask at the restaurant/store for directions FIRST, then just follow the signs.
2. They don't open until 1000 (or so...) and they shutdown at 3pm. I asked why not open earlier..."We figure 5 hours of digging is enough for anyone" was the answer.
3. The "ore" is piled up and everyone gets a shovel, screen, bucket, and a washing station. Fill the bucket, screen it, wash it, pick out your gems.
4. As with any mining. It is mostly luck. I got one (almost) gem quality pink turmaline about 1" long and less than 1/2" thick. the rest are just "interesting" to me as they are heavily included and fractured and generally around 1/4" chunks. Other people got some really nice pink, green, and watermelon pieces that should facet well...good for them.
5. I did get a large very clear smoky quartz about 1 1/2" square that will make a nice pendant after cutting away the "bad" spots.
At any rate, I didn't fare as well as I thought I might but if I had more time and money to keep going A person could get some really nice rough.
Oh, I almost forgot, The crappie are biting at the lake I got 10 in about an hour on red worns (I only catch and release)
{edit to add}
Bring cash, the website says credit cards accepted but I wouldn't go that far....just bring cash.
I went a couple of years ago with my family and we had awesome luck. We bought bags of pegmatite dirt; not cheap, but we got a bunch of lovely pink crystals and one particularly nice green. Easily more value in stones than what we paid.
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm Posts: 21602 Location: San Francisco
Ditto I've been a couple of times along with Oceanview and the Stewart Mine.. Really enjoyed the days. I have a large bowl of small gem xls I've found all over the world in my dining room. I'm not a lucky fossicker.....nothing the Smithsonian would be interested in (cough cough), but the bowl brings smiles and memories every time I pass it.
If you can ever arrange some time with Blue Sheppard at the old Stewart Mine while you are in the San Diego vicinity, you'd never regret it.
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