Whether hunting for celestial wonders in Big Sky country, rounding up cattle in the Wild West, or slurping oysters on the ...

The mine was acquired by the American Gem Corp. in 1994, according to a Gem Mountain brochure. Digging for rough sapphires is arranged for a fee, with half-day or full-day digs available.

In Western North Carolina, rockhounds have plenty of opportunities to dig for gems, if they don’t mind getting a little dirty, and maybe a little wet.

The first day the students toured the World Museum of Mining, took a tour of the Gem Mountain sapphire mine in Philipsburg and panned for sapphires, and wrapped up the day with a trolley tour of ...

Gem spinel, hosted in either marble or placers, was discovered in Luc Yen in 1987, together with ruby and sapphire. Local farmers mine gem-quality spinel from placers along the streams and from ...