Get Your Dad Something Unique for Father’s Day This Year
Shown above is a picture of my Dad as a child.
Looking for a unique gift that keeps on giving for your Dad this year? Our gift certificates can be used at any time and can be bought in any amount. Click here to get your Dad something that will help create the memories of a lifetime.
Here are some of my found memories here at the mine with my father. My father talks about the day that he held a 1,686 carat, clear and bright green Emerald that he found back in the 1980’s. He often compares that day to the day that I was born! When folks ask him, “why haven’t you sold that dang Emerald yet”? He replies, with a smile that I proudly inherited, “that emerald is a lot like my daughter and is priceless in my eyes”.
My father and stepmother bought the gem mine when I was very young. Dad was in the aluminum business and made a nice living. He was making money but realized that money didn’t equal peace of mind. Dad and Dottie made the decision to move to Hiddenite and live the “holler” life. The “holler” life was quite comical. Nights by the campfire with Dad, Dottie, Dr. C. and other hippies telling stories and singing the night away. Dr. C was an older man that was a walking, talking gem and mineral encyclopedia. He was one of my Dad’s first employees here at the mine and in my book the wittiest man I have ever met. One night I decided to take lightning bugs and wear their lights like diamonds on all ten of my fingers. Dr. C. and my Dad immediately made up a similar song to “Roller Derby Queen” by Jim Croce as I was running around in the moonlight chasing lightning bugs. The song they made up is called “Lightning Bug’s Rear End”
The chorus went like this:
It was night I fell in love with a lightning bug’s rear end
She couldn’t have been more happy when she had them on all ten!
Down in the holler
She go round and round
She go round and round
I lived with my mother and stepfather in the Myers Park area of Charlotte, NC and was able to visit my Dad every other weekend. Coming to Hiddenite to visit my Dad and Dottie was a different world for me. I would leave the polo shirts and the paper white dresses behind for the weekend to dig my hands in the dirt and come back home with red mud stained skin. I would come back literally covered in mud. My mother would hold me out on the back porch, dispose of my dirty clothes, and carry me into the bathtub when I came back home from visiting my Dad. I have learned so much from my father. One lesson learned from my Dad is to not take life so seriously. As a child my favorite Disney book was “The Jungle Book” and the character Baloo always reminds me of my father.
I think about what would be a great gift for my Dad this father’s day and I always try to get something that involves us doing things together. Coming to the mine is a great experience for fathers and their children. If you can’t schedule a trip here before father’s day you can always buy a gift certificate and schedule a trip at a later date. A $40 gift certificate from our store will allow you and your Dad a full day of mining here at the Emerald mine. You can use these gift cards at anytime. The certificate is emailed with a serial number and printable to be place into a father’s day card. You may also order them over the phone by calling the office at 828-635-7548, we will then have a special card mailed out to you the same day.
Happy Father’s Day to All!!
JM
My Best Friend’s Wedding
I had the honor of seeing my best friend from second grade get married last night under the same arbor that my husband and I married under almost two years ago. She was so beautiful and Jeff was all smiles. Amanda and her family are very special to me. They have a large family that supports one another through thick and thin. Amanda has found a man that has the same values and I am confident that their marriage with grow and prosper throughout the years. This love reminds me of the love that I have for my husband.
Trey and I moved to North Carolina for an “opportunity” that didn’t quite turn out the way we thought it would, I was hoping to take an online legal directory company from the ground up with a group of 5 people. Trey and I had done this at America’s Auction Network (starting with a group of 7 people that now has a total of over 100 employees) why wouldn’t I be able to do it at another company? I was in a high pressure cold-calling sales job with low pay and little support; driving to and from work with a total of 3 hours commute daily! My husband and Amanda both were alarmed by my circumstances and did everything in their power to make up for that lack of support. Amanda was there to help me relieve the stress of this commute and stay with her a couple nights a week. She had just started dating Jeff at that time and I would insist on going home due to the fact that I didn’t want to impose on their new relationship. They BOTH insisted that I stay and hang out with them going out on dates and watching movies, just the three of us. So sweet!! That is how supportive Amanda has always been to me. I can remember back in elementary school, I don’t think I was very popular. I had weird teeth, a perm and I was obsessed with dressing up like Madonna. Dressing up like Madonna was cool for Halloween but not all the time. Amanda was such a beautiful, skinny, blonde with amazing teeth that supported me and my unusual ways and stood up for me when others would make fun. Reminds me of a motherly type of love!
Today is Mother’s Day and the most supportive person that I know is my mother. You know that saying, “Mother knows best,” well I can honestly say that my mom has always been right. I love you Mom and I also love you Dottie, “other mother”. Family is so important and one thing that I have realized is that you must love unconditionally. My husband’s granny says, “I love you, warts and all.” Let your mothers know today that you love them! Speaking of mothers, if you need any last minute Mother’s Day gifts come on over to the shop and we can take care of you with this month’s birthstone special: Sterling Silver Emerald Earrings – $75/pair. If you can’t make it in today don’t fret for these will be on special for the whole month of May and you may order online!
Hiddenite NC Emerald Added to the HGI Online Store
Here in Hiddenite, NC you can find a slew of gemstones. The one stone that people desire and love to find here is the Emerald. The emerald is one precious gemstone (other precious gemstone found here are sapphire and ruby) that is found here in Hiddenite and emeralds can be worth a lot of money. If you find an emerald that is “specimen worthy” meaning that the stone alone without cutting is worth money then you may just be holding a years’ worth of salary or more in your hand. If you would like to purchase a native Hiddenite, NC stone at a great price click here. If you would like a wire wrap made out of sterling silver with your native Hiddenite crystal please contact the lapidary. These specimens are priced to sell and will be a great addition to any gemstone lover’s collection. Collect a piece of NC history, these won’t be around forever!!!
Custom Jewelry orders
Here at the Emerald Hollow mine there are several ways to find your treasure. Once you find your treasure, the lapidary shop can turn that treasure into a memento. The lapidary is a place where gem cutters facet gemstones. We can take your treasure and turn it into a beautiful piece of jewelry that can become a keepsake of your time spent here with your family and friends. A lady came in the other day and said that her and her mother were here to mark off some things on her mother’s bucket list. She wanted to find something that they could turn into jewelry to pass down from generation to generation in memory of their time together here at the mine. Working with people and helping them fullfill their ”bucket list” is awesome.
We create memories and beautiful pieces of art here in the lapidary at Hiddenite Gems Inc. The pendant in this picture here features a round brilliant 3 carat smoky quartz faceted here in the lapidary and an 16x12mm Rutilated Quartz cabochoned here in the lapidary and set into a sterling silver pendant here in the lapidary. All found in the USA and made in the USA. This pendant was made for a lady from Largo, FL that was here visiting the mine and found a smoky quartz and rutilated quartz during her hardwork mining here. She spent approximately $160.00 for a piece of jewelry that would not only be three times as expensive in a jewelry store but would have probably been cut and set in a foreign country. If you would like to order an American made Hiddenite Gems Smoky Quartz and Rutilated Quartz pendant like this one click here and we will pick the rough from our mine and custom make the pendant right from our shop.
1st Annual Hiddenite Gems Easter Egg Hunt
We are happy to announce that we will have a new annual Easter egg hunt for the kids this Sunday at the Emerald Hollow Mine.
The Easter bunny stopped by on Monday and dropped off lots of eggs with GRAND surprises inside.
There is no charge to participate in the hunt. We will have the eggs scattered about the mine throughout the day for the kids that have purchased mining permits. Come early so you don’t miss the chance to find the golden egg!!
Happy Easter!!
JM
Recent 50 plus carat Emerald in Hiddenite, NC
The latest emerald craze, reported to be in almost every major newspaper in North Carolina and even in the St. Pete Times in Florida!!
We are so happy to see that a local Alexander County couple found a HUGE emerald at the rock quarry last weekend. The rock quarry opened up for the weekend to the members of a local digging club called the Magma club. There was an estimated 350 people on the rock quarry grounds sweating and eagerly anticipating to find their hidden treasure.
I spoke with one of the Magma members that saw the find with her own two eyes. I asked her what the experience was like and she surprisingly said that she was very upset for the first 24 hours that it wasn’t her find and she is still trying to get over that fact. She arrived at the location at about 8:15am with the highest hopes of finding “Big Green”. After about 6 hours of digging and picking and digging and picking they started to walk back toward the entrance when she heard “oh look, EMERALD!!” Tons of people started to crowd around to see the big find.
The 50 carat Emerald is estimated to be worth about $10,000. Now, you may be wondering, how do I find an emerald that big from Hiddenite, NC? Visiting our beautiful mine is a start!! Speaking from experience it takes a lot of hard work. There were 350 experienced “rock hounds” at the rock quarry where dynamite is blasted on a regular basis and only one couple walked away with the “Big Green”.
As a child I was able to see the “professionals”: Mike Watkins, Steve Faucet, Billy Adams, Fred Walker pull out a variety of gemstones here at the Hiddenite Gems emerald mine. It truly is a magical experience when you see these precious pebbles come out of the ground. I can relate to how the other 348 people at the rock quarry last weekend must have felt. I would say it would have been hard not to be green with envy when the couple pulled out that 50 carat emerald.
Many people in this area find emeralds all the time. An anonymous seller came into our lapidary shop about 8 months ago with a huge 190 plus carat that she found in the Greasy Creek here in Hiddenite, NC. Of course, she would not reveal the actual location that she found the emerald but we are hoping that she hasn’t given up looking for more. We bought the emerald and sold part of it and reserved the other part to have Trey cut gemstones out of the rough here in the lapidary.
My husband, Trey is a creative person and he never stops surprising me with his talent. When Trey and I first started dating he asked me what my favorite animal was, which is a normal question to ask someone that you have just started dating. I didn’t think much of it but after several months of dating I came home from work on my birthday to be surprised by a 6 by 4 foot canvas painting of a gorgeous zebra on my front porch. I knew at that point he was a keeper! Trey has a creative side that is coupled with a highly intelligent mathematical brain. Best of both sides of the brain make Trey a master gem cutter here in the lapidary. Click here to view one of his “master” cut native Hiddenite, NC emeralds. I will post a picture of the zebra painting soon!!
JM
Request for unique Hiddenite Lodging
Many people stay in a hotel or a campground when they come to the Hiddenite Gems Emerald Mine here in Hiddenite, NC but I strongly suggest to try a rustic cabin or a bed and breakfast that is close and will offer a lot more than just a hotel.
Love Valley, NC is a cowboy town. The people are very friendly and the town offers a unique Wild West lifestyle. You can horseback ride and the town has several shops for browsing or buying. Here are some more of the links that offer lodging. It is about 15 to 20 minutes from the mine on a beautiful mountain road.
http://www.lovevalleycabin.com/
http://www.townoflovevalley.com/cabins.html
http://www.misskittysinlovevalley.com/
Taylorsville, NC is a small town located about 15 minutes from Hiddenite Gems Inc. There are a couple of places that I recommend for lodging. Downtown Main St.has several shops and a couple of historic sites.
Here are the recommended links for Taylorsville lodging:
http://www.ridgecrestsuites.com/
http://www.applecitybedandbreakfast.com/
We look forward to seeing you soon!!
JM
Gemstone Cutting and Gemstone Repair
We offer the finest services for cutting your gemstone rough. We can also repair gemstones that have been chipped or damaged. We specialize in cutting the best gemstones on the market. Our pricing is very competitive, we charge a flat rate per stone, we do not charge by hour or by carat weight. Click here for pricing. You may ship in the rough that you would like cut and we will be happy to contact you with a free evaluation. You may also email pictures of your rough to gemstones@hiddenitegems.com.
We facet or cabochon all gemstones except diamonds. Our faceting services are not limited to the customers that come to the mine. We will facet any gemstone rough from any customer!
You may ship stones to be cut to:
Hiddenite Gems, Inc
Attention Lapidary
PO Box 276
Hiddenite, NC 28636
Please include a cover letter in the package stating your contact information and which gems are to be shaped and how, either faceted or cabochoned.
The Carolina Emperor
The 64.82 carat Carolina Emperor is placing the foothills of NC on the map! This famous North Carolina Emerald was said to be inspired by a similar piece of jewelry that was owned by Catherine the Great. The empress owned a gorgeous hexagonal shaped Colombian emerald with diamonds surrounding the emerald on a brooch that sold at a Christie’s auction for over $1.65 million. The Carolina Emperor, found locally in Hiddenite, NC, was purchased last year and has now recently been donated to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, NC. The grandest part of all this is that the benefactor has asked to remain anonymous. The exhibit at the museum is said to have three uncut emeralds. The largest of these emeralds weighing 1,225 carats is a desired blue green color that could be compared to the highly sought after Muzo Emerald.
The perceived value of a Hiddenite, NC versus a Colombian Emerald would be significant. It is obvious that Colombian mines are filled with many emeralds. It is rare to find a large emerald here in Hiddenite, NC. It takes hard work and dedication. Customers that come to the mine are always asking me how they can strike it rich, and I respond, “That depends on how much time you have and how lucky you are.” Finding an emerald vein is not an easy task. Digging up large deposits of mica and quartz are tell-tale signs that you are on the right track. There are several ways to find an emerald or hiddenite specimens here in Hiddenite, NC: you can find them in alluvial deposits (creek), also colluvial deposits (surface collecting), and the original source (underground) which would be the most difficult but the most rewarding way to find these gemstones.
The benefactor of the Carolina Emperor and the other Hiddenite, NC gemstones is a true hero to me. I love the fact that they have given a piece of local history to North Carolina’s museum. This is truly a heroic act! The largest sum of money out there could never compare to the nostalgic value of these gemstones. There are only a handful of locals in Hiddenite that have dedicated their lives to finding these rare gemstones. The “rock hounds” around here will most likely never give up what they find, no matter how much you are willing to offer.
Hiddenite Lodging
Many customers have recently asked about lodging near the Emerald Hollow Mine in Hiddenite, NC.
Here is a list with links to the website:
- Miss Kitty Bed and Breakfast Love Valley, NC
- Apple City Bed and Breakfast Taylorsville, NC
- Various locations in Statesville, NC
We will have a house rental available for small families this summer, more details to come on our website soon!
Happy Lodging!!
JM
