GEORGIA
State Gemstone: Quartz (1976)
State Mineral: Staurolite (1976)
State Fossil: Shark Tooth (1976)
Georgia is a great state for rockhounding!
Among the minerals and gemstones likely to be found in Georgia are ruby, amethyst, aventurine, beryl, black tourmaline, citrine, emeralds, garnet, moonstone, peridot, quartz, rose quartz, rubies, sapphires, topaz, and even diamond.
Many of the best collecting sites occur in the northern part of the state, where the Appalachian Mountains terminate and a wide variety of pegmatite gemstones occur in abundance.
Places to rockhound in Georgia are the creek beds and gravels that contain pegmatite minerals, the many mining dumps across the state, fee-to-dig mines, lakeshores, and hillsides.
Georgia’s most popular rockhounding sites are public mines such as Graves Mountain Mine and Hogg Mine.
These are a few of the things you may want to take along with you on your dig:
A small, handheld garden rake
A handheld trowel
Knee pads or an old cushion to kneel/sit on
A bucket, for holding your finds
Newspaper or grocery bags to wrap and protect your crystals
While digging crystals you will probably be outside for a long time. You may want to bring:
Water
Snacks
A wide hat
Sunscreen
Bug spray, and a small first aid kit (Quartz can be sharp!)
MINE INFORMATON
We bring you some of the best specimens, crystals and faceted stones direct from the mining source and are now one of the best known operating Amethyst mines in the world.
Single crystals or clusters, matrix specimens, and faceted stones from this locale can display some unique qualities of color and growth patterns. Ranging from light violet to deep purple with blue and red color shifts.
We are an Amethyst Mine that allows fee digging during the spring and fall seasons.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
- Screwdriver
- Gloves
- Garden Trowel
- 3 prong hand cultivator
- 1 or 2 buckets
- Medium size pry bar
- Knee pads or something to kneel on
- Food/drinks
PRICES
Kids 14 and over are welcome.
$50 per person regular days.
Check ledfordsminerals.com for tickets.
You do not pay online and WE ONLY ACCEPT $CASH when you sign-in at the Mine.
The ticket only reserves your check-in spot at the MINE
GIRARD GEORGIA
Open to Public
INFORMATON
The Crystal collector goes out and searches for Chert, Jasper, Agate, and other fossils. Join in as Bryan and Matrix explore the back roads! You too can go to this location, be sure to leave no trash behind and be respectful to the environment.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
- Screwdriver
- Gloves
- 1 or 2 buckets
- Knee pads or something to kneel on
- Food/drinks
MINE INFORMATON
48 different minerals can be found here but most people come for the worlds best Rutile Crystals and Iridescent Hematite on earth!
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
- Screwdriver
- Gloves
- Garden Trowel
- 3 prong hand cultivator
- 1 or 2 buckets
- Medium size pry bar
- Knee pads or something to kneel on
- Food/drinks
HOURS & PRICES
CLICK HERE
MINE INFORMATON
You can find Beryl, Star Rose Quartz, Black Tourmaline, and Aquamarine here.
NOTICE TO ALL VISITORS
The Hogg Mine is a federally permitted mine. Trespassing at the mine is a felony charge. Do NOT visit unless:
- you have permission.
- you have a scheduled private dig through the contact form
- you are visiting on a public dig date (see Dig Dates)
Do the right thing so that we don’t have to worry about this.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
- Pick
- Gloves
- Shovel
- Rock Bars
- 1 5-gallon buckets
- Potato Rake
- Rock Hammer
- Sledge Hammer
- Chisels
(Limit one 5 gallon bucket of material per person and one yard rock per dig)
HOURS
The safety briefing ends around 9 AM. The mine closes at 5 PM.
PRICES
Public Digs
$35 per adult (17 and over)
Kids 16 and under dig free with at least one paying adult
Regularly scheduled dig dates.
Private Digs
$35 per adult (17 and over) plus $100 guide fee
Kids 16 and under dig free with at least one paying adult
Contact us to schedule.
Disclaimer
Please note that rock collecting locations are always changing so be sure to check with the site owner for the most current information before going.
We’ve listed several locations here but there may be many more that are not listed.
Dig safe, never go underground, and make sure to get permission from the landowner to search for and collect rocks.