Having been collecting rocks and minerals
for most of my life, mainly in the Southeastern
United States, I began to
specialize my collection from material from
this region. Originally from North Florida
and now residing in the Blue Ridge Mountains
of Western North Carolina I have collected
rocks and minerals from many locations within
this area of the United States. I began collecting
as a young boy back in the late 60's before
the days of the side-of-the-road gem mines.
Back then there were many genuine mines,
especially in Western North Carolina, where
the potential for finding valuable minerals
and even gemstones was a reality. Although
these deposits required you to actually dig
for the material the possibilities of what
you could find were endless. The Crabtree
Emerald, Wiseman Aquamarine and many others
were actively being mined and open to collectors.
It was also fairly easy to collect in working
quarries back then when liability was not
an issue. People were responsible for their
own actions and lawsuits were much less frequent.
Although the "glory days" are gone
do not despair. Thanks to the actions of
local clubs and individuals access to real
mines is still available. New locations are
also still being found and as long as collectors
respect the rights of land owners, obey their
rules
and remain responsible for there own actions
then the hobby of rockhounding will continue
to flourish in the region. Due to requests
from individuals visiting my wife's gem tree
site I have added a sampling of specimens,
both old and new, from the Southeastern United
States for purchase. Some of these are from
now closed locations. With the exception
of cutting and polishing the geodes all specimens
are "natural" meaning they have
not been altered in anyway from their original
state other than the removal of dirt or iron
oxide stains. New specimens will be added
on a frequent basis so check back in from
time to time. Additional information such
as collector, date collected and specifics
on the location are available for some items
upon purchase. Thanks for visiting.
KOR (keep on rockhounding),
Ron Maddox
specialize my collection from material from
this region. Originally from North Florida
and now residing in the Blue Ridge Mountains
of Western North Carolina I have collected
rocks and minerals from many locations within
this area of the United States. I began collecting
as a young boy back in the late 60's before
the days of the side-of-the-road gem mines.
Back then there were many genuine mines,
especially in Western North Carolina, where
the potential for finding valuable minerals
and even gemstones was a reality. Although
these deposits required you to actually dig
for the material the possibilities of what
you could find were endless. The Crabtree
Emerald, Wiseman Aquamarine and many others
were actively being mined and open to collectors.
It was also fairly easy to collect in working
quarries back then when liability was not
an issue. People were responsible for their
own actions and lawsuits were much less frequent.
Although the "glory days" are gone
do not despair. Thanks to the actions of
local clubs and individuals access to real
mines is still available. New locations are
also still being found and as long as collectors
respect the rights of land owners, obey their
rules and remain responsible for there own actions
then the hobby of rockhounding will continue
to flourish in the region. Due to requests
from individuals visiting my wife's gem tree
site I have added a sampling of specimens,
both old and new, from the Southeastern United
States for purchase. Some of these are from
now closed locations. With the exception
of cutting and polishing the geodes all specimens
are "natural" meaning they have
not been altered in anyway from their original
state other than the removal of dirt or iron
oxide stains. New specimens will be added
on a frequent basis so check back in from
time to time. Additional information such
as collector, date collected and specifics
on the location are available for some items
upon purchase. Thanks for visiting. KOR (keep on rockhounding),
Ron Maddox
