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The Emerald Hunter

It seems that there is quite the Emerald mine in North Carolina. From the Charlotte Observer:

Treasure hunter with a green thumb unearths huge crystal
Miner says gemstone may be a record-breaker

Jamie Hill, Alexander County's "emerald man," has done it again.

Known for unearthing large crystals at his mine about 55 miles north of Charlotte, Hill said he found a 10-inch, 591-carat emerald Wednesday that may break a North American record for size.

Hill, whose mine has produced several large emeralds since he found an 88-carat crystal in 1998, pulled out the latest wonder after spotting a quartz seam in granite Wednesday afternoon as he and his team prepared to dynamite some of the rock.

Quartz can signal precious stones underneath, so he used a jackhammer to create a trench beside the seam and take a closer look. Nothing.

Then he spotted another quartz seam about five feet away and started working on it. He used hand tools to pick away and look. "All of a sudden," he said, "it opened up into a cave."

And there, inside the cave, was a twin green crystal that took his breath away.

"I had a fit," the ever-energetic Hill said Thursday. "I about hyperventilated."

Heh... Looking at the stone, I'd be hyperventilating too: It's destination will most likely be a museum -- from the Observer:

Hill called it a museum-quality piece, not one that would be cut for jewels, because of its unusual length and twin formation. "Every museum in the world would love to have such a neat piece," he said. "It would be real showy."

Michael Wise, a mineralogist at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington who has seen Hill's other emeralds, said a 10-inch crystal would be one of the largest ever found in the United States. He said he didn't have enough information to know if it breaks any records, though the discovery piqued his interest.

"I think I'd better get ahold of Jamie and get down there," he said by phone as he prepared for an already-planned trip to San Diego to give a lecture on the hiddenite gemstone for which Hill's hometown is named.

"He would have to find it just when I'm leaving town," Wise said. "Now I think I'd rather be in Hiddenite."

Hill is quite the American Character; the Observer did a nice profile of him a few years ago. Posted by DaveH at August 25, 2006 10:19 PM