More Large Emeralds from NC!

Beautiful large emerald crystals are the norm for the emerald deposits of the NC Hiddenite District!

591.0 cts. twin emerald crystal (10" long) found on August 23, 2006 by Jamie Hill at the NAEM mine. 

US quarter for scale.  Ed Speer photo.

965 ct. Emerald crystal found on December 29, 2006 by Jamie Hill at the NAEM mine.  Ed Speer photo.

858 ct. Empress Caroline Emerald found by Jamie Hill in 1998 at the NAEM mine.  NAEM photo.

1,438 ct. Finger Emerald found in 1969 at the Rist mine (now the NAEM mine) by Butch Finger.  At the time, the largest North American emerald.  Aka the Stephenson Emerald.  American Gems photo.

Butch Finger with his 1,438 ct. emerald, at the discovery site at the Rist mine.  Rockhound Magazine (1972) photo.

1,686 cts. LKA Emerald on right.  For many years, this was the largest North American emerald.  Found in 1985 at the Rist mine (now the NAEM mine).  On the left is the 1,438 ct. Finger Emerald.  LKA International, Inc photo.

Philbeck Emerald. Ed Speer photo

Lapidary Journal photo

722.70 ct. Philbeck Emerald crystal (12 cm) found in 1974 at the Rist mine (now the NAEM mine).  Currently on public display at the Grandfather Mountain Nature Museum.

Emeralds found on November 26, 1998 by Jamie Hill at the NAEM mine.  This is the fabulous Aladdin's Cave discovery that produced the Carolina Queen, Carolina Prince and Empress Caroline emeralds.  NAEM photo.

Emeralds found by American Gems, Inc. from 1969 until 1982.  Scale is 6" ruler.  Rist mine (now the NAEM mine). 

American Gems, Inc photo.

934.9 cts. twin crystals.  Bolick Twin discovered in 1971 at Adams mine, Hiddenite District.  Ed Speer photo.

Approx. 250 cts. twin crystals from William Hidden's mine (aka Adams mine), 1881-1888, Hiddenite District, NC.  Housed at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC.  Ed Speer photo.

1,493 cts. Reitzel Emerald found by R.N. Reitzel at the Adams mine in 1971.  Lapidary Journal photo.

William Hidden's 1,276 ct. emerald found in 1881 at the Hiddenite Mine (aka Adams mine).  North America's largest emerald at the time.  Stolen from the American Museum of Natural History in New York in 1950 and never seen again.  The smaller elongate green crystal to the right of the big emerald is the discovery specimen of Hiddenite. 

NC Geological Survey photo (1907).

Display of Hiddenite District emeralds at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC.  Ed Speer photo.

Warren Baltzley (American Gems, Inc) holds the 1,438 ct. Finger Emerald and the 59 ct. Carolina Emerald.  Both crystals found at the Rist mine.  The Carolina Emerald produced the 13.14 ct. faceted Tiffney Emerald displayed at Tiffney's New York store for many years and considered North America's finest faceted emerald gem.  Rockhound Magazine photo (1972).

300 & 350 ct. Emerald Clusters found at the Rist mine in 1970.  Rockhound Magazine photo (19720

737.5 ct. Bucky Emerald found in 1971 at the Adams mine.  Repaired crystal from two broken pieces that existed in two separate private collections for 41 years until reunited under one ownership in 2012.  North America's 17th largest emerald!  Scale is 6" ruler.  Ed Speer photo.

More Faceted Emeralds from NC!

The quality of North Carolina emeralds rivals that of the best emeralds in the world.  The color and clarity can be unsurpassed.  Unfortunately, photos generally fall far short of capturing the true beauty of the gems.  In fact, emeralds are one of the hardest crystals in the world to photography properly.  You have to see it to appreciate it---beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder!  These photos clearly show the challenge of photography.

Carolina Prince 7.85 cts.

Cut from 71 ct crystal found by Jamie Hill at the NAEM mine in 1998.  Sold in diamond setting in 2007 for $500,000 ($610,000 in 2017 dollars). NAEM photo. 

Carolina Queen 18.8 cts.

Cut from same 71 ct crystal as Carolina Prince.  Valued at more than $2,000,000.  NAEM photo.

Heart of Carolina 3.40 cts.

Faceted by Manuel Marcial de Gomar of Emeralds International

from crystal found by Jamie Hill at the NAEM mine in 1998. Emeralds International, Inc. photo.

Larger gem is the June Culp Zeiter 15.47 cts.

Cut perpendicular to the C axis of the original crystal so the 6 edges of the cut gem mimic the prism faces of the original 142.25 ct. crystal.  Found in 1974 at the Rist mine (currently the NAEM mine).  Lapidary Journal photo.

Tiffney Emerald (aka Carolina Emerald) 13.14 cts.

Cut from original 59 ct. crystal found in 1969 by Wayne Anthony at the Rist mine (currently the NEAEM mine).  For many years considered the finest North America cut emerald; valued today at $590,000.  LKA International, Inc. photo.

Spectacular 385-carat Emerald Crystal

Spectacular Emerald Crystal found in a Quartz Vein Pocket!

Jamie Hill, President of North American Emerald Mines, Inc. holds the spectacular 385-carat emerald crystal found September 16, 2005 at the NAEM mine, Hiddenite District, NC.  The crystal came from the small open cavity in the quartz vein visible directly behind Jamie.  Note the fresh non-weathered bedrock at this depth in the pit.  The crystal has not been cleaned in this photo.  NAEM photo.

Wow!  Just wow!  

Natural flat termination seen on the right.  The left end of the crystal was attached to the floor of the cavity.  Ed Speer photo.

Several hours after discovery, the 385-carat emerald was staged sitting inside the sun-lighted front of the cavity it originally came from.  However, the crystal actually came from much further back in the cavity, but was found upright as in the photo.  Calcite and muscovite crystals line the walls of the cavity, while massive cryptocrystalline white quartz occupies the top portion of the quartz vein.  Scale is 6" ruler.  Ed Speer photos.

The 385-carat emerald crystal on clear plastic exhibit stand.  NAEM photo.

More Emeralds

More of my Favorite Emeralds from Hiddenite

Approx. 10.5 ct emerald crystal with late-stage calcite overgrowth.  Both ends of the emerald crystal are broken off and missing.  Found February 12, 2007 by Jamie Hill at the NAEM mine, Hiddenite District, NC.  Ed Speer photo.

Dark green emerald crystals (approx. 160 cts total) with late-stage quartz overgrowths.  Called The Twins, the faceted set of two 4.5 ct gems sold for $17,000 per carat!  Found January 12, 2002 by Jamie Hill at the NAEM mine, Hiddenite District, NC.  NAEM photo.

Approx. 15 ct emerald crystal with natural pyramidal end termination.  Late-stage overgrown by white platy calcite crystals.  Found August 8, 2008 by Jamie Hill at the NAEM mine, Hiddenite District, NC.  Ed Speer photo.

157 ct emerald crystal with secondary emerald growth.  Both crystals have natural flat end terminations.  Found March 8, 2006 by Jamie Hill at the NAEM mine, Hiddenite District, NC.  NAEM photo.

Unusual cluster of emerald crystals with late-stage muscovite totaling 97 cts.  Pyramidal end terminations evident on one emerald crystal whose long C axis is broken and offset by a platy book of muscovite.  The late-stage muscovite overgrowth clearly demonstrates that natural breakage of the emerald crystal occurred.  Found January 19, 2007 by Jamie Hill at the NAEM mine, Hiddenite District, NC.  Ed Speer photo.

1,400 carat Emerald Crystal

Remarkable 1,400-carat Emerald Crystal

North America's 6th Largest!

Found March 27, 2007

at the NAEM mine, Hiddenite District, NC!

Jamie Hill, President of NAEM holds the crystal moments after discovery in the NAEM pit.  The crystal was recovered from the highly weathered cavity visible on the right side of the photo.  The crystal is covered by an original thin film of black Fe/Mn oxides due to weathering. Ed Speer photo.

Hand washing has removed most of the Fe/Mn oxides. Ed Speer photo.

Jamie Hill and gemstone author Antoinette Matlins examine the properly cleaned crystal at the NAEM mine. NAEM photo.

Jewerly with North Carolina Emeralds!

NC emeralds have been set in some fine and unique jewelry.

Emerald Necklace and Ear Rings.  The larger gem in this set is approximately 17 carats (fourth largest North America faceted emerald).  all emeralds are from the NAEM mine site at Hiddenite, NC.  The necklace and ear ring settings are similar to that of the June Culp jewelry below and were probably created by the same jeweler.  Currently held in a private collection.  Photo by Ed Speer.

Emerald Necklace, Ring and Ear Rings.  The June Culp Zeitner emerald (15.47 cts) is set in an 18k gold and diamond necklace with matching ring and ear rings.  The June Culp Zeitner is North America’s fifth largest faceted emerald and came from a 142.25 ct crystal found in 1974 on the NAEM property.  It was named for a well-known editor of Lapidary Journal magazine.  It was faceted by A.T. Grant of Hannibal, NY while the necklace and ear rings were crafted by Laszlo Kardos of Homosassa Springs, FL, the former court jeweler for the royal family of Hungary.  The Zeitner was cut perpendicular to the c axis from the dark-green end termination of the original emerald crystal and the outer edges of the faceted gem mimic the edges of the natural crystal.  The necklace contains fourteen 3 mm diamonds and 52 1-cm-diameter gold lace disks. The ring and each ear ring contains approximately 2 ct emeralds (also from the NAEM property) and six 3 mm diamonds.  Currently held in a private collection.  Photo by Ed Speer.

North America’s largest faceted Emeralds also came from NC!

At 64.83 cts, the Carolina Emperor is North America’s largest faceted emerald.  Found in 2009 by Terry Ledford at the Adams farm site, Hiddenite, NC.  Cut from original 310 carat crystal. Reportedly sold at auction for $1.65M.  Currently on public exhibit at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.  Photo by Ed Speer.

At 30.8 cts, this is North America’s 2nd largest faceted emerald.  Found at the Crabtree Mine, Mitchell Co., NC in 1991 by D. Gaddy.  Photo by D. Gaddy.

The Carolina Queen at 18.8 cts is actually North America’s 3rd largest cut emerald.  The Carolina Prince is an exceptionally fine gem.  Both of these gems were cut from the same 71 ct crystal shown.  Found at the NAEM Mine, Hiddenite, NC by Jamie Hill in 1998.  Photo by Ed Speer.

North America’s 20 Largest Emerald crystals came from NC!

The 20 largest emerald crystals ever found in North America came from North Carolina!  This amazing fact reflects the rarity and importance of our local emerald deposits.

Since I first published this list in 2008, a few changes have been made, but the remarkable history of each of these large crystals remains fascinating and intriguing.  I have been fornatuate to be able to recover the prominence of each of these great discoveries.

 Photos of each of these emeralds, as well as many others will be posted to this blog over the coming weeks.  Stay tuned!

Rank      cts 1     1,869      Hill Emerald, NAEM mine, 2003, 19.5 cm, HMNS 2     1,686      LKA Emerald, NAEM mine, 1984, 3.8 x 11.4 cm, LKA 3     1,493      Reitzel/Williams/Harwell Twin, Adams mine, 1971, 10.5 x 2.7 cm, (Wilber/Funk), SI 4     1,492      Lineberger Emerald, Crabtree Mine, 1979, 3 x 15 cm, (whereabouts unknown) 5     1,438      Finger [aka Stevenson] Emerald, NAEM mine, 1969, 5.4 x 7.3 cm, (AGI), LKA 6     1,400      Hill Emerald, NAEM mine, 2007, NAEM 7     1,377      Bolick/Arnold Cluster, Adams mine, 1971, SI, fractured beyond repair 8     1,276      Hidden Emerald, Adams mine, 1881, 21.6 cm, stolen 1950 from AMNH, still missing 9     1,270      Hidden Emerald, Adams mine, 1886, 7.0 x 4.1 cm, SI 10   1,215      Baltzley Twin, NAEM mine, 1970 11      965      Hill Emerald, NAEM mine, 2006, HMNS 12      934.9   Bolick Twin, Adams mine, 1971, 14.0 x 6.5 x 3.5 cm, (Sharp/Hill-Duncan), HMNS 13      900      Reitzel/Williams/Harwell Twin, Adams mine, 1971, (Morton/Bolick/Barlow), HMNS 14      858      Hill Empress Caroline Emerald, NAEM mine, 1998, SEEC 15      817.5   Baltzley Twin, NAEM mine, 1971 16      750      Wright Emerald, Ellis mine, 1907, 3.8 x 5.1 cm 17      737.5   Bucky Emerald, Adams mine, 1971, Bucky 18      722.7   Philbeck Emerald, NAEM mine, 1974, 12 cm, (Bolick), GMNM 19      591      Hill Twin, NAEM mine, 2006, 25.4 cm, NAEM 20      467      Ormond Twin, NAEM mine, 1969, 1.4 x 8.9 cm, NSCG

Table 1.  North America’s 20 Largest Emeralds came from North Carolina.  Each entry includes rank, size in carats, name of specimen, the mine where found, the year of discovery, the dimensions (if known), interim owners (if known), and the current location of the specimen (if known).  Specimen No. 4, the 1,492 carat (also reported as 1,676 carats) Lineberger Emerald reportedly found at the Crabtree Mine, Mitchell Co., NC in 1979 remains doubtful as little to no collaborating information can be found and the current location of the specimen is unknown.

 Original discoverers are indicated by the specimen names while interim owners are given in parenthesis. 

 Discoverers and interim owners include: ‘Jamie’ James K. Hill, Jr., Hiddenite, NC; ‘Red’ Robert N. Reitzel, Newton, NC; John Williams, Newton, NC; Jack Harwell, Newton, NC; Audrey Hester Lineberger, Durham, NC; ‘Butch’ Michael Finger, Lincolnton, NC; John Adlai Stephenson (1825-1897); William Earl Hidden (1853-1918); William Diehl Baltzley; Glenn and Kathleen Bolick, Hickory, NC; Kenneth and Patricia Arnold, Newton, NC; Eileen Lackey Sharpe (1909-2004); Hill-Duncan--Lynn Sharpe Hill, Blowing Rock, NC and Shirley Sharpe Duncan, High Point, NC; Hugh MacRae Morton (1921-2006); F. John Barlow (1914-2004); Cary Wright (1836-1908); David P. Wilber, Tucson, AZ; Dr. Funk, Baltimore, MD; Lewis Ormond; and AGI, American Gems, Inc. 

 If known, the current location of the above specimens is given by the following abbreviations: AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY; HMNS, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston, Texas; GMNM, Grandfather Mountain Nature Museum, Linville, NC; LKA, LKA International, Inc, Gig Harbor, Washington; NAEM, North American Emerald Mines, Inc., Hiddenite, NC; NCMNS, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC; SI, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; NSCG, Natural Science Center of Greensboro, Greensboro, NC; and SEEC, Southeastern Emerald Consortium. 

Data compiled by W.E. Speer from published and unpublished sources as well as personal interviews.

North America's Largest Emerald Crystal

Here it is---North America's largest emerald crystal!  1,869 carat emerald on dolomite and muscovite.  Found in 2003 by James K. Hill, Jr., President of North America Emerald Mines, Inc.  Found at the NAEM mine (formerly the Rist mine) in the Hiddenite District, Alexander Co, NC.  The specimen is considered by some to also be the finest mineral specimen ever found in North America!  It currently resides in the Houston Museum of Natural Science collection, Houston, Texas.  Valued at more than $3US.  Original photo by Harold & Erica Van Pelt.

Find out more about this fabulous crystal and many more in upcoming posts to this blog!

North Carolina Emeralds

This blog celebrates the remarkable natural emerald gemstones found in North Carolina.  Did you know that North Carolina is the only state in the US that has a natural emerald deposit?  In fact, we are very fortunate to host several emerald deposits, one of which is North America’s most famous emerald locality!  Remarkably, each emerald deposit has a uniquely separate geological history, making each one even more intriguing.

This blog will feature my efforts documenting each deposit over the past 15 years and will highlight photos of most of the largest and most famous emeralds, host rocks, and accessory minerals.  Each photo will be credited with the photographer and other pertinent information.

I was fortunate to work closely with the folks at Hiddenite’s NAEM deposit during the last major mining efforts at that famous site, which allowed me access to never-before-seen exposures as the open pit developed and expanded from near-surface weathered saprolite to unweathered fresh bedrock below.  The result was a fascinating new understanding of the geology, thousands of photographs, detailed descriptions of the quartz veins hosting the emeralds, and several professional publications.  This blog will rely heaveily on that work.

Come along with me now on a fascinating journey of discovery!

Note to visitors: All emerald desposits in North Carolina are privately owned and uninvited guests are not welcome.  Permission should always be obtained from the land owner before visiting.