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.
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