I had done this before with loaded bags, where the mine actually set the stones and gold up to be found. I was extra excited to find that Gold 'n Gem Grubbin' is an actual working mine and these bags are not loaded... they are sorted by grade into piles, then just scooped into buckets available for purchase. There was also an option to pan the actual creek running by the mine, but with the kids we decided to just use the sluices set up out front.
It was so much fun! I came home with some awesome finds:
Amethyst
Green Aventurine, larger than my fist!
Moonstone, Jasper, Topaz, Citrine, Garnet, Rubies, Emeralds, Sapphires, Quartz, Tigers Eye, Calcite, and more. I have a lot more than this not shown. The lady was especially impressed by the very large garnet and sapphires. I plan on getting the garnet, sapphires, citrine, and a few of the rubies and emeralds cut and made into jewelry. The resit will either be left as-is for mantle pieces (like that giant piece of aventurine) or run through a tumbler. I'm excited to try some wire wrapping on some of them.
We also panned for gold and found quite a few nuggets:
It was great fun and I can't wait to do something like this again. I have been meaning to attend a Mid-Georgia Gem and Mineral Society meeting, and I think that this was the kick in the rear needed to actually go.