This is our Benitoite Mine Gravel Bucket. 1, 5 gallon bucket screened, equals approx. 40 lbs. of material.
You get approx. 40 pounds of raw ore gravel that was dug by me directly at the mine. This amount of gravel is the equivalent of one, 5 gallon bucket that has been sifted using a 1/16 inch screen, to remove most of the fine dirt and possibly any scorpions or creepy crawlies! I use very fine screens so you are getting everything but the finest dirt.
That is not to say that you will not find dirt in your gravel, there are dirt clods that I do not remove since crystals can be found encased within, and most of the gravel and matrix is covered in dirt.
In a 5 gallon bucket, the dirt can weigh as much as 80 pounds. I have concentrated it for you and it can now be shipped in 2 flat rate postal boxes of 20 pounds each, saving you addition shipping costs.
INTERNATIONAL BUYERS: PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR A SHIPPING QUOTE BEFORE MAKING PURCHASE
This gravel has not been searched in anyway. I dug it, sifted it once to remove most of the lose dirt and any bugs, and then filled the buckets.
The ore gravel is mostly covered in dirt and is randomly dug from different areas of the mine into each bucket, so I have no way of knowing what might be in each bucket.
Please see my How To page, for proper ways to search for Benitoite.
I can tell you that I have dug for ourselves at the same areas I took this gravel from. After washing what I had dug up, I came home with some really nice specimens and stones.
The gravel is mostly covered in dirt and is randomly scooped into each gravel pack, so I have no way of knowing what might be in each bag. You might find some facet rough or specimen material, just like mining, you never know.
You may find some specimen material, some triangle floaters or some benitoite rough for faceting or cabbing. Benitoite is very rare. If you find a single cuttable crystal you have done well.
You just never know, just like digging at the mine. Please remember that all mining is a gamble! Miners say "You could be one inch from a million or a million inches from one".
The more gravel you go thru, the greater your chances.
I strongly suggest the use of a "Filtered" Short wave UV light when searching your gravel, since many of the pieces found are crossite included and can be easily missed during a daylight search.
