Benitoite Gravel Packs
Please read this before purchasing.
If you ask any miner one question, "Am I guaranteed to find something", they will all tell you nothing in life is guaranteed, "You could be one inch from a million or a million inches from one". Out digging at a mine, the person next to you might make a find and you might not. This is what mining is all about, hoping to make that find. What we do is give the average person the ability to mine at home if they cannot make it to the mine owners new dig site.
This ore gravel is covered in dirt and we have no way of knowing if there is anything in one pack of gravel or another. Although 99% of our customers have found some type of benitoite, a few may not. That is just nature, and if gem quality stones were found in every bag, then Benitoite would really not be worth what it is today. So please understand that there is always a chance that you may not find any gem quality benitoite in a package you purchase, but there is always a chance of finding something. If not benitoite, then neptunite or one of the other rare minerals from this region. We try our best to make sure everyone enjoys their search, but we do not "salt" bags, so there can be no guarantees. Just like at the mine, the more ground you cover the greater your chances, the larger the quantity of gravel you search, the greater your chances of that find.
Do not let some people tell you that the mine is dead, this is not completely true. I say it is just sleeping! It is true that the main vein has either been worked out or lost, but previous owners of the mine throughout it's history moved a lot of material quickly, mainly looking for gem quality crystals. In doing so, a lot of material was overlooked. That is why pieces can still be found today. A good example is the 34 carat piece of rough found by the owners in 2007 that was faceted into 4 stones, the largest being an 8.2 carat flawless gemstone. I have personally found a piece that after being etch, yielded several over 2 cm. gem quality crystals. If everything had been gone thru as some would have you believe, then pieces such as these would not be there to find. In addition, in it's 100 year history, none of the previous owners properly searched for benitoite using shortwave UV. It is a much more productive way of finding exposed benitoite than gravity or magnetic separation. Will you find a big plates worth ten's of thousand's of dollars, probably not. However there are still specimens and pieces of rough being found that are worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
There is still a good amount of specimen quality and gem quality benitoite to be found. Just look at what we have for sale, almost all of it I personally found. You too have a chance to find your own benitoite specimen or gem.
"RECENT FINDS" These are just a sampling of the feedback we have been receiving about the benitoite gravel pack from some of our customers. We will not post customer names unless they request it.
" A customer has reported finding 3 nice size specimens in one bag."
" A customer has reported finding 5 small specimens."
" A customer has reported finding a 6 carat piece of gem quality rough! WOW"
" Another customer has found 2 specimens in one bag. He etched both and found some beautiful small crystals. He sold one specimen and more than paid for the gravel pack."
" A customer sent photos of some of his finds, some nice small specimens and crystals were found."
" Another customer sent photos of his finds. a few nice pieces of natrolite with benitoite crystals showing, a few pieces of crossite included triangles and some loose crystals."
"Customer reports finding 3 nice specimens and a perfect included triangle."
"Customer reports finding very large neptunite crystal that she plans on turning into a piece of jewelry. She also found 5 small specimens of benitoite."
"Found a great specimen with potential, etched it to reveal 5 benitoite crystals and many neptunites. Also found 2 gemmy floaters. Very nice gravel!"
"Unreal, found a quality deep blue stone in the first five minutes!!! A++++++++++"
You just never know!
If you let us know what you find, we will list it here, but we will never release any customers information.
