Rio Dòce Gem Mine

Sherry Duncan Moss

My favorite of all the gem mines & shops in the area. They are honest, have a great sense of humor, warm, friendly, patient w/people like me that don't know much, but they don't take advantage of my ignorance. They spotted one of my large rough looking "rocks" as a large garnet. I let the cut it as they thought best...very reasonable price & they shipped it to me. A very large, beautifully cut garnet that we had set in a ring for my mother-in-law who has a Jan birthday...is now 103 yrs old!! My brother is taking classes from them as he looks towards retiring. The cuts he can make after each 1 wk class are amazing!

Cassie Erin

We have a pretty mixed family dynamic (mom and dad, twins that are 15, and a 4 year old) and every last one of us had a great time. I cannot express how great the staff was; our 4 year old legit has no quit and they were SO patient and encouraging with us. They helped us sort our stones and gave us a run down about identifying which was which - as well as tips on how to classify stones we had at home from previous mining. If we're ever in the area again, we'll be sure to stop in, no doubt!

M St. Julien

This is by far the best gem mining place I've stumbled on so far. The staff is super friendly here. My sister and I bought a large "family sized" bucket for $50 to sift through and we found a ridiculous amount of beautiful stones including rubies, garnets, quartz, tiger eye and even a small aquamarine! It wasn't busy when we were there mid week so the "Mrs." owner gave us a class on ALL of our gems versus the polished versions. She was truly a gem herself (pun intended). My sister didn't get why I enjoy doing this but now she sees why! I will post an update if/when we get stones polished and mounted.

Sarah

Happened upon this little gem of a shop in the Spruce Pine area when I was taking my niece out to find some fun on one of her visits. I’ve been back a couple times since- my sister even started going too! Great variety of rough gemstones in the buckets. Flume areas are outside but covered, and there is plenty of seating. They provide everything you need with purchase of buckets. They have a great little shop as well- everyone has always been super kind and knowledgeable and they always take the time to try and teach you about your finds.