I want to share with you my favorite mine for gemstones, what makes this mine a big deal? It is extinct! Yes, that's right. Mines can produce amazing gemstones for decades or even hundreds of years, but when there's no more...they permanently close and become relics filled with only the ghosts of gemstones past.
The mine I'm speaking of was located in Quebec, Canada and was called The Jeffrey Mine. It was known originally for producing asbestos in the 1870's, but years later became renowned for its colorful minerals such as Vesuvianite, Diopside, and Hessonite Garnet. The Jeffrey Mine sadly stopped producing in 2012, which has made all gemstones from this location highly desired by collectors, and also caused their prices to increase drastically. Vesuvianite comes in a variety of colors depending upon the trace elements found within it's crystal structure. The rarest and most highly sought after color is a deep reddish purple that derives its color from Manganese. Other colors of Vesuvianite include all shades of pink, yellow and green!
Here at Crystal Castle Beads, we are lucky enough to have several very high quality pieces of Vesuvianite from this location! The pieces we have available at our local bead shop in Denver have a stunning combination of the rare purple, and bright green color crystals. They are exceptional examples of what this once very active mine used to produce. However, once the supply runs out, that's it! No more will be found at this location! So get it while you can and before prices increase even more! Come visit us today to see this amazingly rare and unique gemstone in person!
-TheGemstoneFiend