Since my uncle is a gemologist, he can arrange some pretty amazing adventures. Not long ago, my uncle, aunt, son, niece, and I got to go dig for gems in a real gem mine! Oceanview Mine, located in northern San Diego county, is a pegmatite mine producing tourmaline, kunzite, triphane, morganite, aquamarine, quartz, cleavelandite, and lepidolite. You can bring your kids to mine for a fee: Dig for Gems!
Normally kids would not be allowed in the mine tour, but since we were with my uncle, the kids got special treatment. We rode to the mine in an ROV and wore helmets with lights to travel inside. Because of the rainy year in 2023, the tour leader said that much of the lower part of the mine was full of water. We saw tourmalines and pegmatite as we walked through the cool, dark, humid tunnels.
Back at the sifting tables, the kids worked hard cleaning and sorting through the stones. They each did find some nice small tourmalines and a couple of other interesting stones. Mainly they enjoyed playing in the dirt and showing each other their discoveries.
