Miner's Gems and Minerals
OLD TOWN SAN DIEGO STATE HISTORIC PARK
2616 San Diego Avenue, San Diego, California, 92110
619-688-1178
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Miner’s Gems is eagerly waiting to assist you in all your geological inquiries. Miners Gems and Minerals is celebrating 34 years of excellence in historic retail. We are a 3rd generation family owned and operated rock and fossil emporium that was established in 1978 in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. Renowned as the premiere gem and mineral store in southern California, with a staff highly trained in gemology, mineralogy and paleontology.
The mission of Miner’s Gems & Minerals is to provide a venue where visitors can acquire terrestrial treasures found both locally and of worldwide origin. Equally important is our goal to educate visitors about all aspects of Earth science, including such topics as geology, mineralogy, gemology, paleontology, lapidary arts, and mining practices. We excel at educating visitors on the great exploration of our region, the famed California Gold Rush, the lesser known San Diego Gold Rush and the fabled tourmaline deposits of our county. We strive to be a resource where local teachers and parents can seek assistance with their Earth science and geology educational programs. A further aspect of our mission is to enrich the San Diego community by offering educational outreach programs at little or no cost to groups such as local schools, scouts, and gem and mineral clubs. In all, we aspire to be a venue where visitors can tangibly see the correlation between Earth science, the great exploration of the western coast and the history of San Diego and all of California. It has been the mission of Miner’s Gems for the last thirty-four years to be the most pre-eminent mineral enterprise in the state of California and the most dedicated purveyor of our state’s rich and romantic history. |
Welcome to Miner’s Gems and Minerals Website! We have gemstones and minerals from San Diego and from worldwide locations! Here is a brief list of our selection:
San Diego Tourmaline from the Himalaya Mine and the Stewart Mine.
Other San Diego gems such as Kunzite, Lepidolite and Black Jade.
Gems and minerals from other California and Western U.S. locations including:
Here at Miners Gem's we have exciting & informative educational programs for children and adults. We offer geode cracking and fun hands on activities such as mineral panning.
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CELEBRATED DEALER OF EARTHLY TREASURES
ATTENTION THE WHOLE!
Mineral and fossil panning for young and old, families, school groups, day campers,scout troops and travelers. Offered daily, 363 days a year from business open until close, 10am – 6pm! Eureka moments for the geologically inclined. Relive the historic California gold rush with a fun and memorable activity of panning at Miner’s Gems. Each pan costs only $4.00 plus tax. Additionally, panners are entertained with informative lectures and discussion on all geosciences, early California mining history as well as geomology, geology, paleontology at no cost while revealing earth’s treasures in a fun and historic economical activity. Mineral pans abound with a fist full of the finest quality polished natural gemstones, a few nuggets of glittering iron pyrite, “fool’s gold”, and a sparkling crystal. Fossil pans are “salted” with a fist full of polished turtella stones (fossil marble), numerous shark teeth (approximately 15) as well as your best discovery fossil which would be either a trilobite, ammonite, echnoid or fossil shell. Also included in the pan are many fragments of fossil vertebrae, coprolite which is fossilized animal dung, eardrum, tail fragments from the fossil field of the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The fossil and minerals are buried beneath a layer of tailings from the historic Stewart Tourmaline Mine in Rainbow, California. Mine tailings are mine debris, and are still rich in pyrite, mica, pegmatite, lepidolite making for an exciting an authentic mining experience. Historic gold pans and wash tubs are used for this activity. Panners are instructed in panning methods and a good time is had by all! All large school groups, campers, scouts as well as birthday parties and others will need to schedule an appointment at least one week prior. Please specify if a lecture is desired, and if so, on what topics. Our dedication is to attend to your groups needs with the shortest notice with particular attention paid to panners’ inquisitive nature and interest in history and geology. Please contact us directly at Miner’s Gems & Minerals in Old Town San Diego, 619-688-1178 or minersgemsandminerals@cox.net. Miner’s Gems & Minerals 2616 San Diego Avenue, San Diego, CA. Old Town San Diego State Historic Park 92110 Right next to the Estudillo Adobe. |