Miner's Gems and Minerals
OLD TOWN SAN DIEGO STATE HISTORIC PARK
2616 San Diego Avenue, San Diego, California, 92110
619-688-1178

                        OUR STORE HOURS ARE 10-6 EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK.
            WE ARE CLOSED THANKSGIVING, CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS DAY.

Miner’s Gems is eagerly waiting to assist you in all your geological inquiries. Miners Gems and Minerals is celebrating 46 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. 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 forty-eight years to be the most pre-eminent mineral enterprise in the state of California.

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 California gems such as Kunzite, Lepidolite and Garnet.

CELEBRATED DEALER OF EARTHLY TREASURES

• Arizona Blue Gem Silica
• Arizona Peridot
• Benitoite
• California Gold Specimens
• Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper
• Oregon Sunstone
• Kingman Turquoise

We also have gems and minerals from the world over including:

• Blue Green Apatite
• Canadian Ammolite
• Chrysoprase
• Danburite
• Kyanite
• Ethiopian Opal
• Mexican Fire Opal
• Peruvian Blue Opal
• Tanzanite
• Tahitian Pearls
• Spinel
• Watermelon Toumaline

We also have a selection of Meteorite and Tektites including:

• Arizona Canyon Diablo
• Moldavite
• Sikhote-Alin
• Libyan Desert Glass

We have fossil shark teeth from:

• Carcharodon megalodon
• Lamna obliqua
• Paleocarcharodon orientalis
• Squalicorax pristodontus

We have other fossils as well! Such as:

• Arizona Petrified Wood
• Green River Fossil Fish
• Utah Trilobites
• Wooly Mammoth Hair

Our worldwide ammonite selection includes genera such as:

• Baculites
• Cleoniceras
• Placenticeras
• Quenstedtoceras

Mineral Panning

Mineral panning is a historic and informative "hands on" activity. When gold was discovered in 1848 at Sutters Mill by John Marshall, people flocked from all over the world to the unknown frontier of Alta California which was at that time a largely unpopulated territory of Mexico. With picks and pans they scoured the hills of northern California in search of gold and changed the history of the "Golden State" forever.

Now it's your opportunity to become a miner 49er. The mineral pans are $10.00 per pan and we salt them well! Washing out your pan will reveal pyrite (fools gold), quartz crystals, agate, jasper, and... whatever else we decide to throw in! This is an experience you won't want to miss and is great for kids and adults. 

                  PANNING

              Every Day 10 to 4