The United States is rich in gemstone rough -- diamonds, sapphires, sunstone, tourmaline, amethyst, peridot, quartz, agate, flint, fossils, and more. Below are a links to some gem collecting sites recommended to me and other resources for gems cutting, rocks, minerals, and jewelry making.
| NAME | DESCRIPTION | SITE ADDRESS / LOCATION |
| Fire Mountain Gems | Jewelry making supplies | jewelry making supplies, 800-355-2137 |
| The Graves Company | Gems cutting tools & equipment | lapidary equipment, jewelers tools, gem supplies for faceting, cabochons, carving, silversmithing and goldsmithing, jewelry making, rock collecting, mineral collecting, lapidary, tumblers, books, gem rough,.www.gravescompany.com/ |
| Jarvi Tool | Facetron - Faceting Machine | Anaheim, California, (714) 774-9104. |
| United States Faceters Guild (USFG) | Faceting Resources | (1) promote the art, skill, and teaching of faceting; (2) expand the knowledge of natural and laboratory-made crystals; (3) develop and promote uniform rules for faceting competitions within the US and among other countries; (4) sponsor or assist in managing competitions; and (5) serve as a national repository and clearing house for faceting designs, published materials, and general information for faceters everywhere. |
| Yahoo Groups | USFG Faceters List | This is a restricted group, membership requires approval, all members can post messages. |
| William Holland School | Lapidary & Jewelry Making Classes | non-profit organization devoted to providing quality Lapidary, Earth Science, and Jewelry Making classes, located in Young Harris Georgia |
| RockTumbler.com | Map of Fee to Dig mining sites | Fee mining sites are places where you can pay a fee to dig, pan, or search for rocks, minerals or gemstones and keep whatever you find. There are many places in the United States where you can pan for gold, wash gravel for gemstones, or split rocks to find fossils and have a reasonable chance of being very successful. |
| Blue Jewel Mine | Sapphires & Garnets | fee dig on the El Dorado Bar of the Missouri River, near Helena, Montana |
| Spectrum Sunstone Mine | Sunstones | fee dig outside of Lakeview, OR. Camping onsite, cabins , teepees, primitive conditions, bring your own water and food, Amenities available 30 miles away in Plush, Oregon. |
| Oregon Public Fossil Beds | Fossils and jasper | Oregon Public Fossil Beds behind the high school in Fossil, Oregon, |
| Himalaya Tourmaline Mine | Tourmaline, quartz, spessertine garnet, and others. | Owned by the same company as the Spectrum Sunstone Mine, the Himalaya Tourmaline Mine is a fee dig site in Santa Ysabel, California,. |
| Clement Mineral Museum | Fluorite | Combination fee dig and museum located in Marion, Kentucky. |
| Crater of Diamonds State Park | Diamonds, amethyst, banded agate, jasper, peridot, garnet, quartz | White, brown and yellow diamonds are found here in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. |
| Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine | Sapphire & Heat Treating | P.O. Box 148, 201 W. Broadway, Philipsburg, Montana 59858 (406) 859-GEMS (4367), (866) 459-GEMS (4367) info@GemMtn.com.http://www.gemmountainmt.com/ |
| Tripps Manufacturing | Jewelry mountings | budget quality jewelry parts , Easy Mount, pre-notched settings, Easy Mount settings, gems, chains, and tools, 800-545-7962. |
| American Diamond Works | Diamond Cutting | Mickey Brookshire and his brother Jerry are highly-skilled diamond cutters |
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