Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Utah Places: Topaz Mountain

Ruth, did you ever hear the saying that all that glitters is not gold? How about topaz gemstones?

Topaz Mountain is easy to get to, and is one of the world's leading source of these fabulous gems. The area is administered by the BLM, and the have adopted a very liberal multi-use policy for the area, which basically states that you are free to carry away whatever you dig and pick up with your own two hands. Under the proper motivation, for me, that can amount to quite a bit. And remember, with gemstones, a little can go a very long way!

You guys have been with us to Topaz Mountain before. We just spent enough time to get a little taste for it. If you're serious about finding good wine-dark colored topaz, you need to spend some serious time working it, at a good site. There are lots of good reference materials on the web. Like a few to start you off here and here. Have fun prospecting!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'd like to go here again. Did you know that Red Beryl is the most rare gemstone in the world? Faceted, it sells for around $2,000 per carat. And one of the only places on earth to find it is at Topaz Mountain (also Wah Wah Mountain, near Beaver).

Unknown said...

Ricky and I drove through the Wah Wah Mountains when we were working for the BLM in Beaver County. Lots of gold mining operation there.

We never found any gold, or any gems either.