How familiar are you with the official South Carolina gemstone – the amethyst? The purple-hued quartz crystal is commonly found in a few choice spots in the Palmetto State and regularly draws rock hounds from all over who are in search of this popular variety of quartz crystal. Below, we’ve included a video from professional collectors who make finding the big ones their specialty.

You may have seen amethyst quartz crystals in an everyday setting, like those set into rings or pendants for necklaces. But have you ever encountered one in the wild? Or in a store that sells the raw gemstones?
Flickr/Robyn Jay
Amethyst crystals come in hues ranging from a light pinkish-purple hue to a rich and deep purple color like the one above.
youtube/The Crystal Collector
There are at least a couple of gem mines in South Carolina that are notable for producing a large number of purple amethysts.
youtube/The Crystal Collector
Youtube user, The Crystal Collector, stepped into a private gem mine a few years back and made a video of his hunt for amethysts at the Ellis-Jones mine near Due West, South Carolina.
youtube/The Crystal Collector
Note: this is a private mine, so digging at this particular mine is not allowed unless you have permission from the owner.

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First, the small crew of two men located a vein rich of amethysts. In this screen grab from the video you can vaguely see a purple stone protruding at about the middle of the screen.
youtube/The Crystal Collector
Of course, The Crystal Collector takes you through spotting and recovering the stone, step by step.
Watch as he uncovers what, at first, appeared to be a small amethyst...
youtube/The Crystal Collector
But just look at that same stone after it goes through a few cleaning processes! Wow!
youtube/The Crystal Collector

Watch his video below to learn how to find your own amethysts, too.
Wondering where you can find an amethyst-rich mine that's open the public in South Carolina?
Facebook/Diamond Hill Mine
Check out the Diamond Hill Mine near Abbeville! That's where the giant amethyst seen here was found!

Care to guess the official gemstone of the Palmetto State? It’s the amethyst! In 1965, at the Ellis-Jones mine near Due West (the mine featured in the above video), a rock hound discovered a 15-pound amethyst. Just four years later, then-Governor McNair made the amethyst crystal the official gemstone of South Carolina.

Have another place you love to recover gems in South Carolina? Tell us about it here, so we can feature them, too!

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