morefield mine

The Dunaways, who own the mine, are great people. The mine exploits a pegmatite which produces a number of minerals, including gem grade amazonite.

Visited the morefield mine Sat.10/25/2014. This was the first Saturday open for awhile. When you look at the pictures on their web site you see amazonite on the ground for you to collect "NOT".I drove over 700 miles from Michigan to be there on this re-opening date to find that this place is very misrepresented. There was no Amazonite to be collected when we went into the collecting site. They roped off an area to keep visitors out then used a catapiller with a bucket to spread about 200 lbs. of material. Then they let everyone into the roped off area. It was like when they open the doors at Walmart on Black Friday.Lots of pushing and shoving. All the good material appeared to have been removed prior to this probably to be sold in the store. They did this twice about noon and claimed they would do it again about 3 PM. I talked to the owner and told him I was very disappointed.

I've had the pleasure of visiting Morefield Mine on several occasions.Tucked away in quiet Amelia County, you begin your adventure by entering a small store that displays various gems, fossils and the like that have been found at the mine. Amazonlite, Beryl, Garnet, Black Tourmaline and Mica are a few of the stones native to this area.You have the choice of purchasing various sized un-sifted, pre-filled, dirt buckets gathered straight from the interior of the mine, or you may collect your own dirt from the approved gathering areas.After you walk down a declining and sometimes muddy slope, you enter sectioned areas filled with dirt from the mine.The area is good sized, but be mindful of the caution tape if you have small children with you. The areas sectioned off are unstable and safety can be an issue.Once you have filled your bucket, you carry it to the sluice box. There is a bit of an odor at the sluicing area, but you get use to it pretty quickly.It's fun to sort through your dirt in search of hidden treasures! I did find a small, lovely garnet and of course, Amazonlite, the main stone available. All of the children appeared to have a great time washing the dirt away and examining the various stones.Word of warning-you WILL get dirty. No ifs, ands or buts, it's going to happen!There are also picnic tables available if you decide to spend the day there. Make sure you bring your own lunch, as food is not for sale at the mine.I highly recommend this as a family/learning/fun adventure. If your able to talk to Sam, the owner, your in for double the experience. His passion for mining and geology is fascinating and very well worth seeking out.

I visited the Morefield Mine on a weekday with two bus loads of middle school students. Almost none of them had ever looked for any gems or minerals before. I agree with the other reviewers that the owners were very helpful and willing to share information with the rookies. Everyone enjoyed looking on the surface and digging through the dirt to see what they could find. It was great to find the colorful Amazonite, mica, various quartz, amethysts and a few small garnets. I'm sure there were many things we overlooked.I understand they occasionally offer custom tours and visits to the mine for serious hobbyists and other adult groups. The shop had some very nice pieces for sale at prices that seemed reasonable. Make sure to check the schedule, plan to get dirty or wet, and dress appropriately for the weather. Overall, it was a great place to collect some gems and minerals, learn and have fun.

We heard about this from a teacher friend who had taken her class here on a field trip. It is only open to the Public for Seven Saturdays each Spring ending in May so we decided to give it a try. It was a hit for all of us but we were not prepared for the day. The kids loved it and digging in the ground looking for various gems. Unfortunately we didn't really know what we were looking for. We did find a few gems and one was a garnet, as well as 4 good sized amethysts. I suggest studying what raw minerals look like prior to your visit and bring drinks and maybe pack a lunch ( they have picnic tables). Overall we are happy we did it and my son wants to go back next year.

Morefield Gem Mine has that back-woods Virginia feel and I felt like we were stepping back in time to take our stab at finding real gems. My daughter (who is nine) LOVED the place and is begging to go back another day. They are only open 7 Saturdays in 2012, so get there soon!

The Morefield Gem Mine is renowned for the gem amazonite found there.It is an active gem mine and fee collecting site.You can collect there for $10.00 a day.I went there and had the time of my life collecting.The best part was watching all of the kids.There were about 20 children there and they all had a great time collecting.The mine owner did a good job of seeing that evryone had the opperunity to collect some amazonite.He loads up the bucket with waste rock form the mine and it is loaded with amazonite and dirt.You have to dig through the dirt to find the amazonite.The owner clears out the collecting area by telling everyone to move back out of the way.He then drives in and starts to dump the waste rock.Then he waves the crowd in.This is the fun part,the kids who know run in and start digging frantically throug the dirt and rubble.It was a blast watching them run in and find the amazonite.Over all this is a great place for the family to get out and enjoy nature.There is a small display of rocks and minerals,some old mine equipment,and a gem shop with minerals and rocks for sale.The owners are friendly and they make sure everyone finds something for there collection.

Absolutely wonderful place to spend a day learning and discovering. They are most famous for their amazonite, which is supposed to be some of the best in the world. There are also lots of other gemstones and minerals such as quartz, amethyst, mica and many others I can't begin to pronounce, much less identify. This place has turned my 8 year old into a budding geologist. He likes to spend his time searching on the surface, but I usually stay at the covered sluice going through buckets of dirt and rocks. The price is very reasonable, about $12 for an adult and less for kids. All tools and buckets are supplied as well. The one draw back is they are rarely open to the public. Be sure to check the schedule on the website and call ahead of time to confirm. If you can find a date that works you won't be disappointed! I've made a slideshow for youtube that shows what you can expect to find there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xetG1JbRoD4