By Cynthia Lamont
PassPort to San Diego

One of the world’s richest deposits of tourmaline is found in San Diego County.Gemstone collectors and families from all over the U.S. and world come to the Oceanview Mine located in the foothills of north San Diego County to mine precious stones such as tourmaline, kunzite, aquamarine, quartz and more. In the 1900s pink tourmaline was in high demand and exported back east to big jewelry stores like Tiffany’s.

My family and I visited the mine recently. We brought our gloves and a picnic lunch. There’s a shaded pavilion with picnic tables and a beautiful view to enjoy.

Tons of rock are taken from the mine and put in a big pile in a circular area, surrounded by sifting tables and trays of water. Right away my grandson found a beautiful quartz crystal and my son and daughter-in-law found some lovely pink tourmaline. Cameron Mertes, the gemologist, looked at our just screened gems and said we had over $100 worth of stones. We had just started!

I talked with people from all over. Many couples and families have been here a half-dozen times or more. One gentleman, a jewelry maker, comes to the mine twice a month from Arizona.

This is a great time and an exciting adventure to possibly find the “mother lode.”
It might not be gold, but there are some real gems in “them thar hills.”

I would like to thank Jeff Swanger and his hard working staff for a fun and very informative afternoon. We will be back!

Oceanview Mine is at 37304 Magee Road Pala, CA.

For more information, call (760) 415-9143 or visit www.digforgems.com.