FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[tynarose614]

Hello everybody,
I was hoping to get some help and advice if possible.
I am from NY area, I would like to go mining to try and find my own specimen. Any suggestions around NY? (Upstate, Pennsylvania, Connecticut). It is my first time... but I don’t know if I would like to go to a very crowded tourist place where there are no virgin rocks. I would like maybe garnet or Herkimer diamond... any would be amazing...it’s a dream of mine! I am a beginner of collecting, and learning about minerals and I would really enjoy this experience.
Hope to hear back... thank you!

[James Catmur]

My collecting area as a child was SE Pennsylvania, so a bit far (and very out of date)

[Peter Lemkin]

Franklin, N.J. was my first and one of the best for a loooong time collecting location. That was a long, long time ago and I can't speak for what is there now compared to 1960...but with some luck, research and digging you should find something. Bring a UV lamp there. So many places upstate I found great quartz or garnet XX, a little research will give some areas and there is the Herkimer paid collecting area. Many others. NY State is rich with minerals if you know where to look! Go to the NYMNH and look at their NY State collection for locations [that may or may not still be extant]. There are many books [many a bit old] on collecting locations in the state. A local mineral club likely would help or may organize weekend trips.

[Bob Morgan]

Two suggestions:
1. Go to the American Federation of Mineral and Lapidary Societies (AFMLS) or to the Eastern FMLS an find the list of clubs in your area. Get involved with one. They nearly all have collecting field trips which often gets you into sites you wouldn't get access to otherwise.
2 Get a couple of recently published books on New York State places to collect; The Collectors Guide to Minerals of New York State by Steve Chamberlain and George Robinson and Rockhounding New York State by Robert Beard

There are probably guides for other nearby states.

[alfredo]

If you are in the Hudson Valley, I recommend joining the Mid-Hudson Valley gem and mineral society, which meets near Poughkeepsie. They have several members who are active field collectors. A very knowledgeable and friendly group.

[Susan Robinson]

If you determine where you want to go, make sure you ask the property owner permission to access his land. Trespassing while searching for minerals is what has closed a lot of localities for collectors and clubs.

Susan Robinson