South Carolina’s state gem is amethyst, and Diamond Hill is where you go get it yourself. The old commercial mine near Abbeville is open to the public for digging, and it produces amethyst, smoky quartz and the strange hollow-faced skeletal quartz the site is known for among collectors. Twenty dollars for adults, ten for teenagers and over-65s, five for children twelve and under and nothing at all under six. You sign a waiver, then dig from sign-in until dark, and the limit on what you carry out is a car load. Ring ahead only if you are arriving after two. Bring your own tools, a rock hammer, shovel, rake and a screwdriver, plus gloves and water; the red clay is unforgiving in summer. Closed toes on your feet, and no digging after dark, which they enforce by banning you. PUBLIC fee dig, Abbeville County.
Amethyst, smoky quartz, skeletal quartz
Other places on the map within a couple of hours.
