Rare gems can be found just outside of Charlotte

There's a few places in the United States where you can dig for precious metals and stones, like gold and diamonds. Right here in the Charlotte area, you can potentially find rare things like emeralds from Hiddenite!
Hiddenite, North Carolina, with a population of a few hundred, is located in Alexander County. It's home to the fourth rarest gemstone in the world: Hiddenite. The hiddenite variety of spodumene was first discovered around 1879 near the White Plains settlement.
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