In mid-February 2016 I visited the once roaring town of Goldfield, Nevada. An old set of gem claims had come under new ownership and new direction. I was eager to find out what that meant for rockhounds.
You can read about what I found by getting the May, 2016 issue of Rock&Gem magazine. (external link) It’s available at Barnes&Noble as well as larger bookstores. You can also download the Rock&Gem app for your mobile device to purchase an e-version of the article. Look below for photographs not found in the article.
Here is the beginning of the article:
A venerable Nevada collecting site has changed ownership and is now open under new management. The current operators wish to say you are welcome to visit. Very welcome, indeed.
Sharon Artlip and Nadiah Beekum now own and run the Goldfield Gemfield Gem claims outside of Goldfield, Nevada. The site is about 25 miles south of Tonopah and 190 miles north of Las Vegas. Only four miles from Highway 95, the site is accessible without four-wheel drive or a high clearance vehicle. Collecting is on the honor system, with rocks going for a dollar a pound.
Five non-patented lode claims make up the site. Chalcedony (Cal-said-a-knee) is the main draw, in many forms. Dendritic agate, bulls eye agate, and rainbow agate, all chalcedony variations, have been collected at Gemfield over the years. Many times the chalcedony can’t be broken out into a category. It appears simply as rocks with tints of red, pink, yellow, and lavender, often with bands and swirls of color. . . .
01/04/2019: Website for the Gemfield Gem Claims:
12/28/18: Visited Goldfield last month. Couldn’t connect with Bryan or Sharon. Bryan looks like he is adding onto his business. Sharon no longer operates Goldfield Art & Business Services out of the store on I-95. The present owners of the new store at that location, however, will accept your registration and rock fees. Stop in and check out a new business.
05/13/2017 update: Visited Goldfield again. Possible future article discussed.
10/ 30/2016 update: I visited Goldfield, Sharon Artlip, Byran Smalley, and the claims this week and all are doing well. The road to the claims has had further work and is still passable by most vehicles.
6/7/2015 update: The issue in hardcopy sold out almost immediately.
About 25 miles south of Tonopah, Nevada sits Goldfield in Esmeralda County. The Gemfield Gem claims are a few miles out of town.
Chalcedony is the draw here; agate in many forms. Cut as a slab and then polished, this stone would appear quite dramatic.
A Gully at the site, showing typical terrain.
Chalcedony boulder, a confusion of swirls and bulls eyes.
A Closeup of a typical rock. Imagine a pair of highly polished bookends made from this material.
Hidden Treasures Trading Post in Goldfield. Make sure to stop by Bryan Smalley’s shop. 489 S. Bellevue Ave Goldfield, NV (775) 485-3761. His Facebook page was at this link: https://www.facebook.com/HiddenTreasuresTradingPost/, however, it now appears inactive. Try searching for Bryan Smalley by his name on Facebook.
Look for this storefront right on Highway 95. It’s Sharon Artlip’s store, Goldfield Art & Business Services. She’s one of the claim owners. (775) 485-3789.
