Avant Mining is the largest quartz crystal mining company in the world. They hold leases to several different areas in Western Arkansas. Their mine portfolio also includes other mineral-producing localities such as claims for Wavellite and Turquoise.
They grant access to several of their mine sites and offer a year-round public digging location as well as private pocket digs.
Their public mine is located in Montgomery County near Mount Ida. It is called the Garfield Lewis claim, but it is better known as Fisher Mountain. This mine is famous for being a very prolific and productive location for quartz crystal. During its rich history of decades of mining, this locality has produced specimens that are on display in museums such as the Smithsonian.
At the public section of this mine you get to dig for your own crystals for the whole day for a fee of around $25. When you dig in the public section of the mine, you can keep everything you find and take home as much material as you like. There are mostly tailings pile areas to sift through as well as some smaller hard rock wall sections for locating a seam of crystals on your own. For general admission to the public mine, you need to sign up at the gift shop before driving to the mine.
They also offer private pocket digs that start at $1000 in the commercial section of the mine site. For digging a pocket, you need to make reservations in advance by calling the gift shop.
When you go on a private pocket dig, they have unique rules that regulate how much crystals you will get for the fee you pay. On their website, it states that the amount you pay for your dig, will be the amount of quartz in wholesale value you can expect to receive. There will be a guide on site during the dig, helping you extract crystals and evaluating the finds. Once you have reached the set value, the dig concludes. Sometimes, the finds are washed at the gift shop to assure everyone’s satisfaction.
Please refer to their website for more detailed information.
The road to the mining area is in good condition and any vehicle can make it up to the digging site. You can park right by the mining area and bring your own tools and gear.
