Miner's Gems

What a cute store filled with fun stuff. Lots of gems to choose from. The kids will love this place!
I got two pair of earrings for less than $30. An agate and a charka set of earrings. I get lots of compliments on them.
The place is busy and the woman behind the counter was more than willing to help me and answer my questions. I would come back if in the area. August 2023

I can't say enough about this place. We've been coming here for about 10 years. It never disappoints. Our kids love the panning for gems. When we're in San Diego, we have to stop by and pan for some gems. Staff is super friendly and very knowledgeable. Thank you!!

My munchkin loves this store anytime we are in Old Town and this store is open. However, it seems there is only 1 check-in recorded for yelp.. in any event, He gawks at the Megalodon teeth each time. However if you are into gemstones, rocks, fossils like shark teeth then thisnis the perfect place for you.

We have also done the rock dig. They have prepackaged bags you purchase and they take you out back and give you space in their area and show you how to shuffle the sand/dirt to get the rocks.

Otherwise this place is per gram and some prices are for the entire gemstone... but mostly by weight. Pricing wise, I have noticed that prices seem high when comparing to the gem show that comes into town bi-annually. In any event, an awesome store to go through and see some history if you are trolling around old Town.

PROS: this place had fossils, teeth, stones, casts, and all for decent prices. This is the largest display in the area making them the #1 stop on my list for gems

CONS: the two owners there were grouchy to me and didn't seem to care about helping me. They acted like they didn't want to be there

OVERALL: merchandise is amazing and worth buying, but as for the help use google

I love this place!!
Every trip to San Diego I make sure I go I always get the prettiest crystals and jewelry
We did the mining 3 times and always get the prettiest stones lots enough to fill a little baggie so worth the $10 dollars
The vibe here is great the people are very helpful and very sweet

We visited Miner's Gems early July on a Monday, and it was very busy inside with a very high occupancy. It was almost difficult to find the line! This is a well loved stop for gems.
There is always a risk of exposure to Covid, but if there's worry about health and safety, should probably rethink this one.

It was hard to walk through, but Miner's Gems had amazing gems at excellent prices. I've never seen such a large variety of gems, pendants, bracelets, necklaces, rocks, ect. at such affordable prices!!
I left having bought a few things to display on my work desk, my cousin left with some pretty pendants.

Highly recommend for jewelry makers and rock collectors as well!

I have to say, if you are into geology and stuff, you will like this place. They sure have a lot of cool stuff including fossils, collectable mineral specimens, gemstones, and cabochons. Some are well priced and some are quite pricey. The place is a little tight inside, especially with all the tourist around.

As an educator, I was interesting in the literature and history of the place. I learned that appointment can be made for school groups two weeks prior to the visit for pan mining demonstration and for a brief history mining era in California with lesson provided in geology as well. They also sell jewelry and the more expensive stuff or "fine jewelry" has its own room.

Miner's Gems is located in the old Casa de Pedrorena de Altamirano building, located in the heart of Old Town. I picked up a few ounce of pyrite to share with the students. The staff was very friendly, especially the lady at the cash register.

Loved this place. Cannot WAIT to take the grandkids there. We watched a young lady panning for fossils. She had a big pile of sharks teeth to take home and was just enjoying the hunt so much! Very reasonable price too! We bought bags of assorted fossils as souvenirs for the kids. They are individually bagged and identified and my elementary aged grands just LOVED them.
Smart fun!

Fun place to check out, many mineral and gem specimens to see. Interesting fossils and crystals. They have jewelry too. It is a bit overpriced but it's a cool store to just browse in. Before covid they used to have classes for kids about gold panning, but it doesn't look like they do that anymore. If you're in Old Town, definitely check this store out.

The store is very strict when it comes to kids, but in their defense, there are a lot of tempting things for kids to reach for and knock over. Despite that, my kids insist on making this a regular stop to "pan for gold". Its a fun experience for both kids and adults and an opportunity to satisfy those curious young minds about the different types of stones from all around the world. Highly recommend it. Cash only for the planning because as they put it, they "don't make money from this". I highly recommend it.