Vugs Tours

In 2001, we created a new variety of trips at Rock Candy Mountain, where all participants had a vug waiting for them. This proved to be our most popular Rock Candy trip. Spruce Vugs tours are only available to Explorer's Group members.

How it works: we mine as usual for a week, setting aside any vugs we encounter at the edges of the locality. The day before the trip, we set aside vugs we find at the center of the locality. When you sign our liability release, the number you sign next to is your vug number. That way, vug assignment is totally random. Everyone will start the day by collecting their own vug, even if they have never seen a vug before! To be able to guarantee each person a vug, space is limited to 6 people per trip. To assure that new collectors have good access to our guides, we also limit the ratio of newcomers to experienced collectors of our localities.

What is a vug? Vug is derived from a Cornish term, 'vuggh', meaning crystal-lined cavity. The mines of Cornwall, England, have produced metal ores and mineral specimens since the 5th century, so many mining terms are of Cornish origin.

Most crystals require open space to grow into the geometric, lusterous shapes we appreciate. Crystals grow, molecule by molecule, projecting inward from the walls of the vug. A perfectly formed and preserved vug will have crystals radiating inward from all surfaces, but often earth movement or mineralization pulses partially collapse vugs. Collapsed vugs can be a collectors dream, where every crystal is detached and ready to be extracted & wrapped; or a collectors nightmare, where every crystal is packed solidly into every other crystal, ready to cause breakage with each piece extracted.

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