About Us

The story behind the mine


The idea for Treasure Quest Mining sprung out of our passion for spending time with our son and embarking on a true treasure hunt together. When we’re not working, you’ll often find us metal detecting, searching for fossils along the coast, or digging for gems in the mountains. 

We cherish those times spent on family vacations gem-hunting in the North Carolina mountains or searching for shells and sharks’ teeth at the beach. So much so, that we decided to bring that experience closer to home for kids and their families to enjoy.  In 2016, we opened Treasure Quest Mining as a mobile gem mining experience. Shortly after launching the gem mining aspect of our business, we expanded to include a prehistoric gift shop. And in June of 2018, we opened a brick-and-mortar location in Apex, North Carolina.

We are a family-run, mom-and-pop, business in the truest sense.  Whether it be traveling across the country to source our rocks and fossils, hand-preparing the mining rough mixtures, or running the busy storefront, the three of us are in this together. And we love it! We’ve definitely made this a family affair and even our two dogs, Sophie and Ruby (yep, you guessed it – she was named after the precious gemstone), join in on the adventure.

We are often asked, “how did you get into this?”  And our simple answer always is “we are the parents of a really cool kid.”  Sharing time together treasure hunting has sparked a passion in us all. We take great care and have deep pride in curating an incredible collection of authentic gems, minerals, crystals, and fossils. We are passionate about sharing our knowledge and expertise with our customers, as we want you to cherish your new treasures as much as we do.  We invite you to explore our store, browse and ask us questions, and perhaps even take time to “mine” for treasure.  We know you will dig it!  

With the hustle and bustle of this technology-driven world, we have found that it is easy to forget to push “pause” and spend time enjoying the simple things in life.  Watching a child take pleasure in the simple joys of a treasure hunt or discover a new hobby is a wonderful experience.  And this is one of the many reasons why we LOVE this business. 

Whether you mine or shop with us, we hope that you enjoy spending time together during your Treasure Quest, discovering and exploring nature’s wonders.  We look forward to seeing you soon!

Beachcombing for fossils

Fossil hunting together

Fossil Hunting in Aurora

Gem Mining