Digging Deep: The Jewelers Mining North Carolina's Gemstone Legacy
The state is one of the few places on earth to yield emeralds, and a new generation of jewelers is building fine collections around homegrown stones.
Few people associate fine jewelry with North Carolina. Fewer still know the state is among the rare places on earth to produce natural emeralds.
Homegrown stones
A new generation of jewelers is building collections around these native gems, pairing local emeralds, garnets and other stones with contemporary design.
The provenance adds allure. A stone pulled from Carolina ground carries a story that an anonymous import cannot.
From mine to atelier
The designers work closely with small-scale local miners, an approach that appeals to buyers increasingly concerned about the ethics of gemstone sourcing.
By turning the state's geological quirk into fine jewelry, these makers have given Carolina style a literal foundation — one dug from the earth beneath it.
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