Sharon and I joined the Deming Gem and Mineral Society. We divide our time here in Deming between conducting ghost investigations at Holy Cross Sanitarium and Camp Cody and the search for gems in the desert in and around Deming. The above photos were taken at an abandoned mine site in the Fluorite Range near Cooks Peak. We spend the morning hours searching for gem-quality pieces of beautiful vivid orange stone called carnelian, an orange variety of agate. Carnelian agate has been used in jewelry since biblical times. We gather the carnelian from the desert floor and tumble the gem stones for a month before they are ready for use in jewelry that Sharon creates. BooBoo loves to follow us around as she checks out the rabbit holes and practices digging holes. She is happiest when she has fresh dirt around her mouth from her digging.

Deming is located in the southwest corner of New Mexico, 30 miles north of the Mexico-United States International border. The only creatures we see in the desert so far are long eared rabbits and small quick moving lizards. The best time for collection carnelian is after a rain storm or after strong winds. Since Deming only gets eight inches a year of rain, the best chances for find new carnelian is after gusty winds, which is about once a week. We will have to be aware of rattlesnakes and scorpions in the coming months ahead as we hunt and pick carnelian gems from the desert floor.

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