P'tit Jules at the Amethyst House

P’tit Jules’ mom tells us about her discovery of the Amethyst House:
P’tit Jules and I decided to discover a beautiful stone found in the Livradois-Forez region of France: Amethyst.

Program for the day picnic on the road and accompanied walk.

On site, our guide Adrien explains the geology of the terrain and then introduces us to the equipment before starting the descent towards the quarry.

First of all, when we arrive at the mine, a large pile of sand and pebbles is stored next to a basin of water and small buckets. P’tit Jules asks: “But Mommy, am I allowed to get dirty looking for the purple stone?

After making holes all over the place, and collecting lots of treasures, we have to select the stones we want to keep. The choice is complicated and the hands are dirty, but the smiles are there. All these stones are so beautiful with their different colors!

Adrien then takes us to discover an amethyst deposit and explains the history of the quarry, which is now back in operation.

He then reminds us that the amethyst “harvest” is controlled: we’re only allowed 50g per person.

On our return to the Maison de l’Améthyste, surprise! A polishing workshop is on offer.
We chose fluorite, which is easier to polish because it’s softer than amethyst. This means we need less time to reveal the desired shape: ideal for a child who’s already had a 2.5-hour walk.

After rubbing and rubbing and rubbing, P’tit Jules finally has the desired shape and thickness.

The guide then takes us to drill a small hole in the stone, choose a cord and wrap it around our necks! Look at my beautiful necklace, I’m the one who made it”: what pride for a little 7-year-old.

There’s still plenty to discover on site: the “make your own crystals”, “crystal tree” or “treasure of the streams” workshops – we’ll definitely be back.