P’tit Jules à la maison de l’Améthyste

The mother of little Jules tells us about the discovery of the Amethyst house:

P'tit Jules and I have decided to discover a pretty stone that we find in Livradois-Forez: amethyst.

On the program for the day: picnic on the road and accompanied walk.

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

First, arrived at the mine, a large pile of sand and pebbles is stored, near a basin of water and small buckets. P'tit Jules asks: "But Mom, I have the right to get dirty to look for the purple stone?" ".

After having made holes everywhere, and collected a lot of treasures, we must select the stones that 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 put back into operation.

He then reminds us that the “harvest” of amethysts is controlled: we are only entitled to 50g per person.

When we return to amethyst house, surprise ! A polishing workshop is offered.

We choose fluorites, which are easier to polish because they are less hard than amethyst. It will then take us less time to reveal the desired shape: ideal for a child who has already done a 2h30 walk.

After rubbing, rubbing and rubbing the stone again, little Jules finally has the desired shape and thickness.

The facilitator therefore takes us to pierce the stone with a small hole, then choose a cord and presto, around the neck! “Look at my beautiful necklace, I made it”: what pride for a 7-year-old little loulou.

There are therefore plenty of discoveries to be made on site: the workshops “make your crystals”, “the crystal tree” or “the treasure of the streams”, for sure, we will return there. »