|
by JULIA HARR
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
Little kids are notorious for playing in dirt, but some of them never stop.
Randy D. McCoy owns and operates DocsRocks, a gem mine located behind Mystery Hill on U.S. Highway 321.
His fascination with rocks started when he was 6 and has now grown into a profession he enjoys with his wife and 4-year-old son.
“Having my family
in the process [is my favorite],” he said. “My son cut his first stone
when he was 2 years old. He’s cut two stones and is working on a third.”
Opened
last April, the business has done well and will expand in the near
future to accommodate the expected Spring business boom.
McCoy got the nickname “Doc” as a result of his medical degrees.
During
his military career he served as a medic, and while going through his
clinicals he realized he would be happier discovering stones than
discovering diseases, so he stopped what he was doing and followed his
dream.
After
serving 13 years in the military, he retired and used his GI Bill to go
back to school at Appalachian State University to become more
knowledgeable about running a gem mine.
McCoy, a junior recreation management major and geology minor, is an education “junkie” and is working on his fourth degree.
He plans to get a Master’s degree in mineralogy.
“Owning
my own business and being a full-time student is challenging, but I
love a challenge,” he said. “I usually tell my professors I’m a
business owner and they’re understanding.”
He often offers an education to his mine customers.
“I’m
really big into education,” McCoy said. “I like to sit down with people
and tell them how [the stone] is formed, how it got its color. I can
show them the crystallization process on the TV.”
DocsRocks gets their ore from several local sources in Avery, Buncombe, Macon and Mitchell Counties.
When
customers come to the mine, they purchase a $10 shovel full of ore to
sift through. They then sit by a heated indoor or outdoor flume to look
for gems.
Some valuable gems have been discovered in the ore including a 10.5-carat emerald valued at $113,000.
The community has embraced the business, which also gets a lot of attention from tourists.
“We have
football players and lacrosse players in here all the time,” he said.
“People from all over the country will stop by while they’re in town.”
The business also does what it can to give back the community.
If
anyone discovers a rose quartz and has it cut or purchases a rose
quartz item, DocsRocks donates all the proceeds to breast cancer
research.
“I lost my sister a year ago to breast cancer,” he said. “While she was still alive I decided to do something in her name.”
Over the
course of a year the business has raised $5,000 they donate to various
places including, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Victory Junction Gang
Camp, a local family, and a young woman participating in a walk.
After
customers sift through the dirt and make their discoveries, McCoy
identifies the stone and then encourages people to get it appraised by
his completion.
Trackback(0)
 |
Lifestyles 
TrackBack URI for this entry
Show/Hide comments
