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A Real Emerald City

James Hill, 34, has a special talent: "I've always had a knack for finding things hidden in the earth." His ability to sniff out buried surprises took root when he was a child visiting his grandmother in Hiddenite, North Carolina. "First I crawled around her front yard," recalls Hill. "Then I wandered farther away--into the woods, through the creeks and corn pastures."

In the years since his first explorations, Hill has turned up tons of natural and man-made treasures. But no discovery has been as spectacular as the one he made in Hiddenite last November. That's when he found a bed of precious emeralds--including one that weighs 88 carats! (A carat is a unit of measurement for gemstones.)

Hill was with his 8-year-old son when he found the supersize stone in an abandoned emerald mine on his family's land. "My son said, 'Daddy, did we find a treasure?' And I said, 'Son, did we ever!'"

Geologists--scientists who study rocks--believe Hill may have just scratched the surface. The emeralds were found only 10 feet underground. There are probably more sparklers buried farther down.

Hiddenite's Hidden Treasures
Hiddenite, a village of 450 people in the Brushy Mountains, has amazed geologists and treasure hunters for more than 100 years. Sixty-three kinds of gemstones have been found in the area. They were formed deep in the earth, under extreme heat and pressure, as much as 800 million years ago.

In the late 1800s, the inventor Thomas Edison heard about Hiddenite's riches. He sent two scientists there to search for platinum, which he wanted to try to use in light bulbs. They didn't find the precious metal, but one of the scientists, William Hidden, discovered a rare apple-green gemstone. Both the town and this stone were later named for him.

A Search's Slow Payoff
James Hill always suspected that Hiddenite's treasures had not all been tapped. He spent 10 years and thousands of dollars exploring. Has he struck it rich? Well, he says, the stones must be cut and polished before they can be sold. "But I don't ever have to look anywhere again."

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Nature's Gorgeous Green Gemstone

• Emeralds were found as early as 1650 B.C. in Egypt. Cleopatra wore them. Romans believed they had healing powers.
• Emeralds are much rarer than diamonds, and can be worth about $30,000 a carat. The darker the green, the more valuable.
• Emeralds are a kind of mineral called beryl.
• Emeralds are mined mostly in Brazil and Colombia. They are also found in Africa and Asia.
• Emeralds are the birthstone of people born in May.

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