Originally Posted by
TimothyH
What's going on with the guy stuck under the table?
-Tim-
LOLZ! Never noticed that. Have always been too busy admiring my good looks.
The photo was shot at a place called Gem Mountain outside of Phillipsburg, MT. It's a sapphire mine. You buy buckets of dirt and pan for the gems. That square thing on the table is the sieve that you use. After washing a pile of dirt you go to your table and pick through it with tweezers. Lather, rinse, repeat until your bucket is empty. He likely dropped something on the ground. I got a total of 16.35 karats of sapphires, but they are all to small to heat treat and make into jewelry.
It's a very popular place. At peak times you are wise to make a reservation. The people who work there are super nice and work mostly for tips. The woman who showed me how to wash and what to look for took the photo.