Rockhound from the age of 4, turned gemstone prospector/miner and mineral collector, now in my early 50's. My parents were rockounds and my first experience was panning for gold in northern California on a family vacation when I was about 4 years old. It has never stopped since then. The first piece in my collection was a small piece of Rose Quartz my mom gave me that she had got in the Black Hills when she was about 7 and I still have it. I still love and dig Rose Quartz in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I grew up in southern California and focused on gold and then found the gem mines in San Diego County. I've explored most of the mines in the pegmatite areas in So Cal. I've collected just about all types of minerals but have always leaned towards gems and lapidary materials. As of mid-2026, my areas of expertise and collecting interests are primarily focused on:

1. San Diego County California pegmatites (emphasis on Pala and Hiriart/Queen Mtns.) / gem crystals / minerals / area mining history (involvement since mid-1980s);
2. Black Hills South Dakota minerals, pegmatites, agates and gold (including Mining history, particularly the Custer area)(involvement since 2011);
3. American Mining Law / history / caselaw (involvement since mid-1990s);
4. Virgin Valley Nevada Opal Mines, deposits and history (involvement since early 1990s).

I try to stay inside the above categories or else my collection will go wild. Some past collections I have had are: Apaches Agates from Chihuahua, Mexico; western USA lapidary materials, agates and jaspers; worldwide opals; and a small collection of worldwide minerals.

I grew up in southern California and have dug in most of the gem pegmatite areas and mines. My first trip to Pala was in 1986 or 1987 with my Dad to the Stewart Mine which had tailings digging at the time. From there I met a couple individuals who lived with George Ashley and started digging with them on Hiriart Mountain and other local areas. As to my collection, I like to trade but also buy/sell/dig etc, and am always looking for quality San Diego County and South Dakota specimens for my collection. Many thanks to all the wonderful people whom I have met and/or whom have helped or joined in along the way!

I currently reside in South Dakota, USA, and frequently collect in the Black Hills, with occasional trips to other areas in the western USA. Our family sold our Virgin Valley Nevada Opal Mines ("Dominion Opal Mines") in late 2022 after 18 years of ownership so that I could start focusing on mining and prospecting closer to my home state, but I still research and consult regarding the Virgin Valley Opal deposits and Mines and occasionally stake claims there. I currently (July 2026) have mining claims in several areas of California, Nevada, Arizona and South Dakota and am focusing on gold and gem/lapidary materials. My primary recent focus has been in the Black Hills near Custer, SD.

If you contact me via the Mindat message system I might not see it until I log in, which is sporadic and there can be long periods of time in between. You can always contact me at my email:

chris@dominiongems.com

I also collect American Mining Law books and references dating back to the 1860's with a focus on American mining claim law. Currently involved in mineral exploration with experience in Mining Claim location and mining claim history research. For anyone that is interested, I do business as "Dominion Gems" with my partner William Pinna, our website is https://www.dominiongems.com/ , and we have a small shop on etsy at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/dominiongems . In addition to here on Mindat, I share some of my collection on EarthWonders at: https://earthwonders.com/wentzellgems/collection .

I am always happy to discuss minerals with others! Happy collecting and prospecting!

Last updated: July-31-2026 by Christopher Wentzell.