Community Highlights: Meet Jason Roys of Lost Creek Mining

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Roys. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Jason Roys and Ian Schimpfle started by backpacking in the wilderness and forests of Colorado. Ian was into nature as a child going camping with his family in Colorado where he eventually got into geology and started his field collecting by picking up interesting rocks that caught his attention. Not knowing he would do it for a living as he got older.

Jason didn’t know what a crystal was until he was in his early 20s. He went on outdoor adventures with Ian and the friends he grew up with. Jason found a passion for it once he found nature and knew money could be made by looking for crystallized minerals and precious gemstones. Jason and Ian grew up knowing one another and had mutual friends. One of their mutual friends was a twin brother, who also was into backpacking and hiking. Ian was best friends with one brother, while Jason was best friends with the other.

Ian and Jason both knew each other since middle school but didn’t become closer friends until high school. Jason was more involved in street activities while Ian was more involved with the outdoors. Years later they became close friends as they started hanging out with one another more often. One day Ian, along with the brothers invited Jason out on a hike through the Lost Creek Wilderness.

Jason automatically became intrigued and fell in love with what nature had to offer. Instead of spending time in the city as he did all his life, he learned from Ian and other friends how to be more involved with nature. Ian’s experience and love for the outdoors showed Jason another part of life that he never experienced before. They began going on weekend camping and hiking excursions. One day in 2006, Jason and Ian were hiking outside of the wilderness with the brothers when one of them found a topaz crystal. The brother mentioned it was a precious gemstone worth an ex-amount of dollars.

Jason was amazed that one could find such a beautiful stone and get money for it. Jason was in awe of the shining crystal’s light shade of blue. Now he wanted to find one as well. The following weekend they decided to search the same area to see if they could find more topaz. As they searched the area, they did not find any topaz that was found the previous week. But Jason and Ian love a challenge, so they kept looking. Towards the end of the trip, Jason had to relieve himself, as he was doing so, he noticed he was urinating on something that was of a good size and black.

Jason picked up the black object and noticed what he was urinating on was a huge goethite crystal that had a bronze hue to it. Jason rinsed it off to show one of the twins who knew about mineralization in the area. Surprised how big it was, (about the size of his fist), he replied. “Wow that’s a big goethite crystal, that’s worth about one hundred dollars” Jason was pretty happy to find such a unique find. They left with definite plans to return the following weekend. Upon returning they found quartz crystal shards and more goethite sprays. After a few weeks of continuous gem-hunting experience and study, Jason and Ian began to understand the ground more and learned what to look for.

On one of their digs, they found a pile of quartz shards that had crystal faces on them. They started digging out the shards, the shards of crystals were getting bigger and bigger and more faces of crystals were more intact. Eventually, the crystals had all the faces and full terminations on them. More and more came out. Now little green, blue, and purple cubes started to show up. These cubes were fluorite crystals, and there were a lot of them. Together they extracted over one hundred pounds of fluorite, anywhere between the size of your pinky fingernail, up to seventeen-pound specimens. All-in-all over one hundred pieces were discovered.

They were very happy with their finds. Their next move was to have a geologist look at them. Jason and Ian took their gems to the Colorado School of Mines. They were told at that time it was the biggest pocket of fluorite found in Jefferson County Colorado. Soon after Jason and Ian filed a claim on the discovery so they could keep mining the area as their own. That was the start of their career in mining gems, and soon started the business (Lost Creek Mining) named after the wilderness they hiked and backpacked.

Though Jason did not think of it at the time, he realized later that he is a 3rd-generation miner. His grandfather, Camilo, and great-grandfather, Simon were both coal miners in Southern Colorado. Camilo was also a rock hound. Jason’s father has told him how his grandfather’s rock tumbler would keep him awake with the noise it made. They rented a space at a local gem show and sold their mined treasures to collectors. One person who bought a specimen was a high-end collector in the United States. He mentioned that he hadn’t seen a fluorite specimen like what Jason and Ian discovered in over 40 years. The cuboctahedron crystal growth was rare for the area, and so was the color, deep green and purple with a hint of blue. Some of the most exquisite fluorite to come out of Colorado.

Jason and Ian were hooked and now started to dig every weekend where they discovered the fluorite. Both began to study the mineralization and geology of the area. They discovered that their mining claim was in a special mineralized area that produced a lot of geologic activity. A year later Jason discovered an exceptional monazite crystal that is on display at the Colorado School of Mines Museum. Along with the fluorite that was donated as well.

Gem mining became a full-time job for Jason and Ian. They have put in years of work and though neither hold a degree in geology, their studies of the subject have given them the knowledge to be considered professionals when it comes to finding rock formations and the mineralization of gems. This knowledge eventually gave them the opportunity to partner with local claim owners to dig professionally on Mt. Antero, mining aquamarine. Jason and Ian worked long hours from dawn to dark every night extracting some of the United States’ best aquamarine gemstones. Jason and Ian found a discovery that hasn’t been found before on Mt Antero, huge aquamarine, phenakite topaz, and smoky quartz.

The discovery of aquamarine was the biggest find since Diane’s pocket which resides in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Jason and Ian then took their passion for crystals to Tanzania Africa to advise a mining operation going after precious Tourmaline crystals. Both spent two and a half months in the desert mining where they had success in finding what they were mining for. Now they are both back in Colorado looking for the next big find!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
As they say, “There are no guarantees in mining” Sometimes you win, some you lose. Jason has a saying, “Every time you thrust a pick in the ground, It’s like scratching a lottery ticket” “There are winnings and losses”. We just try to keep that to a minimum with our knowledge and experience. If the ground doesn’t produce, move on. Some of the struggles are weather, mining above 12,000 ft can be dangerous. Lighting is deadly at that elevation and serious precautions are made when lightning activity is present. Jason and Ian have had tools and car antennas buzz. And when that happens they get off the top of the mountain and get to the tree line.

Also, they both have come across mountain Lions, Bears, and rattlesnakes. Jason and Ian proceed with caution to make sure they are safe to continue the day. Also, vehicles can leave you stranded, Jason and Ian like to drive separately so if they have any mechanical issues, one can give the other a ride or help to get the vehicle fixed.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Lost Creek Mining LLC?
Jason Roys and Ian Schimpfle are gemstone miners and specialize in gemstones, mainly Mount Antero Aquamarine from Colorado. Jason and Ian are known for digging and discovering some of the best Aquamarine people have seen in several years.

But before Antero, they both were known for finding some rare fluorite from Colorado that is in the Colorado School of Mines along with a monazite crystal. They also sell minerals online on social media outlets. Just look for Lost Creek Mining LLC. They would be happy to provide you with a nice specimen from Colorado, the United States, and around the world.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Covid- 19 did change some things from the seller’s end. For almost two years they had to mainly sell online due to gemshow venues being closed because of the pandemic. But slowly things are getting back to normal.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rockygems.com/store/lcm-lostcreekmining/?fbclid=PAAab2WfVoTFm4AWUjZu9DUdW7o8DFJv9AwC5LqYjbAU-uoZJWOcvw5yvqlQY
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/lost_creek_mining?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM=
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LCM2007
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@lostcreekmining 

Image Credits
Jason Roys and Ian Schimpfle