I found my first copper specimen when I was 9 years old. I have been hook ever since. Back in those days you could find nice chuncks of copper (large copper nuggets).
At that time in my life, I had a favorite mine, it was located in the town of painsdale. Every year I would go up north to hunt copper, in the form of large copper plates and found them by eye sight at the Painsdale Mine. I found my first copper crystal at this mine. There always seemed time for rockhounding.
It would be 15 years later that I was looking for beryls up in those iron ranges there. I did find a couple of them at that. Knowing that there was a chance of find chrome up north I then look for emerald. Yes, I did find them but nothing of any value or size. By this time my brother suggested I look for greenstones, I replyed "are you crazy". Yet, I went up and looked and to my surprise I found my first peice at Pheonix Mine, not very good looking although inspired. I have been finding them ever since and wonderful gems too.
Now I have them in all shapes and sizes. I have designed my own line of jewelry with the green stone and the Michigan shapes built in around them.