Franklin, North Carolina is known as the “Gem Mining Capital of the World,” but when Darcel Green talks about her “jewels,” she’s not just referring to the precious stones in her family-friendly gem-mine business: she’s talking about her two special children.
In 2007, Darcel was awarded custody for and became surrogate grandmother to 2-year-old Isaiah and 3-year-old Morgan, and they have become the most beautiful gems in her life. They had previously been placed in foster care, with the threat of being split up; Darcel provided them a permanent home, kept them together, and gave them a family.
Then in 2012, when a Florida county decided to put a road through her property and forced the family out of their home, she began searching for a better place to live and raise her kids. Eventually, she ran across the old gem mine in Franklin.