Scam Alert -- Avoid at All Costs My family arrived at Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine at 3pm and immediately realized we had made a mistake. We were charged $30 per person just to stand on the property, plus a 10% credit card fee. Moments after taking our payment, the only employee on site, Zach, announced he was leaving for the day and that we could "stay on his property." No staff. No guidance. Nothing. When I politely asked how we were supposed to identify any gems without an employee present, he became agitated and hostile. I asked for a refund since we had just arrived and no services had been provided. That's when things escalated--Zach began yelling and got in my face aggressively. We immediately returned to our car and left. The property itself is nothing but piles of rocks. No buckets or tools are provided -- you're expected to scavenge everything yourself. Bags cost $20 each unless you post a positive review on the spot, and they charge another $75 just to evaluate anything you might find. It's pure extortion. I have since filed a police report and am actively working to recover the $165 we were charged for absolutely nothing. Please sort reviews by "lowest" before visiting--many people describe similar experiences. This place feels unsafe, unprofessional, and predatory. Stay far away. read more

DON'T GET SCAMMED!! READ THIS FULL REVIEW FOR ALL THE DETAILS. I really wanted to love this place. The fact that Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine is unsalted is what brought us here--it felt like a rare opportunity to experience an honest dig and possibly find something special. And we did. I found what appeared to be a naturally formed ruby crystal: very clear, vivid red under lighting, and visibly fluorescent--something gem-quality by any measure. Unfortunately, the excitement ended in the dark room, where we were invited to examine the stone. A staff member, Eric, took it to look more closely and never gave it back. We left empty-handed and deeply unsettled. Eric was extremely excited about the stone, literally did a little jump and said "WOW!!!" while examining it, and then the stone disappeared while he was holding it. Before we left, he said he thought one of the other miners there "swiped it," but there were no other miners working in the dark room at that time. Makes me wonder if this is business as usual when someone makes a good find--encourage them to hand it over in the dark room and then palm it. We trusted Eric at that point. He had been helping us with our questions and giving us great guidance all afternoon. We called the next morning to speak to Eric about the situation, but no one answered and after leaving a voicemail he didn't return our call. I'm sharing this not out of anger, but because others should be aware. If you visit: Keep all stones in your line of sight at all times. Examine them in daylight if possible, before entering any enclosed spaces.Politely decline if someone offers to take the stone from you to "look closer." If you make a great find but want to continue mining, put the find in a safe spot in your car and lock the car. Show it to no one. I hope this was just a misunderstanding. But it didn't feel right, and I wouldn't want anyone else--especially children or first-time rockhounds--to lose something they worked hard to find. This could still be a great experience, but only if you advocate for yourself and protect your finds. I encourage the mine to put better safeguards in place. read more

Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine - Eric - Gemstones & Minerals Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

This is a great little mine with a huge variety of gemstones to find both in the ground and in the tailings. The black light room is an added bonus that makes it even more exciting to find rubies sapphires and moonstones. The owners are great guys that are very knowledgeable helpful and friendly. Highly recommend!! read more

Been there multiple times. Owners are great folks. The experience is real. Whatever you find you dug yourself. Take the negative reviews with a grain of salt. I was there during one of them and what was stated is bs!!!! You are going to get dirty and have to work for what you find, but you will find some amazing material and lasting memories. read more

Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine - Rubies - Gemstones & Minerals Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

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This place offers a very raw and authentic experience. I jumped into the clay pit shoveled out a bucketful of dirt and pebbles, then the staff showed me how to expertly refine my pay dirt and look for special gemstones. There's a fascinating world of crystals and rock formations to learn about if you're willing to get your hands dirty. I also enjoyed the social and family friendly atmosphere. It's not for everyone, and there's no guarantee you'll get lucky, but I did walk away with a ruby a bit larger than a sesame seed. read more

Excellent experience! Very knowledgeable staff and fair pricing. Extremely unique place to mine for rocks. High accommodative of our toddler. Would definitely visit again! Many types of gems to find right in the earth. read more

My wife wanted to go gem mining and found that Western NC was a prime location for rubies, sapphires and emeralds. We made the trip from AL to give it a go. There are many other gem mines in the area, however Cherokee is one of the few that offers unsalted buckets (aka they don't add gems to their dirt for you to "find"). If you're up to the task, you can opt to fill your own bucket by digging your own dirt - tools are provided. For $35 per person, each gets two buckets and can spend as much time as they'd like sifting. Extra buckets are also available for purchase. My wife and I met owners Zac and Eric; both were incredibly kind and helpful. Zac took the time to ensure we knew what we're doing and how to get the most value from our experience. He also showed us the dark room on site where they provide a UV light to see the fluorescence of various gems in your sifted collection. This makes it easier to avoid missing gems that you may have missed by looking alone. My wife found a good sized ruby and we found multiple moonstones. Be prepared to possibly lose cell signal on the drive and to not have any on site. A very clean restroom was on site (along with lovely homemade, olive oil hand soap). We are so glad that we went and will definitely be back. read more

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My husband and I flew all the way to North Carolina from Oregon, just for this mine- and it did not disappoint! It's located in a very beautiful area, and was fairly easy to get to. The staff- Zack and Eric- are the friendliest people we met in NC, and really made an effort to show us what to do, and to make us feel at home. The flume has beautiful clear water, and the hounding was easy, relaxing, and fruitful! After two days, we left with a handful of sapphires and a gorgeous ruby. Our biggest finds were a 5.5 karat sapphire and a 10 karat rutile. It was an absolute blast, and we could not have had a better time. This place is the real deal- nothing salted! It's extremely rewarding. We came with lunch and water, and took 4-5 hours each day. There is a restroom on site that was nice and clean. It's a beautiful property to enjoy the outdoors. I would highly recommend to anyone wanting to rockhound. We will be coming back as soon as we can! read more

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We had an incredible time mining for rubies, sapphires and other gems! We found a few really awesome pieces and the kids were so proud of themselves!!! Would definitely return!!! read more

Had a friend visiting from out of town and she wanted to try the gem mining experience. Went here because it was top-rated, but that is not the reality. To start, the proprietor had no interest in assisting or explaining things to two inexperienced older women. He was rude and lacked any semblance of customer service skills. He was happy to take our money, and then we were on our own - to fetch buckets of dirt, figure out what tools we needed to use, and sort through the dirt without knowledge of what to look for. The fee included two buckets, but by the time we got through one each without finding anything to keep ( altho we may have missed things because we couldn't get any guidance...) we gave up. When I told him we were not enjoying it and not going to use the 2nd bucket, he offered us a bag to take dirt home, but not a refund. This place was not a pleasant experience and would not be recommended to anyone else. read more

Had so much fun at this mine. It was our first experience at a mine and we chose this one because it's unsalted. The owner is so kind and helpful. Definitely plan on spending hours there. We made a special stop on our ride home from Florida to Virginia to come here and it was 100% worth it. I even brought a bad of dirt home. We will be within an hours drive around Thanksgiving and definitely heading back. You need to go as the experience itself is so unique and fun! read more

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So fun but you will get dirty!! My son found a small ruby. Employees were very knowledgeable and helpful