This is the place to go! Great people who know their stuff about gems. We bought the $60 buckets…read moreand wound up with lots of sapphires and rubies. Even an emerald. They even offer cutting and polishing which is cool.

This is the place to go gem mine! I've been to several gem mining places in western North Carolina,…read morebut this place is by far the best experience I've had. The people who own and operate are by far the most knowledgeable and passionate I've seen, and our buckets were loaded with gems (we got the 60 buckets). They mentioned they are a newer operation, and it's a smaller operation, but it made it that much more enjoyable to get the personalized service and their immediate excitement over the gems we are pulling out of the sieves - almost like a "boutique" experience. They took pictures for us as well! After all the gems were washed, we went to the store to get them bagged up and looked at in the UV light. They do offer cutting services, which we will likely go back and have them do on some of the more glamorized stones (rubies/emerald). We got rubies, topaz, amethyst, quartz, emerald, garnet, moss agate, moonstone, aventurine, aquamarine, and more! The store itself is stocked with all kinds of jewelry, sculptures, and other treasures. They have REAL dinosaur eggs on display! I cannot speak highly enough of the experience and the people - it was a hidden gem for sure (see what I did there)!

A real gem of a store! The front half has items for sale but the real prize is the owner's…read morecollection of rocks, gems, minerals, etc located in the back half of the store - it rivals even the Smithsonian in variety and size! And it's free to view! As a rock enthusiast I easily spent an hour just wandering the collection and store, definitely recommend stopping in.

What an amazing place! I had a couple of links taken out of a gifted watch and they are very…read morepleasant to deal with and removed links while we toured the shop. Amazing merchandise and a gem museum is in the store which in an of itself was amazing. Highly recommend!!

Unbelieve!! Such a FABULOUS experience! Took my 4yo granddaughter to go mining and she was…read moreenthralled!! Wayne assisted us and was so incredibly knowledgeable and generous with his time explaining and showing and educating! So affordable! Came away with a big bag of GEMS Highly recommend!!

This place was such a hidden gem! (Get it?). Family owned and ran, they were so friendly and…read moreknowledgeable about each stone we found. Sam even took the time to separate all the valuable stones from the rest and had them bagged and ready for us. Lots of options to fit into any price range. Definitely recommended!!!

As a self-proclaimed rock hound, Rose Creek Mine met all expectations and more…read more Our family of 6 went on Sunday, most of us choosing the "DIY Dig" buckets for $20 per person. The experience consisted of digging up two buckets of dirt from the pile that was recently hauled from their Smokey Mountain mine, and using the provided equipment to sift through little by little. The DIY dig touts "non-salted" buckets, which was important to me, giving us as close to a real boots on the ground mining experience that a family of all ages can expect. The pictured peach moonstone was my favorite find of the day, and I also took home some really unique and reasonably priced pieces from the gift shop. I've done a few "dig & sifts" across the states and I was especially impressed with the staff helping to identify the material found and packaging up and labeling for later. The extra few minutes spent was so appreciated. Special shout out to Miss. Nancy for making my family's visit extra special!

It was really nice to look through and find the rocks myself, being able to dig it up made it even…read moremore exiting when you found something. I would definitely come here again!

Scam Alert -- Avoid at All Costs…read more 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.

DON'T GET SCAMMED!! READ THIS FULL REVIEW FOR ALL THE DETAILS. I really wanted to love this place…read more 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.

If you're in the Highlands North Carolina you have to check this place out! I honestly could spend…read morea day in there. They have everything from home decor to little knickknacks, botanicals, essential oils, Beautiful jewelry... I could go on and on. I just wish she would open one in South Florida!!

I stopped into Unique Elegance on a whim, because I saw some absolutely gorgeous tapestry in their…read morewindows. What I found inside was even better. I found lots of tribal style jewelry, lots of jewelry that relates to my hobby of bellydance and lots of other eye catching ephemera. Once inside, the owner was all too happy to help me out. He even cut me a deal on a very lovely coin necklace. It was lovely to speak with him on the subject of Middle Eastern dance.

Very fun experience for our 2 little boys. The goats and bunnies are very friendly! My son did the…read moremining and scored some really cool gems and fossils! Will be back someday to do the kayaking!

beautiful place with very nice people. i got so many gems for only $50!!! So much fun!! woman…read moreworking was very informative and showed me what each and every stone was. i WILL be back.

An old mountain cabin in Cashiers transformed into a treasure trove of art, crafty goodies,…read morecandles, jewelry, decor items and more. Four college friends each found something delightful or unique to purchase and take home. Fun time wandering through, upstairs and downstairs seeing all the items. Prices were comparable to some others shops and lower than prices for the same items on the internet.

Basketworks is a small 2-story house/cabin with a great mountain atmosphere for shopping. There is…read morea mix of accessories, furniture, silk flowers, and some gift items. The quality of items is excellent, and there are many things here that you won't find anywhere else.