Best Mines in Franklin NC

First, to the poster of the answer above, Becky, thank you for posting my link! :-) I am the creator of that little fan page.

Of those mines that I have been to, my highest recommendations would go to Cherokee Ruby Mine and Mason's Ruby and Sapphire Mine (not to be confused with Mason Mountain on 28 though that is nice too; I'm talking about the one out in the Burlington community). These are two of the only completely unsalted operations in the area that I know of, and some VERY nice stones come out of both of these mines (though at Mason's it is more pink sapphires than anything; if you want a shot at the best rubies, go to Cherokee). We have done quite well at both places. In addition, the staff at both mines are just wonderful; really friendly people.

However, there are other mines in the area I could also recommend, especially if you are traveling with kids and may need something salted/seeeded to keep them entertained. If you are interested, I have a *lot* more info about the Franklin area mines, and a lot of pics in that link posted in Becky's answer - http://pakasdollmaker.com/gemmining.html Keep in mind that with most of the mines you will be dealing with salted material (usually tailings from mines overseas), but in some cases, like I said for those with kids, or for those just interested in the experience and who want to find something no matter what, salted mines can be a good option. I much prefer to go for the native stuff myself, though-- though you may not find much, you have the chance of finding something very nice, and it is real mining, rather than the grab-bag you get with the salted stuff.

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I was looking to and found this great website.

http://pakasdollmaker.com/gemmining.html