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Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine — 100% Unsalted Native Dig, North Carolina: Status, Map & Field Guide

North Carolina · Macon · Ready

Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine — 100% Unsalted Native Dig

Quick answer

Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine — 100% Unsalted Native Dig is a Ready rockhounding record in Macon, North Carolina. The recorded activity or material is native ruby, sapphire, garnet, moonstone, rutile, kyanite and quartz. The recorded manager or operating context is Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine. Ready means the current evidence supports the modeled activity, but visitors should still recheck current posted rules, closures, hours, fees, claims, collecting limits and site-specific notices before travel.

Readycurrent status
Maconcounty / area
YesNear Me eligible
August 29, 2026last reviewed

What is Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine — 100% Unsalted Native Dig?

Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine — 100% Unsalted Native Dig is a Ready rockhounding record in Macon, North Carolina. The recorded activity or material is native ruby, sapphire, garnet, moonstone, rutile, kyanite and quartz. The recorded manager or operating context is Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine.

What rocks, minerals, fossils or collecting interests are associated with it?

The record lists native ruby, sapphire, garnet, moonstone, rutile, kyanite and quartz. This description is tied to this atlas entry and should be read together with the access status below.

Can I collect at Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine — 100% Unsalted Native Dig?

Ready. Current official site states the mine is exclusively Dig-Your-Own and 100% unsalted from on-site excavation, publishes year-round hours and address, and makes weather closure a same-day gate.

Ready means the current evidence supports the modeled activity, but visitors should still recheck current posted rules, closures, hours, fees, claims, collecting limits and site-specific notices before travel.

Where is this record located?

Navigation uses the recorded public destination or address for Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine — 100% Unsalted Native Dig. The destination is a travel reference, not a specimen-level promise or a substitute for current access rules.

Recorded destination: 41 Cherokee Mine Road, Franklin, NC 28734

Who manages the place or provides the evidence context?

The recorded manager or context is Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine.

What evidence supports this status?

The record was last reviewed on 2026-08-29. Evidence and management context: Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine. Current named North Carolina managed/authorized collecting program passes present authority/access/retention gates; any prepared material is separated from native field geology. Program or rule context: CHEROKEE_NATIVE_DIG.

Program or rule context: CHEROKEE_NATIVE_DIG

How precise is the map marker?

Navigation uses the recorded public destination or address for Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine — 100% Unsalted Native Dig. The destination is a travel reference, not a specimen-level promise or a substitute for current access rules.

What should I verify before going?

  • Current land ownership and the exact parcel or managed activity footprint.
  • Posted closures, seasonal restrictions, opening hours, fees and permit requirements.
  • Mining claims, mineral rights, private-property boundaries and road or trail access.
  • Whether the material and collecting method you intend to use are actually allowed.
  • Current safety conditions, including weather, fire, water, tides, unstable workings, traffic and other site-specific hazards.

When was this information last checked?

The recorded review date is August 29, 2026. Treat that date as the evidence snapshot used for this classification. Conditions can change after review, so field decisions should use the newest posted rules and manager information.

Is a map pin the same as collecting permission?

No. A map pin answers a navigation or geographic-context question. The status and evidence answer the permission question. Exact coordinates, public destination addresses and approximate county or regional context are deliberately kept separate so geographic precision is not confused with legal authority.

Field-use reminder: never infer collecting rights from proximity, a map marker or a geological occurrence. Verify the exact place, manager, current rule and collecting activity before removing material.