So, the next three weeks will be *very* busy. The moving will be the most difficult thing. The apt we decided on is a sublease, and is on the 3rd floor, which will make getting our stuff up there rather interesting if we don’t get help. Still, this apt was the best deal I think we could get, and all-inclusive with the utilities so one less bother there.

Once we get settled in though, I do plan to go down to Cherokee Mine a few times a week to help out. Hopefully now too, I will be able to get more pictures and video to post, and will try to get more of other guests’ finds.

Here are a few pics, sorry for the bad quality, they were taken inside and on my cell-

I also wanted to address something that has been bothering me while browsing around reading reviews of the mines on some major sites. Misinformation given by certain mines regarding what they have has caused some reviewers, due to believing those claims, to bash some of the truly native and honest mines like Mason’s Ruby and Sapphire Mine. I won’t name the mines spreading the misinformation, but keep a few things in mind:

- If you are finding lots of large (50+ cts.) “rubies” that are completely opaque and very dark, in dirt that washes very easily, there is a good chance that is salted corundum, tailings from overseas mines. It can be bought for very little by the pound. Pay attention to the wording of the operators—the dirt itself may be native and come right off their property, but the stuff in it might not! If you are finding emeralds or big hunks of amethyst, that is a pretty sure sign of salting. Emeralds are not found right in that area (someone found one in the mountains a bit east of Mason’s once, but that is the only one I’ve heard of), and while there is a lot of different colored quartz in the area, nice deep and clear purple is at best extremely uncommon. In doubt as to whether those rubies and sapphires are native? You can always take them to a lapidary or gem club in your own area, but easiest just to take some good pictures and post them on a forum like Dirtyrockounds or GemologyOnline (I have links on the side), tell them where you got it and where it is supposed to be from.
- Be ESPECIALLY wary if the mine operators tell you those huge “rubies” are worth (from e-mails people have sent me asking about this) some insane amount like $10,000-$100,000. Even with a really beautiful, natural Cowee ruby like the one a guest found that I posted photos of in a previous post, you can’t say what it is worth until cut. And ask yourself: if this mine was producing lots of stones so valuable, why is it a tourist and not a commercial mine? While some very valuable stones can be found at the native mines, the fact that these finds are so infrequent is why companies like Tiffany’s gave up on commercial mining in the area, leaving it open for mines to be bought and used by the public.
- While it is true that stones can look very different and much more beautiful when cut, if you get that very dark, opaque stone cut, and they tell you to come back in a few hours and receive a clear, bright red ruby, that is probably is not the same stone. Cheap, pretty cut stones can be bought for quite little from sellers overseas, especially in Thailand, who are kind of flooding the market with them actually. If you want this sort of gem, just go to eBay and check the following sellers: egemdiamond, gemsporium, luxuryarea, and pongpanotgems. I love browsing their auctions and buying stuff as you can get very lovely natural gemstone jewelry (not solid gold, which will cause a huge price increase regardless of country of origin) for next to nothing. While others may be legit, the two I can recommend for certain for cutting stones are the Cowee Valley Lapidary and Ruby City.
- The following mines have definitely have native corundum, regardless of what you might be told or read: Cherokee Ruby Mine (completely native material), Mason’s Ruby and Sapphire Mine (completely native material, which you actually dig right out of the ground yourself), and Sheffield Mine (they also offer salted buckets but will tell you which are which). Yes, you might come away with very little depending on your luck, but a total of 20-30 cts. or less is typical of a day of native mining, NOT the hundreds or thousands of cts. of low-grade corundum you get at salted operations.

New season about a month away, can’t wait to get back up; would have done so already but once again, after a mild winter for the most part it has turned cold and nasty late. Forecast is calling for snow in Franklin on Saturday; hopefully it will quickly warm up after that in the next few weeks!

As an aside, on the drive up through north GA on the way to Franklin, there were a number of places where some really gorgeous flowers had been planted and were in bloom– light pink-purple, dark purple, and white, and growing incredibly thick in the places they were. Only thing was, they really clashed with the rest of the autumn scenery/color, haha. Anyways, hope to get back up once more in a couple weeks before the end of the season if possible!

On a happy note, Cherokee Mine was featured in an MSN article on places to go to find treasure! – Treasure Hunting in Your Backyard It is slide #4.

The one ruby I found was not in a bucket. As the sun was setting, found the one in the photo below under the flume, half buried in mud, when the rays hit it just right so I could see the sheen and color. This is a perfect example of why you should be careful when pouring your dirt into the screen! I’m guessing that is how it wound up under there, though it also could have been from somebody dumping without checking (location of it suggests spilled dirt more to me, though).

Headed back up hopefully for Labor Day weekend. I think it will be pretty busy, so if you’re there, may see me working the mine!

Edit: Adding at the bottom another pic, a 9.5 ct. ruby that someone found after we were gone, quite a beauty!

This is where we stay, in one of the cabins – Gatineau Fish and Game Club I’ve gone up almost every summer since I was 10 to this area; used to stay at Victoria Lodge until ’98 (now closed and privately owned). Had a nice trip as usual, though too short! Hit a couple bumps in the road– got pulled for an in-depth search going into Canada, and then on the way back, our timing belt went, leaving us broken down in boiling heat. Luckily, these folks were incredible in helping us get back on the road – Cupps Auto Care Stayed late and put off other customers to help us. Luckily, our valves weren’t damaged or we’d probably still be up there!

Fishing was ok, pike still not biting great as in the past few years, but got a few. Bass were biting, though. Weather mostly good but did get some heavy rain one day.

At the Duty Free store-

One of the guests did find an absolutely gorgeous vivid red ruby on Monday! It weighed in around 6 cts.-

This ruby is about the color part of my back is now, haha. I tried to be careful about the sunscreen, but on Sunday work a tankini top, and didn’t quite hit my back well enough, apparently. Ow.

I was up on the weekend of the 5-6th; didn’t get terribly much mining in but did find a few nice little pretty sapphires! I plan to be back up Memorial Day weekend, all three days if my husband gets the time off.