Been a bit since the last update here, and a lot to fill folks in on. First: Cherokee Ruby Mine now has a dig-your-own! Rates both for it and the mine’s new rate structure (things had to be tweaked a bit to cover expenses) can be found here- Cherokee Ruby Mine’s fees
With the dig-your-own, you will be taken back to the dig pile and left for a half hour to fill and load buckets into the truck. If you finish those buckets before 2:30, you can go back for more. Any that are not finished by 4 though, you have to leave. Keep in mind that this is HARD work. This is not like digging into the “dig-your-own” piles at salted places, or even at the native Mason’s mine, where they stir things up a bit to help out. You will have to break up the dirt first with a pick to have much shot at shoveling it unless you are extremely strong, and will be working around some big rocks. However, it is worth the effort, if you can handle it!
Now, on to the finds. 🙂 Around the weekend of the 4th, some incredible stuff came out of the mine. Most remarkable was a 138 ct. ruby found by a young guest. It wasn’t clear, and not as red as some of the smaller ones we saw, but it was the largest one I’ve seen in person-
On the smaller ones, here are some pics and video; around 10 and 12 cts. on these two-
There was also a 46 ct. blue-lavender sapphire found on the 4th, and a 53 ct. pink the day before that! –
Summer is shaping up to be another cool and wet one now. The mornings on the weekend of the 4th were downright chilly, so keep in mind that you might want layers even in midsummer, and that the mine will close when the weather is bad. A couple other random pics, to close-
Gem Mining Adventures 