Gem mining in Franklin, NC

Mon-Sat 8am-5pm
NO ENTRY FEE!!!!
if you prefer to dig, we bring it down by the dump truck load for the serious rockhounder.Dig Your Own Pile: $25.00 8am - 5pm Note:(half-day pricing available.)

General run bucket: $5.00 each
Specialty bags: $30.00 - 6 categories
Super buckets: $30.00, $50.00, $100.00 and $300.00
ULTIMATE BUCKETS (6 of them): $500.00

10am to 5pm Last Customers at 3pm
Admission: Kids $10 15 $15 incl 2 starter buckets. Choice of Native or enriched. Additional Buckets are available $12-$100
Sit at the Flume,use of a Screening Tray, a Tin Can for your hopefuls, and a Film Canister to take your definite Rubies and/or Sapphires home (you can leave them to be cut and polished). no matter which type of bucket you choose, you'll also receive assistance throughout your visit. Be prepared for a waiting time if you arrive later than 10:30 am.
Take Hwy. 28 North. Cross the river, pass the Cowee Baptist Church and the BP Gas Station then bear right onto Cowee Creek Rd., (the first asphalt road on the right past the church - you'll see sign for Perry's Water Garden). Pass Cowee Elementary School and bear right at the first Y in the road you'll pass Rickman's General Store - a large white building that sits right up to the edge of the road and then left at the second Y in the road - which is Leatherman Gap Rd. About 200 yards on the left is our entrance. Big Sign - Can't miss it! At this point you are only 1/2 mile from the parking lot!

9am to 5pm

We found a 960 Carat Sapphire at Rose Creek Mine and brough it to a couple of lapidaries before we finally went to Burglens and were told it wasn't really worth cutting. He explained that with color, clarity, and other factors large stones are mostly not cuttalbe and the smaller stones tend to have the best color and look better when pollished. We ended up getting two small rubies cut for a pair of earrings and kept our large sapphire as is. Mr. Kahn is honest and his prices are much better than anywhere else we found in town or in the mines.

Our buckets contain: rubies, sapphires, citrine, silver topaz, garnet, amethyst, emeralds, iolite, tourmaline, ametrine, and peridot.

$35.00