Where to Find Quartz in South Carolina

South Carolina has 10 mapped collecting spots that report quartz, spread across 8 counties. The largest share sits in Cherokee County with 3 spots. 8 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible, and 1 is a fee-dig site.

Standout quartz spots in South Carolina

Hand-picked from the full list below, with the reason each one earns a trip.

Bowens River and tributaries
Cherokee County
The Bowen River drainage in northern Cherokee County is South Carolina's most mineral-diverse gem stream, reported to carry corundum in ruby and sapphire colors along with garnet, zircon, topaz, and rutile eroded from the upper Piedmont metamorphic rocks.
Myrtle Beach
Horry County
Myrtle Beach anchors the Grand Strand as the go-to public shark-tooth stretch on South Carolina's northern coast, where small dark fossil teeth wash in along miles of open beach.

Best counties for quartz in South Carolina

Ranked by the number of mapped quartz spots. County links open the full rockhounding page for that county.

Cherokee County3 spots
Aiken County1 spot
Anderson County1 spot
Greenville County1 spot
Greenwood County1 spot
Horry County1 spot
Lancaster County1 spot
Williamsburg County1 spot

Every quartz spot we track in South Carolina

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Clearwater & Herse ValleyWeeping Willow Lane	Aiken County	Amethyst Chalcedony Ilmenite Monazite Quartz Smoky Quartz Rutile Zircon	33.5384, -81.8239	Public
IvaWest Front Street	Anderson County	Corundum Garnet Quartz Orange Zircon Brown Zircon Amethyst Golden Beryl	34.3074, -82.6632	Public
Bowens River and tributariesShelby Highway	Cherokee County	Corundum Garnet Sapphire Emerald Quartz Topaz Zircon Amethyst +1 more	35.1646, -81.5789	Public
GaffneySliver Ridge Road	Cherokee County	Cassiterite Feldspar Kyanite Quartz Pyrrhotite	35.0702, -81.5421	Public
King's CreekRagan Trail	Cherokee County	Barite Chalcopyrite Galena Kyanite Quartz Pyrite Sillimanite	35.0815, -81.4485	Public
Paris Mt. State ParkSulphur Springs Trail	Greenville County	Beryl Garnet Quartz Smoky Quartz Sillimanite Tourmaline	34.9360, -82.3920	Permission
Shoals Junction	Greenwood County	Amethyst Quartz	34.3224, -82.3149	Public
Myrtle BeachMyrtle Beach Boardwalk	Horry County	Agate Chalcedony Quartz Fossilized Shark Teeth Megalodon Teeth	33.6879, -78.8822	Public
Haile Gold MineHaile Gold Mine Road	Lancaster County	Gold Pyrite Quartz	34.5804, -80.5320	Public
Diamond Hill MineSouth Williamsburg County Highway	Williamsburg County	Quartz Amethyst Smoky Quartz Citrine	33.6148, -79.9357	Paid / fee

Before you go

Read the quartz identification guide so you know what a keeper looks like in the field: Quartz in the encyclopedia.

Quartz in South Carolina FAQ

Where can you find quartz in South Carolina?+

The mapped spots concentrate in Cherokee County, Aiken County, and Anderson County. Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many quartz spots are mapped in South Carolina?+

10 spots across 8 counties. The RockHoundR app keeps the same spots on an offline map with public land overlays, geology layers, and your saved finds.

Is it legal to collect quartz in South Carolina?+

Hand collecting of common rocks and minerals in small amounts for personal use is generally allowed on BLM and U.S. Forest Service land, with limits set by the local field office. National parks, most state parks, and tribal land are closed to collecting. 8 of the 10 mapped spots here sit on land marked public, and 1 is a fee-dig operation where you pay for access and keep what you find. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

Where else to find quartz

More minerals to hunt in South Carolina

Hunt quartz in South Carolina with the map in your pocket

RockHoundR puts these spots on an offline map with BLM and Forest Service overlays, geology layers, and a log for your finds.