Mason's Ruby & Sapphire Mine: Ruby & Sapphire Rockhounding in Macon County, North Carolina
- Minerals reported
- 3
- Elevation
- 2,660 ft
- Best months
- Year-round
Mason's Ruby & Sapphire Mine is a mapped rockhounding spot in Macon County, North Carolina. Reported finds include ruby, sapphire, garnet. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.
Plan your visit
Pay-to-dig site
- County
- Macon County
- State
- North Carolina
- Nearest road
- Upper Burningtown Road
- Postcode
- 28734
- Coordinates
- 35.21631, -83.53049
Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.
Land & collecting status
Pay-to-dig site
This is a fee-dig location. Hours, prices, and what you can keep vary by operator. Call ahead before driving out.
Public-land rules vary by agency, season, and field office. The RockHoundR app pulls live BLM, USFS, NPS, and tribal overlays so you can see exactly which agency manages the ground at this spot.
Best time to visit Mason's Ruby & Sapphire Mine
Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)
Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 46°F in winter to 82°F in summer.
Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, FRANKLIN station (8 mi away), adjusted for elevation.
Geology at Mason's Ruby & Sapphire Mine
This spot sits on Coweeta Group; Biotite Gneiss, mapped as biotite gneiss and amphibolite that formed roughly 1600 to 540 million years ago. Metamorphic rock like this is where garnet, staurolite, and kyanite typically grow as the rock recrystallizes under heat and pressure.
- Mapped unit
- Coweeta Group; Biotite Gneiss
- Age
- 1600–540 Ma (Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic)
- Rock types
- biotite gneiss and amphibolite
- Elevation
- 2,660 ft
Geologic mapping via Macrostrat and the underlying state geological survey maps (CC BY 4.0). Bedrock at the surface can vary within a mapped unit.
Today's weather
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The app shows live weather, recent rain, and a daily rockhounding score for Mason's Ruby & Sapphire Mine.
Get the appSources & verification
Spot details combine the public RockHoundR location dataset, normalized mineral labels, agency land-status checks in the app, and community submissions. Coordinates are approximate until verified in the field.
State guidance last verified:
- North Carolina Geological Survey
- Nantahala/Pisgah National Forests
- Emerald Hollow Mine (fee-dig operator)
- Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules
Found at Mason's Ruby & Sapphire Mine
Each name opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.
Nearby rockhounding spots
Other rockhounding spots within driving distance of Mason's Ruby & Sapphire Mine.
- Burningtown CreekMacon County, North Carolina · 4 mi awayPink Sapphire
- Clay CountyMacon County, North Carolina · 6 mi awayUnakite
- Chestnut KnobMacon County, North Carolina · 7 mi awayWhite Star Corundum
- Rose Creek MineMacon County, North Carolina · 7 mi awayGarnet
- Mason Mtn Garnet MineMacon County, North Carolina · 8 mi awayRhodolite, Garnet, Ruby
- Cowee CreekMacon County, North Carolina · 9 mi awayGarnet, Ruby, Sapphire
- Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire MineMacon County, North Carolina · 9 mi awayRuby, Sapphire, Garnet
- FranklinMacon County, North Carolina · 10 mi awayAmethyst, Bronzite, Epidote
Across the state line from Mason's Ruby & Sapphire Mine
Mason's Ruby & Sapphire Mine is close enough to the North Carolina border that the next-closest rockhounding spots are in a neighboring state. Worth knowing if you are already on the road.
- Charlie’s CreekTowns County, Georgia · 17 mi awayAmethyst
- Jack Branch & Shoal Branch AreaTowns County, Georgia · 18 mi awayAmethyst, Quartz
- Chatuge LakeTowns County, Georgia · 23 mi awayCorundum, Garnet, Kyanite
- Towns CountyTowns County, Georgia · 24 mi awayAmethyst
- Brasstown ChurchTowns County, Georgia · 26 mi awaySillimanite, Kyanite, Biotite
- Hunter KnobTowns County, Georgia · 27 mi awayGraphite, Muscovite, Quartz
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