Nantahala River Gem Mine is located in the cool scenic mountains of Western North Carolina. WNC is well known as a gem capital & is famous for its natural deposits of rubies & sapphires. Both residents & visitors alike have engaged in the adventurous & enticing pursuit of gemstones for many years. How does the lure of gem mining capture the imagination of so many? Maybe it's the fascination of the stories that Grandpa told about finding the pretty red stones in the spring & collecting them in a jar. Maybe it's the lure of finding a large and enormously valuable gem. Maybe it's reading the media stories of visitors who have found the "big one" while mining on their vacation. Maybe it's the intrigue of finding a gem & having it faceted for your own unique piece of jewelry - complete with personal story. Whatever the reason, Western North Carolina continues to attract gemstone enthusiasts by the thousands every year. They come in search of the precious stones, & many take home successful finds!At Nanthala River Gem Mine the gemstone material comes from both the local area, & from mines all over the world. Gems & minerals do not all run together. They come from a variety of different mines, wherever that specific gem is found. Many of the mine sites are in remote & not easily accessible locations. The gemstone material is brought to our bagging plant & bagged. It is then brought to our retail location in the Nantahala Gorge for your pleasure & enjoyment. You may search for a variety of precious gemstones including rubies, emeralds, sapphires, garnets, topaz, ameythst, citrine, peridot, moonstones, rhodolite, apatite, aquamarine, & a continuing variety of both precious & semi-precious gems. Call us at 800/468-7238.