Mason's Ruby

We are an all native, and dig your own gem mine located in the Burningtown area of Macon County, North Carolina. The original mine dates back to 1895 and was operated by the American Prospecting and Mining Co. of New York.. It was known as the Raby Mine in those days and abrasive grade corundum was mined and occasionally gems were produced. In 1942 the Mason family bought the property and established the present day tourist gem mine. Now under the ownership of the Klatt family it's continuing to stay with the Mason's winning formula of customer service! Since we are a Dig Your Own Mine you need to be prepared for outdoor conditions. If it's raining or been raining our digging area gets VERY SLOPPY. Bring rubber boots with tread and a rain coat. Also if it's rainy we do reserve the right to close the mine if we feel safety issues warrant it. Please call ahead. During thunderstorms we will close the flume till the storm passes. Regardless of weather conditions you might want to consider bringing a change of clothes and we do provide a dressing room. Also bring rubber gloves or buy them from our store to wash the dirt . The rocks can be sharp! We provide all the tools necessary for mining: shovels, buckets, screens, and we have hand truck rentals. Rock hammers, and picks aren't necessary and we discourage their use. We are located a long way from town so be prepared to bring your lunch, but we do have drinks and snacks for sale in our store to tide you over. Well behaved pets are welcome at our mine, but please scoop the poop!