Rock, Gem, and Mineral Collecting Sites
in Western North Carolina

NOTE: This book is outdated and no longer for sale. For more information on what sites are closed, or updated site status visit this link

By Richard James Jacquot Jr.

Host of the "Mineral Minute" on "Nature News" radio
(WISE 1310 AM, and WTZQ 1600 AM)
Professional Miner, Photographer, and
lifelong gem and mineral collector
.

Rick has had numerous articles published on mining and mineral collecting in Rock & Gem magazine and many local mineral club publications. He has also appeared on North Carolina television discussing mines and minerals in Western North Carolina.

His most recent review was published in Our State magazine, which features the best resources for North Carolina. The article's author had this to say: A Jewel of a Book! Perhaps the most valuable resource in rockhounding is found in Richard James Jacquot Jr.'s book, Rock, Gem and Mineral Collecting Sites in Western North Carolina. An experienced, well-traveled rock hound from Leicester, Jacquot thoroughly covers 55 of the best collecting sites in the region and gives detailed information about what to look for and what restrictions or fees apply, with excellent maps and directions. The book is an indispensable reference sure to help any rock hound uncover hidden treasure.

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Packed with over 100 specimen and site photos to help identify minerals in the field. With a lifetime of field experience (15 years in Western North Carolina), I have included all of the "honey holes" that produce the best material and have been kept secret by local rockhounds here in the Western North Carolina Mountains for years. With so many sites being closed to collecting, I have listed the best quality sites that are still accessible to serious rockhounds. This book covers twice the sites and contains twice the information of any other guidebook available and it will lead you to find valuable gems and minerals and educate you on how to identify them. Whether you are new to rockhounding or an experienced collector, this book is for you and your whole family.

I have listed as much about ownership information as possible for private property, even to giving owners phone numbers when permitted. I also spent years researching the sites and creating precise site maps.

If you have any questions about my book, gems & minerals, or collecting sites, feel free to contact me at any time, either through email: rick@wncrocks.com or phone at 828.683.1048.


Featured on News 13 WLOS-TV as "the most complete rockhound guidebook for the Western North Carolina area" Written by a professional,experienced miner/prospector. This book is not full of repeated, outdated information from old geological surveys and reports, many of which are no longer accurate and have been available to the public for decades. Published in 2003 by Land of Sky Books, the largest and highest quality locally owned book publisher in Western North Carolina. This book contains directions and maps to 55 collecting locations covering 21 counties in the Western North Carolina area. The maps and directions are user-friendly, you won't need a masters degree to read the maps or find the locations. With GPS coordinates to sites including: the Walker Creek Kyanite site that produces some of the best facet-grade gem-blue kyanite crystals in North America (some are over a foot long and over an inch thick) several locations at Lake Chatuge that have been kept secret for decades, locations to find giant garnet crystals as big as grapefruits, visit Chalk Mountain to collect specimens and view the most fluorescent hyalite opal in the world and much more.


Also listed are points of interest such as museums, rock shops, etc. with each site description. This guide covers safety in the field, old mines, children's safety, which sites require permission to collect, a history of North Carolina mining and a brief history of each collecting location with the site description. A list of all tools and equipment you will need to make your rockhunting adventures a success as well as individual tool and equipment lists by site. This book is an excellent tool to educate people about the rocks, gems and minerals to be found in our great state.


Forward
Introduction
Safety
Tool and equipment list
Rules for rockhounding on National Forest land in NC
List of minerals found in this book
Site map and map legend

(link to photos of locations & specimens)

SITE 1: LITTLE PINE GARNET MINE - MINE UPDATE

SITE 2: NEWBRIDGE RHODOLITE GARNET- Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 3: GOLDSMITH MINE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 4: WALKER CREEK KYANITE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 5-A: RAY MICA MINE - Surface collecting only, per NC Forest Service.

SITE 5-B: LITTLE RAY MINE - Surface collecting only, per NC Forest Service.

SITE 6: SINKHOLE MINE

SITE 7-A: ABERNATHY MINE

SITE 7-B: MITCHELL COUNTY MARBLE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 8: CRABTREE EMERALD MINE - MINE UPDATE

SITE 9: CHALK MOUNTAIN - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 10: PINEY FLATS MINE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 11: HENSON CREEK AQUAMARINE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 12: WOODS CREEK SAPPHIRE MINE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 13: OLD PRESSLEY SAPPHIRE MINE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 14: REDMOND MINE

FRANKLIN AREA MINES

SITE 15: MASON'S RUBY AND SAPPHIRE MINE

SITE 16: CHEROKEE RUBY MINE

SITE 17: MASON MOUNTAIN MINE

SITE 18: CORUNDUM HILL MINE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 19: BUCK CREEK GARNET - Surface collecting only, per NC Forest Service.

SITE 20: BUCK CREEK RUBY MINE - Surface collecting only, per NC Forest Service.

SITE 21: HERBERT CORUNDUM MINE - Surface collecting only, per NC Forest Service.

SITE 22: CHUNKY GAL MINE - Surface collecting only, per NC Forest Service.

SITE 23: CAT EYE CUT - Surface collecting only, per NC Forest Service.


SITE 24: ROCKING CHAIR RUTILE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

INTRODUCTION TO LAKE CHATUGE

SITE 25: PENLAND POINT CORUNDUM - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 26: ELF SCHOOL CORUNDUM - Surface collecting only, per NC Forest Service/TVA.

SITE 27: JACKRABBIT RUBY - Surface collecting only, per NC Forest Service/TVA.

SITE 28: JACKRABBIT LIMONITE - Surface collecting only, per NC Forest Service.

SITE 29: JACKRABBIT QUARTZ - Surface collecting only, per NC Forest Service.

SITE 30: LOWER BELL CHALCEDONY - Surface collecting only, per NC Forest Service/TVA.

SITE 31: LOWER BELL CORUNDUM - Surface collecting only, per NC Forest Service/TVA.

SITE 32: EPWORTH GARNET - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 33: HACKNEY FARM STAUROLITE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 34: COLES CROSSING STAUROLITE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 35: COPPER BASIN
- Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 36: ALLMON CREEK STAUROLITE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 37: VENGENCE CREEK STAUROLITE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 38: NANTAHALA TALC AND LIMESTONE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 39: GRIMSHAWE MINE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 40: SHEEPCLIFF AQUAMARINE MINE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 41: BLACK MTN KYANITE AND SAPPHIRE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 42: RIDGECREST KYANITE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 43: WOODLAWN QUARRY - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 44: EMERALD HOLLOW MINE - Site is now under new management and is producing some great material. To find the good stuff, contact Daniel Coleman; 704-775-1581

SITE 45: POOVEY GARNET MINE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 46: RAT TAIL CORUNDUM - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 47: LINCOLN COUNTY SMOKY QUARTZ - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 48: PROPST CORUNDUM MINE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 49: YATES BROOKS FARM - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 50: PORTER LIMONITE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 51: CARTER CORUNDUM MINE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 52: ERWIN CALCITE - Closed, Trespassers will be prosecuted.

SITE 53: BALSAM MICA MINE - Surface collecting only, per NC Forest Service.

Facts about North Carolina Rocks, Gems and Minerals
About the Author

Field Notes

The superior rockhound guide for this area! All specimens are from the author's private collection unless otherwise noted. Photos are taken by the author, who has seven years of professional photography experience and training. 196 pages, soft cover or hardcover.

Note: My book was published in January, 2003. Since that time, some of the sites have been posted off limits to collecting. Always ask permission before entering private property to collect. Collecting status changes on US Forest Service sites and private property is bought and sold. Respect the wishes of the current property owner. If a site is posted "No Trespassing", do not enter that site. Always check with the local ranger station for current rules and regulations before collecting at any site in the national forest.

After eight years in publication, my book has become outdated. Many of the sites have closed or are no longer productive. I feel it is unfair to rockhounds everywhere to continue to sell a book containing outdated information. As of January 2010, this book is no longer available for purchase. This is the only site that is legally allowed to sell this publication and it has been discontinued. If you purchase it anywhere else, it is being purchased illegally.

We now publish the "American Rockhound" magazine, started in 2014. Go to this link to check it out: American Rockhound Magazine