


Uncleaned these gems will have an outer crust, which has to be removed and cleaned in order to distinguish between the ruby (red) or sapphire (any other color than red). Sapphire and ruby rough for example are both the same mineral called Corundum. When gemstones are found it is hard to establish exactly what they are, which is why it is important to have professionals at the mine to help visitors. If visitors are fortunate enough to find gemstones, they can also have them cut to the customer's specifications. There are professionals at hand, who can help identify they type of stone and whether or not it is genuine. This mining attraction enables visitors to look for hardwearing gemstones such as aquamarines, garnets, topaz, sapphires, emeralds and rubies. They have remained here ever since and are known as the Eastern Band of the Cherokee. By 1889 the Qualla Indian Reservation was chartered in North Carolina to serve as the Cherokee's home. Prospectors came looking for not just gold in the 19th century, but also silver, tin, copper and zinc, which led to larger companies moving to the area to build mines. Some refused to leave and hid in the mountains. However, the arrival of European settlers and the discovery of gold in neighboring state Georgia brought about a mandate in 1830 from President Jackson forcing almost all the Cherokee to leave. The Cherokee Indians are thought to have first arrived in the Smoky Mountains around 1,000 A.D, and named the area "Shaconage'', or "place of blue smoke''. It is open to the public daily between March and November from 10-6 with buses and groups welcome, and admission is free of charge. It allows visitors to seek out gems, with the added benefit of having the equipment provided on site.

The Smoky Mountain Gold and Ruby Mine is the largest Cherokee gem mine situated on the Qualla Boundary in Downtown North Cherokee, North Carolina.
