Along the Appalachian Trail, which stretches over 2,000 miles from Maine to Georgia, there's a spot in North Carolina ... can try your hand at finding precious stones. In 2010, the city was ...

They were the first star rubies found in western North Carolina, according to Arlan ... classed as one of the group of four so-called "precious" stones, along with diamond, emerald and sapphire ...

Some modern-day prospectors make thousands of dollars selling precious stones they dug up themselves. By Alexandra Marvar Moonstones in Montana, amethyst and emeralds in North Carolina ...