The Ultramafic Bodies of Northern Wake County offer some great rockhounding.
These areas are usually known and typified by their soapstone outcrops,
which are usually sopastone or many varieties of a talc-chlorite-schist mix.
When the water level is down Barton Creek at Falls Lake is a great place
to view the ultramafic geology, but being part of the State Park,
collecting is not allowed. Still a great place to train your eye.

As John Parker points out it in his 1979 report, "Geology and Mineral Resources of Wake County",page22,
  "A swarm of dark intrusive rocks...occupies a considerable
area in north-central Wake County and adjacent parts of Granville County.
They are scattered chiefly over a belt 5-6 miles wide that lies east of NC Hwy 50
and north of Six Forks in the belt of mica and horneblende gneisses."

Besides for the soapstone, serpentines, epidote, chlorite, actinolite, kyanite,
and other minerals to be found in these rocks,
one of the most interesting to me is what is called "Chromite Ore".
Here is more from John Parker's report;
"Most of the ultramafic bodies seem to consist chiefly of massive to poorly foliated soapstone.
Talc commonly composes half or more of this rock, mixed with chlorite and smaller amounts of actinolite.
Carbonates and opaque minerals are common. Actinolite in some rock forms slender prisims
2 or 3 inches in long embedded in talc and chlorite. In places, smaller actinolite crystals form rosettes.
A little ruby corundum has been found in the body that crosses SR 1842 north of Pleasant Union Church."

And that is exactly where this piece of Chromite Ore came from.
The first pic is of two large pieces. The rosettes, or sprays,
on these pieces are schorl.

Parker says this about the chromite ore from Pleasant Union Church Road,
" The massive chromite rock here includes olivine, tourmaline,
veins of cross-fiber talc and chrysotile, with coatings of Thulite and Fuchsite."

Here's a cut surface,

We'll get back to more pics of the rubies later....
Here are a few pics of other specimens from Northern Wake County.

We'll start with the Soapstone, or Talc.
This is your average white-grayish variety, but, as stated, you can find
all grades of mixtures with more green, red, etc.
And a lot of it makes for very good carving material.

I have better specimens but can't put my hands on them right now.
Here is a piece of what looks like silicified talc with actinolite.
And a large piece showing the Actinolite rosettes.

Recent talk about chlorite mica schist got me to looking at the talc and schist around here.
Here are pics of some of the chlorite-mica talc, soapstone, from the Barton Creek area.
I never get tired of looking at all the different mixtures this stuff comes in.
So my life isn't that exciting. 
I took the front piece in the first pic and ground down one corner
and show it dry, pic 2, and wet,pic 3. Then I carved something out of real quick.

A agree 100%  Thanks for all the great information and photos, that's all fascinating, and even more so since it's all so close.  Wake County has some pretty cool stuff!