CATEGORIES

The Mystery & the History Jet of The Black, Black Stone

Jet is one unusual stone. Used as lapidary material for millennia, it gets no respect in mineralogical circles. Among ten common rock and mineral guidebooks, seven don't even list jet in the index. The others? One has a picture with a one-sentence caption. Another offers only a brief paragraph.

The Hope Diamond Cursed... OR NOT?

Diamonds are known traditionally as symbols of wealth, beauty and love, with one notable exception-a large, unusually colored stone that is widely believed to be cursed. Many of those who have owned or simply touched this stone have met tragedy by going insane, suffering serious illnesses, committing suicide, or losing their fortunes-even being executed by guillotine.

Diamonds

What has always surprised me is the emphasis and value we put on diamonds. Though relatively abundant, they are vigorously mined and have been promoted in a tightly controlled market to keep their value high.

ARIZONA'S METEOR CRATER

Some 50,000 years ago, an asteroid sped through space at 30,000 miles per hour, headed straight for planet Earth.

Citizen Scientists UNCOVER Thousands of Microfossils

A Portal to Earth's Past Emerges in a Remote Corner of the World

ROCK THE CAFÉ Oklahoma Sandstone Created this Route 66 Pop Culture Icon

Oklahoma is the birthplace of Route 66, and Cyrus Avery, of Tulsa, is known as the \"Father various of Route 66.\" Avery served on road-associated commissions. And in 1925, he nabbed a seat on the committee of highway officials who were creating a proposed national highway system, as well as a numbering scheme to go with the map.

PLACODERMS Armor-Plated Fish of the Devonian

As a young boy growing up in fossil-rich western New York, I would spend untold hours walking the rocky outcrops of the Niagara Escarpment, the shore of an ancient Silurian Sea, collecting hundreds of marine fossils including Brachiopods and Crinoids.

SHIELD OF THE HEART DESIGN

Learning to facet gemstones can be rewarding and fascinating. The best way to get started is by taking faceting lessons, using current reference materials, having a mentor and dedicating the time necessary to practice the skills needed to master the art.

ANOTHER LOOK AT GLASS BUTTE OBSIDIAN

Many people who make cabochons avoid working with obsidian because it is soft and fractures easily. It is a struggle to get the scratches out in the sanding steps and it can be difficult to polish. It took me a while to find the solutions to these problems.

RUBBED RIGHT: Moissanite & Silicon Carbide

When a popular artisan who has worked in lapidary since the 1950s suggests taking a closer look at their \"grit of W choice, it's at least worth checking out.

Caring for CRYSTAL PARK: Preserving this One-of-a-kind Experience for Future Generations

Sometimes after a hard rain, the glint of crystals sparkles as they emerge to the soil surface after spending millions of years deep in the earth. Visitors to Crystal Park in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest in Montana stand upon a treasure that amazes rock enthusiasts from around the world.

Labradorite The Northern Lights in a Gemstone

The northern lights, those glowing curtains of cyan, green, gold and magenta that brighten the night skies in the northern latitudes, are among nature's most stunning displays of color.

ALL ABOARD!

Colorado's Tourist Trains for the Geologist

BEACHES: NOT JUST SUN AND SURF

For many of us, the word \"beach\" evokes pleasant images of summers spent enjoying sun, sand and surf. But for geologists this word has a more specific meaning, referring to waterborne accumulations of sand that sometimes host economic concentrations of gemstones and other valuable minerals.

8 Fun MICHIGAN BEACH Finds

Plus Tips for the Great Lakes State Rockhounding

WHEN A NEW DESIGN MATERIAL FAILS

I love working with milky chalcedony because it is an uncommon lapidary material that has a wonderful internal glow when the project is finished.

SUPER STAR GEMSTONE DESIGN

The Super Star gemstone design by Andrew Brown is a little misleading upon initial review.

MEXICAN LATTICE AGATE

Mexican lattice agate, a stone that has no color hues, can quickly remind you of a snow-covered pine tree, or the feathers of a swan.

GHOST CRABS OF BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

Rare Fossil Finds Follow Florida Storms

Pink Sand BEACHES & BEYOND

Naturally Blushing Beauty

POTOMAC RIVER BEACH Fossils

Finding Fossil Shark Teeth & Turritella at Purse Beach

Carpinteria STATE BEACH

Visitors Love it Tar and All!

OF CAPTAINS AND KINGS: The Rich History Behind Cape May Diamonds

Trip Advisor has rated America’s oldest seaside resort, Cape May, New Jersey, among the top 25 beaches in the country, and for generations, it has not only charmed visitors with its hospitality and Victorian architecture but drawn beachcombers and rock hunters to the sparkle of the quartz pebbles and beloved keepsakes known as Cape May diamonds.

Abel Buell

Abel Buell (1742-1822) was a Connecticut Yankee from the town of Killingsworth, now Clinton

THE REAL STORY OF TURQUOISE-IN-SILVER JEWELRY

First-time travelers visiting the American Southwest are often awed by the availability and sheer abundance of beautiful turquoise-in-silver jewelry

Playing WITH LIGHT

Faceting to Make a Gemstone Sparkle

BROOCHES, Stick Pins & Hat Pins OH MY!

Get to Know Costume Jewelry and the Science Behind It

KAL-TOH

Kim Lembke’s design, Kal-toh, is based on the Star Trek magnetic jumble rod game of strategy played by Tuvok

GOLDSTONE

Although goldstone might not be a real stone, it’s rich in character and history

ROCK & GEM FIELD GUIDE: From Mine to Mine!

Hematite is one of the most important sources of iron because of its high iron content wide distribution and abundance. Hematite derives its name from the blood-red color of its powder. It was used as a paint pigment since prehistoric times