MORGAN HILL POPPY JASPER

In California, there are very few places to collect semi-precious stones. Many locations from the past have been either exhausted of the material or the land has been developed.

THE ACORN

The briolette gemstone has the same design attributes of a regular gemstone, however, the pavilion is elongated and the crown is usually domed. This is perfect for an elegant pendant, earrings or a pendulum.

Asteroid Samples Are Said to Hold Invaluable Secrets

If Only Scientists Can Pop the Lid!

Paleontologists Embrace a New Method for Seeing Fossils within Rock

Fossil bone can be delicate. Attempts to remove it from a hard rock matrix by picking and scratching or etching with acids can be time-consuming and/or may end up obliterating that which you hope to study.

Need a Map of the Ocean Floor?

Call in the Seals!

Embracing AI for Earthquake Prediction

Seismologists Swap Conventional Methods for \"Deep-Learning\" Models

Earth, the Desert Planet

Things Look Grim 250 Million Years From Now!

Volcanoes or Asteroids?

The Debates on Dino Doom Never End!

Early Birds Emerge All Around

Australia Provides the Latest Example

Ice Moons Beckon

Compounds Hint of Conditions for Life Elsewhere in our Solar System

Beyond Minerals

I hope mineral collectors realize the acquisition of mineral specimens is just one facet of our hobby. If you look beyond the specimens in your collection, you discover a vast and fascinating world of people and history.

ARGENTINA'S INCA ROSE

Red roses are a big part of the culture of Argentina. Since European immigrants introduced the flowers in the early 1800s, they have evolved into the beloved, however unofficial, national symbol of love, beauty and strength. The famed rose gardens of Buenos Aires are one of that capitol city's major attractions. Red roses also figure prominently in Argentinian art and festivals; they are even an economic factor as the nation's third largest export.

The Many Facets Jocelyn Zimmer

The First Female President in Five Generations of Zimmer Brothers Jewelers is Set to Sparkle

Arsenic: The "King of Poisons"

Few things are saddled with darker connotations than arsenic. Used throughout much of history as a human poison, arsenic has become inexorably linked with death.

ROWLEY MINE CHRYSOCOLLA

This mix of copper minerals is reminiscent of the Inspiration Mine chrysocolla. Much of what has been dug out has a beautiful color array of blues, greens, reds and yellow, plus a really nice strata pattern.\"

ANT HILL GARNETS

Tiny Miners Find Big Treasures

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

SUPER STAR GEMSTONE DESIGN

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

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

Playing WITH LIGHT

Faceting to Make a Gemstone Sparkle

KAL-TOH

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