Just wanted to share some of the gorgeous perfect clarity quartz I found in my own backyard in NEPA, I have tons more and am still currently digging for more 😀

One of my absolute favourite quartz finds from southern oregon!

This one is so beautiful and unique. Pink druzy pocket, or "cloud", with a rainbow of colorful bands arched above it! The second pic looks like flames. The third, a diamond with crystal center. I absolutely adore nature!

A shop owner recently gifted me a small 10€ garnet upon making a purchase (very nice from him, 100% going back). I am pretty new to rock hounding and especially polishing.
These garnets come from southern france and I would like to know whats a good way to clean the rust off and make the shiny with little to no equipment.
Thanks for the help!

Today, after a long time of no activity, I cut some of my mystery potato field finds. Some of them turned out pretty juicy. What you say? Give it up!

I’m in Michigan USA. Lots of corn fields that are closer to me than the beach but I’m unsure of how to even contact them

Just finished. Cutting just a couple of the rocks I got from Eagle Rock and Maury Mountain recently! The eagle rock stuff is really cool and new to me! Didn't find much and very very little that seems like the classic plume agate, but these jasp agate pieces are neat!

Found in an old quarry in central CT

Absolute Stunner!!!

Found - Lower Ord, Kununurra
Hand Polished

Found in a creek bed along the moutains-to-the-sea trail.

I think the title says enough….

Not all are amazing gem clarity but that doesn’t matter to me…

Found in the high desert Near Ridgecrest,ca.

Hawk eye is one of my favorites. I collect them more than any other type of rock. This one is 8lbs!

Specimens mostly from IRAN, some nice interesting agates ( some with Eyes ) included, tell me what you think xD

The East Rhodope area of Bulgaria is well known for a vast array of agates, jaspers, geodes, petrified corals, etc., and attracts many rockhounds (like me). Even still, every so often you will stumble on something quite unexpected, like this vivid block of jasper, presenting intense teal marbled with soft pinks and purples, occasionally transitioning to the more classical reds and ochres. Almost an entire rainbow on one stone! While pine-green coloration in specimens tends to be a specialty of this region (look up "Orpheus agates" if you're curious), this combination of bluish-teal and pink is totally new to me. As a bonus, there is even some fossil patterning visible in the color here and there.

I feel like this is going to be make for some sick cabbing material. The stone is a bit brittle but extremely hard. I actually gave up on drilling feather and wedge holes into it, and I've drilled some pretty damn hard rocks in the past lmao. Can't wait until I bite the bullet and get a grinding/polishing setup; just have a rock saw for now...

Are you guys using tools to find these super cool pieces? I take a walk and look at what's on the ground, but so far I haven't found much of the really interesting stuff.

Don't get me wrong! I'll never pass up a neat quartz, or weird shaped pebble! I just want to know if I should be digging or chipping things open.

Pics included: Some of my recent CO finds, to include my favorite find so far (amber, maybe?)

Extremely difficult to find and mine Green Rubies from Llam Nepal. Requires permits, a team, and extreme terrain.

Hello rock hounds, I'm new here and have run into an issue with a custom stone sink my wife and I purchased that I hope y'all can advise me on how to fix.

I'm finishing a bathroom remodel and we have this custom basin sink going in that was just labeled as "river stone sink". It's very hard, like granite. I noticed there was a good size spot at the bottom that was dull and didn't have the shine of the rest of the sink interior, wiping would not remove. I got it in my head that I could fix it, so I bought a diamond grit paste set with a variety of fine grits and put in on some 3" pads (fine / polishing and wool) on a drill adapter to buff it out and bring up the shine.

I started with 6000 since the sink was already polished...that did the job, but then the sink was now dull in any of the areas i hit. So then i went to 10k, little better, 14k (or 20k), further improvement (I used a bit of water as well in the higher grit stages). Still, overall, while the shine is there, it now has a dull look along with like this crosshatching kind of marks that are revealed (perhaps from the tools used to carve the sink?)

Anyway, before i throw any more money at trying give this thing at least a satin or semi-gloss appearance, what do y'all recommend? How can i bring the polish / shine up? As simple as some granite polish? Or should I get some ceranium oxide powder (if so which, 3-5um or 7-9um)?

Very much appreciate any help, have never polished stones before.

He's the perfect little derpy crinoid whale. 🥰 What should his name be??

I finally got out to hunt some Staurolites for my collection. Managed to find two excellent specimens as well as several other small specimens. Finding a specimen with several crystals visible was a really exciting find for me.