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Places and Resources for Rockhounding @ Jewel Info 4 U
By:Ritika
Resources you can use
Rock hounding as a hobby often
starts in the most innocuous of
ways. Generally it starts with you
finding something on the ground and
it turns out to be a gemstone or a
very pretty example of a colored
rock. Soon you get tempted to find
another and another and if you hit a
lucky patch you could get addicted
to the activity. But a newcomer must
keep in mind that every day is not a
Sunday and after that first lucky
hit there may be periods of lull
where you get nothing. Don't give
up, take the time out to study and
learn all about rocks, their
recognition and identification.
Recognition of gemstones and mineral
is a very important requirement. You
could have all the facts of geology
at your fingertips but if you cannot
identify and recognize what is in
front of you then all your knowledge
is of not much use. You could then
just walk by a very rich outcrop of
rock and lose out on some
interesting pieces. Stones in the
rough are very different from the
finished products that we see.
Learning all the visual signs of
rockhounding are a very important
aspect of this hobby.
 Get your hands on all the resources
which will teach you about gemstones
and minerals and the thousand other
varieties out there in the rocks.
One of the most thorough resources
you could find is the Audubon
Society Field book which has lots of
pictures of gemstones. Everyone has
heard of jaspers and rubies,
sapphires, agates and emeralds but
have you heard about chabazite and
orpiment? Surf the net and you will
find lots of mineral stone and gem
stone galleries which are happy to
provide you with visual pictures of
every possible rock and mineral
documented by man. Try to look for
stones in their original state
rather than the polished version.
Educate yourself on how they look so
if you chance upon one you can
recognize it.
Museums are another good resource
which will give you all the
information you need on rocks,
gemstones minerals. Here you may
find samples in their original raw
form and there will be information
on where the sample was collected
from. People host talk shows and
interactive sessions where they
recount their experiences and this
is vital to your hobby as each rock
hounders experience is worth its
weight in gold. Wherever you go
rockhounding, ensure that you visit
the local museum, the local
Rockhounding clubs, the tourist
information centers and the shops
for detailed information. Every
place has different features of
rocks. If you found garnets in
Colorado's, Ruby hills, remember
that in Idaho, the garnet bearing
rocks may not look the same due to
geographical influences. It
basically means you cannot use one
place as a reference for another,
each place has its own unique
features and terrains.
With the study of rocks, their
recognition and identification,
their features you need to look out
for etc all under your belt you can
now take the research out in to the
wild. Out there in the open you will
not see gemstones winking at you in
the sun, what you will see are rocks
and outcrops that have gemstones and
minerals pieces big and small hidden
inside them. You must be able to
identify external signs on a rock
that will tell you if this is a
potential find or not.
Places you could start with
Across the world there are lots of
places where you can start your
hobby of rockhounding. Of course the
best place would be your local state
or areas in the regions nearby. Most
places have paid sites for digging
or even free sites which allow for
prospecting. There are maps and
guide available for sale but for
newcomers it is advised that you
start off with an established dig
and then as you grow in experience
you can venture out on your own.
Join the local gem and rock clubs
where you can interact with rock
hounders who have been in this
business for decades. They have all
the tricks of the trade up their
sleeve and they can give you
important guidelines and handy
hints. Most will have personal
gemstone and mineral collections and
tales to tell about each. Rock clubs
also organize field trips and you
can benefit a lot from these. Once
your eyes are trained to spot a
potential find and your brain knows
what to look for, you will find that
your rock hounding trips are very
fruitful and enriching in experience
and content.
For more information
On the internet you will find there
are detailed sites for individual
places giving you information on the
best sites etc. There are specific
books pertaining to specific regions
which contain loads of details, for
example, the book, Gem Trails of
Southern California which has
fantastic pictures and important
details on the where, how and why of
rock hounding. There are others in
the series like Gem Trials of
Northern California, Oregon, Nevada,
Pennsylvania, Washington etc which
are all excellent resources of
information on rockhounding.
There is a rockhound handbook that
contains all you need to know about
rockhounding. Besides information
there are some logistic requirements
like tools, equipment and other
basic things. You can learn about
the formation of rocks and minerals,
the how and the why, learn about
what you should look for, how to
prepare for a successful trip, how
to identify commonly seen gems and
minerals, preparation and storing of
specimens collected etc.
Besides the US, there are books on
prospective rock hunting in the rest
of the world also. The list is
exhaustive; the places plenty so if
you are an avid traveler, adventurer
and keen rockhounder then the
possibilities are endless, the
resources are at your fingertips and
all you need to do is pack your kit,
your enthusiasm and your sense of
adventure and you are ready for some
serious gemstone hunting.
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