Rock and Mineral Collecting Guide
Beginning a
rock collection is relatively easy. Most of us pass by
rocks every day without much interest. When you begin to collect rocks, however, you will notice the beauty and subtle differences of
stones and
minerals. The best way to get started is to examine your own backyard. See if you can find any interesting rocks throughout your typical day. They don't need to be rare or extraordinary; just pick up and take a closer look at any rocks that catch your eye.
The Basics
* The first step in rock collecting is deciding the basis of your collection. Will you collect rocks from special places you've visited? Will your collection aim to have all
rare rocks? Some people base their collection on sentimentality, while others are based on rarity or aesthetics.
* Decide where you are going to keep your rock collection. If you are collecting rare rocks, you may want to keep them in a
decorative box rather than keeping it on display.
* Figure out how you are going to acquire rocks. Rocks can be purchased or collected from outside for free. Some
rose quartz to start your collection.
* Do your research. Sure, you could just pick up rocks that you think are pretty or that are sentimental to you. It's fun to read about rocks though. You may realize that a stone you have is rare or originated from magma!
The Three Species of Rocks
Minerals
The main difference between
minerals and
rocks are that minerals are required to have a specific chemical makeup, while rocks are not. Minerals must have a specific crystalline structure. Many rocks are composed of one or more minerals.
* There are 4,000 known minerals. Of these, 100 are considered common, 50 are "occasional", and the rest are either "rare" or "extremely rare".
* Most of our
jewelry is made from minerals, not rocks.
Diamonds,
sapphires and
turquoise are all minerals. Your
birthstone is probably a mineral too!
* Minerals are classified by the
Dana classification system.
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