I Feel the Earth Move
Mars Spirit and Opportunity Mars Landers RAT (Rock Abrasion Tool) Deployed


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Still Shopping? Some Under $100 Christmas Gift Ideas for Rockhounds and Rockpups
$99.98101 Carat Faceted Gemstone Assortment
$99.95Terrain Navigator State Series Topographic Map CDs
$79.00100 Carat Cabochon Gemstone Assortment
$79.50Lortone 3A Tumbler
$58.00Mineralogical Record Magazine Subscripriton
$57.00Rocks & Minerals Magazine Subscription
$55.00Ore-Rock-On Washington/Oregon/Idaho Rock Dig Locations DVD V5.0
$44.95Sharpertek CD-3800 XP Pro Digital Ultrasonic Cleaner
$42.10 Estwing E30 Deluxe Rock Pick
$39.50Gem and Lapidary Materials Book by Jane Zeitner
$35.25Visual Elements Periodic Table Wall Chart
$32.95Blazer Hotshot Utility Torch
$32.00Optical Crystallography Book by F.Donald Bloss
$29.95Basic Gemstone Setting DVD Video by Robert Wooding
$29.95Gem Cutting A Lapidary's Manual Book by John Sinkankas
$21.95Indian Jewelry Making Book by Oscar Branson
$20.00Fluorescent Mineral Society Membership
$19.95US-MAGNUM-1000XR g/oz/gn/dwt/ozt/ct Pocket Scale
$19.95The Photo Atlas of Minerals DVD
$18.95Rock&Gem Magazine Subscription
$18.2510X Hastings 20.5mm Triplet Loupe Gold & Black Finish
$18.00United States Faceters Guild Membership
$17.50Correlated History of the Earth Wall Chart
$16.05NWA Meteorite
$15.00Gems, Minerals and Jewelry Stamp Unit Membership
$14.95Bismuth Cultured Crystal
$12.00International Sand Collectors Soceity Membership
$11.99One Pound Large Polished Gemstones
$9.996" (150mm) Carbon Fiber Digital Calipers
$5.95Sectioned & Polished Ammonite Pair
$4.95Grow Your Own Crystals Book by Ronald Wielgus
$3.9540mm Glass Gemstone
$3.60Estwing Safety Goggles
And Some Over $100 Christmas Gift Ideas for Rockhounds...
$185.00Dino-Lite AM311S USB Digital Microscope
$229.00Foredom Flexible Shaft Machine
$259.00Omano OM13L 10x-30x Portable Stereo Microscope with Case
$299.00GemologyPro/Harald Schneider 10X Achromatic/Aplanatic Loupe
$300.00GemOro Elite 1030 PM Binocular Microscope
$359.00Omano OM4413T 10x-30x Trinocular Stereo Microscope
$370.75Chain Making Package
$659.00Graves CabMate Cabbing Machine All Diamond Package
$806.00Covington Model 1510 10" Saw Complete with Motor, Hood and Power Drive
$817.00Covington Model 594 8" x 4 Variable Speed Expanding Drum Machine
$799.95White's Goldmaster GMT Metal Detector
$991.38Two Night Mule Ride to the Bottom of the Grand Canyon for Two
$359.00Omano OM13L Dual Power Portable Stereo Microscope with Case
$1230.00Graves Mark IV Faceting Machine Package
$1825.00Diamond Pacific Genie Cabbing Machine
$2139.00Covington Model 383 Three Headed Sphere Machine
$2383.00OMNI 8" Faceting Machine
$2395.00GemOro DS-PRO 1067 Binocular Microsocpe
$3070.00Diamond Pacific Titan Cabbing Machine
$3380.00Ultratec V2 Faceting Machine
$4250.00Fac-Ette Gem Master II Faceting Machine
$7465.00Proline 6" Gold Dredge with Twin 9hp Honda Engines and Pumps
$8980.00Covington Model 199HDS 36" Six Speed Power Drive Slab Saw
$16,680.0016 Day, 225 River Mile, Ore Float Trip through the Grand Canyon for 4
$49,315.002009 Dodge RAM 3500 Turbo Diesel Laramie Mega Cab 4X4 Pickup Truck
$64,025.002009 Hummer H2 SUT with Adventure Trim
Call Us...Caterpillar 385C L Hydraulic Excavator with Optional Air Suspension Seat

US Club List
An Extensive Listing with Contact Info for Over 900 Mineralogical, Lapidary, Fossil and Just About Anything to Do with Rocks Clubs in the United States.

   References for Rockhounds   
Need More Input? Check Out the Shop's Extensive Catalog of Books for Rockhounds!
Bead Work
Buyer's Guides
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Collecting Guides
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Geology & Earth Science
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Jewelry Making
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Rockpups
Smithing
Stone Setting
Videos
Wire Work

Hey Rockhounds - Check Out This Outstanding Value:
Photo-Atlas of Minerals DVD The Photo-Atlas of Minerals DVD V2.0
New Low Low Price - Now Only $19.95 !!!
Order The Photo-Atlas of Minerals DVD 
Version 2.0 DVD-ROM for Windows
Sample Photo-Atlas DVD Screens:
Mineral Index
Compound Search
Vanadinite Main Page
Vanadinite Photo Gallery Index
Vanadinite Image
Vanadinite Image
Vanadinite Image
     Vanadinite Image
Vanadinite Atomic Structure
Vanadinite Crystal Form
Instructions
Glossary
Identification Game

Formerly sold at $59.95, the Photo-Atlas of Minerals DVD is simply the most comprehensive mineral reference available. It principle features include:
- Nearly 16,000 high-resolution mineral specimen images
- Mineralogical data for all known mineral species (over 4,100)
- Mineral specimen images from over 3,500 localities
- Users can add their own images
- Comprehensive descriptive mineralogical and crystallographic data
- Audio mineral name pronunciations
- Origins of mineral names
- Mineral name synonyms and varieties
     - Searchable by properties, locality, chemistry, etc.
- User controlled crystal form drawings
- User controlled atomic structure drawings
- Includes both Dana & Strunz mineral classifications
- Glossary of mineral terms
- Users can print the mineral images and data
- Generates random and user defined slide shows
- Includes a mineral identification game
Greetings from Tucson
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Ultralaps & Lap Containers   Dopping Supplies   Faceting Accessories & Displays   Loupes & Optivisors   Polishes   Saw Blades & Coolants   Cobbing Kit   Dichroscopes   Faceting Books, CDs & Videos   Check Out Our Closeouts & Specials  

Alone No More
Martian Meteorite ALH84001 Harbinger of Extraterrestrial Life
Check out Bob's Martian Touchdown - A Rockhound's Cosmic Encounter with Three Extraterrestrials

Phoenix Mars Lander Touchdown!

The Mars Phoenix spacecraft has successfully landed on Mars farther north than any previous mission at 68 degrees north latitude, equivalent to that of northern Alaska, where water is believed to exist in the form of ice just below the Martian surface.

Phoenix is equipped with some of the most sophisticated and advanced technology ever sent to Mars. The complement of the Phoenix spacecraft and its scientific instruments are ideally suited to uncover clues to the geologic history and biological potential of the Martian arctic.

During the course of its three-month mission, a robust robotic arm will dig through the soil to the water ice layer underneath and deliver soil and ice samples to the mission's experiments. On the deck, miniature ovens and a mass spectrometer will provide chemical analysis of trace matter. A chemistry lab-in-a-box will characterize the soil and ice chemistry.

Sophisticated maging systems will provide an unprecedented view of Mars spanning 12 powers of 10 in scale. A meteorological station will record the daily weather of the Martian northern plains using temperature and pressure sensors and will play an important role by providing information on the current state of the polar atmosphere and how water is cycled between the solid and gas phases in the Martian arctic.

Phoenix touchdown on Mars at 7:53 p.m. Eastern Time, May 25, 2008, in an arctic region called Vastitas Borealis

The Mars Phoenix Mission
The Robotic Arm
The Robotic Arm Camera
The Mars Descent Imager
The Meteorological Station
The Surface Stereo Imager
The Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer
The "Lab-in-a-Box"
Mars 101
Phoenix Science Objectives
Martian Arctic's Habitability Potential
Water on Mars
Mars Map of Water Features
The Phoenix Classroom
The Phoenix Mars Lander Screen Saver
The Planetary Society Phoenix DVD

Jan 02, 2009:  A Change of Seasons on Mars
Dec 05, 2008:  Phoenix Site on Mars May be in Dry Climate Cycle Phase
Dec 01, 2008:  NASA Finishes Listening for Phoenix Mars Lander
Nov 10, 2008:  Mars Phoenix Lander Finishes Successful Work on Red Planet
Nov 03, 2008:  NASA Hearing Daily From Weak Phoenix Mars Lander
Oct 29, 2008:  Low Power Fault Trips Phoenix Lander Safe Mode
Oct 28, 2008:  Phoenix Mission Faces Survival Challenges
Oct 21, 2008:  Phoenix Lander Finishes Soil Delivery to Onboard Labs
Oct 17, 2008:  Phoenix Gets Bonus Soil Sample
Oct 15, 2008:  Phoenix Braves Dust and Winds
Oct 14, 2008:  Phoenix Weathers Dust Storm
Oct 10, 2008:  Phoenix Digs Mars
Oct 08, 2008:  Phoenix Lander Digs and Analyzes Soil as Darkness Gathers
Sep 29, 2008:  Mars Lander Sees Falling Snow, Soil Data Suggest Liquid Past
Sep 23, 2008:  Rock Moved by Mars Lander Arm
Sep 22, 2008:  Phoenix Lander Might Peek Under a Rock
Sep 16, 2008:  More Soil Delivered to Phoenix Lab
Sep 11, 2008:  Phoenix Lander Sees, Feels Martian Whirlwinds in Action
Sep 09, 2008:  Next Mars Soil Scoop Slated for Last of Lander's Wet Lab Cells
Sep 08, 2008:  Phoenix Monitors Frosty Clumps on its Struts
Sep 04, 2008:  Spiky Probe on Mars Lander Raises Vapor Quandary
Sep 01, 2008:  Analysis Begins on Deepest Soil Sample
Aug 29, 2008:  Phoenix Mission Conducting Extended Activities on Mars
Aug 25, 2008:  Phoenix Lander Digs Deeper As Third Month Nears End

Phoenix Mars Lander in the News
Phoenix Has Gone Silent: In search of habitable soil, the Mars lander has lost power with no real chance of recovery.
Phoenix Mars Lander Stops Communicating: After five busy months, NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander has tasted its last morsel of Martian soil and viewed its last Martian landscape.
NASA Says Perchlorate Does Not Rule Out Life On Mars: The discovery of an unexpected chemical in Martian soil - one that is considered hazardous here on Earth - says little by itself about the possibility of life on Mars.
Surprising Signal: Martian soil shows traces of perchlorate, an unexpected chlorine compound.
NASA Quashes Rumors Of Life On Mars: The fuss started with a relatively restrained news story posted on SpaceRef.com headlined "White House Briefed On Potential For Mars Life."
Officially Ice: Oven bakes out water - Phoenix mission successes lead to longer lander life.
Tasting Ice: Phoenix Mars Lander ready to analyze ice if the oven bakes the sample without short-circuiting.
Pay Dirt: Martian Soil Fit For Earthly Life: Martian soil around the Phoenix lander is slightly alkaline and has enough different minerals that it could support Earth plants and more to the point - microbes - beneath the Martian surface
Mars OK For Life, So Far: "You could grow asparagus".
Martian Soil Hints At Water, Nutrients: The first analysis of Red Planet dirt by the Phoenix lander shows what may be some of the requirements for life.
Our Eyes On Mars: How The Phoenix Lander Sees: If you leave your camera at home on a long vacation, you can buy a disposable one. But that's not an option if you have traveled 422 million miles to another planet.
Phoenix Touches Martian Ice: NASA's "follow the water" approach to finding life - or evidence of past life - on Mars has finally hit pay dirt.
Ice On Mars : The Red Planet's white stuff is ice after all.
Phoenix Finds Ice On Mars: The Mars Phoenix Lander has found ice on the surface of the red planet, a key discovery for the spacecraft as it searches for water and signs of life.
Disappearing Bright Specks Show Mars Has Ice: Bright crumbs that were visible in one of the trenches dug by the Phoenix Mars Lander are no longer there - leaving mission scientists with only one conclusion: the material was ice that vaporized directly from the solid form in the dry, frigid Martian polar atmosphere.
Phoenix Probes Martian Soil: The first soil sample baked in the Phoenix Mars Lander shows no signs of water.
Phoenix Makes First Trench In Science Preserve: The Phoenix Mars Lander has begun digging in an area called "Wonderland", taking its first scoop of soil from a polygonal surface feature within the "national park" region that mission scientists have been preserving for science.
The Phoenix mission is intended to last 90 days. It may last a little longer, but not much. When the sun drops below the horizon during the Martian winter, there will be no way to recharge the lander's batteries. Once they drain completely, the mission is over.

Powerful new twin NASA Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have successfully landed and deployed on different regions of the Red Planet. With far greater mobility than the 1997 Pathfinder rover, these robotic explorers may trek as much as 40 meters across the surface in a day. Each rover carries a sophisticated set of instruments search for evidence about whether past environments at selected sites were wet enough to be hospitable to life. Rocks and soils will be analyzed with a set of five geology instruments on each rover, and a special tool called the rock abrasion tool, or "RAT", will be used to expose fresh rock surfaces for study.
The Mars Exploration Rovers Mission
Mars Rover Fact Sheet
Mars Rovers Take Baby Steps
The Athena Mars Rovers Science Payload
The Geological History of Mars
The Surface of Mars
The Search for Extinct Life
The Search for Extant Life
Mars Landing Site Catalog
Mars High Resolution Global Mosaic
Mars Image Navigator
The Interior of Mars
Panorama of the 'Payson' outcrop on the western edge of Erebus Crater imaged by the Opportunity rover 02-26-2006
Opportunity Rover Mission Updates:
October 7, 2009:  Opportunity Knocks with Another Meteorite Find
September 29, 2009:  Westbound Around Risky Region
September 23, 2009:  Milestone 11
September 17, 2009:  Departing Block Island
September 8, 2009:  Circling the Meteorite
September 2, 2009:  Fires in California Affect Operations
August 26, 2009:  Meteorite Examination Continues
August 19, 2009:  More Targets at 'Block Island'
August 12, 2009:  Examining 'Block Island'
August 6, 2009:  Meeting a Meteorite
July 29, 2009:  Approaching 'Block Island' Cobble
July 23, 2009:  Heading Toward 'Block Island' Cobble
July 15, 2009:  On the Move Again
July 8, 2009:  Examining 'Absecon'
Spirit Rover Mission Updates:
October 7, 2009:  Busy with Antenna Brake Testing and Underbelly Imaging
September 29, 2009:  Intermittent Problem with Antenna Brake
September 22, 2009:  Progress on Antenna Actuator
September 16, 2009:  Diagnostics on Antenna Actuator
September 8, 2009:  Examining Target 'Olive Leaf'
September 2, 2009:  Sky Clearer at 'Troy,' Smoky at JPL
August 26, 2009:  Regional Dust Storm
August 19, 2009:  More than 2,000 sols
August 12, 2009:  Deeper Look into Soil Targets
August 6, 2009:  Illumination Experiment and Other Studies
July 29, 2009:  Robotic Arm Diagnostics
July 23, 2009:  Poking 'Cyclops Eye'
July 15, 2009:  More Soil Studies and Extraction Tests
July 8, 2009:  Active Days and Nights
Stack of sedimentary structures exposed at Payson Ledge on the western edge of Erebus Crater imaged by the Opportunity rover 03-03-26 Bolders of vesicular basalt along the edge of a lava flow at Lorre Ridge imaged by the Spirit rover 01-23-06 Coarse-grained layers of possible explosive origin from the edge of the Home Plate plateau inside Gusev Crater imaged by the Spirit rover 02-10-06 Volcanic rock fragments littering the slope of Low Ridge imaged by the Spirit rover 04-13-06

Rocks in the News
5-Day Silver Price History    5-Day Gold Price History
Detailed Silver Price Historical Chart    Detailed Gold Price Historical Chart
Banded Rocks Reveal Early Earth Conditions: Called banded iron formations or BIFs, these ancient rocks formed between 3.8 and 1.7 billion years ago at what was then the bottom of the ocean. The stripes represent alternating layers of silica-rich chert and iron-rich minerals like hematite and magnetite.
Asteroid Is Actually A Protoplanet: "Arizona Sized" Pallas is in the gray area between a large asteroid and a small planet.
Moon Impact: NASA Plays Down Lack Of Fireworks: Observers don't see debris plume, but LCROSS scientists press onward.
Moon Crash Delivers No Obvious Plume: The one-two punch of crashing a booster rocket and its mother craft near the moon's south pole didn’t kick up dramatic and visible plumes as hoped, but scientists report that the mission had gathered enough data to tell whether the crater contains frozen water.
Archaeopteryx Was Not Very Bird-Like: The raptor-like Archaeopteryx has long been viewed as the archetypal first bird, but new research reveals that it was actually a lot less "bird-like" than scientists had believed.
Riverbed Model Works Like The Real Thing: Researchers construct a laboratory version of a meandering stream.
Tiny Moon Feeds Saturn's Big Ring: The largest ring identified so far in the Solar System, the ring begins about six million kilometres from Saturn and extends outwardly by another 12 million kilometres, within the orbit of Phoebe.
Before Lucy Walked Ardi: Lucy, the 3.2-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis fossil, has long been the poster child for early human evolution. But now she’ll have to share the spotlight with 4.4-million-year-old Ardipithecus ramidus.
Mars Ice Is Pure, Not Dirty: Scientists from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter team announce new data that suggest a subsurface layer of pure ice, just a meter or two below the surface, might extend over as much as half of the Red Planet, from the poles to the mid-latitudes.
Arkansas: A Geologic Diamond In The Rough: If the budget belt is a little tighter this year, consider packing your diamond-digging trowel, bathing suit and camping gear and heading to a little-known geologic hot spot in the middle of the United States.
Deciphering Mass Extinctions: The rock record has revealed some "rules" that mass extinction events seem to follow - rules that also speak to Earth's future.
New Map Reveals Geology Of Jupiter's Moon Ganymede: The map is the product of a seven-year effort and is only the third global geological map ever compiled for a moon in the solar system, after Earth's moon and Jupiter's cratered satellite Callisto.
Saturn Home To The Perfect Storm: A tempest that erupted on Saturn in January has become the Solar System's longest continuously observed lightning storm.
Microbe-ferrying Russian Probe Won't Head for Mars Orbit Until 2011: Russia's Phobos-Grunt probe, which had been slated to head off this year on a sample-return mission to Phobos, the larger of Mars's two moons, will not launch until at least 2011.
Dwarf Planet "Haumea" Has a Mystery Spot: Haumea, the mini planet whose detection set off an international and as yet unresolved war of words between the two teams claiming its discovery, is back on the astronomy scene with more intrigue.
New Planet-Finder Shows Its Power: The first results are in from the Kepler orbiting observatory, the world's most powerful planet-searching telescope.
More Rocks in the News
Letters to the Editor
Say NO to Akaka Governed Public Land: A bitter legislative battle is raging over collecting fossils on public lands.

Click Here to Order your copy of Starr Gems' FREE 33 page Metals and Gemstones Catalog featuring casting alloys and sheet, wire, tubing, bezel and other shapes in silver, gold, goldfilled, yellow brass, red brass, copper, nickel, solders, and precious and semiprecious cabochons and faceted stones.

Chambers Fit For A Queen - A Quest For English Ammonites
Rock&Gem Feature Article
More Rock&Gem Online Features:
A Day in the Life of a Gemologist
Into the Caves - "California's Underground" at the Oakland, California Museum
Bingham Canyon Copper - Finding Chalcopyrite at "The Richest Hole on Earth"
Rockhound in Greece - A Great Destination for Geology... and Humanity
Honoring Mr. Jones - Our Senior Editor Gets What He Deserves
Faceting Fascinates - With an Experienced Guide, You, Too, Can Bring Gemstones to Life!
Tonopah and Goldfield - They Were the Hub of Nevada's Gold Rush
Agates from the Land of Pumas and Craters
Mexico's Mystery Stone
A Lesson in Channel Work
New England Pegmatites: They Have Been Mined Since America's Earliest Days
Turquoise: Blue Sky...Blue Stone
Faceting by Hand: Jack Lahr's Lap-Lap Relies on Primitive Power

Rock&Gem Magazine Article Search
Search Back Issues for Articles with Topics of Interest
Rock&Gem Writer's Guidelines

Rock&Gem Magazine Show Calendar
An Extensive List of Upcoming Gem and Mineral Shows
Submit Your Own Club's Show for Publication in Rock&Gem Magazine

Rock&Gem Craftsman of the Month Contest
Got a Pet Project Your're Proud of and Want to Show Off?
Win and Rock&Gem Magazine will Feature Your Work and Throw in a Dremel Tool to Boot
Entry Details - Browse the Current and Prior Contest Winners

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Serving Rockhounds Since 1971

Software for Rockhounds
Mineral Database and Identification Software: Photo Atlas of Minerals - Lithos - MinSearch - MDI Mineral Database - Geolib - Topaz - Minrls - Digital Rockhound's Companion
Freeware Screen Savers for Rockhounds: Tucson Show V2001 - Grand Hikes - Minerals V1.0
Freeware Faceters Companion CD!: Featuring Over 250 Faceting Patterns
GemCad: Gemstone Design Software
Ososoft Mineral Label: Freeware Specimen Labeling Software for Rock Collectors!
RockWare Freeware: Erupt - GeoTrig - Mineral Mastery - Seismic - Magnetic
Freeware Mars Map: High Resolution Orbiter Camera Global Mosaic

Rock Identification Key
A Beginner's Guide and Key to Help You Identify and Put a Name on That Rock!
Learn to ID and Distinguish Basalt, Diabase, Diorite, Gabbro, Granite, Obsidian, Pumice, Rhyolite, Scoria, Gneiss, Marble, Quartzite, Schist, Serpentinite, Slate, Breccia, Conglomerate, Limestone, Sandstone, Shale...

Mineral Identification Key
An Online Guide and Key to Aid in the Identification of Field Collected Mineral Specimens
Covering Several Hundred of the Most Commonly Occurring and Collected Species

Crystallography and Mineral Crystal Systems
An Illustrated, Nine-Part Primer on Crystallography and Mineral Crystal Systems

Mineral Nomenclature: Naming New Minerals
So You've Discovered a New Mineral and Want to Name It "Spottite" After Your Dog...

Changes In Mineralogical Nomenclature: Varieties
Why Rock Scientists Won't Understand the Question When You Ask "What mineral is amethyst a variety of"?

Grand Hikes
A Virtual Tour and Rockhound's Hiking Guide for the Grand Canyon
Stromatolite Fossils in the Hakatai Shale - A Day Hike from Phantom Ranch
Comanche Point Vicinity - An Overnight Hike to Spectacular Grand Canyon Supergroup Views
Genesis V2.0 - God's Grand Work Week - A Grand Canyon Geology Primer
The 1869 Expedition - An Account of the First Grand Canyon Float Trip
Grand Hikes Screen Saver V1.0 - A Complimentary Grand Canyon Screen Saver
Bob's Grand Canyon Backcountry Equipment Checklist - Don't Leave Home Without It!

Alcyone
A Faceted Gemstone Design for CZ Inspired by the Pleiadians - Designed by Bob Keller

Perfect Transfer
Interested in Faceting? Check Out this Feature for Faceters!
Currently Featured Cut: Soda Bar 19 - An Exhibition Opposed Bar Designed for Glass
Gateway to Gemstone Designs on the Internet - Download Over 300 Faceting Diagrams with Cutting Instructions!
Browse and Download the Freeware Faceters Companion CD
Currently Featured Article: A Graphical Presentation of Brightness in the Standard Round Brilliant
Index of Online Faceting Articles - Faceting How-to and Tips from Many Facetors and Gemstone Designers!
Online Tangent Ratio and Gem Weight Calculators
Content and Information for Faceters

Santa's Little Helper I Santa's Little Helper II
Snapshots from the Tucson 2007 Gem and Mineral Show
Tucson Gem and Mineral Show Reports
Browse the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show with Bob!

How to Wirewrap
A Step-by-Step Pendant Design for Faceted Stones that Does Away With Claws

Sworn to Fun
A Club President's Perspective on the Decline of Rockhounding

Featured Articles by John Betts
Advice for Beginners
Anthony's Nose, New York
A Field Guide to Mineral Collectors  
Mineral Prices: Why so High?
Dealing with Dealers
Mineral Cleaning
Largest Mineral Crystals on Record
Display Lighting of Minerals

The Great Fresnoite Discovery of 1998
Scott's Big Score in California's San Benito Mountains

Berg's Rock Shop
Bob, Jan and Helen Berg Specializing in Personalized Service and Help for Rockhounds
Rock Tumblers
Grit & Polish for Tumbling
Rough Rocks for Tumbling
Tumbled (Polished) Stones
Wire for Wrapping Stones
  Home        
Books About Rocks and Minerals
Books About Working with Rocks
Books About Finding Rocks
Educational Materials
Diamond Blades for Rock Saws
Estwing Rock Hammers
Rock Chisels & Loupes
Gifts for Rockhounds

Rockhounding Graves Mountain
Collecting Rutile and Other Minerals at this Famous Georgia Locality

Collecting at the Bunker Hill Mine
Ron and Rose-Marie's Most Excellent Bunker Hill Mine Adventure

Gypsum Rosettes
Collecting at the Red River Floodway in Winnipeg, Canada

Micromounter's Mecca
A Visit to the Micromounter's Swap Room at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show
Check Out Tim Jokela's The Top Ten Reasons to Get Into Micromounting

Anatomy of a Three-Headed Sphere Machine
Interested in Rolling Your Own?

Cabochon Making 101
Cabbing with Tucson's Old Pueblo Lapidary Club

Feldspar
An Introduction to the Feldspar Minerals by Anita D. Westlake

Purple Passion Prospect
Wulfenite Collecting near Wickenburg, Arizona

Rock and Fossil Stamps of the United States
A Preview Page of the Shop's Topical Stamp Catalog for Rockhounds

Mineralogical Meanderings
The Hardness of Minerals and Rocks
Streaking Minerals - Streak Testing
Collecting Micrometeorites
Identifying True Amber
Some Surefire Signs You're a Rockhound
Collecting Rock Stamps
Gem and Mineral Phonecards
The Mysterious Power of Gemstones and Crystals

Bob's Rock Shop 1st WWW Specimen Image Contest Results!
Do You Take Pictures of Rocks? If So, You'll Appreciate These - Check Out the Winning Entries!
Winners competed for custom specimen mounting, mineral specimens, rockhound magazine and newsletter subscriptions, specimen labeling and mineral database software and more... These and other outstanding entries will also be featured in a new version of the Shop's ever popular freeware specimen image screen saver!

Gemstone Beads Galleries:   Agate Beads   Amethyst Beads   Apatite Beads   Aventurine Beads   Azurite/Malachite Beads   Blue Chalcedony Beads   Blue Lace Agate Beads   Bone Beads   Botswana Agate Beads   Bronzite Beads   Charoite Beads   Chrysoprase Beads   Copper Beads   Crazy Lace Agate Beads   Fiery Agate Beads   Fluorite Beads   Fossilized Coral Beads   Garnet Beads   Green Chalcedony Beads   Hypersthene Beads   Jasper Beads   Lapis Beads   Magnesite Beads   Malachite Beads   Mookaite Beads   Moonstone Beads   Multi-Stone Beads   Opal Beads   Pearl Beads   Petrified Wood Beads   Quartz Beads   Rhodochrosite Beads   Rose Quartz Beads   Ruby Beads   Rutilated Quartz Beads   Sagenite Agate Beads   Sapphire Beads   Seraphinite Beads   Shell Beads   Spiderweb Rhyolite Beads   Sunstone Beads   Tiger Eye Beads  
Turquoise Beads Galleries:   Graduated Discs 1   Graduated Discs 2   High Grade & Rare Turquoise   Nuggets 1   Nuggets 2   Persian Turquoise   Rondelles   Rounds   Sleeping Beauty Turquoise   Spiderweb Turquoise  
Pendants Galleries:   Pendants  

Product Reviews
The Photo-Atlas of Minerals CD
OsoSoft MineralLabel 5.0 - Now Freeware!
Belomo 10x Loupe: An Inexpensive Russian Triplet
GemOro Stereo Microscope
Meiji Techno Binocular and Trinocular Stereo Microscopes
Raynox Video MicroExplorer
$8 BIRI Russian Radiation Detector

Book and CD Reports
Dana's New Mineralogy, Eighth Edition
Encyclopedia of Mineral Names, Special Publication 1 of The Canadian Mineralogist

Gallery of Mineral Specimen Images
George Campbell
Ken Colosky
Martin Friedlander
Bob Keller
David Michaels
D.E. Russell
Tim Schmanski
Stuart Wilensky
Wayne State University
Ron Zeilstra

Cut Rocks
Rock Knives by Stephen Hill
Sections from Brian Isfeld
Sections
Slabs and Cabs

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Bob's Rock Shop Furnishes Performance Based Advertising for Participating Commercial Sponsors.

Thanks for your Patronage. Please Come Again Soon.

Season's Greetings from the Shop's Advertisers
AA Mineral Specimens
Alpine Minerals
Arizona Mineral Company
Berg's Rock Shop
CabbingMachines.com
CuttingRocks.com
DesignerStones.com
John Betts Fine Minerals
Lawrence H. Conklin, Mineralogist
CR-Scientific
Element 51 Microminerals
Extinctions Fossils
FacetingMachines.com
FacetingRough.com
Gemart Services
Gems by Mail
Gold N Rocks
GreatCabochons.com
GreatRough.com
GreatSlabs.com
Mineral Exploration Services
Mineral of the Month Club
MineralsWeb African Minerals
The Mineralogical Record Magazine
PrettyRock
RocksandGems.info
Rocks and Minerals Magazine
RockWare Earth Science Software
Simkev Micromounts
Shannon & Son's Minerals
Silver Supplies
The Sunnywood Collection
TumblingMachines.com
TurquoiseBeads.com
TurquoiseRough.com
Tysons' Fine Minerals
UC Minerals
Dan Weinrich Fine Minerals
Wilensky Mineral Video
Wright's Rock Shop

The Shop's Link List
The Shop's Pick and Links to Thousands of Other Websites of Interest to Rockhounds

Email Lists and Discussion Groups for Rockhounds
Rockhounds List
Lapidary List
Sphere Makers and Collectors
USFG Faceters List
Paleolist
Lost Wax Casting Group
Grand Canyon Hikers
Rough for Sale
Minerals for Sale
Fossils for Sale
Meteorites for Sale
Gemstones for Sale

Bob Keller