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{Coral & Crystal}
Coral: This is a piece of coral that I got from Hawaii. Yes, it's legal... It's a broken piece that washed up on the beach. There is genuine Hawaiian sand still stuck in the coral (I could not wash it out).
Crystal: This is a strange crystal I found in a vendors pavilion at a cultural fair. I think it might have some silver in it...
{Calcite & Metal}
Calcite: This is optical calcite. I'll go into this in more detail later. I got it at the Rock & Mineral museum in Phoenix, AZ.
Metallic formation: I bought this in Quartsite, AZ. Even the dealer did'nt know what kind of metal it was!
{Crystal & Scarab}
Smoky Quartz Formation: I got this free at the Rock & Mineral museum in Phoenix, AZ. It is a very intricate specimen. Quartz is an igneous rock, found n many forms, with colors ranging from clear into the pinks (rose quartz), purples (amethyst) and oranges (citrine), mainly due to chemical impurities. Also known as "rock crystal," quartz is especially known for its intricate spearlike formations. It is rated 7 on the Mohs hardness scale.
Scarab: I got this from some distant relatives. The scarab probably originated in Egypt and dates back to at least 1000 B.C.
{Agate Slab & Crystal}
Agate Slab: I don't remember exactly where I got this. It is one of my favorite pieces. Agate forms in cavities in volcanic rock, and the greatest concentration is in Brazil and Uruguay. This type of agate is known for is fine bands of color, but watch out: a lot of gem sellers dip agates in colored dyes to make them look more impressive.
Smoky Quartz Crystal: I got this at a gem show. I think it adds contrast to my collection.
{Crystal & Geode}
Smoky Quartz Formations: I got these in Quartsite for only $1.00! If you are a rock hound, the best place to get great rocks cheap is Quartsite!
Geode: This was a gift from my grandparents. It has a quartz formation inside it.
{Crystals 1}
Quartz Spear: I got this from a fellow rock hound. it has two spears, and a bit of fossilized moss (I think) in the top.
Amethyst: This was another gift. It has amethyst on top, and clear and smoky quartz on the bottom.
{Crystals 2}
Quartz cluster: This was a birthday present. It is the biggest Quartz cluster in my collection.
{Stuff that rolls}
Onyx egg: I got this at a rock show in San Francisco. Its brilliant colors add life to my rock display.
Fossilized coral ball: I also bought this at a rock show in San Francisco. Sometimes I look into it and see the future...(Not really).
{Fossils}
Moon Snail Cast: I found this at New Brighton Beach. It probably dates back millions of years. A cast is formed when something hollow, lile a shell is filled with sediment. Over time, the fragile outside breaks away, leaving a fossilized impression.
Trilobite: I got this at a local rock shop. The trilobite fossil is very old, because trilobites were one of the first life-forms on earth.
{Petrified Wood}
Petrified Wood: I got this at the rock show in San Francisco. I was amazed to find a piece with such brilliant colors. it is a very nice addition to my collection. Petrified wood is basically a chunk of wood that maintains its shape and grain, but absorbs and is displaced by other minerals.
{Archive}
This is a page containing all 10 pictures!
{Calcite - NEW!}
This is yet another page featuring optical calcite, this time a bigger piece that I acquired at a recent rock show. The first picture shows light shining through it, and shows how the calcite breaks the light down into a spectrum of colors. The second one illustrates its beam-splitting properties, causing one letter to become 2!
{Composite Fossil - NEW!}
This is a composite fossil that I found along with the moon snail cast.It is basically a number of shells that all got stuck together in the same layer of sediment, which eventually broke free of the surrounding rock and was smoothed by the ocean.
{Ulexite - NEW!}
I bought this at a rock show a few years ago. Ulexite is basically nature's fiber optics, transmitting writing from the piece of paper below onto its top surface.
{Fluorite - NEW!}
This stone derives its name from the fact that it "fluoresces," or emits brilliant colors when exposed to UV light. Unfortunately, I don't have a black light, so this isn't very visible. Fluorite is rated 4 on the hardness scale.
{More Quartz - NEW!}
Yet another, smaller but clearer piece of quartz.
{Pyrite - New!}
Another classic, Pyrite has been commonly dubbed "Fool's Gold" because of its similar color. Pyrite is most commonly known for its shininess and its symettrical, sometimes almost cubic or dodecahedronal formations.
{Opal - New!}
The name "Opal" is derived from the the word "upala," which stands for "precious stone." Opals are sedimentary, and take many years to form, save for a rare few exceptions that form in volcanic craters. The "flashy" color effect of opals are caused by silica spheres embedded in them. Opal is absorbed into fossilizing palnt matter, making this a good place to find it. This piece is relatively inert, but you can still catch the flash of color.
{A Composite Stone - New!}
I bought this at a more recent rock show. I think that the clear part is quartz, and that the inside rods are probably tourmaline.
{Bismuth - New!}
I don't know too much about this crystal formation, besides the fact that it it man-made. As you can see, it obviously doesn't stand up to the creations of nature.
{Copper - New!}
What can I say? It's a piece of polished copper. Copper is usually derived from chalcopyrite or bornite ores. Copper is highly conductive and is easy to mold, making it an ideal metal for industrial use.
The top image is from Rocks and Minerals in the Eyewitness Books series. This book and its partner, Crystals and Gems, contributed to the information on this page and are excellent books for rockhounds of any age, with interesting detalis and lots of photographs of many types of rocks.