Mineral specimens: where to buy
A mineral specimen is a natural piece of a mineral kept for its crystals, color or rarity, often still sitting on its host rock, which collectors call the matrix. A good one comes with a label naming the mineral and, above all, the locality: the country, the region and ideally the mine where it was found. Locality is what turns a pretty rock into a specimen you can learn from and compare.
Not everything in a rock shop is exactly as nature made it. Some specimens are heated, dyed, irradiated or coated: most orange citrine on the market is amethyst baked in a furnace, dyed agate and quartz are common, and some "turquoise" is dyed howlite or magnesite. None of that is a problem when a piece is sold for what it is, but there is rarely a label that says so. Ask whether a piece is natural, treated or lab-grown, and where it comes from; good dealers answer plainly.
A local rock shop is also the place to see the minerals of the region you plan to explore, so you know what you are looking for before you go.
16 shops across the US that sell mineral specimens. Each one links to its own website, so you can compare them one by one.
Earthforged Rock Shop
Dealer · Storefront · Huntsville, Alabama · Ships nationwide
Locally owned rock, mineral and fossil shop in Huntsville. The shelves hold mineral specimens, fossils, geodes, gemstones, rough material for lapidary work, carvings and jewelry, sourced over 30 years of direct dealings with miners and collectors. Most of the stock is only in the store, not online.
Also sells: Rough & slabs · Fossils
Arizona Gift Center
Dealer · Storefront · Apache Junction, Arizona · Ships nationwide
Gem World's year-round sister store in Apache Junction
Crystal and mineral importer in Apache Junction with a warehouse showroom open to the public: crystals, geodes, mineral pieces, beads, jewelry-making supplies and bulk lots. Same company as Gem World in Quartzsite.
Gem World (Quartzsite)
Dealer · Storefront · Quartzsite, Arizona · Ships nationwide
Quartzsite stone wholesaler, by the pack, box or pallet; Oct to Apr
Seasonal crystal and mineral warehouse in Quartzsite selling geodes, crystals, pyrite, freeform pieces, palm stones, bowls, beads and pendants, at retail and wholesale by the package, box or pallet. Same company as the Arizona Gift Center in Apache Junction.
Natural Expressions
Dealer · Storefront · Gilbert, Arizona · Ships nationwide
Crushed stone for chip inlay, over 200 kinds; custom stone cutting
Rock shop in Gilbert selling rough, slabs, cabochons, crushed stone for inlay and minerals. You can pick your own geodes and have them cut on site for a fee.
Also sells: Rough & slabs
Raining Rocks
Dealer · Storefront · Tucson, Arizona · Ships nationwide
Meteorite shop of geologist Suzanne Morrison; ships worldwide
Rock shop run by geologist Suzanne Morrison and Ilana Brin at the historic Kino Rocks & Minerals site on the south side of Tucson, a rock shop since 1958. Meteorites and impactites, minerals, fossils, petrified wood, lapidary rough and slabs, faceted stones, cabochons and books; the shop also buys collections and lapidary equipment.
Also sells: Rough & slabs · Fossils · Meteorites · Petrified wood
Rare Earth Gallery
Dealer · Storefront · Cave Creek, Arizona · Ships nationwide
10,000 sq ft Cave Creek gallery; natural stone fountains installed
Rock and fossil gallery in Cave Creek, north of Phoenix: raw crystals and clusters, geodes, fossils such as ammonites, orthoceras, shark teeth and fish, meteorites, Arizona and Indonesian petrified wood and large decor pieces.
Also sells: Fossils · Meteorites · Petrified wood
Other gear
Metal detectors · Gold pans & classifiers · Sluice boxes · Highbankers & power sluices · Dredges & parts · Drywashers · Sniping & crevice tools · Rocker boxes · Trommels · Picks, shovels & hand tools · Fine gold recovery · Assay & refining supplies · Paydirt · Rough & slabs · Lapidary equipment · Fossils · Meteorites · Petrified wood · Classes & training
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