Questions

Is the rock in the photograph the rock I get?

Yes. Every listing photographs the exact piece that ships, sitting where it sat rather than in a lightbox, and nearly every piece is the only one of it. There is no stock photography on this site.

Why do some pieces have no price?

Because they are not for sale. They are photographed and in the catalog so the collection can be seen whole. An absent price means unavailable, not unknown and not negotiable.

Of 56 entries, 11 are priced and for sale today. The rest are there to look at.

How are the minerals identified?

Single specimens are identified from observable properties, hardness, streak, luster, cleavage, and crystal system, with the origin given where it is known and left blank where it is not.

Minerals in a curated box or a rough lot are read from the photograph rather than laboratory tested, and those listings say so on the page. It is an honest guess by someone who handles a lot of rock, and it is labeled as one.

What comes in the box besides the rock?

A bonus specimen nobody paid for. A story handwritten in UV marker on black paper, invisible until you light it, which continues in your next order. And your choice of science information cards or metaphysical ones, whichever you would rather read.

What does shipping cost?

USPS Ground Advantage is $12.00, three to seven business days. USPS Priority Mail is $18.00, two to three. Ground Advantage is free on an order over $150. United States only. The shipping page has the rest.

Can I return something?

Yes, within 14 days of delivery. The piece comes back in the condition it left in, the item price is refunded, and the original postage is not. Return postage is yours, unless the piece arrived damaged or was not what the listing described, in which case it is the shop's. The returns page has the detail.

Can I buy several pieces at once?

Not in one payment yet. Each piece is bought on its own page, because almost every one is the only one and the checkout is built around that. The tray on the front page is a list for keeping track, not a cart.

If you want several, write first. Postage can be settled in one go rather than charged twice.

Does the shop believe the healing stuff?

The shop does not make metaphysical, healing, or medical claims, and does not sell anything as a treatment. Where a listing mentions a traditional association it is reporting what people say about a stone, which is a real and interesting thing about the stone, without asserting that it works.

The information cards come both ways for the same reason. Read whichever you like.

Can you put a box together for a budget?

Yes, and it is the shop's favorite kind of order. Say what you want to spend, or what would make the buy worth it, on the contact page. Custom boxes and specific bundles are the same conversation.

What is the rockhounding map?

A map of collecting sites across all fifty states with access notes, permits, seasons, the minerals found at each, and the week's forecast for the trip. It is free and it is at /map.

It is a starting point, not a permit. Land status and access rules change, and confirming a site is legal and safe before you go is on you.

What is the UV thing?

Every order carries a piece of a story written in ultraviolet marker on black paper. Under an ordinary lamp the card looks blank. Under a UV light it is not, and the next order continues it.

Something not answered here

Ask on the contact page. Questions that keep coming up end up on this page.