Start your own Mineral Collection
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To a mineral collector, there isn’t much that brings more satisfaction than obtaining a good specimen of a mineral species that was missing from your collection. If you have some space you can dedicate to building your own collection of rocks and minerals, it can be a fun and educational hobby. Some people get plenty of enjoyment just out of how attractive a well-crystallized piece can be catching the sunlight on a windowsill, while others build serious study collections to focus on certain families of minerals, or mining locations.
You may prefer to carefully shop for and purchase your pieces, or you may want to stick with specimens you’ve collected yourself, but most collectors combine both.
• Rockhounding Tips and Advice (video 18:22)
• How to Start Your Own Mineral Collection (article) Some advise on how to get started
• How to Start Collecting Rocks and Minerals for Beginners (article) Comprehensive and well-organized article addresses many aspects of the hobby
Focus on Collecting in the Field:
SAFETY FIRST!
Besides the measures one would usually consider before taking a hike, such as precautions in case one is lost or injured, a rockhounding trip needs to take into consideration:
• Head Protection – A hard hat is advised when collecting where rocks may fall from above
• Safety Glasses – Especially when you or someone nearby is breaking rocks. The fragments, or ‘rocknel’, can fly unpredictably, and farther than you’d think
• Gloves – Broken rocks, especially Quartz, can have very sharp edges
• Knee Pads – if your digging style has you kneeling a lot
• Steel-toed Boots – Because if a big rock rolls across your toes, it could be a painful hike home
The most effective first step to getting started with Field Collecting is through mentorship from someone who already knows their way around. You can chat with mineral dealers in their shops and at mineral shows; you can find an online group and connect virtually, or you can join a mineral club local to you.
• AFMS – The American Federation of Mineralogical Societies – lists Mineral Clubs state-by-state
• EFMLS – The Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies – lists Mineral Clubs for the eastern United States, but is more inclusive.
You can also search online, or on Facebook for rockhounding meetup groups. Or, check out our Clubs page.
You can learn a lot on your own by researching online about locations and minerals, but most rockhounds end up with a small library of reference books as well, including guidebooks for help to find collecting sites, and whether they are open for collecting or not. Check with the above groups as to what guides are best for your area.
• NH Mineral Locations – as listed on mindat.org.
Its a long list, but many of the descriptions are very vague, consisting of notations of single occurrences that may never have been found again. This site is not updated as to the collecting status of the locations.
• White Mountains National Forest – ares open to collecting.
Information you need to know before collecting on the National Forest land, primarity the Moat Mountain locations.