Long ride North It has been a long while since our last rock hunting trip. So when the Cape Town Gem and Mineral Club was invited on a road trip organized by the newly formed Richtersveld Gem and Mineral Club in October 2019, we jumped at the chance. [...]
The Preparation It had been about 6 months since our last trip up the west coast in search of gemstone treasure. In the intervening time, the lessons that we learned and the tips and tricks we picked up where discussed and action was taken. We upgraded our digging [...]
From big warehouse type stores, to little baskets next to the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Most of the time we aren't even sure what we are after, but we'll know it when we see it. Here are some of my favorite places to go [...]
Trying to identify what you picked up, or checking to make sure you got what you paid for. Either way, with some minor investigation and a web page or two, you should be able to identify most, but not all specimens. Some differences are so slight that a laboratory [...]
Minerals and mining have been part of the human story since it began. Mother nature is also great at giving us a million different varieties of everything. Here is a list of common terms and words used in the crystal and gemstone world. This list is by no means [...]
What is a Gemstone? The short version - Everything is energy. Energy vibrating at different frequencies, produces different elements. Elements in different combinations of proportion and alignment, produce thousands of different minerals, mostly in crystalline form. A rock is an aggregate of different minerals, and sometimes other rocks. [...]
An A - Z Guide to Gemstones and their properties *While anyone can benefit from the energy of gemstones, they should not be used to replace medical treatment. For a medical condition, please consult a medical practitioner. All pictures are examples only. Gemstones come in all shapes, colours [...]
Arrival For the long weekend in June, we packed the car with everything we would need for the trip up the West Coast on our first Crystal hunt. From shelter to food and water, we had to take everything and make sure everything comes back home again. Pretty much [...]
