Rock & Gem magazine

09/18/2025

Repurposing heirloom jewelry is an affordable way to create a new piece of jewelry while keeping the sentimental value of the original piece.

Repurposing heirloom jewelry is a way to create a new piece and keep the sentimental value. Jewelers are getting better at techniques and designs to do it.

09/17/2025

💎 Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity, now through the 23rd. 💎
👉 https://www.rockngem.com/product/get-one-25/?ref=SS9RNG25

09/17/2025

Nestled in the central New York Leatherstocking region made famous by 19th-century American writer James Fenimore Cooper in The Last of the Mohicans is an even older, natural claim to fame: its 500-million-year-old Herkimer diamonds...

Herkimer diamonds are naturally formed, double-terminated one-of-a-kind quartz crystals found in only a few places, most famously in Herkimer County, New York.

09/17/2025

Dolomite crystals are often found associated with other equally fine minerals, like fluorite. 📸 Arkenstone, iRocks.com
👉 https://www.rockngem.com/meet-the-carbonate-mineral-group/

09/15/2025

Brown gems and lapidary materials are skyrocketing in popularity with Mocha Mousse, an earthy brown hue, being the Pantone® Color of the Year. This earthy richness ties in perfectly with hues of natural copper specimens. Copper is a soft, malleable and ductile metal that has been mined since antiquity worldwide. Well-defined native copper specimens are highly valued.

📸 Native copper-in quartz cabochon (2” wide) cut by lapidary Wolfgang Mueller and native copper specimen both from the Ray copper mine in Arizona. By Helen Serras-Herman

👉 https://www.rockngem.com/brown-gemstones-minerals-list/

09/14/2025

Creating your own wood bur is an essential solution when commercial tools don’t meet your lapidary carving needs. Click the link for a step-by-step guide to make your own lapidary tools.
👉 https://www.rockngem.com/wood-bur-diy

09/13/2025

Goldstone is primarily known for its orangish-brown color, but there are a couple of other variations. It can also be found in blue/purple and green. These different colors are obtained by adding different minerals to the molten glass – cobalt provides a blue color, and chromium provides a green color.
💙💜💚https://www.rockngem.com/goldstone-cutting-cabbing-tips/

09/12/2025

Every rockhound entering a rock shop. Lol! 🤣💸

09/11/2025

See how a Brazilian agate slab transforms into a sunset cabochon through careful design and polishing.

Agate cabochon cutting brings out stunning patterns. See how a Brazilian agate slab transforms into a sunset cabochon through careful design and polishing.

09/10/2025

Goldstone is a man-made glass admired for its ease of cutting and rich colors. Learn how to find, slab, and cab goldstone — including green and blue goldstone.
🧡👉 https://www.rockngem.com/goldstone-cutting-cabbing-tips/

09/09/2025

Contra Luz Opal : Contra luz in Spanish means “against the light.” In typical opals, play of color or opalescence is seen when light reflects from the front of the
specimen. In contra luz opal, backlighting reveals the play of color. Here
are two photos with front lighting (top) and backlighting (bottom) of a contra luz opal from the Welo District in Ethiopia. Photos by Mark Oros .

09/08/2025

Meet our baker's dozen bonus gem on our Mineral Must-Haves List: Amazonite ✨ A blue-green microcline feldspar with serene color and collector appeal. 💙💚 A perfect way to round out our collection series. (Jeff Starr Collection)

👉 https://www.rockngem.com/minerals-for-collectors-must-have-specimens/