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Polished meteorite
Polished meteorite: Cutting and polishing an iron meteorite usually reveals a fantastic pattern of metal crystals inside. Known as a “Widmanstatten pattern,” these crystal shapes are natural art that many people appreciate. Cut and polished meteorites are used to make cabochons, pendants, beads, watch faces, rings, and many other items. The piece in the photo above is a guitar pick.…
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Libyan Desert Glass
Libyan Desert Glass: Libyan Desert Glass is a material that is thought to have formed during a meteorite impact in the Libyan desert about 26 million years ago, near what is now the border between Egypt and Libya. One theory has the meteorite exploding in an air burst that flash-melted sand and other material on Earth’s…
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Desert Glass
King Tutankhamun’s Desert Glass: Over 3300 years ago, the ancient Egyptians knew about Libyan Desert Glass and held it in high regard. The pendant shown above was one of several buried with King Tutankhamun (King Tut), an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty who ruled between 1332 and 1323 BC. The yellow center stone is a…
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Beware of Fakes!
People have been fascinated with extraterrestrial gems for over 100 years. They are rare materials with a novelty origin, and many people want them. Moldavite was being made into novelty gems as early as the late 1800s, and they were popular throughout Europe and popular with tourists. The demand for moldavite jewelry exceeded the amount of natural…
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Who Buys Extraterrestrial Gems?
Even though these materials are extremely rare, they can typically be purchased at a lower price than some of the most popular gemstones. Why are they so inexpensive? Most people are not familiar with them, so they are not being requested in jewelry stores. In addition, the supply of these materials is so small, so fragmented,…
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Can Gems Really Come from Space?
Rocks that fall from the sky have frightened and fascinated people throughout history. They immediately generate curiosity and have a scientific significance. They are made of extremely rare materials that interest scientists, collectors, and curious people alike. Many meteorites and impactites are small enough and attractive enough to be used as gems in the same condition in which they fell from…
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Going to Jail for Collecting Rocks?
Finally, before you go out to collect rocks, minerals, fossils, gems or any other material, you need to know the rules for collecting on private and public land. For collecting in Bureau of Land Management property, you should get in touch with the BLM field office as explained above. For collecting on private property, you…
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Rockhounding in Idaho
There are many locations in Idaho where you can look for rocks, minerals, fossils and gems. The most popular is searching on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) areas. Although BLM does not have any specially designated rockhounding areas in the state, you can obtain maps showing areas where collecting can be done at one of their twelve field offices in…
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Petrified Wood
Petrified wood is found at many locations in Idaho. The Idaho Department of Lands reports silicified wood occurrences in Custer, Gem, Lincoln, Owyhee, and Washington Counties, with occurrences of opalized wood in Boundary, Gem, Gooding, Latah, and Owyhee Counties. The Virtual Petrified Wood Museum has an article with nice photos describing Bruneau Woodpile, a location where collecting is possible. Bruneau Woodpile…
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Idaho Jasper
Jasper has been found in many locations in Idaho. Some of them have become popular enough to be widely known. These include Owyhee, Willow Creek, Graveyard Point Plume, and Prudent Man Jaspers. The most famous jasper from Idaho is Bruneau Jasper, mined in Bruneau Canyon in Owyhee County. Its typical color range is from brown…