Holiday Gift Guide for Rock Lovers: Under $30, $50 and $100

Uncracked quartz geodes (break your own)

This is the gift I would put at the top of the cheap list, because the fun is the moment of opening it. Our uncracked Moroccan quartz geodes are listed from $5 to $35 depending on size. You do not know what is inside until it cracks, and that is the point. If you want to understand why geodes are hollow in the first place, I wrote about how long crystals take to form.

A small pink amethyst geode

For someone who would rather not swing a hammer, a pink amethyst geode from Morocco is listed at $20 to $30. It is already open, so what you see is what they get.

Polished oco geodes

Our polished-face oco geodes from Brazil are listed at $7.50 to $10. They make good stocking stuffers, and they are an easy way to show a kid that the outside of a rock tells you almost nothing about the inside.

A whole trilobite

Kids love that a trilobite is a real animal, not just a rock. Our Calymene trilobites from Morocco are listed at $10 to $22.50 by size. They come from Late Ordovician rock, roughly 450 million years old, so it is a lot of history to hold in one hand for under $30.

Dig-your-own pyrite gem dirt

Our pyrite cubes gem dirt is $22.50. It is a bag of dirt with natural pyrite cubes from Whistler, BC, and the fun is sifting until the shiny cubes show up. It is for kids old enough not to put stones in their mouths.

Choking hazard: the cubes are small parts. Keep them away from young children who still put things in their mouths, and supervise the dig.

Peruvian pyrite

Pyrite is the easy win, because it is shiny and everybody notices it. Our Peruvian pyrite from the Huanzala Mine is listed at $20 to $30 by size, and it is a great piece to put on a shelf where the light hits it.

A selenite charging plate

A selenite charging plate is $12.50 to $24, and it makes a clean display plate to set the rest of a collection on. Many metaphysical collectors look for selenite because they believe it cleanses their other stones, and that belief is a big part of why these plates are so popular. Selenite is a variety of gypsum, which sits at 2 on the Mohs hardness scale and dissolves slowly in water, so keep it dry and handle it gently. Sources: Geology.com (gypsum); Bock, Canadian Journal of Chemistry (1961).

A white selenite bowl

A plain white round selenite bowl from Morocco is $25 to $65, depending on size (6, 10 or 14 cm). Fill it with small tumbled and pocket stones and it turns a loose pile into a nice arrangement. Metaphysical collectors use a selenite bowl the same way as a charging plate, because they believe selenite cleanses the stones placed on it. A bowl is just another form, and it is popular for how good it looks on a shelf. It is gypsum, so keep it dry and do not use it for anything wet.

A mineral sample set

For younger collectors, our 15-piece mineral sample set is $20. It is a case of 15 labelled minerals from around the USA, with reference papers, so a kid can compare what they find outside against a known sample.

A manganese oxide geode

For the collector who already has quartz, a manganese oxide geode from the Imini Mine in Morocco ($30 to $50) is something different on the shelf. Manganese oxides tend to be dark and dull rather than sparkly, which makes them a different look on the shelf.

A larger pink amethyst half

If you want a step up from the Moroccan pieces, our pink amethyst geodes from Neuquén, Argentina are listed at $30 to $35.

An ammonite that pops out of its rock

This ammonite from Santander, Colombia is $40 to $65, depending on grade. The black fossil lifts out of its matrix and fits back in like a puzzle piece, so they can take it out, look at it, and set it back. It is Mesozoic in age.

A real rockhounding hammer

If the person goes out collecting, a proper tool is the gift they will use for years. The 22oz Estwing rockhounding hammer is $70. Before they take it anywhere, point them to where you can legally collect in BC. For chisels, picks and the rest of the kit, see all tools.

The Monthly Rock Box

For the gift that keeps arriving, the Monthly Rock Box subscription starts at $100 for one month. Check the listing for the longer options.