Resources, References, and Recommendations
If the Rock Readers website has given you a taste to learn even more about rocks and minerals, then YAY! That means we’re doing exactly what we set out to do. Below you can find some of our favorite places for good, reliable information.
Trusted Rock and Mineral Websites
Mindat
The largest and most in-depth source of information about minerals and rocks, including detailed information about every mineral and every place in the world where each mineral has been found, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg—it can get pretty scientific though!
Wikipedia
Great source of information about just about everything, including more than you probably want to know about all well-known minerals, along with comprehensive coverage of geology, mineralogy, and other rock-related fields of study
Mineralogy4Kids
A fairly scientific breakdown for more sophisticated kids that provides a primer on the basics of the most important aspects of mineralogy, sponsored by the Mineralogical Society of America
Geology.com
Family-run website that has advertisements but also provides, for free, an extensive collection of articles about geology, rocks, minerals, gemstones, fossils, etc., mostly written by a professional geologist with 40+ years of experience
Geology Science
A useful site with lots of articles about minerals, once you get past all the advertisements, with content translated into multiple languages
International Gem Society: Learning Center
A look at the world of minerals and gems from the professional gemological angle, with a number of articles and other resources available to the public, and others for members only
https://www.gemsociety.org/reference-library
Rocks and Minerals of Pennsylvania
Focusing on the state of Pennsylvania, a great overall primer on geology for young people and adult novices that’s useful no matter where you live; provides added details that build on the science of The Rock Readers
Every Rock Has a Story
YouTube channel for kids with about 80 videos on different kinds of rocks and aspects of geology, hosted by Boston College professor Ethan Baxter
https://www.youtube.com/@EveryRockHasAStory
Best Websites for Special Mineralogy Topics
Gemdat
The gemstone-only version of Mindat
Gemological Institute of America: Gem Encyclopedia
A trove of information about 29 of the best-known gemstones
https://www.gia.edu/gem-encyclopedia
International Gem Society: Specific Gravity Values of Selected Gems
If you start testing the specific gravity of your minerals, this table could be really helpful for figuring out what you have
https://www.gemsociety.org/article/select-gems-ordered-density
University of Waterloo: Earth Sciences Museum: Crystal Shapes
A very clear explanation…well, as clear as possible…of the complicated topic of minerals’ crystal shapes
https://uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences-museum/resources/crystal-shapes
Crystal Council: Schiller Effect
A nice explanation of a category of sheens that minerals can have, such as the ones we talked about in “The Essence of “-escence”.”
https://thecrystalcouncil.com/terms/schiller-effect
A Note About Reddit
This from Amy: I’ve been warned to not recommend anything on Reddit because parts of that site can get a bit…unsavory. But I’ve mainly only been on there to look at rocks and so far haven’t come across anything I wouldn’t want to share. I obviously can’t guarantee that all the info will be correct, but there seem to be plenty of knowledgeable folks hanging about on the following subreddits:
- https://www.reddit.com/r/rockhounds
- https://www.reddit.com/r/geology
- https://www.reddit.com/r/mineralcollectors
- https://www.reddit.com/r/MineralGore
- https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthisrock
Mineral Clubs
AFMS: American Federation of Mineralogical Societies
A map that lets you search for and find every mineral club, in six of the seven regions of the United States, that belongs to the AFMS (which is almost all of them)
https://www.amfed.org/home#h.u0mymct25szd
EFMLS: Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies: Mineral Clubs
A map that lets you search for and find every mineral club in the northeastern region of the United States that belongs to the EFMLS (which is almost all of them)
Rock & Mineral Associations Around the World
Lovely list provided by Scandinavian rock enthusiasts
https://www.geonord.org/org/clubs/world.shtml
Directory of Clubs and Organizations
Mindat resource of mineral clubs worldwide accessible by a country list or by clicking on a world map
https://www.mindat.org/club_list.php
Reference Books
Mineralogy
A free and very complete online mineralogy textbook: for when you really want to learn more about minerals
https://opengeology.org/Mineralogy/
Rocks and Minerals
One of the best handbooks, with useful information and great photos that show rocks how they look naturally so they’re easier to recognize if you’re out collecting
https://www.dk.com/us/book/9781465497741-rocks-and-minerals
National Geographic Pocket Guide to Rocks and Minerals of North America
Another good quality handbook with helpful information and photos
Falcon Guides: Rockhounding…
A series of books with information about where to find rocks in different states and parts of the country in the United States
https://www.falconguides.com/search-results/?category=NAT030000
Gem Guides Book Company: Gem Trails of…
A series of books with information about where to find rocks in the western United States
https://ggbc.weebly.com/the-gem-trails-series.html
Gift Books
Do you need a gift for the rock or mineral lover in your life? Even if that person is you? Here are some of our favorite gift books for adults.
Magazines
Rock & Gem
A magazine about rock collecting, jewelry making, exhibits, events, and other topics for your average rockhound
Rocks & Minerals
A more scientific magazine focusing on famous mineral localities, amazing mineral specimens, large mineral shows and museums, and newly discovered minerals and localities for higher level rockhounds and your average scientist
https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/vram20
Mineralogical Record (aka Min Record)
An even more scientific magazine focusing on localities and minerals that are even more amazing, mostly for high-end collectors and experienced scientists
https://mineralogicalrecord.com
Where to See Minerals
There are plenty of excellent places to see rocks and minerals all over the world. Find some of the best-known museums below, and check out Mineral Collectors Page for a more extensive list of museums worldwide, with links to and very short descriptions of each museum: https://www.minerant.org/museums.html
NOTE: It’s also fun to check to see if any small colleges or universities in your area, or any area you might be visiting, have a collection. Lafayette College in Easton, PA, for example, is a small liberal arts college with a whole bunch of cool rocks and minerals on display, and Amherst College in Amherst, MA, has an entire museum that’s quite impressive. But if you’re looking for the truly “wow” spots, here are some of the best-known mineral museums:
A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum, Houghton, MI, USA: https://museum.mtu.edu
Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum, Tucson, AZ, USA: https://gemandmineralmuseum.arizona.edu
American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA: http://www.amnh.org/
Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, ON, Canada: https://nature.ca/en/
Freiberg Mining Academy Mineral Exhibition, Freiberg, Germany: https://www.terra-mineralia.de/en
French National Natural History Museum, Paris, France: https://www.mnhn.fr/en/galerie-de-geologie-et-de-mineralogie-geology-and-mineralogy-gallery
Harvard Mineralogical Museum, Cambridge, MA, USA: http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/
London Natural History Museum, London, England: https://www.nhm.ac.uk
Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, Los Angeles, CA, USA: https://nhm.org
Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Dallas, TX, USA: https://www.perotmuseum.org
Rice Museum of Rocks and Minerals, Hillsboro, OR, USA: https://ricenorthwestmuseum.org
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada: https://www.rom.on.ca
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/exhibits/janet-annenberg-hooker-hall-geology-gems-and-minerals
Tellus Science Museum, Cartersville, GA, USA: https://tellusmuseum.org
Vienna Natural History Museum, Vienna, Austria: https://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en
Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven, CT, USA: http://peabody.yale.edu/
Where to Buy Minerals
If you’d like to buy minerals for your collection, the three main places to look would be mineral shows, rock shops, and online dealers. If you’re new to buying minerals, the Mineral Buying Guide on Reddit provides a very helpful tutorial on what to know about and consider when you’re doing so, including minerals’ value, how to buy, some suggestions of where to buy, etc.: https://www.reddit.com/r/mineralcollectors/wiki/buying_minerals
Rock and Mineral Shows
Rock and mineral shows aren’t just for showing! Vendors gather to sell their wares, and great deals can be made. As a bonus, there’s far more to see than could ever fit in a single shop, and you get to meet lots of other rock and mineral fans. Here are some places to find lists of shows:
Rock and Mineral Shows
https://www.rockandmineralshows.com
This fairly downhome page does a great job of listing pretty much any mineral shows that are happening in the continental United States. (Sorry Alaska and Hawaii!)
XPO Press Calendar of Gem, Mineral, Fossil, and Jewelry Shows in the U.S.
https://xpopress.com/show/country/United%20States
A more businesslike page providing a calendar of mineral shows in the United States
XPO Press Calendar of Gem, Mineral, Fossil, and Jewelry Shows in the U.S. Search Page
https://xpopress.com/show/states
A page providing information about mineral shows in Canada and the United States by province and state, respectively
Top 20 Gemstone Shows Around the World
https://www.gemstonedetective.com/post/top-20-gemstone-shows-around-the-world-in-2025
List of top 20 shows around the world where you can see and buy gems and minerals
Rock Shops and Dig Sites
Rock & Gem magazine inspired this category with its dual-purpose page. Although at a dig site you’re usually not technically buying minerals directly, if it’s a privately owned site, you’re probably paying to dig there, which is kind of like buying the minerals you find.
Rock & Gem: Find a Rock Shop or Dig Site Near You https://www.rockngem.com/crystal-shop-near-me/
If you’re looking for a permanent shop instead of a show, this is a great resource where you type in a location, and it’ll tell you all of the rock shops nearby. It lists dig sites, too, which often have small shops in them as well where you can buy minerals.
The Crystal Collector: Dig Sites by State https://thecrystalclubhouse.com
You may or may not like his videos, but the Crystal Collector provides a list of dig sites by state that you can access using a dropdown menu on his homepage
Online Dealers
Online dealers can be hit or miss. (Since you can’t see what you’re buying up-close-and-personal, it’s easier to get scammed.) However, here are a few dealers we are personally familiar with:
Dakota Matrix Minerals https://www.dakotamatrix.com
Mineral specimens starting at $10, specializing in less well known minerals but also having some of the standards, such as baryte, calcite, etc.
Shannon Family Minerals https://shannonsminerals.com/shannonsminerals
Mineral specimens starting at low prices, plus stands, boxes, etc., to show off or store your rocks
Treasure Mountain Mining http://www.treasuremountainmining.com/
Mineral specimens starting at $15
Well-Arranged Molecules https://www.wellarrangedmolecules.com
If you have a little more to spend, mineral specimens starting at $45 (Hint: To focus on only the more affordable specimens, click “Minerals” then “Search/Filter” then select $0–$99 under “Price Range.”)
Online Dealer Marketplaces
If you want to see a mineral show’s worth of specimens when you’re shopping online, here are some options.
MinFind https://www.minfind.com
A mineral clearinghouse by the makers of Mindat that lists minerals for sale from, as of now, 18 different dealers, which allows you to search for whatever interests you, then sort the results
Mineral Collectors Page: Mineral Dealers https://www.minerant.org/dealersMIN.html
Another great page provided by the Mineral Society of Antwerp, Belgium, attempting to list every mineral dealer in the world
eBay and Etsy—An Important Note
Everyone knows you can buy just about anything on eBay and Etsy these days, and this includes rocks and minerals. Plenty of good specimens can be found, but please be aware that both of these sites have been flooded in recent years with sellers peddling fake (or falsely labeled) rocks and minerals. We’re working on a Buyer’s Guide to help spot the scams, which we hope to launch later this year. In the meantime, just be on your guard!
Finding, Using, and Sharing Rock Photos
Wikimedia Commons
Great source of images for just about everything, including minerals, that you can use online for free if you provide the credit line requested by the person who uploaded the photo
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
How to Credit Images from Wikimedia Commons
Very helpful instructions
https://imagesourcecontrol.com/blog/how-to-credit-images-from-wikimedia-commons
Wikimedia Commons Attribution Generator
A helpful tool for automatically generating the correct credit line for any image you find on Wikimedia Commons
https://lizenzhinweisgenerator.de/?lang=en
Creative Commons
Instructions for how to share your own photos with the rest of the world through websites like Wikimedia Commons and get the proper credit