When I was a child, I so wanted to be a paleontologist, digging up dinosaur bones. I knew part of what I’d need to study was geology, which is the study of rock formations and…rocks. So, I began collecting and identifying them, checking out books from the library about seismology, vulcanology, and books that helped me identify the rocks I found.
I still have a shoe box filled with rocks I collected. There were perfectly round river rocks, Apache tears, petrified wood, fossils, quartz crystals, and pyrite, to name a few.
I display rocks all around my rooms in pretty dishes, ones I discovered as a child and some I purchased in the many rock shops located around Arkansas. When I hold them in my hands, I feel a connection to…something. It’s woo-woo shit, I know, but they do “ground” me.
Here are a couple of the bowls I have filled with my pretties.
My rocks aren’t just a nostalgic pursuit. I use them, too. During the recent Super Blue Moon, I placed a jar of water on my patio table, but I also placed some clear quartz crystals and amethysts on top of the jar to “charge” them.
See the worry stone? The flat one? I carry that with me when I’m not at home, because hermit that I am, I destress when I rub its surface. Sometimes, when I’m writing, I wear a large, polished carnelian stone strung on leather around my neck, because it’s supposed to help with creativity. Maybe it’s the stone or maybe it’s the ritual, but it works for me.
My favorite rings aren’t the ones with the expensive gemstones. I love wearing my labradorite, moonstone, and dendritic opals. Their imperfections make them more interesting to me.
These days, I’m not picking up stones from my path, but I do encourage the 10-year-old to look at the ground and find them for me. She brings me gifts all the time, usually some piece of agate for her “collection” or a smooth stone she’d like to paint on. Maybe, someday, she’ll catch the bug.
So, yes, in addition to hoarding vintage vanity powder jars, Avenger figurines, and fortune-telling teacups, I hoard rocks.
Contest
My question to you, for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, is…
Have you ever collected rocks? Do you have a favorite stone?
Comment
Yes, I collect stones the Goddes has blessed me with. I do have a favorite. It is a pink and purple stone. It’s so smooth.
Comment
I do collect rocks, lots and lots of them. My favorite is carnelian for now. It changes
Comment
I have recently started looking and reading about them. My husband has always had an interest and now my bestie too.
Comment
I do have some rocks in my planter around my plants. They are pretty cool. The markings on them are beautiful.
Comment
OMG Yes! I collect rocks and fossils. No favorites, but my family always joked I couldn’t work in a mine because I would keep more than I would leave. When I was in college, I took a level 4 field seminar in geology. We went to DC for a week, Chesapeake Bay with a side trip to Monticello (for the Poli Sci–me and Anthropology majors). Glad we had 2 vans because, besides different newspapers, I came back with a box of rocks and crystals from the quarries we visited. We have a local spot (now owned by PennDOT) that was called Thompson’s Quarry. It sits high in the ridges of the Appalachian Mountains in PA–now closed to the public. We did a field trip there. Found a lot of fossils in the rocks. I have a lot of those. All species found were underwater varieties, so the water level in the US was once that high. I have a lot of crinoid stem segments from Tennessee, too.
I have no particular favorites. There’s just something about rocks to hold and enjoy.
Comment
Oh, boy. So many stones. Rough, tumbled, faceted, all sizes and shapes and varieties. Plus after my aunt died, I discovered she had quite a collection, too, which also now reside in my house. I can’t say I have a favorite kind, though–I might get on a kick for a while where I carry one variety for a long time because it’s useful, but then I use another, or when my BFF and I go to stone shows, I’ll find I’m drawn to one particular sort of stone everywhere we look. lol
Comment
I have a few rocks… when I was a kid, my parents got me this rock tumbler machine that would clean and reveal rocks… I enjoyed seeing what was revealed.
Comment
Yes. I had a box full, but since I’m trying to clear things out in preparation for moving I took them to my nephews kids – I was impressed that they knew the names of several of them.
Comment
Yep, I collected rocks and even had a rock tumbler to polish them. Now my one of my grandson’s collects rocks.
Comment
no fav
Comment
When I was little I collected stones that had been smoothed by the river and lake.
Comment
I love collecting rocks. I’m usually good at finding pudding stones and Petoskey stones if they are near by me. Not sure if I have a favorite. I still want to go to the UP and find a lake Superior agate and yooperlight. I love find rocks, and have more to learn.
Comment
I have always loved stones. I don’t really have a favorite in my collection.
Comment
4:14 I don’t collect rocks, but my daughter likes to collect rocks from the beach.
Comment
I use to collect fossils as I grew up near the northern Redwood forest and by the rivers through the forests there were lots of fossils and pretty river stones.
Your story about travel and collecting rocks made me remember ‘The Long, Long Trailer’ with Lucille Ball, who collected rocks while on her honeymoon with Desi. If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it as it’s a riot.
Comment
no rocks. My favotite was flowers. I tried to dry them and press them.
Comment
I have not personally collected rocks though I do have a few. They have been gifts from friends who do collect. My grandfather for one. He was a big rock hound. Had selves all neatly labeled. They were actually quiet interesting to look at. I have since met other rock hounds and still find it interesting to check out there collections. I have been gifted with some lovely raw Australian Opals (my birthstone) and Amber. My brother gave me some ‘gold’ he panned from a creak in San Gabriel Mountains in So California Lovely pieces. Your rocks are lovely too. So pretty to look at. A fascinating collection.
Comment
I’ve occasionally collected rocks, mainly because I like their shape or color, LOL! I don’t have a very big collection, which is probably a good thing!
Comment
Yes and I still look for cool ones with sparkles or weird ones.