What Is Crystal Digging?
Crystal digging, aka rockhounding, is where you go out in nature and find your own crystals and gemstones. It can be every bit as exciting as it sounds. To find your own crystals in nature is a great activity. It can also be a bit challenging. I'm here to talk about all that. But first I want to talk about the two ways you can dig for crystals. I've done both.
Get a FREE tarot reading here.
When looking for places that offer crystal digging, you can get caught up in these places that will offer you to dig your own crystals. When you get there, it won't quite be the same as digging your own crystals in nature.
They claim to have gathered dirt from a mine nearby and you pay for a bucket of this dirt that has already been dug for you. You never see the mine. You just see buckets of dirt for sale. The bigger the bucket, the more it costs. These are usually not priced unreasonably.
Then you will go over to a stream of water and you are given a tool to dig. You are also given a bowl to place anything you find of worth.
And you will find a lot of things. The dirt seems to be unnaturally saturated with beautiful gemstones, some don't even exist in that area of the world. There is a reason for that. Those gemstones were cherry picked and placed in a bucket of dirt. It's not a real example of dirt from a mine, because if it were then you would definitely not get that many stones or that much variety.
Now, I don't want to discourage anyone from doing this. It can be a lot of fun, especially for kids and it's definitely a good value for the amount of crystals you get. What I'm trying to do is make you aware of what is going on. Because if you do this activity and think you are actually mining crystals, you aren't. This person ordered bulk untumbled (rough) natural crystals online from somewhere and placed them in a bucket with dirt.
Again, it's a super fun activity. It's just not real, true rockhounding and I don't want anyone to think it is.
In order to do real rockhounding, you have to do some solid research. Crystals only exist in nature in certain areas and parts of the world. You may have to do some traveling in order to dig your own crystals, sometimes up to 2-3 hours from your hometown to find these areas.
There are laws that you must follow. If someone owns the land, obviously don't go on it and dig. Please follow safe digging practices. If you will be digging a lot, "call before you dig". This refers to calling 811 to make sure that you are not disturbing any underground pipe or structures that have been put into place there.
Each state has it's own set of rocks that are available in that state. These gemstones naturally formed over time and can be found in certain land formations, rivers, mountains, and other areas.
To find areas in your state where rockhounding is permitted, go to this site. You will see what type of stones can be found there. There are also pictures of what the rough stones look like. It's important to remember when rockhounding that rough stones often look very different from the tumbled polished stones you buy in crystal shops. You need to know what they look like in nature so that you will recognize them when you see them on the ground. Sometimes it's not as obvious that you are staring at a gemstone
When going about a real rockhounding adventure, you will be in rugged conditions usually. Make sure you carry water and beware of the weather forecast. Bundle up if it's cold and wear sunscreen if it's hot. Have food available such as trail mix or other items that do not need refrigeration.
If you will be out at dusk or out in high grass where ticks tend to be, wear some bug spray for protection. If you will be camping out there, have everything you need on a checklist and make sure you don't leave without anything. Be aware of your surroundings and be safe.
If you want your findings to look like the rocks found in crystal shops, you will need to purchase a rock tumbler. A rock tumbler allows you to place rocks inside. It often takes hours to polish the rocks, but they come out looking beautiful, just like at the crystal shops.
There are some rocks that you may not want to polish because you may ruin the nature structures of the rock, so be sure to check if you can polish certain stones before doing so.
I hope this article is helpful for digging your own crystals.
The Tourist Way
When looking for places that offer crystal digging, you can get caught up in these places that will offer you to dig your own crystals. When you get there, it won't quite be the same as digging your own crystals in nature.
They claim to have gathered dirt from a mine nearby and you pay for a bucket of this dirt that has already been dug for you. You never see the mine. You just see buckets of dirt for sale. The bigger the bucket, the more it costs. These are usually not priced unreasonably.
Then you will go over to a stream of water and you are given a tool to dig. You are also given a bowl to place anything you find of worth.
And you will find a lot of things. The dirt seems to be unnaturally saturated with beautiful gemstones, some don't even exist in that area of the world. There is a reason for that. Those gemstones were cherry picked and placed in a bucket of dirt. It's not a real example of dirt from a mine, because if it were then you would definitely not get that many stones or that much variety.
Now, I don't want to discourage anyone from doing this. It can be a lot of fun, especially for kids and it's definitely a good value for the amount of crystals you get. What I'm trying to do is make you aware of what is going on. Because if you do this activity and think you are actually mining crystals, you aren't. This person ordered bulk untumbled (rough) natural crystals online from somewhere and placed them in a bucket with dirt.
Again, it's a super fun activity. It's just not real, true rockhounding and I don't want anyone to think it is.
Real Rockhounding
In order to do real rockhounding, you have to do some solid research. Crystals only exist in nature in certain areas and parts of the world. You may have to do some traveling in order to dig your own crystals, sometimes up to 2-3 hours from your hometown to find these areas.
There are laws that you must follow. If someone owns the land, obviously don't go on it and dig. Please follow safe digging practices. If you will be digging a lot, "call before you dig". This refers to calling 811 to make sure that you are not disturbing any underground pipe or structures that have been put into place there.
Each state has it's own set of rocks that are available in that state. These gemstones naturally formed over time and can be found in certain land formations, rivers, mountains, and other areas.
To find areas in your state where rockhounding is permitted, go to this site. You will see what type of stones can be found there. There are also pictures of what the rough stones look like. It's important to remember when rockhounding that rough stones often look very different from the tumbled polished stones you buy in crystal shops. You need to know what they look like in nature so that you will recognize them when you see them on the ground. Sometimes it's not as obvious that you are staring at a gemstone
Take Precautions
When going about a real rockhounding adventure, you will be in rugged conditions usually. Make sure you carry water and beware of the weather forecast. Bundle up if it's cold and wear sunscreen if it's hot. Have food available such as trail mix or other items that do not need refrigeration.
If you will be out at dusk or out in high grass where ticks tend to be, wear some bug spray for protection. If you will be camping out there, have everything you need on a checklist and make sure you don't leave without anything. Be aware of your surroundings and be safe.
Polishing Your Findings
If you want your findings to look like the rocks found in crystal shops, you will need to purchase a rock tumbler. A rock tumbler allows you to place rocks inside. It often takes hours to polish the rocks, but they come out looking beautiful, just like at the crystal shops.
There are some rocks that you may not want to polish because you may ruin the nature structures of the rock, so be sure to check if you can polish certain stones before doing so.
I hope this article is helpful for digging your own crystals.
thank you it is good guide.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Im very new to this and wasn't sure which way to go first! It's all very interesting and I still have to get the basic rocks and minerals down! And to think this all started with my husband buying me a rock polisher! Instead of just collecting off the ground,I want to dig up my own! How exciting to uncover something that has been underground forever!
ReplyDeleteAwesome. I hope you can find a nice area to get your own crystals for your collection.
Delete