The first round of rock shopping.

If you know much about me and what I do, you probably know about my latest “hobby gone wild” and related rock problem. Basically, I collect gemstone cabochons and, a while back, began making jewelry with them. I tell people that I make jewelry to support my rock habit and I’m not really kidding.

Anyway, I buy the majority of my rocks in Quartzsite, AZ during the gem and mineral shows there in January. I started this year right on New Years Day and even took photos of my first (but not biggest) purchase.

Among the rocks in this shot are Kingman Turquoise with Bronze, Kingman Turquoise and Orange Spiny Oyster Shell with bronze, malachite, K2 granite, azurite and malachite, blue jade, blue lace agate, and larimar.

In this shot, you can see bumble bee jasper, amethyst, red jasper, ruby in zoisite, rainbow calcilica, rhodenite, one I can’t remember, and a few I can’t identify because of the quality the photo.

I wound up spending over $1,000 on stones this winter. I’ll definitely have enough to take me through the entire year.