RockHoundry
The Journal
How to Identify a Mineral in the Field: A Beginner's Testing Method
A step-by-step field identification routine — color, streak, luster, hardness, cleavage, and specific gravity — for narrowing down an unlabeled specimen without a lab.
The Mohs Hardness Scale Explained: The Ten Reference Minerals
What the Mohs scale actually measures, why it's ordinal rather than linear, and how the ten index minerals from talc to diamond translate to a field scratch-test kit.
Specific Gravity Testing at Home: The Hydrostatic Weighing Method
How to measure a mineral specimen's specific gravity with a kitchen scale, a container of water, and a length of thread — and what the resulting number actually tells you.
The Seven Crystal Systems: A Rockhound's Guide to Crystal Symmetry
A plain-language walkthrough of the seven crystal systems — cubic through triclinic — what actually defines each one, and how to recognize the difference between system and habit.
Rock Tumbling for Beginners: Grit Stages Explained
Why rock tumbling uses four separate grit stages instead of one, what each stage actually does, and how to avoid the most common first-batch mistakes.
UV Lamps for Rockhounding: What Longwave and Shortwave Actually Show You
Why some minerals glow under ultraviolet light, the practical difference between longwave and shortwave lamps, and how to run a fluorescence test properly.
Building a Rockhounding Field Kit: What to Actually Bring
A practical rockhounding field kit — from a rock hammer and hand lens to a field notebook and safety gear — built around what actually gets used, not what looks good on a shelf.