ROCKS & Specimens

Frequently asked questions

• Are these bead strands or raw specimens?

  This hub is raw material, not drilled beads. Listings here include rough chunks, mineral specimens, free-form polished pieces, and lapidary stock — most are undrilled and irregular in shape. If you're looking for strands to use in jewelry, shop the stone-specific bead collections instead (Agate, Labradorite, Jasper, Fluorite all have their own bead pages). Use this section when you want display specimens, cutting rough, tumbling stock, or single statement pieces. Shape, weight, and drilled-or-undrilled status should appear on each listing — check before buying if a listing isn't clear about what form the material ships in.
• Who typically buys from this collection?

  Three buyer types: collectors building a mineral or specimen shelf; lapidary workers who cut, cab, tumble, or polish rough into finished pieces; and educators or parents stocking classroom and homeschool earth-science kits. A smaller group of jewelry designers also pulls from here when they want a single free-form focal — a labradorite slab, a petrified wood round, an ocean jasper nugget — to wire-wrap or bezel-set rather than string. If you're sourcing calibrated drilled beads for production runs, this isn't the right hub; the per-stone bead collections will serve you better.
• How is raw material sold here — per piece, by weight, or by lot?

  It varies by listing. Some specimens sell as single pieces with photographed dimensions and weight; others ship as small lots or by weight (grams or pounds) when the material is uniform enough to sell that way. Free-form pieces are usually one-of-a-kind or one-of-a-batch, so the photo represents the piece or the typical piece in the lot. Exact size, weight, and whether you receive the pictured piece versus a representative one should be disclosed — ask before buying if a listing doesn't specify.
• What stones and minerals show up most in this hub?

  Agate, labradorite, fluorite, and jasper lead the active inventory, followed by petrified wood, ocean jasper, quartz, opal, carnelian, and terahertz. Free-form shapes dominate, with some cubes, pebbles, and nuggets in the mix. Material rotates as rough sources change — origin, treatment, and grade vary by lot, so check the individual listing for specifics on each piece. If you're hunting a particular mineral that isn't currently listed, the bead collections sometimes carry the same stone in drilled form, which can be a workaround for wire-wrap projects.
• How should I handle and clean raw mineral specimens?

  Handle by the body of the piece rather than thin edges or points — many specimens have natural cleavage planes that can chip. For cleaning, a soft brush and lukewarm water work for most material; avoid ultrasonic cleaners on softer or fractured stones (fluorite is Mohs 4, calcite even softer). Some minerals are light-sensitive — fluorite and certain quartz varieties can fade in direct sun over time, so display out of strong UV. Store separately or pad between pieces; harder stones will scratch softer ones. Treatment or stabilization, if any, should be disclosed.