Trip to Meteor Crater, AZ

While we were in Tucson, Dev and I took a side trip to the Grand Canyon, and Sedona. We stopped by the Meteorcrator. It was pretty darn cool. You can learn more about it here:http://www.meteorcrater.com/index.php

And yes, that white stuff is snow. We had snow at the Grand Canyon, too.

These are the attack ostriches that grabbed Devin feed cup and made a run for it. No, they don't roam the crater, they were at the ostrich farm out side of Tucson on the way back. One of the best parts of the whole trip If you are heading that way, check it out: http://www.roostercogburn.com/

Big Red: The Rhodochrosite Chrystal

This a big ol' rhodochrosite specimen from the Tucson 2007 show:

PrettyRock.com's First Annual America Rocks Marathon

Hey sneak preview for you all...gonna have an online party on the weekend of the 4th of July. We are calling it PrettyRock.com's First Annual America Rocks Marathon. Gonna have online games and prizes, rough going up every hour, what ever else we can think of to do. More info to come!

PrettyRock.com: New Facet Rough 4/26/2009

http://www.prettyrock.com/php/facet-rough-all-recent.php

Tree of Life Opal Carving

This is an amazing opal carving!

Great site for ruby and sapphire inclusion photos

http://www.gemresearch.ch/inclusions/

check these out!

Star Trapiche Emeralds

Another find from that set of photos from Tucson 2007:

Hiddenite Emeralds

I was digging around in my computer and saw these photos from the 2007 Tucson show. They are of Jamie Hill's collection of emerals from Hiddenite NC.

Watch for Rocks!

Dev and I saw this sign on the road from Sedona to Tucson for the big show :)

McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center.

If anyone is near New Hampshire, this looks like a great place to explore: McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center. Dev and I just sent their education center a little care package from PrettyRock.com. They are new and need all the help they can get, this is a hard time to be getting a new program up and running. Go science! :)

http://www.starhop.com/

Gemstones Found Only in One Location

Imperial Topaz found only in Ouro Preto, Brazil

I am working on a list of gemstones found only in one location. This is what I have so far. Please share if you know of any other or if any of these are wrong, let me know. This is all just off the internet, so who knows if it is right or not :)(Using the term gem loosely here.)

Tanzanite - Tanzania
Red Beryl - Wah Wah mountains of Utah (Bixbite)
Imperial Topaz - Ouro Preto Brazil
Larimar - Dominican Republic
Benitoite - San Benito County, California
Blue and green amber - Dominican Republic
Moldavite - Czech Republic
Fanta-coloured mandarin garnet - Namibia
Fire Opal - Mexico
Chrome diopside - Sakha (formerly Yakutia) in Russia
Charoite - Chary River in Russia
Mawsitsit - northern Myanmar (Burma)
Spectrolite (high-grade labradorite) - Finland
Diaspore - Turkey’s Anatolian Mountains
Petoskey Stones - northern beaches of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron
Michigan Green Stone - "Isle Royale" of the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan
Lodolite (variety of quartz with inclusions of chlorite, iron and calcite) - Minas Gerais, Brazil

The First of the Brazil Pages

are up! This is still a work in progress. Dev won't be able to add the video until his paper is done in a week or two.http://www.prettyrock.com/brazil-2009-introduction.htm