With world-famous attractions, such as Mount Rushmore and stunning national parks, it’s no wonder that South Dakota is a popular tourist destination. After you’ve seen …

There are more than twenty kinds of garnets, but only five are good enough to cut and shine. They are called almandite, pyrope, andradite, grossularite, …

Jade is the most valuable gemstone in Asian culture. It has been known for 5,000 years since the Neolithic as a material for tools, carvings, …

Illinois is not a place that many would associate with good rockhounding, and while there are a few sites to explore in the state, they …

Opal is a unique, high-value gemstone. Simply saying “highly praised” and “extremely valuable” it’s insufficient to explain opal’s beauty. Its exciting use of color captivates …

Without gemological tools, it’s hard to tell the difference between fake and real garnets. Since real garnet is a pretty common material, garnet fakes aren’t …