Lemurian Quartz stands out for its straight, ladder-like lines and slightly uneven shape, but those features are only part of the story. This month’s Stone of the Month explores where the name came from, how these crystals form, and why collectors often see them as something a little different from ordinary quartz. Whether you notice the geology, the history, or just the character, Lemurians tend to leave an impression.

After a rockhounding trip, the work isn’t over — it’s just beginning. Buckets come home full, but every piece has to be cleaned, sorted, and looked at again. Some turn out better than expected, others don’t make the cut, and a few leave you wondering why you carried them all that way. This post is about what happens after the trip and why not everything makes it into the shop.

Once we finally get to a rockhounding spot, you’d think the hard part is over — but that’s when the real work begins. Not every rock is worth the walk, backpacks get heavy fast, and some days the rocks win. From sorting through look-alikes to hauling buckets back to the truck and realizing not everything turns into inventory, this post shares what it’s really like when we actually start finding rocks.

We get asked a lot what we actually do on our rockhounding trips, and the answer is usually, “a lot more than it looks like.” Before a single rock makes it back to the shop, there’s planning, packing, driving, hiking, dust, wrong turns, and sometimes wondering if the whole thing was a good idea. This post is about everything that happens before the fun part even starts.

Nothing prepares you for Tucson. Forty-plus gem shows, miles of walking, glittering displays, and rapid-fire math in kilograms. We arrived ready — backpack, list, mints — and quickly realized Tucson had other plans. From sensory overload to serious sourcing, we navigated warehouses, tents, and desert dust with intention. Here’s what we learned, who we met, and what made the cut for jujujems.

At White Sands, the sand isn’t what you expect. Made of gypsum — pre-selenite — it feels soft, cool, and silky, slipping through your fingers like powdered snow ✨ Just steps away, that same mineral turns sharp and crunchy in the park’s famous “popcorn field.” Same mineral, wildly different textures — and a reminder that nature loves a good transformation.