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What is emerald obsidianite? The 1980 Mt. St. Helen’s volcanic eruption left behind 540 million tons of ash over an area of southwest Washington. Salvage workers were using acetylene torches to cut through metal debris. During this action, they discovered that the...
Opals are formed of tiny spheres of silica that are stacked together in an orderly grid-like structure, which refracts light and forms the precious mineral that we call opal. Opals are considered mineraloids because they lack a defined crystal structure. They also...
Most U.S. states have their very own official state rock, mineral, gemstone, or fossil. The first state to declare an official rock was California, which designated serpentine as its official state rock in 1965. The first declared gemstone was a diamond in Arkansas in...
The 2026 Tucson Gem Show was different for us this year. The guest house we rented for the past 14 gem shows was no longer available. It had been our sweet home away from home for all that time and was the perfect space for us in so many ways. The owners...
How are fulgurites formed? Fulgurites, also known as “fossilized lightning” (even though it’s not a fossil!), are formed when lightning hits sand or other similar sediments. The heat from the strike instantly melts and fuses the material, transforming the sand into a...
People often mistake these mineral formations in rocks for plant fossils, but they are actually mineral deposits called dendrites. Dendrites can look like branching trees or plants, but their plant-like shape is actually due to the growth of manganese or iron oxides...
Sulfur, the 16th element on the periodic table, carries the letter S (and a potent smell!). Although sulfur itself doesn’t smell, it contains compounds like hydrogen sulfide and thiolis, and humans are highly sensitive to them. Thanks to our highly evolved...
People value TV Rock for its unusual optical properties, but they don’t actually use it to make TVs. Collectors also call TV Rock ‘TV Stone’ or ‘Ulexite,’ and they prize it as a non-hazardous, silky white, rounded crystalline mass. Rock enthusiasts seek out its...
It was a dream come true! In April, my husband and I got to go visit the one and only pyrite cube mine. We’ve been selling pyrite cubes for the 35 years we’ve been in business and I always wondered what the mine was like. I knew it was in Spain and I knew it was in La...
Gem Show Magic We’ve been coming to the Tucson Gem Show for over 35 years to buy for the store and it’s always a great time. We get to see so many amazing things, take in the desert beauty and warmth, reunite with old friends and make new ones – but best of all...
Tucson Gem Show 2024 Recap I was at a party in January and a friend said to me, “Please tell my husband how overwhelming the Tucson Gem Show is.” He wanted to go, but she was trying to talk him out of it. It's true it can be overwhelming -- there are over 40 different...
I remember being really angry at humanity when I was a kid. People were polluting the earth and I was worried about the future. Then one day, in elementary school on my way to the lunch cafeteria, I saw these huge signs plastered on all of the windows that read,...
A common response from a customer hearing we’re celebrating our 30th anniversary at The Fossil Cartel: “30 years?! What were you, 12 when you started?” Of course it makes me feel good that at 58, I don’t look quite as old as the fossils in my store...yet. 🙂 When I...
Standing in the bowels of the National Western Complex, with our palette safely wrapped for shipping, Susan recaps our shopping trip at the 2018 Denver Fossil Gem & Mineral Show. Before a short tour of just part of this venue (home of the National Western Stock Show),...
In this episode of our Metaphysical Monday series, Susan displays and discusses healing stones for autumn equinox. Some people have issues with the shorter days, balance and change in seasons around this time of year. Healing stones that can help include carnelian,...
In this episode of our Metaphysical Monday series, Susan discusses the substance known as "Orgonite" -- a man-made combination of resin, metal and minerals thought to balance and harmonize our bio-energy, also known as orgone, prana or chi. People kept asking for it...
This installment of The Fossil Cartel's Metaphysical Monday series on Facebook Live discusses the metaphysical healing properties of August's birthstone, peridot. Susan talks about the various healing properties unique to peridot, and how you can wear it or use it. We...
Starting at 1:50 in this video, Susan addresses a common conundrum: how to tell similar-looking rocks apart. Often minerals resemble other minerals in color and/or pattern, and it can be difficult to tell which is which. This can be important especially because...
Part of The Fossil Cartel's Metaphysical Monday series on Facebook Live, this video addresses the many metaphysical healing properties of fluorite. It is especially useful as a protection stone, especially electromagnetic fields emitted by computers and mobile phones....
If you want to use your stones for crystal healing, it's important to clean them energetically. Crystals hold energy, so you'll want to start with a clean slate so to speak when you begin your practice with them. Susan shows a few ways to clean and charge your...
Here’s a link to some other great gift shops in Portland.