Are you interested in finding crystals in your backyard? If so, this blog post is for you! In it, we will go over how to find and identify different types of crystals. We will also discuss what the best tools to use are when looking for these crystals. Finally, we will give some tips that might help make the process a little easier. So sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy reading this helpful guide!
Common Gems That Can Be Found In Yards
When people think of crystals, they often envision a crystal ball. However, these are not the only type of gemstones that can be found in your backyard! There is an array of different types and colors to find. One example would be quartz rocks or amethyst stones.
Here are a few gems you may find in your Backyard:
Quartz
Quartz rocks are a common type of crystal found in the yard. They come in many different colors and can be identified by their glassy look, which is caused by natural occlusions (tiny air bubbles) within them. They are often used in jewelry because they can be fashioned into many different shapes and sizes, but are also used in electronics.
Quartz crystals usually have a pointy crystal shape with six sides (although some may only have four). The color of quartz depends on where it was created. Quartz crystals from Africa are usually a deep red color.
Turquoise
Turquoise stones are a type of crystallized mineral. They have an opaque, blue-green color and can be identified by their hardness (which is about the same as quartz). They are famously by the Native Americans and Mayans because they were used to dye their clothes in the past.
Jade
Manly found in China, jade is a type of crystallized mineral with an opaque white-green color. It has slight variations in colors depending on where it was found.
Garnet
Garnet is a type of crystallized mineral that has an opaque, dark red color. It was very popular in carvings and monuments from the early 1800s to the 1900s.
Opal
Opal is a type of crystallized mineral that has an opaque, white-green or milky color. But, it can change colors depending on the lighting and what other stones are nearby.
Tourmaline
Tourmaline is a type of crystallized mineral that has an opaque, black color. It was first found in the 1800s and became popular because it can be dyed to different colors without changing its hardness or structure.
Agate
Agate is a type of crystallized mineral that has an opaque, white-gray color. It was used in jewelry and sculptures from the 1600s to the 1900s because it could be carved into intricate shapes.
Now that we’ve covered the gemstones you’re likely to run across, let’s go over how to find them in your backyard and what tools will be needed for this process.
Tools Required To Find Crystals
Maybe you get lucky and find a gemstone lying on the ground, but others may require more effort to remove. Here’s some basic tools that might help:
Pickaxe
A pickaxe will be needed to break up the ground which may contain crystals. It is important to note that not all rocks are crystalline in nature, so it’s important to use a tool like this when attempting to extract them from your backyard. A rock hammer can also help with breaking some of these larger pieces if you don’t want to use a pickaxe.
Trowel or Shovel
If you are looking for crystals in your backyard, chances are that the ground is uneven. A trowel or shovel will be needed to dig into these different areas and avoid breaking any of the pieces that may contain them
As a result, we recommend using a small hand-held tool like this instead as it can help to get better access to the ground and help you find more crystals.
A small hand-held tool that can be used for this purpose is a garden trowel or shovel, either of which would prove useful in getting better access to the earth beneath your feet and finding crystal pieces that are easier to extract from there when compared with using something like a pick
Classifier Name
A classifier is a device that can be used to identify the type of crystal. Once you have found your first piece, this will help you find additional pieces in order to make a complete set.
Tweezers
Tweezers can be helpful when you are looking for a specific crystal. They will allow you to pick up the small crystals and identify them more quickly than if you were using your hands alone. Useful, but not necessarily required in order to find an array of crystals that would make excellent additions to any collector’s set.
Where to Look For Crystals In Your Backyard
Once you have the tools for the job it is time to get to work! There are a variety of places that you can look for crystals and many of them will be in your own backyard.
Look out for limestone deposits if you have any in your backyard. You’ll likely find quartz, calcite, and many other varieties.
Have a river or lake in your backyard then these can also be great places to find crystals. The water can be a great place to wash away dirt and reveal small rocks that are hidden just below the surface of your backyard.
Gravel, pebbles, and other smaller stones in the ground will also provide you with potential places for finding crystals. It is worth looking at any exposed area as these areas may have been missed and will provide you with an easier place to find crystals.
After You’ve Found Your Gemstone
The next few sections will be all about gemstones! We’ll go over how to identify and prepare them.
Cleaning Gemstones
In order to clean your gem, it’s important that you have a bundle of cloth handy. Fold the cloth in half and then again so you’re left with four equal squares. These will be where we store our stones for cleaning purposes. Turn back one corner on each square and tuck inside your stone before rubbing between fingers to remove any fingerprints or other dirt from its surface!
A dull outer layer might require professional sanding by a jeweler
Identification Gemstones
When you find a gemstone in your backyard, it can be an exciting moment. Maybe you found something valuable? In this article, we’ll discuss how to identify the most common gems that are often found outside and what their value could potentially be worth!
Identifying Quartz
Quartz is the most common crystal people are seeking when they find crystals in their backyard. This is because quartz can be found all over the world and it often looks similar to other stones that may not have a different identifying characteristic such as color or shape.
In order to identify your stone, you will want to either bring it inside where there is more light so you can see it better or start with the easiest way to identify your crystal: its shape.
It is very easy to identify quartz crystals by their six-sided figure which often has a hexagonal outline around the edge of each side. Quartz also tends to be clear and have either an amorphous, prismatic, or cloudy appearance.
Identifying Turquoise
Turquoise is a type of semiprecious stone that has a light to medium blue-to-green color. It often looks similar to other stones such as malachite, azurite, and lapis lazuli but can be distinguished by its listless appearance.
One way turquoise can be identified from other stones is by its listless appearance.
The second way that turquoise can be distinguished from other stones is the color difference between it and other semiprecious stone counterparts.
Identifying Jade
Jade is a type of semiprecious stone that has an opaque appearance and comes in many different colors. Such as brown, red, white, greenish-gray with black spots.
One way to know if you have found jade instead of another semiprecious stone is the opacity that it possesses. The second way to know the difference between jade and other semiprecious stones is by color.
An opaque appearance provides one way to know if you have found jade instead of another stone.
Identifying Garnet
Garnet is a type of semiprecious stone that has an opaque appearance and comes in many different colors such as red, orange-red, brownish-purplish with reddish tints.
The first way to know if you have found garnet instead of another semiprecious stone is the color difference between the two.
The second way to know the difference between garnet and other semiprecious stones is by shape, which is normally angular in appearance with a pointy tip at one end.
Appraising And Selling Your Gemstones
When you first find a gemstone in your backyard. It may be difficult to know how much it is worth and where to sell the stone for profit. Before making any moves though. Make sure that you have an appraisal done on the gem so that no one gets ripped off with an unqualified price tag!
Getting Your Gem Appraised
When it comes to finding out the worth of your gem, you’ll need to take it into a respectable appraiser. We suggest taking a look at this list of contacts for Appraisal Associations near you.
When looking up an appraisal group in your area, make sure they are respected within their field. Before setting off on any journey with those people!
The first thing that will happen is someone looks at the quality and clarity of the stone itself. If not up to par then there may be some serious issues going around as well. Such as being worthless or only having low value; so do pay attention when picking who will assess what could potentially be priceless objects!
The ultimate price of your gemstone will also fall down to the rarity of the stone, and whether or not it’s in high demand. Once you’ve been properly appraised, find out a ballpark range for how much your rare gem is worth!
Selling Your Gemstone
From the moment you first discover that gemstones are your passion. You’ve been dreaming of walking into an auction house and seeing a jeweler bidding on one of your gems.
Once this dream comes true, don’t be discouraged if they aren’t interested in buying it!
You may have to find another buyer with different tastes than the ones at the auction houses who would want something else from their collection.
The auction house should be full of people who are eager to buy!
Auction houses that specialize in gemstones will most likely have a steady stream of customers. Hoping for the best, you decide to find one near your hometown and go there with some old jewelry (you no longer wear). As trade-in items, just in case they don’t take gems directly from buyers.
Sure enough, when you get inside it was bustling with lots of vendors looking at all sorts of rocks on display. While others were being traded back and forth by excited shoppers waiting eagerly until their turn would come up later so more could be put out for bidding too.
If you’re looking to sell your gem locally, and aren’t interested in online auction houses or specialized jewelers. Try visiting a local jewelry shop. They might be willing to purchase one of your gems for a fair price. Without the extra hassle involved with shipping it elsewhere.
But if you want more control over who gets access to buy what type of stone from where they are most popular. Then an online marketplace is probably better suited for finding buyers at any time!