Collection: Stone of the Week
Stone of the Week is one material given the floor. Each rotation we choose a single stone, put what we have of it in one place, and write about where it comes from, how it forms and how people traditionally work with it. When the week turns, another stone takes its place.
Why we do it this way
A catalog of hundreds of crystals is a difficult thing to learn from. Narrowing to one stone at a time makes it possible to actually notice something: how a particular quartz habit differs from its neighbor, why one locality's material looks the way it does, what a collector is really examining when they pick a specimen up. It is a slower way to shop and a better way to learn.
What you will find here
Whatever we hold of the featured stone, which might mean specimens, jewelry, tumbles or carvings depending on what has come through. Because our material is hand-selected and bought directly from miners and collectors, the pieces gathered here are frequently one-of-a-kind, and the feature is often the only time a given stone gets a page of its own.
How to use the feature
Treat it as an introduction rather than a sales pitch. Read the description, look closely at the photographs, and decide whether the material interests you at all before you consider buying.
- Note the hardness before choosing between a display specimen and a wearable piece.
- Ask about locality if you are building a collection by source.
- Follow along weekly, since the run of featured stones adds up quickly.
Nothing is held back for the feature and nothing is marked up for it; this is simply a way of paying attention to one stone at a time. See this week's stone below, and if it is not for you, another will be along shortly.
