Previously Rockhounding

To finish out the 1970s we take a break from Rock & Gem and read an issue of The Mineralogical Record to get a little more perspective on what the hobby was like during the decade. Although both magazines share a related subject, they could hardly be more different.

We've made it to the end of a decade with a lapidary Christmas 1979. The 70s don't exactly go out on a bang, but current trends are thoroughly represented in this issue with another article about using diamonds for lapidary applications, an ad for a belt and disc cleaner and a field trip article in which petrified wood is found via dowsing rods. We do read about some interesting ideas for projects that we would consider making! That's right, a good project idea from Rock and Gem! It was bound to happen eventually, it only took 18 issues.

October 1979 promises articles on some very intriguing topics such as "Government and the Rockhound: Closing off the Backcountry" and "Are Fire Agates Really Opal?". Will the articles live up to the promise of their titles? We also read about rock-related projects we probably won't be attempting any time soon like "Rock Flower Pictures" and "Gem-set Driftwood". As always, this issue contains plenty of interesting ads and even an article with genuinely good advice.

In this issue some of the articles fall short of what's promised by their titles but we fill in the gaps with helpful information, such as the best ways to preserve your finds on their way from the field to home, and our experience with polishing soapstone. We also learn a great new word for lapidary enthusiasts thanks to the Frantic Fumbler, who also wrote a great article spotlighting the lapidary world's transition to using diamonds. We're getting close to the end of the 1970s and some of the articles seem to be foreshadowing trends that we'll be seeing in the next decade.  

In this issue Rock & Gem's field trip reporters are working overtime with reports from all over the US, including Florida, Texas, Wyoming and more! We also talk about the intricacies of providing rock identification services, and a creative casting technique that is still popular today (although it has been slightly updated). 

We start 1977 off right with some rockhounding life lessons, a field trip idea for the dead of winter and a jewelry project that we just might try. We muse on the best type of photos for field trip reports and guidebooks, as well as the benefit of seeing rocks and minerals in a museum.  

We enter another hectic holiday season in this issue, which is complete with a gift guide, simple project ideas and is chock-full of ads for  amusing products. We also are unclearly called to action by some PSA ads, and learn more than we ever wanted to know about Mexican agates and treated turquoise.

In this issue we read multiple articles that offer little more than common sense, such as how to clean minerals; how to keep yourself safe from belt and pulleys; and more bicentennial jewelry guides. We also genuinely learn about some exciting places in Mexico and mediocre off-label uses for lapidary equipment.

This issue proclaims to be the "1976 Rockhound and Lapidary Guidebook". In it, we find many interesting ads for products that have been lost to time and some that seem a little out of place. Rock shows come up a lot in both ads and articles and we note how they've changed, but not necessarily for the better.

In this episode we find a number of things that haven't changed through the years. We are tricked by deceptively titled articles (Rock & Gem articles are the YouTube videos of the 1970s), read about who is allowed to call themselves a rockhound, and discuss an article describing step by step instructions for risking one's life for the sake of crystals.

In this episode we are pleasantly surprised by some very elaborate ads and great field reports from Mexico to Oregon. We also read about some DIY projects that we will definitely not be trying ourselves.

In this episode we discuss rockhounding trip guides from Texas to Canada, speculate on product placement in articles and try to see the images in a celebrity’s rock collection.

Join us for our very first read through of Rock & Gem magazine. In this episode we talk about how much has changed and yet how much has stayed the same in the world of rockhounding and lapidary.

What is Previously Rockhounding? Join us for our very first episode where we talk about why we’re reading old Rock & Gem magazines and what we’re expecting to learn and to read!