Customers visiting our booth at shows always ask us how we learned so much! Our first careers were not in rocks, but Don and I put in lots of time learning various aspects of our jewelry business. We are members of our local rock club, the Grand Traverse Area Rock and Mineral Club (www.tcrockhounds.com). Our club is a lot of fun. We have educational programs, field trips, an annual show, and we've made lots of friends. See what clubs are available in your area at www.amfed.org. A rock club is a great place to get started. Next we went to the William Holland School of Lapidary, (www.lapidaryschool.org) and that was a great place to learn our craft. And to round out the training, we READ! We get Rock and Gem magazine (www.rockngem.com). Most of all, we read books.

Reading is fun and informative. I have listed some books here that we have studied and can recommend to you. My first job was as a librarian, so this is really what I know and love! These links will connect you to amazon.com where you can buy these same books. Hope you will follow my links and find some books to buy and read to help you learn more!

Bonnie Reed

Book List

Michigan Rocks

The Complete Guide to Petoskey Stones
The Petoskey stone is our State Stone, and is prevalent all across northern Michigan where we live. The origin, history, location, lapidary techniques and craft uses of the Petoskey stone are all covered. This is a good beginner book.

Lake Michigan Rock Picker's Guide
Local fellow rock hounds wrote this great little book. They discuss different kinds of rocks found in various localities around Lake Michigan, then go into more detail about each kind of rock. A photo section is very helpful for identifying your finds.

The Complete Guide to Michigan Fossils (Complete Guide To... (University of Michigan Press))
Paleo Joe, the author is a great promoter of the study of fossils. He begins with general information about types of follies and how they form, then some directions about collecting fossils, a discussion of the regional geology, then about 30 pages about the different fossils you will find in Michigan. Readers will find this a good beginner’s guide to fossils.

Is this an agate?: An illustrated guide to Lake Superior's beach stones Michigan
A handy small book features concise description of Lake Superior stones with drawings to help you identify each of the stones you are likely to find in the Upper Peninsula. Suggested beaches and directions to find them are included.

The Lake Superior Agate, One Man's Journey
This is different than most rock books. It is more a story about people he met and place he went searching for agates. It has some color photos of wonderful “Lakers”, but it is a homey story more than a how-rocks-are-formed book.

The Book of Agates and Other Quartz Gems
Just because a book is old doesn’t make it necessarily bad or good. But this is a great textbook about agates. A glossary of terms, a list of agate sources by state, chapters on opal, and petrified wood, and instructions for cutting and polishing agates, this is a complete resource.

Lake Superior Rock Picker's Guide
Like the Lake Michigan book, this is a good introduction for the casual rockbound. Colored pictures and information about where to find different kinds of rocks make it easy to identify your stones.

Rock Picker's Guide to Lake Superior's North Shore (North Woods Naturalist Guides)
Although technically this book isn’t talking about Michigan, is talking about the rocks found in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. The maps included refer to north shore locations, but the geological information, drawings, and rock descriptions are perfect for North Country rock hounding. At 40 pages it won’t weigh you down, and has just what you need.

Lake Superior Agate
The “Laker” is a favorite of many agate hunters. It is considered a prize by rock hounds in our area because of the wonderful colors and unusual patterns. Wolter’s books include an unusual personal touch. Wonderful color photos are accompanied by geologic history, how agates were formed, and great stories about finding Lake Superior agates in Michigan and Wisconsin.

The beauty of banded agates: An exploration of agates from eight major worldwide sites
This is a coffee-table book for sure. Beautiful agates from around the world (including our own Lake Superior agates) tease you from the pages, saying, “Why haven’t you found one like me?” The other agates included are Botswana, Brazilian, Condor, Dryhead, Fairburn, Mexican, and Queensland.

Understanding and Finding Agates
In 34 pages, the author covers: what is an agate, how did they form, how do you find agates, that are the types, properties, and how might so many Brazilian agates have formed. A brief description is paired with 36 pictures of different types of agates including locations and qualities (Laguna, moss, paintstone, peeler, etc).

The mineralogy of Michigan (Bulletin - Geological Survey Division ; 6)
Most of this book is a description by mineral of the locations by county in Michigan that you can find each mineral. For example over five pages tell about copper describing general characteristics such as habits, and crystallography, followed by a list of the 9 counties where reports say it has been found. This is for the most serious rock and mineral collector.

Rocks of the World

Geodes: Nature's Treasures
Few things attract a kid like a geode. Those kids grow up to be adults who love geodes—the sparkle and fascination of a hidden treasure are just too good to pass up. Almost 300 pages with photos, this book has lots of information for rock lovers.

Amber: Window to the Past
A large book with black and white drawings and color photos interspersed throughout, if you want to know about Amber, you can’t do better than this. Folks fascinated with bugs in amber will love all the details here.

Gemstones of the World: Newly Revised & Expanded Third Edition
This is a nice handbook about gems. Introductory pages tell about crystal systems, properties of gemstones, hardness and density levels, mining methods, cutting and polishing, and the different cuts of gems. The bulk of the book is roughly a page each of description and photos per gem. It is a wonderful book for browsing.

Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks & Minerals (Smithsonian Handbooks)
A handbook-type of book with large photos, crystal shape, group, composition, hardness, cleavage, fracture, formation, and tests, this book has a lot packed into a small package.

A Guide To Rocks & Fossils
A limited reference but this has great photos and touches more on rock hounding than the usual reference guide.

Rocks, Minerals & Fossils of the World
This book is a good reference guide in that it shows specimens as you find them, not as museum specimens, nice photos, and a good fossil sample reference.

Fairburn agate: Gem of South Dakota
Here are wonderful photos by Mary Jane Clark of the wonderful Fairburn agate, the best reference to the rare and beautiful Fairburn Agate available. The photos alone are worth the price of this book.