Expand Your Collection With the Best Rock Collection Sets

Finding the Finest Rock Collection Set: A Buyer's Guide

Each rock layer has a tale of how it was formed from its surrounding atmospheres, such as a river, desert, or seafloor. This is why many people find it fascinating to discover such rocks and acquire them for their personal collections. A boxed collection of rocks can be pretty handy for those interested in rocks and geology, regardless of age. 

But, with tons of rock collections available on the market, it can get pretty challenging to pick the right one. We’ve put together this buyer’s guide to help you find the top-quality rock collection set that will not only add to your collection but also provide valuable information.

Things to Know Before Purchasing a Rock Collection Set

Type of rocks

While a bunch of rocks that reflect a specific region or location has its significance, folks with wanderlust may be captivated by unusual rocks with striking patterns. Are the rocks in your area volcanic, sedimentary, or metamorphic? If you lack expertise, you may readily obtain information online or through the many books that are readily accessible. To recognize your rocks, you can use an identification table. 

Rock collection box

Skip the fancy options. Instead, you should go for the most functional boxes. Big wooden boxes, though handy, are hard to use and see-through; thus, a plastic or cardboard box would be the ideal option. Choose one that has a separate compartment for each rock to save you from the hassle of rearranging the rocks back after every random mixing. Also, ensure the box closes tightly and securely

In general, avoid buying collections glued to cardboard, as it hinders close inspection. After all, nothing’s better than a close hands-on exploration of the rock, feeling its texture and observing its lovely intricacies up close.

Additional items

Many collection sets come with magnifiers, though these are generally not trustworthy since they are expensive items and dealers tend to cut costs. Sometimes a streak plate and hardness testers are also incorporated, which is a bonus. Look out for color identification charts as they help identify and educate beginners. The collection is often accompanied by learning guides with facts and information regarding the given rocks. They also generally come with a box, such as plastic, cardboard, or even wooden cases, for storage convenience.

Get rocks, not chips

A suitable rock specimen should have a measurement of at least 1.5 inches, but a hand specimen usually doubles that size. Bigger rocks are comparatively easy to examine, scratch, and chip, owing to their size. 

When making a purchase, set a priority; for instance, if you are looking for a rock collection to build your child’s interest in collecting interesting stuff, small rock pieces will suffice. But, if you want to study rocks for educational and academic purposes, larger rock pieces will be required. 

How To Organize a Rock Collection

Identify, tag, and catalog your collection

This step may be the most time-consuming and intimidating on the first go, but don’t fret! First and foremost, invest some time into identifying your sample and collecting information. Then go on cataloging the collection with the specimen’s name, when it was collected or whom you have purchased it from, and any more background information regarding it. 

Choose how to sort the collection

This is where the real party begins! When it comes to sorting, there are no right or wrong answers. Allow your creativity to go wild and organize your rock collection set as you like. Depending on the type of material or your personal choice, you can sort your rocks by:

• Location 
• Type of material 
• Class of mineral 
• Color
• Size
• Alphabetically