Previously Rockhounding

We're back with May 1980 and Rock & Gem is once again trying to convince us that minerals are a good investment and also teaching us how to use up every last bit of silver to make jewelry. We probably won't be using those ideas any time soon, but we did get some good, kinky tips from the Frantic Fumbler.

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The 1980s are here and money is on everyone's mind, or at least on the minds of Rock & Gem contributors. We read about sky-high silver prices and how to protect your dollars by investing in diamonds. The Frantic Fumbler gives us his reasons for why so few young people are getting into the hobby and we go back to a time when buying direct from a manufacturer was a new, innovative idea.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.  

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We're starting 1979 off with lots of new and interesting ads including a very unconventional ad from Lortone, lots of field trips and some surprisingly wise and useful advice from the Frantic Fumbler. We also discuss how not to give directions to a location (trash cans are not timeless landscape features), and the science behind iris agates.

We've made it to 1978, the year the King Tut exhibit traveled around to museums all over the US, and Rock & Gem tries to convince us that it's definitely relevant to lapidary hobbyists. This issue is filled with unconventional articles like a field trip report that is mostly about a murder and less about looking for rocks and making a one-of-a-kind chess set by hiring other people to do all of the work.

December means it's time for another Christmas issue! This issue is complete with ads disguised as a gift guide, a heartwarming Christmas story, and tales of Christmas gift procrastination! We also learn about a very interesting mineral collector's collection, rockhounding locations in California and Montana, and too many mediocre lapidary how-tos!

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). 

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