Rockhound Talk LIVE

For our Season finale, meet Daniel Middel and Kristian Egberts- two Dutch prospectors and best friends who came together to create the largest online Dutch-speaking community of prospectors [Mineralenwereld (Mineral World)]. Mineralwereld is a nonprofit organization with the goal to educate people around the world about prospecting for crystals by providing online content such as instructional videos, best practices, locations, as well as offer an experience to connect and share online as a community. Come listen to Daniel and Kristian talk about their prospecting adventures across Europe, their stories of friendship, and some of the difficulties collecting crystals in different countries.

Wayne Binsfeld has been hunting Lake Superior Agates (LSA) for decades. Wayne transforms some of his agates into beautiful carvings of animals, mushrooms, and more! He also does live shows online and is going to start teaching his ways. Besides making physical art, Wayne also creates LSA inspired artwork which he has transposed to stickers, shirts, and more which are available through his store (Wayne's World Agates and Fine Art)! Come learn about Wayne's creative process, the tools he uses, and the stories behind his agates.

Dave Varabioff is a die-hard gold miner with 50 years of experience in the hobby and profession. Dave has been chasing gold since he was 11 years old and currently owns multiple mines. Since 1999, Dave has had a serious passion for crystallized gold which led to his purchase of the Colorado quartz mine which is one of the most famous mines in the world for crystallized gold. Come learn more about gold prospecting, what not to do with gold, and hear about some of Dave's adventures mining in the US and Mexico.

Chase Pipes is a historian, educator, lecturer, teacher, business owner, historical researcher, commercial paleontologist, documentary filmmaker, professional living historian (reenactor), experimental archaeologist, metal detectorist, meteorite hunter, rockhound, and bottle privy digger. Chase also prepares and restores fossils & artifacts. Anything involving history, Chase does it. The Smoky Mountain Relic Room is owned by Chase and is home to the largest and most diverse range of historical artifacts for sale in North America.

Amos Cunningham is a South Carolina beryl, amethyst, aquamarine, & smoky quartz mine owner, miner, educator, & mentor. Amos has been rockhounding for over 50 years. Over the last several decades, Amos has contributed to the community by helping establish a gem and mineral club for his region. He is currently the Vice President for the Upper Abbeville Gem and Mineral Club in Due West, South Carolina. He mentors and teaches those new and old to the hobby. His experience and research has led him to find incredible gems. Currently, Amos has a beryl gem in the Tellus Museum, as well as the University of Georgia museum.

Tom Hebert is the Director and Founder of The Earth Sciences Foundation Inc. which offers dinosaur bone digs as a non-profit. Come listen to us discuss Tom's journey to starting his Foundation, inspiring kids and veterans, and the battles with mental health. We discuss topics from T-rex to car accidents to overcoming life's obstacles.

Trigger warning- suicide and depression is discussed.

This episode we sit down with Keely- a paleontological technician who does fossil preparation. Keely started a fossil prep and sale company called Fossil Oasis. Her clients include paleontologists, museum curators, and other professionals who work with fossils. Come listen as we learn about Keely's journey from college dropout to fossil preparer, and her rockhounding adventures along the way.

Sally is a second generation Montana miner who enjoys off-trail hiking adventures. She has been Rockhounding and mining her whole life and has recently been learning and honing her lapidary skills. Join us in discussing her rockhounding adventures from childhood to adulthood, as well as tips for finding crystals and minerals in Montana!

Our first guest of the season is Kayla Johanson. Kayla is a full-time gold miner and jeweler. Kayla has been mining for gold for over 10 years. You may know her from Discovery Channel's Gold Rush: White Water (Season 5 & Season 6). Kayla also mines for other minerals and crystals. She uses a lot of her discoveries, including gold nuggets, to create handcrafted jewelry. Kayla’s hardwork and creativity has led her to be very successful in both mining and crafting jewelry.