Category: conservancy

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Rock Shop Review – Pezrok Gems, Minerals, Fossils Gallery in Blue Ridge, Georgia

Pezrock Gems and Minerals of Blue Ridge Georgia

524 E Main St, Blue Ridge, Georgia 30513

Blue Ridge, Georgia is one of North Georgia’s true “gems.” Full of fine restaurants, cool dive bars, adult arcades, fine dining, easy dining, the wonderful Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, and also one of the finest gem, mineral, fossil and interior design stores that American Geode had ever visited. The expensive minerals are well labeled with relevant provenance and history and Pezrock also has very affordable minerals, gems and fossils and they are also well documented.

We were instantly impressed to see that they have out on the Main Street Blue Ridge sidewalk and geode cracked, that we instantly recognized as a version of a sawed off soil pipe cutter like the one American Geode uses to crack geodes!

Pezrock Gems and Minerals of Blue Ridge Georgia
Pezrock Gems and Minerals of Blue Ridge Georgia

In addition to the fine minerals, gems, and crystals, we discovered interior design concepts and a kitchen showroom constructed with counter tops and panels of the famous Green River fish fossils, and the kitchen bar stools and other home furniture like dining tables were carved from old hardwood in a style that maintained the form of the tree trunks and limbs. These were some of the most beautiful home designs we had ever seen, and made you want to own a home to incorporate these gorgeous Green River fossil designs,

Pezrock Gems and Minerals of Blue Ridge Georgia
Pezrock Gems and Minerals of Blue Ridge Georgia

So when in Blue Ridge, be sure to visit Pezrock as you must see their collection with your own eyes to believe it, and you will likely want to acquire one of their fine works too. Please tell them you read about Pezrock on NorthGeorgiaCulture.com!

Pezrock Gems and Minerals of Blue Ridge Georgia
Pezrock Gems and Minerals of Blue Ridge Georgia
Pezrock Gems and Minerals of Blue Ridge Georgia
Pezrock Gems and Minerals of Blue Ridge Georgia

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Rockhounding, Hiking, and Exploring the Geology of North Georgia

Yonah Mountain

Since moving back to North Georgia in late 2024, American Geode are loving and appreciating the chances for rockhounding, hiking, and exploring all the geology and geologic wonders of North Georgia. The North Georgia geology is a lot of metamorphic, so while there are few fossils to be found, North Georgia is full of quartz, some garnets, some amethyst and the rare gold discovery in Dahlonega that kicked off the first American Gold Rush and the infamous “Trail of Tears” for the Cherokee Indians (http://www.americangeode.com/blog/dahlonega-gold-rush-museum-review/). One of the benefits and advantage of living in North Georgia are that we are in the middle of dozens of state and federal parks, with plenty of variety for hiking experiences in the mountains.

We recently visited the Charles Smithgall Woods, https://gastateparks.org/SmithgallWoods, for a day hike to see Mount Yonah. The Smithgall Woods were gifted to the state of Georgia by philanthropist Charles Smithgall who also started a dog and cat shelter that American Geode supports, https://charlessmithgallhumanesociety.org/. This hike is just under 2 miles and can be completed in less than an hour unless you stop to smell the Georgia mountain laurel and take selfies in front of one of the best views of Mount Yonah. American Geode hiked the trail called Laurel Ridge Trail, and it was a delight.

The American Geode team hiked it during the week, so the crowds were a little lighter than on the weekends. While rockhounding is technically not permissible, we enjoyed so much admiring the geology of the hike as it descends up and then down a mountain. We took so many pictures and spotted numerous varieties of butterflies and saw a copperhead snake from the distance, whom we did not approach but seeing a copperhead was magnificent and a thrill. Hiking is a great workout, and we look forward to hiking all the trails of Charles Smithgall Woods. See our pictures of Mount Yonah (aka Yonah Mountain around North Georgia) and imagine what a gorgeous landscape you will see depending on the day, weather, and time of year.

Contact American Geode directly for any advice or questions, and enjoy rockhounding North Georgia!

Yonah Mountain
Yonah Mountain
Yonah Mountain
Yonah Mountain
Yonah Mountain
Yonah Mountain
Geology of Yonah Mountain, North Georgia
Geology of Yonah Mountain, North Georgia
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Paleoart collection of Original Vintage Artwork used for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 Calendar

Paleoart Original Artwork used for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 Calendar

American Geode are also paleoart, art, and antiques appraisers, dealers and collectors, and we very recently acquired the entire vintage private artwork collection of PaleoArt that was used in the 2002 calendar of the American Museum of Natural History, New York. The artist who had lived in New York City and worked at the museum, moved to North Georgia, which is also the homebase of American Geode now, and we have had the chance to become friends with her and share our love and appreciation for the museums of New York City, especially the American Museum of Natural History. Here is an article and review about AMNH from our most recent visit: http://www.americangeode.com/blog/tips-for-visiting-the-american-museum-of-natural-history-amnh-in-new-york/

These sketches are preserved under wax paper with the annotations and notes on the wax paper. The paleoart sketches themselves are so charming, educational, and cool; they speak for themselves. We are cataloguing this collection of PaleoArt and will offer it for sale sometime this year.

Please contact American Geode directly if you would like more information. We will also be posting images on social media, https://x.com/AmericanGeode. Below is just a portion of this magnificent special PaleoArt collection.

PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
Paleoart Original Artwork used for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 Calendar
Paleoart Original Artwork used for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 Calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
PaleoArt for the American Museum of Natural History 2002 calendar
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Knoxville Gem & Mineral Society 2021 Show!

Knoxville Gem & Mineral Society 2021 Annual Gem Show

Rothchild Conference Center 8807 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37923

Friday, October 15, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Saturday, October 16, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Sunday, October 17, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

As a precaution for Covid masks will be required for admittance.

The show will feature 23 vendors with a wide variety of jewelry, fossil and mineral specimens, meteorites, gemstones, and decorative objects. There will also be educational activities and gem and mineral ID tables. Admission Adults: $6.00 Run of Show Pass: $10.00 Children Under 12: Free

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Summerville, Georgia Agate Rockhounding Trip 2021

Summerville Georgia lace agate

Through one of the gem and mineral clubs to which we belong, we were invited to rockhound for lace agate, banded agate, moss agate, and druzy quartz from a private mining site near Summerville, Georgia.

I arrived and was lucky to have the entire mining area to myself except, over the course of the morning and afternoon, 2 different couples stopped by to collect agate, and a family was out on a rockhounding trip.

American Geode takes that attitude that if you can, take a lifetime supply. We filled up every bucket and bin we brought, and also picked up many large and heavy agates. The stone was plentiful. The only time we used our tools was to break apart a behemoth stone into more manageable sections. We found moss agate, lace agate, banded agate, and our favorites had druzy quartz pockets.

The beauty of these stones were not easy to see without being splashed with a little water, but we ran out of water, so started collecting more than enough to overcompensate as we expected to have some stones better suited for the garden. On a recent gem and mineral meeting over Zoom, when I was showing off these fine agate specimens, I learned that the agate, and the stone formation containing covers a lot of Northwest Georgia, even into Tennessee, but it is on private land, or federal park land, so not available or accessible to the general public.

This agate tumbles well, but it loses a lot of surface area during the tumbling. It is beautiful however, and we are sure that a cabochon or lapidary person would have even more fun with this agate.

We are selling this agate here: https://www.ebay.com/usr/americangeode

  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate
  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate
  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate
  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate
  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate
  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate
  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate
  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate
  • Summerville Georgia lace agate
    Summerville Georgia lace agate