Easy Ways to Know if Your Rock or Mineral is Valuable

Every once in a while we stumble onto an interesting rock while being outdoors.  Many of us do not have enough information on what we have found and if it is valuable.  In short, you can learn if your rock or mineral has value if you can first identify it. 

Some easy ways to know if your rock is valuable will include; Noting where it was found, its color and clarity, its size, what shape it takes, and by doing some research.   Knowing if a rock or mineral is valuable will primarily depend on identifying it.

Noting Where the Rock or Mineral was Found

When you find a rock and mineral, the location will be a very key and an important bit of information in determining its value.  If you received the rock not knowing where it came from, you will want to scroll down to the next section.

If you found the rock, chances are others have found similar rocks in the area.  This information can be found in an internet search in many cases.  Many will write or talk online about the rocks and minerals they have found in videos, webpages, and forums.

If you are lucky, you can get a clear idea of what it is that you have found.   This will help you so you can do a little research on the value of the rock or mineral you have.

There is one thing to note about finding rocks or minerals in a known location.  If there seems to be an abundance of the rock all around the area, you may have a less valuable rock or mineral in your hand.  The more in abundance a rock or mineral is in a location the chances the value will be less.

In spite of this, if there is an abundance of the rock or mineral, there could still be some value in what you have in your hand.  You may have the best of the best specimen in your hand and most of the other examples in the area may pale in comparison.

If you can find only one or a few of what you have in a certain area, this may be an indicator of greater value to what is in your position.

This leads into the next few topics of the value in a rock or mineral.

The Value of Color and Clarity

Color and clarity will certainly determine if a rock or mineral carries more value.  When it comes to collecting rocks or minerals many gemstones will be valued based heavily on color and clarity. 

A nice piece of topaz will be more valuable due to its rarer colors of blue and pink. Emeralds will carry more value on how green in color it is and how pure and clear the mineral is.

There can be a lot of excitement when finding a rock that expresses a majority of a certain color on the rock.  Lapis lazuli is one of those rocks.  The more available blue on the rock, the more valuable it is.  Turquoise on the other hand, can have a greater value based on the depth of blue it is, or different hue.

In many cases color and clarity can be obscured.  You may not know how nice a color there is until you give it a cut and a polish.  You may not know how clear the mineral is until you cut into it.  With these instances it can be difficult to determine if you have a valuable rock.

This does not mean that a rock or mineral without color or clarity will not be valuable.  Keep in mind though that we humans have a draw to the visual.  We tend to value shinny pretty things!

Again, color and clarity will be a very big part of determining if your rock or mineral is valuable.  If you have something with some good color, hang onto it.  It may not always be valuable, but if it is nice to look at you might as well keep it.  It may also serve as an item to remember an adventure you had.

Size Does Matter for Value

The size of your rock or mineral you have will matter when it comes to value.  At most times more is better when it comes to a specimen.  We know size matters by well-known gemstones such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires.

Aside from these major valuable gemstones, larger specimens of other rocks or minerals will generally be more valuable.  Take malachite for instance.  The larger a specimen of malachite the pricier it can get.  Often the price can get close to exponential the larger the specimen gets.

If your specimen is pretty big, hang onto it.  I’ve heard stories where people have found a nice looking unique big rock, not knowing what it is, and just let it sit as a visual on their porch for years.   Later only to find they have a several thousand dollar petrified piece of wood.

A Shapely Rock or Mineral Can be Valuable

What shape or form a rock takes can be very important in determining if you have a valuable rock or mineral.  Many rocks will express a peculiar shape or pattern that can make it a bit more special than other rocks.

A fossil or a piece of petrified wood will look different than many rocks around you.  This uniqueness should be an indicator for you to hang onto it and attempt to determine what it is, as it may be valuable.

If you are out in a desert and see a peculiar shaped rock that looks a little out of place, you may have found a meteorite.  I have heard of meteorites being worth thousands and I have heard people finding them under these similar circumstances.

An agate or even septarian may not look like much until it is cut or polished, but its patterns are indistinguishable and beautiful.  In larger specimens they are worth some money.

If you have an odd shaped or different looking rock or mineral hang onto it until you can identify it.  Its differences may be enough to make the rock valuable.  If it is different, then it might be rare.  If it is rare then it might be of value.

Finding Value by Research of Rocks and Minerals

Using research to help you determine value in a rock or mineral may be the best way to go about it.  The internet, books, experts, and other means can quickly help you figure out what you have.

With a combination of color, shape, and where it was found, you can eventually figure out what rock or mineral you have in your possession through the means of research. 

A good book or website can list out many rocks and minerals with detailed information.  By this you can take what you know of your rock or mineral and compare it to your research.

Sometimes you may even know an expert or a place where there could be experts and describe or show them your rock.  Many experts right off the bat could tell you what you have and its value.  If not, they can likely give you direction on where to find information.

Determining if there is value in your rock or mineral can be easy to difficult.  The first and foremost step is to find a way to identify what you have.  Once you have identified what you have you can then research the value of what you have. Research based on color, shape, clarity, and so forth.

We have a great article “7 Ways to Identify my Rock or Mineral” that can help. This article will describe ways to help you identify your rock or mineral. Once that is done, you can get to the bottom of how valuable it is.