Rock & Mineral Encyclopedia

Search and identify 1,000+ rocks, minerals, crystals, and gemstones — with properties, formation, colors, hardness, and how to tell them apart.

Cathedral Agate

A banded agate whose internal structures resemble cathedral spires, arches, or a city skyline of towers and pinnacles.

A translucent chalcedony agate containing delicate, feather- or plume-shaped mineral inclusions that branch like soft feathers.

A banded agate that displays a moving shadow or flash across its surface when tilted under light, caused by closely spaced parallel bands.

An opaque blue variety of chalcedony jasper, less common than red or green forms, colored by mineral inclusions.

A prized Mexican jasper known for pastel green, lavender, and cream orbicular patterns that take an exceptional polish.

A prized Idaho picture jasper from Bruneau Canyon known for brown and cream orbicular egg-rock patterns and scenic landscapes.

A South African quartz whose central crystal is coated in a cactus-like crust of tiny secondary points, also called spirit quartz.

A translucent Wyoming chalcedony filled with delicate black manganese dendrites that resemble tiny ferns, moss, or starbursts.

Rose quartz that displays a six-rayed star (asterism) when cut as a cabochon, caused by microscopic rutile-like inclusions.

A pink-to-red quartz colored by iron oxide inclusions that create a speckled, strawberry-like appearance within clear crystal.

Exceptionally clear, naturally double-terminated quartz crystals from Herkimer County, New York, prized for their diamond-like brilliance.

Rutile is a major titanium ore and the famous golden needle inclusion that gives rutilated quartz its shimmering threads.

A green ornamental stone, often serpentine-rich marble or verde antique, valued for its rich green color and white veining.