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That Gemstone Came From Far Away Working at a store that sells gemstones and minerals, I have come to realize something: those rocks sure do like to travel! It would be very interesting to know to what extent, much like the “Where’s George” dollar bill tracking...
Denver Gem and Mineral Show We had a wonderful time at the Denver Gem and Mineral Show this year. It was warm and sunny every day, which is very unusual. Usually it rains at least two days during our trip. Two years ago it rained so hard there was major flooding. No...
Lots of Things to Be Excited About at The Fossil Cartel! We’re excited for you to see our new website! We’re all abuzz here at The Fossil Cartel with the birth of our new baby. It’s been months in the making with many hours of labor and beaucoup patience. We are so...
Do you own an opal? Precious opal is one of the most bedazzling stones in the mineral kingdom. With fiery flashes of rainbow color, it has mesmerized gem fanciers for centuries. Unfortunately opal has acquired a reputation as a "bad luck stone," a stigma that has...
Geodes were made to be cracked open! Thank God for discovery, the beauty and awesomeness of nature. Pleasant surprises are one of life’s great joys, like what you can find within a geode. They make life a heck of a lot more interesting, as in “CYO” geodes, or “crack...
Where to display your collection... If you like rocks like I do, it’s easy to accumulate a lot of them. The challenge becomes: what do you do with them all? I’ve put together a few different ways you could display your collection. Please let us know if you have...
The Fossil Cartel has all the display stands you'll need! Acrylic stands These display stands come in an assortment that let you display 3 dimensional, flat slabs, egg and sphere specimens. There are also magnifying boxes as well as stands that will light your...
Do you know the history behind the Morrisonite Jasper? We are blessed with a lot of really cool rocks in Oregon. Morrisonite Jasper is one of the most famous picture jaspers in the world right here in Oregon. It’s not really mined anymore, but we are fortunate that...
Dendrites can fool you Dendrites look just like fossilized plant matter. However, they are mineral formations, not plant fossils -- and one of my favorite mineral formations! The word dendrite comes from the Greek word dendron, meaning tree, and also describes the...
What are Fulgurites? Would you like a direct “pipeline” to Spirit? Check this out! Fulgurites are hollow tube-like formations that are created when lightning hits sand. The sand is melted from the impact and reformed into a natural glass-like material. They have a...
Lapis and Sapphire will help us celebrate pumpkin and the leaves falling! Happy Birthday to all of you born in the month of September, you get to enjoy Lapis and Blue Sapphire! Your birthstone is blue sapphire-a member of the corundum family (aluminum oxide). A 9 on...
Is your favorite an agate? People come into the store sometimes and ask, “What’s your favorite?” gesturing to include everything in the store. Many of us in that work here always have such a hard time answering that question quickly because we love all this stuff....
Fossils tell us a story about life Fossils are a part of geologic time, which can be a hard concept to grasp. We say that dinosaurs roamed the earth millions of years ago, but do we really even understand just how long is a million years? The currently accepted age of...
What is a natural gemstone? In the world of gems and minerals, most people would equate the word natural with a stone that was recovered from the earth and not treated or enhanced in any way. This is mainly true with mineral specimens, although some crystals may...
Here’s a link to some other great gift shops in Portland.