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Connecticut Rockhounding Location Guide & Map

For being a small state, Connecticut packs a lot of great rockhounding opportunities within its borders. Connecticut has a long history of gem production, and the many old mines and quarries which dot its landscape are a testament to that tradition. Connecticut is most well known for its garnets which are primarily sourced from the Triassic age schists exposed by the Connecticut River. While the overall variety of rocks, gems, and minerals is sub-par, the state does still offer quite a few great rockhounding locations.

The best places to rockhound in Connecticut are old mines and quarries, some of which can be hard to gain access to. Outcrops of schist and basalt in the Connecticut River Valley expose pegmatites, garnets, and other minerals. Ocean beaches and stream gravels also make for great rockhounding sites. This article will dive deeper into the many great rockhounding sites across the state (along with maps). Continue reading from Rockhound Resource

From the Collection

Link to The Modern Rockhounding and Prospecting Handbook by Garret Romaine in Freading
Link to Stoned : jewelry, obsession, and how desire shapes the world by Aja Raden in the catalog
Link to Rocks, Gems, and Minerals by Garret Romaine in Freading
Link to An illustrated dictionary of jewelry : 2,530 entries, including definitions of jewels, gemstones, materials, processes, and styles, and entries on principal designers and makers from antiquity to the present day by Harold Newman.in the catalog
Link to Rockhounding New York by Robert Beard in Freading
Link to The Smithsonian National Gem Collection—Unearthed by Jeffrey Edward Post in Freading