Previously Rockhounding
Welcome to the Previously Rockhounding Podcast where we explore the world of rockhounding and lapidary from the ye olden days of the 1970s and 1980s through the lens of vintage issues of Rock & Gem magazine.
- Update frequency
- every 22 days
- Average duration
- 64 minutes
- Episodes
- 22
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2024
Episode 21: May 1980
We're back with May 1980 and Rock & Gem is once again trying to convince us that minerals are a good investment and also teaching us how to use up every last bit of silver to make jewelry. We probabl…
Episode 20: April 1980
The 1980s are here and money is on everyone's mind, or at least on the minds of Rock & Gem contributors. We read about sky-high silver prices and how to protect your dollars by investing in diamonds.…
Episode 19: The Mineralogical Record Vol. 5 #4
To finish out the 1970s we take a break from Rock & Gem and read an issue of The Mineralogical Record to get a little more perspective on what the hobby was like during the decade. Although both maga…
Episode 18: December 1979
We've made it to the end of a decade with a lapidary Christmas 1979. The 70s don't exactly go out on a bang, but current trends are thoroughly represented in this issue with another article about usi…
Episode 17: October 1979
October 1979 promises articles on some very intriguing topics such as "Government and the Rockhound: Closing off the Backcountry" and "Are Fire Agates Really Opal?". Will the articles live up to the …
Episode 16: September 1979
In this issue some of the articles fall short of what's promised by their titles but we fill in the gaps with helpful information, such as the best ways to preserve your finds on their way from the f…
Episode 15: June 1979
We're starting 1979 off with lots of new and interesting ads including a very unconventional ad from Lortone, lots of field trips and some surprisingly wise and useful advice from the Frantic Fumbler…
Episode 14: January 1978
We've made it to 1978, the year the King Tut exhibit traveled around to museums all over the US, and Rock & Gem tries to convince us that it's definitely relevant to lapidary hobbyists. This issue is…
Episode 13: December 1977
December means it's time for another Christmas issue! This issue is complete with ads disguised as a gift guide, a heartwarming Christmas story, and tales of Christmas gift procrastination! We also l…
Episode 12: June 1977
In this issue Rock & Gem's field trip reporters are working overtime with reports from all over the US, including Florida, Texas, Wyoming and more! We also talk about the intricacies of providing roc…
Episode 11: April 1977
It's here: the 1977 Rock & Lapidary Guidebook issue! This issue does not disappoint with a couple of article hitting very close to home, including the field trip writing guide that we'd like to give…
Episode 10: January 1977
We start 1977 off right with some rockhounding life lessons, a field trip idea for the dead of winter and a jewelry project that we just might try. We muse on the best type of photos for field trip r…
Episode 9: December 1976
We enter another hectic holiday season in this issue, which is complete with a gift guide, simple project ideas and is chock-full of ads for amusing products. We also are unclearly called to action …
Episode 8: May 1976
In this issue we read multiple articles that offer little more than common sense, such as how to clean minerals; how to keep yourself safe from belt and pulleys; and more bicentennial jewelry guides.…
Episode 7: April 1976
This issue proclaims to be the "1976 Rockhound and Lapidary Guidebook". In it, we find many interesting ads for products that have been lost to time and some that seem a little out of place. Rock sho…
Episode 6: March 1976
In this episode we read about rockhounding in southern California and southern California-adjacent areas, and learn one good idea and many not so good ideas for using tumbled rocks. We also get our h…
Episode 5: February 1976
In this episode America's bicentennial is drummed into us by way of a number of projects and ads, we learn more than we ever wanted to know about quartz crystals and we finally read an article about …
Episode 4: December 1975
In this episode we find a number of things that haven't changed through the years. We are tricked by deceptively titled articles (Rock & Gem articles are the YouTube videos of the 1970s), read about …
Episode 3: November 1975
In this episode we are pleasantly surprised by some very elaborate ads and great field reports from Mexico to Oregon. We also read about some DIY projects that we will definitely not be trying oursel…
Episode 2: July 1975
In this episode we discuss rockhounding trip guides from Texas to Canada, speculate on product placement in articles and try to see the images in a celebrity’s rock collection.
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