Rockhound Talk LIVE

For our Season finale, meet Daniel Middel and Kristian Egberts- two Dutch prospectors and best friends who came together to create the largest online Dutch-speaking community of prospectors [Mineralenwereld (Mineral World)]. Mineralwereld is a nonprofit organization with the goal to educate people around the world about prospecting for crystals by providing online content such as instructional videos, best practices, locations, as well as offer an experience to connect and share online as a community. Come listen to Daniel and Kristian talk about their prospecting adventures across Europe, their stories of friendship, and some of the difficulties collecting crystals in different countries.

Dave Varabioff is a die-hard gold miner with 50 years of experience in the hobby and profession. Dave has been chasing gold since he was 11 years old and currently owns multiple mines. Since 1999, Dave has had a serious passion for crystallized gold which led to his purchase of the Colorado quartz mine which is one of the most famous mines in the world for crystallized gold. Come learn more about gold prospecting, what not to do with gold, and hear about some of Dave's adventures mining in the US and Mexico.

Amos Cunningham is a South Carolina beryl, amethyst, aquamarine, & smoky quartz mine owner, miner, educator, & mentor. Amos has been rockhounding for over 50 years. Over the last several decades, Amos has contributed to the community by helping establish a gem and mineral club for his region. He is currently the Vice President for the Upper Abbeville Gem and Mineral Club in Due West, South Carolina. He mentors and teaches those new and old to the hobby. His experience and research has led him to find incredible gems. Currently, Amos has a beryl gem in the Tellus Museum, as well as the University of Georgia museum.

This episode we sit down with Keely- a paleontological technician who does fossil preparation. Keely started a fossil prep and sale company called Fossil Oasis. Her clients include paleontologists, museum curators, and other professionals who work with fossils. Come listen as we learn about Keely's journey from college dropout to fossil preparer, and her rockhounding adventures along the way.

Our first guest of the season is Kayla Johanson. Kayla is a full-time gold miner and jeweler. Kayla has been mining for gold for over 10 years. You may know her from Discovery Channel's Gold Rush: White Water (Season 5 & Season 6). Kayla also mines for other minerals and crystals. She uses a lot of her discoveries, including gold nuggets, to create handcrafted jewelry. Kayla’s hardwork and creativity has led her to be very successful in both mining and crafting jewelry.

Carolyn, known on social media as The Miner's Girl, loves exploring abandoned mines. Hear her story about how she got interested in rockhounding, exploring abandoned mine tips, and how she educates the public on mining.

Dustin Twiss, of the Oglala Sioux, in South Dakota is a rockhound and artist. He collects Fairburn agates and uses the patterns of Fairburn agates for his "fortification art" which has won multiple awards. As Dustin says, "I combine my appreciation of nature and culture within my artwork to help share traditional Lakota knowledge.”

The Royal Peacock Opal Mines are a 4th generation Opal mining company in Nevada. The mines are known for having gorgeous black and fire opals from the Virgin Valley. We’ll chat with Jake Anderson, the current mine owner, about the history of his mines, and the gorgeous gemstones that the public can collect.

Grieg is a Canadian prospector who has been hunting & collecting minerals for over 25 years! With a gold claim in British Columbia, Greig’s main focus in prospecting is collecting precious metals, specifically silver and gold. Greig spends a lot of his time collecting in abandoned silver mines in Cobalt, Ontario.

Joe Soukup, an experienced Herkimer Diamond miner, invited Rockhound Talk Live to his private mine. In this episode we discuss Joe's journey with finding Herkimer Diamonds and starting a mine, as well as tips and tools for collecting Herkimer Diamonds.

The Agate Dude collects and sells agates from around the world, but specializes in Lake Superior Agates. Join us to discuss his journey, tips for finding Lake Superior Agates, and finding your community.

Finale to Season 1 where we sit down with Ben Chorn- a professional geologist and new co-host of Rockhound Talk Live. We discuss Ben's journey in geology, rockhounding basics, and answer some questions from viewers.