alt Hacker NewsThese types of huge perfect specimens always take my breath away when I am able to see them in person. To think that this kind of stuff just kinda exists buried in the earth...
I am a part of a local mineral club which hosts several "field trips" a year to various mineralogically interesting locations (most of which aren't accessible as an individual, like private land and special digs at active mining/quarrying sites on their days off). I have never found anything even remotely as beautiful as the specimens shown, but the small collection of mildly interesting things that I've smashed out of the earth with my own 2 hands is amazingly satisfying to me. You don't even have to be a super dedicated "rock nerd" to take part, I highly recommend looking for local mineral clubs to join if this even remotely interests you. It's really a ton of fun!
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Finding specimens is not that hard or inaccessible if you are determined. Virtually any place on earth has its own geomorphology history. Start by looking at geological maps to learn what kind of rocks/minerals you can find in your surroundings and look for old/active mines, quarries or any activity that excavates soil, etc. Specimens can be found sometimes in land deposits from these activites.
That’s what really sucks about rockhounding as a hobby. In the US we have a blessing of public BLM lands where we can collect, especially in the West, but most of the interesting specimens in museums and fancy collections come from mines or some unique geological occurrence on private land. Getting them requires dropping lots of money or getting into commercial mining. The best most of us can really hope for is some small piece from tailings.
There are a few species you can sometimes find in washes when they get buried during massive floods, but other than that most museum quality specimens are impossible to find for rockhounds.
I still bring my trusty Estwing rock hammer everywhere but it kind of takes the wind out of the treasure hunting aspect.