I hope you enjoy this issue about women in rockhounding. As part of our “best of ” series, we’ve collected some of our best stories about women making a difference through their chosen career paths, businesses and collecting. Their contributions are significant and helping to shape this field for the future.
I certainly can’t claim contributions like our featured women can, but I have had the advantage of growing up with no restrictions on what I wanted to do. My science classes were always some of my favorites, besides English. As I’ve talked about before, I also traveled and collected and had fun in nature. My most significant contribution, I hope, has been passing my love of rocks, gems and nature to my children. They are grown now, but they have a solid base of knowledge and enjoyment. I always supplemented their formal learning. They made their first rock collections using shoeboxes, just like I did as a kid. They got grubby and a few scrapes as we dug for fossils. They strolled the ocean and Great Lakes beaches looking for local finds. They also had a tumbler running nonstop for weeks, in our basement, of course.
I hope that someday, my kids will pass this same love onto their children and so on. Afterall, that’s how our hobby and profession grow.
Enjoy women’s history month Rock & Gem style! And, if you get a chance, be sure to say thanks to the women that have made a difference in your rockhounding journey.
Happy collecting! 
