The first drop | geoslut

How the first drop works

The first drop works the way every drop will: each piece is one of one, and once it sells, it is gone. Prices are posted at the drop, sizes and weights are measured at drop, and the list sees every piece before the shop does. US shipping is free on orders over $75, and everything ships from Denver, Colorado.

Each piece also got a poster: a short line in big type over a plain specimen label. The lines are jokes. The labels are not. Every piece below links to its own page, with the full label, the care notes and the photo of the exact specimen.

Milky quartz cluster, San Juan County, Colorado

The milky quartz cluster from San Juan County, Colorado is the home-state piece: stubby white quartz points from the old mining country around Silverton, where quartz filled the veins that miners followed to the ore. Its white comes from millions of microscopic pockets of water and gas trapped as the crystals grew, which scatter light instead of letting it through. Clear quartz is the same mineral without them. It is a 7 on the Mohs scale, water safe and sun safe. Poster line: Creamy.

Elestial smoky quartz, Minas Gerais, Brazil

The elestial smoky quartz from Minas Gerais, Brazil grew in stacked, etched layers, with many small tips across its faces instead of one clean point. Minas Gerais is one of the great gem regions of Brazil. The smoke is natural radiation at work on traces of aluminum in the quartz, built up over millions of years. Long sun and high heat can undo it, so keep it away from both. It is a 7 on the Mohs scale and water safe. Poster line: Smokin'.

Cactus quartz, South Africa

The cactus quartz from South Africa is amethyst with a second growth of tiny crystals coating its points, the look also sold as spirit quartz. That sparkly coat is a later generation of quartz that grew on top of the first. The purple comes from iron and natural radiation, so strong sun can fade it over time. Like all quartz, it is a 7 on the Mohs scale. Poster line: Size matters.

Raw kyanite cluster, Brazil

The raw kyanite cluster from Brazil is blue blades of kyanite in pale matrix, and kyanite has a party trick: two hardnesses. Along the length of a blade it is about 4.5 on the Mohs scale, and across the blade it is closer to 7. Kyanite is an aluminum silicate, Al₂SiO₅, that forms under high pressure in metamorphic rock. It splits along its blades if knocked, so set it down gently and dust it rather than soak it. Poster line: Rock On.

Lepidocrocite crystal points

The lepidocrocite crystal points are quartz points from Brazil, Madagascar, Spain and India with red flecks of lepidocrocite trapped inside. Lepidocrocite is an iron oxide-hydroxide, FeO(OH), with the same formula as goethite but a different crystal structure. The quartz around the flecks is a 7 on the Mohs scale and water safe, so these are easy to live with. Poster line: Just the tip.

Celestite cluster

The celestite cluster is pale sky blue strontium sulfate, SrSO₄, in blocky, glassy crystals. The name comes from the Latin caelestis, heavenly, for that sky color. It is soft, 3 to 3.5 on the Mohs scale, and heavier in the hand than it looks, thanks to the strontium. Keep it dry and out of strong sun, and dust it with a soft brush. Its locality goes on the label at drop. Poster line: Meet Celestite.

Smoky quartz cluster

The smoky quartz cluster is a group of dark brown, glassy quartz points, with the color sitting in bands that follow the shape of the crystals. Like the elestial, it owes its smoke to natural radiation, so it should stay out of long sun. It is a 7 on the Mohs scale, and its locality goes on the label at drop. Poster line: Smoke Show!

The first drop FAQ

Are the first drop pieces one of one?

Every first drop piece is one of one: when it sells, it is gone, and the photo shows the exact piece.

Where do the first drop poster pieces come from?

The first drop poster pieces come from Colorado, Brazil, South Africa, Madagascar, Spain and India, and two get their locality on the label at drop.

When is the next drop?

The next drop goes to the list first, before it reaches the shop.

Is shipping free on first drop orders?

Shipping is free on first drop orders over $75 in the US, and every order ships from Denver, Colorado.

The first, drop