Previously Rockhounding
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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.
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
Jul 2, 2023
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. The Frantic Fumbler gives us his reasons for why so few young people are getting into the hobby and we go back to a time when buying direct from a manufacturer was a new, innovative idea. Check out currentlyrockhounding.com/podcast to see this issue's cover art and more!
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Jun 7, 2023
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 magazines share a related subject, they could hardly be more different.
Check out currentlyrockhounding.com/podcast to see this issue's cover art and more!
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Apr 3, 2023
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 using diamonds for lapidary applications, an ad for a belt and disc cleaner and a field trip article in which petrified wood is found via dowsing rods. We do read about some interesting ideas for projects that we would consider making! That's right, a good project idea from Rock and Gem! It was bound to happen eventually, it only took 18 issues.
Check out currentlyrockhounding.com/podcast to see this issue's cover art and more!
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Feb 4, 2023
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 promise of their titles? We also read about rock-related projects we probably won't be attempting any time soon like "Rock Flower Pictures" and "Gem-set Driftwood". As always, this issue contains plenty of interesting ads and even an article with genuinely good advice.
Check out currentlyrockhounding.com/podcast to see this issue's cover art and more!
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Jan 2, 2023
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 field to home, and our experience with polishing soapstone. We also learn a great new word for lapidary enthusiasts thanks to the Frantic Fumbler, who also wrote a great article spotlighting the lapidary world's transition to using diamonds. We're getting close to the end of the 1970s and some of the articles seem to be foreshadowing trends that we'll be seeing in the next decade.
Check out currentlyrockhounding.com/podcast to see this issue's cover art and more!
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Dec 1, 2022
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. We also discuss how not to give directions to a location (trash cans are not timeless landscape features), and the science behind iris agates.
Check out currentlyrockhounding.com/podcast to see this issue's cover art and more!
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Oct 23, 2022
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 filled with unconventional articles like a field trip report that is mostly about a murder and less about looking for rocks and making a one-of-a-kind chess set by hiring other people to do all of the work.
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Sep 22, 2022
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 learn about a very interesting mineral collector's collection, rockhounding locations in California and Montana, and too many mediocre lapidary how-tos!
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Aug 20, 2022
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 rock identification services, and a creative casting technique that is still popular today (although it has been slightly updated).
Check out currentlyrockhounding.com/podcast to see this issue's cover art and more!
This podcast was sponsored by GaiaGPS. Use the link below to sign up and get a discount and support the podcast. https://www.gaiagps.com/discounts/?fp_ref=currentlyrockhounding
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Jul 28, 2022
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 to all rockhounding authors everywhere. We also see a variety of upscale ads, some which seems like great deals and some much less so.
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Jul 7, 2022
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 reports and guidebooks, as well as the benefit of seeing rocks and minerals in a museum.
Check out currentlyrockhounding.com/podcast to see this issue's cover art and more!
This podcast was sponsored by GaiaGPS. Use the link below to sign up and get a discount and support the podcast.
https://www.gaiagps.com/discounts/?fp_ref=currentlyrockhounding
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Jun 30, 2022
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 by some PSA ads, and learn more than we ever wanted to know about Mexican agates and treated turquoise.
Check out currentlyrockhounding.com/podcast to see this issue's cover art and more!
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Jun 19, 2022
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. We also genuinely learn about some exciting places in Mexico and mediocre off-label uses for lapidary equipment.
Check out currentlyrockhounding.com/podcast to see this issue's cover art and more!
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Jun 3, 2022
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 shows come up a lot in both ads and articles and we note how they've changed, but not necessarily for the better.
Check out currentlyrockhounding.com/podcast to see this issue's cover art and more!
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May 25, 2022
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 hopes up on a deceptively titled article.
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May 11, 2022
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 a rockhounding in our neck of the woods.
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Apr 28, 2022
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 who is allowed to call themselves a rockhound, and discuss an article describing step by step instructions for risking one's life for the sake of crystals.
Check out currentlyrockhounding.com/podcast to see this issue's cover art and more!
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Apr 15, 2022
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 ourselves.
Check out currentlyrockhounding.com/podcast to see this issue's cover art and more!
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Apr 10, 2022
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.
Check out currentlyrockhounding.com/podcast to see this issue's cover art and more!
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Apr 10, 2022
Episode 1: June 1975
Join us for our very first read through of Rock & Gem magazine. In this episode we talk about how much has changed and yet how much has stayed the same in the world of rockhounding and lapidary.
Check out currentlyrockhounding.com/podcast to see this issue's cover art and more!
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Apr 9, 2022
Episode 0
What is Previously Rockhounding? Join us for our very first episode where we talk about why we’re reading old Rock & Gem magazines and what we’re expecting to learn and to read!
Check out currentlyrockhounding.com/podcast for cover art and more!
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