Every rock belongs to one of three families, and the varieties below are the ones you are most likely to come across:

• Agate — Banded chalcedony, and the classic tumbling stone.
• Carnelian — Warm orange to deep red chalcedony.
• Chalcedony — The microcrystalline quartz family the rest belong to.
• Epidote — Pistachio-green crystals, often threaded through quartz.
• Jasper — Opaque and richly patterned, no two pieces alike.
• Petrified Wood — Wood turned to stone with the grain still readable.
• Quartz — The most common mineral you will pick up, in every color.

Field skills, from identifying a mystery pebble to putting a shine on it:

• Overview — Where to start: working out what you have actually found.
• Tumble Rocks — Turning rough finds into polished stones.
• Books — Field guides and references worth owning.

Rockhounding is only half about the rocks; the rest is knowing where to look:

• Awesome Places — Twenty collecting sites worth the drive, grouped by region.

Nobody learns this alone. Clubs, groups, and the references worth bookmarking:

• Resources — Clubs, groups, channels, and reference sites worth keeping to hand.