If you don’t know what you’re looking at, an unopened geode looks pretty much like a plain old rock. Split open, it’s a hollow wonderland of crystals and bands of color. Breaking open a geode is like finding the treasure in a Kinder Egg, minus the chocolate, of course. Appearing in edible form on cakes, in home decor such as bookends and wallpaper, in jewelry (often called druzy), and even in nail designs, geodes are really popular these days.
What Are They Exactly?
Geodes are rocks with a hollow center filled with crystals or other minerals. They tend to form in stratified (layered) rocks made up of either volcanic material like basalt or tuff, or in sedimentary carbonate materials like limestone and dolomite. They form when bubbles or gaps in the rock are filled with water containing crystallizing minerals such as agate, quartz, or opal.
Common Types
Smaller, fist-size agate and quartz geodes are probably the most common and least expensive. Many geodes have whitish or grayish crystals and are dyed bright colors to make them look more appealing. Geodes are often cut in half with one end of each half flattened to make beautiful bookends. They can also be sliced and sold for decorations, as magnets, or as jewelry for smaller geode slices.
What’s So Special about Geodes?
With all the gemstones and minerals out there, what’s so special about geodes? Well, there’s something special about a rock that holds a secret the way a geode does. And, of course, they’re sparkly and often colorful. What’s not to like? Some believe that geodes help create good feng shui. Others find additional value in the types of crystals they contain:
- Amethyst – calm and wisdom
- Calcite – radiant and cleansing
- Citrine – positivity and confidence
- Agate – healing and truth
Where Can You Find Geodes?
Lots of shops have whole and cut geodes sold for decoration or novelty. Some good bets are:
- Rock shops and rock and mineral shows
- Nature and crystal healing shops
- Museum gift shops
- Antique stores
You can, of course, also buy geodes online, ranging in price from a few dollars to tens of thousands. You can even buy geode kits which come with unbroken geodes that you can crack yourself (carefully!). And if you want to go hunt down your own geodes, a few places in the US are worth looking such as:
- Keokuk, Iowa
- Along the Green and Kentucky Rivers in Kentucky
- As Lake Superior Agates – Try Agate Beach in Grand Marais, Michigan or glaciated areas of Wisconsin such as St. Croix county
Geodes can be found all around the world in all sorts of colors and patterns. If you’re really adventurous, you can even walk inside a massive geode, the Pulpi Geode in Spain, which has a hollow middle about 24 feet wide and 16 feet tall. You’ll never look at a plain rock again without wondering if it’s a geode!
