Rockhound Talk LIVE

Wayne Binsfeld has been hunting Lake Superior Agates (LSA) for decades. Wayne transforms some of his agates into beautiful carvings of animals, mushrooms, and more! He also does live shows online and is going to start teaching his ways. Besides making physical art, Wayne also creates LSA inspired artwork which he has transposed to stickers, shirts, and more which are available through his store (Wayne's World Agates and Fine Art)! Come learn about Wayne's creative process, the tools he uses, and the stories behind his agates.

Dave Varabioff is a die-hard gold miner with 50 years of experience in the hobby and profession. Dave has been chasing gold since he was 11 years old and currently owns multiple mines. Since 1999, Dave has had a serious passion for crystallized gold which led to his purchase of the Colorado quartz mine which is one of the most famous mines in the world for crystallized gold. Come learn more about gold prospecting, what not to do with gold, and hear about some of Dave's adventures mining in the US and Mexico.

Chase Pipes is a historian, educator, lecturer, teacher, business owner, historical researcher, commercial paleontologist, documentary filmmaker, professional living historian (reenactor), experimental archaeologist, metal detectorist, meteorite hunter, rockhound, and bottle privy digger. Chase also prepares and restores fossils & artifacts. Anything involving history, Chase does it. The Smoky Mountain Relic Room is owned by Chase and is home to the largest and most diverse range of historical artifacts for sale in North America.

Amos Cunningham is a South Carolina beryl, amethyst, aquamarine, & smoky quartz mine owner, miner, educator, & mentor. Amos has been rockhounding for over 50 years. Over the last several decades, Amos has contributed to the community by helping establish a gem and mineral club for his region. He is currently the Vice President for the Upper Abbeville Gem and Mineral Club in Due West, South Carolina. He mentors and teaches those new and old to the hobby. His experience and research has led him to find incredible gems. Currently, Amos has a beryl gem in the Tellus Museum, as well as the University of Georgia museum.

Tom Hebert is the Director and Founder of The Earth Sciences Foundation Inc. which offers dinosaur bone digs as a non-profit. Come listen to us discuss Tom's journey to starting his Foundation, inspiring kids and veterans, and the battles with mental health. We discuss topics from T-rex to car accidents to overcoming life's obstacles. Trigger warning- suicide and depression is discussed.

This episode we sit down with Keely- a paleontological technician who does fossil preparation. Keely started a fossil prep and sale company called Fossil Oasis. Her clients include paleontologists, museum curators, and other professionals who work with fossils. Come listen as we learn about Keely's journey from college dropout to fossil preparer, and her rockhounding adventures along the way.

Sally is a second generation Montana miner who enjoys off-trail hiking adventures. She has been Rockhounding and mining her whole life and has recently been learning and honing her lapidary skills. Join us in discussing her rockhounding adventures from childhood to adulthood, as well as tips for finding crystals and minerals in Montana!

Our first guest of the season is Kayla Johanson. Kayla is a full-time gold miner and jeweler. Kayla has been mining for gold for over 10 years. You may know her from Discovery Channel's Gold Rush: White Water (Season 5 & Season 6). Kayla also mines for other minerals and crystals. She uses a lot of her discoveries, including gold nuggets, to create handcrafted jewelry. Kayla’s hardwork and creativity has led her to be very successful in both mining and crafting jewelry.

For our Season 2 Finale we speak with Denali, aka dykanite- a geoscientist and LGBTQ science advocate. Join us as we talk about her research on volcanoes around the world, some of her most popular Tiktok topics, and the LGBTQ community in STEM.

Carolyn, known on social media as The Miner's Girl, loves exploring abandoned mines. Hear her story about how she got interested in rockhounding, exploring abandoned mine tips, and how she educates the public on mining.

Bethany Burke, aka BK Bones, is a paleontologist and certified fossil preparator who shares her passion for the prehistoric with engaging talks and lively demonstrations designed for school-aged children. BK Bones is a big proponent of STEAM education and makes questioning, exploration and creativity the heart of her approach. Hear her many stories about searching for fossils around the US, as well as educating others.

Dustin Twiss, of the Oglala Sioux, in South Dakota is a rockhound and artist. He collects Fairburn agates and uses the patterns of Fairburn agates for his "fortification art" which has won multiple awards. As Dustin says, "I combine my appreciation of nature and culture within my artwork to help share traditional Lakota knowledge.”

Our first lapidary artist of the season is the well known TikToker, Kelsey Darnold. A stay-at-home mum of 4, she became a social media sensation about 4 years ago when she purchased her first tumbler. Kelsey is a lapidary art instructor for children, an entrepreneur selling cabs and polished specimens, as well as a popular lapidary artist on TikTok.

The Royal Peacock Opal Mines are a 4th generation Opal mining company in Nevada. The mines are known for having gorgeous black and fire opals from the Virgin Valley. We’ll chat with Jake Anderson, the current mine owner, about the history of his mines, and the gorgeous gemstones that the public can collect.

Moha Mezane has been hunting fossils and minerals in the Sahara desert of Morocco for over 15 years. Moha also organizes geological field trips across Morocco and is most famously-known for the new shark species he discovered in 2020 from the Devonian Period. This new species is even named after him, Maghriboselache Mohamezanei.

Grieg is a Canadian prospector who has been hunting & collecting minerals for over 25 years! With a gold claim in British Columbia, Greig’s main focus in prospecting is collecting precious metals, specifically silver and gold. Greig spends a lot of his time collecting in abandoned silver mines in Cobalt, Ontario.

Zeke Holder is part-owner of the “Cherokee Ruby Mine” in Franklin, North Carolina. Zeke is an Earth/Space science teacher with a Masters in Education, turned mine owner. He’s gone from teaching science to high schoolers to teaching Rockhounds how to mine rubies and other precious gems.At the Cherokee Ruby Mine, you can find rubies, sapphires, garnets, moonstone, rutile, kyanite, & sillimante. This famous mine once supplied gems for Tiffany & Co.!

Joe Soukup, an experienced Herkimer Diamond miner, invited Rockhound Talk Live to his private mine. In this episode we discuss Joe's journey with finding Herkimer Diamonds and starting a mine, as well as tips and tools for collecting Herkimer Diamonds.

Meet the Arkansas Crystal Girls- two adventurous best friends who love to travel the beautiful state of Arkansas searching for quartz crystals. After a few viral videos on TikTok this past year showing some of their digging adventures, these besties have made it their goal to help encourage others to enjoy the hobby.

The Agate Dude collects and sells agates from around the world, but specializes in Lake Superior Agates. Join us to discuss his journey, tips for finding Lake Superior Agates, and finding your community.