Talk to a member of the geology or earth science department of your local college or university.
Talk to a member of the science department of your local high school.
Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies Box 10119 Alexandria, VA 22310-0119
Midwest Federation of Mineralogical and Geological Societies 306 Somonauk Park Forest, IL 60466
Check the phone book for your nearest rock and mineral shop and talk to the owners.
Role of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
The USGS reports deposits that seem likely to contain gemstones. It is not a function of the USGS to exploit such resources.
USGS geologists perform continuing research on kimberlites, the initial source of diamonds. Not all kimberlites are diamond-bearing, and some of the research is directed to learning what indications you look for during exploration to distinguish fertile from barren kimberlite. USGS geologists are compiling a U.S. map showing the locations of known kimberlites.
A trip to your local library is the best first step toward understanding gemstones and toward planning a trip to gem and rock shops or to places where you may be able to collect gemstones.
A list of _Selected references on rocks, minerals, and gemstones_ is compiled and updated every two years by the USGS Geologic Inquiries Group, 907 National Center, Reston, VA 22092; (703) 648-4383. The list has three sections: selected guides for rockhounds and hobbyists, general references for all ages, elementary school to adult, and periodicals.
The guides in Section I tell about equipment needed for collecting, etiquette of collecting, map reading, organizing a collection, collecting localities by States, mineral societies, mineral show dates and locations, and rock, mineral, and fossil dealers.
The references below focus mainly on natural gemstones and the gems made from them rather than on synthetic gemstones, rocks, or other nongem minerals.
The relatively few pages on gemstones in the multivolume _Minerals Yearbook_ provide data on sources, kinds, and volume of domestic production, domestic consumption, prices, and foreign trade. This U.S. Bureau of Mines yearbook is in the reference sections of many major libraries. It can be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.