Just wanted to discuss and post about a problematic rockhounding topic that's brought up occassionaly -- mainly on the subject of having "too many rocks". I just wanted to share my opinion on the topic and then ways to mitigate the issue.

As serious rock collectors we find ourselves with rocks overflowing onto flat surfaces in and around the home. Buckets, boxes, shelves, and gardens. Countertops, curio cabinets, and even your car. And the affliction grows commensurate to your love of the hobby. We become most aware of this conundrum when we realize there is no more space for new rocks, yet with some effort we manage to bend time and space tetrising our newly acquired treasure into spaces that would make Doctor Who raise an eyebrow.

What do we do with all these rocks? Well, here's a few ideas. One of the most obvious and intuitive things is landscaping. You can create aesthetic borders, walkways, or even walls of rock. Combine with cement and there's no end to the creativity you can come up with. What if you don't have the luxury of property outside and you live in a condo or apartment?

Donate. Go to your local rock & gem club and donate all of your extra rocks. There's always a group of people who are new to the hobby and would love to take your rocks. Whether they are new to the hobby or they are other experienced rockhounds that are interested in them. It will not only inspire the new people to become more knowledgeable rockhounds, but open up opportunities and rockhound networks for you.

Replace. As a experienced collector you will quickly realize that some of your newly collected specimens will be better quality than previous ones you've collected. Take that old chipped crystal you found years ago off the shelf and replace it with your newly found, more perfect version. By replacing, you are not adding more rocks to your collection, you are just making it better. As you blow the dust off your old collection you'll scratch your head wondering why you even kept some of them around. The TV show "Hoarders" comes to mind when I think about why we don't like to let go of things that have nothing other than sentimental value. Yes, we are hoarders in a way, but it's different right? We didn't just go to the store and buy something and throw it in a pile. It took time and effort to drive out and hike to the collection spot. There are fond memories we have with friends or family who were with us. The wonder and amazement we felt as we discovered it are as real as the worthless rock we are trying to hold on to. No, doubt it can be hard to let go, but since we can't really bend space or buy a new house everytime we need more of it it's time to let go and replace some of those rocks. And yes, sometimes this means trashing the old ones.

Lastly, you might think to yourself, "I've run out of space at my house, so maybe I just slow down a bit and stop collecting as much?". Well here's my opinion on the matter. Don't ever stop doing what you love and enjoy because you feel some irrational guilt. It's about getting out in nature, exercising, experiencing the peace from social media, TV, news, and cell phones. It's a liberating and life extending neccesity as I see it. I really don't see it as a "too many" problem, but more of a system of inventory management problem. If you think you have too many then it's time to start getting rid of enough of them such that you don't feel this way anymore. But if you're someone like me, and I probably speak for many others, I know I have too many rocks but don't care! I will keep doing what I love. I somehow manage to donate and throw out enough rocks to keep collecting on a regular basis. There is a balance to it all, and your priorities are your own. Get outside, stay healthy, and manage your inventory.

Obviously, life circumstances, money, age, and health, will have an impact on how much or how often you collect so I'm not saying you should be out there running around with a shovel in the forest screaming, "My precious!", when your car is getting repo'd and you're behind on your mortgage. We all need to slow down eventually whether it's because we simply can't physically do it anymore or because of life's curveballs. Get out there and hunt rocks when you can do it responsibly as the benefits far outweigh any shame of having too many rocks.

Those are some of my opinions on the matter. Please feel free to add your own opinions or suggestions.   

Wow, you are so right about too many rocks. I never really thought of myself as a collector. I came across an area where the rocks were setting off my metal detector so I became curious about them. I was living in a house when I started and when I got ready to move into an apartment, I realized that I had way too many rocks so I just photographed what I thought was important and returned most of them back to where I found them, I only kept a few of them. Being new to rock collecting everything seemed so neat to me that I wanted to bring everything home that I picked up.

Good idea, Rob, it may be very reassuring to her. Just don't tell her about your new storage unit until she's read it.

Great advice, Scott. The issue does usually sneak up on most rockhounds. I'm working on making different piles around here. Yard rocks, donation rocks, $1.00 rocks, then I might tackle the storage unit.