While walking along the beach, you might stumble upon some pretty cool stones and crystals, each with its own color and shine. From sparkling quartz to smooth, colorful agates hidden among the pebbles, the beach can be a treasure trove.

These stones aren’t just pretty to look at; some of them can be quite valuable too. Finding a piece of amber or a well-formed crystal can feel like hitting the jackpot, and learning about what you’ve found is part of the fun.

Semi-Precious Finds for Beachcombers

We’re going to explore what kinds of treasures you can find, how to spot them, and where the best spots might be to discover them. Plus, we’ll talk about how valuable they can be and how you can identify them.

Geodes

Geodes might look like regular rocks on the outside, but they’re full of surprises inside. The outside is often a boring color, like gray or brown. But when you crack them open, you’ll find shiny crystals inside.

The price of geodes can change a lot, from about $5 to more than $1,000. How much a geode costs depends on a few things: how big it is, what kind of crystals are inside, how rare it is, and its condition.

Laguna Beach and Palos Verdes can yield geodes near the coast lines. You might also find geodes in places on the beaches of Lake Michigan, like near Manistee.

To tell if a rock is a geode, you can look for some clues. Geodes are usually roundish and have a rough surface that might feel like cauliflower.

You can also try picking up the rock to see if it feels lighter than other rocks, which means it might be a geode. Another trick is to shake the rock near your ear. If you hear rattling, it could be loose crystals inside.

Agate

Agate is a pretty stone that has stripes or bands of different colors. These colors can be all sorts of shades like red, blue, green, or even clear.

A piece of agate can from just a dollar to thousands of dollars. What makes one agate more expensive than another can depend on its color, how clear it is, the pattern of its stripes, and how big and well-cut it is.

You can find small agates after storms on the Oregon coast, in Newport and Lincoln City. In Northern California, near places like Fort Bragg, you might find colorful little agates polished by the waves.

And near Lake Superior’s shores, especially in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, you can sometimes find agates near the volcanic rocks.

To tell if a rock is agate, you can try scratching it gently on glass; if it leaves a scratch, it might be agate because agates are pretty hard. Another trick is to hold it up to the light. This can help you see if the rock has bands like agate.

Jasper

Jasper is a pretty cool stone that comes in lots of colors like red, yellow, brown, green, blue, and black, but you see red a lot because of iron. It’s known for having awesome patterns like swirls, bands, spots, and more.

A rare kind of jasper, or one that has really deep and bright colors, might cost more. Jasper with super neat patterns or that’s big enough to be cut into cool shapes for jewelry can also be worth more.

You can find small, smooth jasper pebbles after storms near Brookings and Port Orford in Oregon. In California, around Carmel and Big Sur, you might also find jasper on the beach.

You might also come across jasper on the shores of Lake Superior.

Figuring out if a rock is jasper can be pretty straightforward. First, check out the color and look for those cool patterns like swirls or spots – jasper’s full of them. Remember, jasper won’t let any light through, so it’s not see-through at all.

Amethyst

Amethyst is a beautiful purple stone that can range from light lavender to deep, dark purple. This stone is really pretty because of its color, and when it’s cut well, it shines and sparkles.

The price of amethyst changes a lot based on its color, how clear it is, and how well it’s cut. Deep purple amethysts are typically the most expensive, especially if the color is consistent all through the stone.

If the amethyst doesn’t have any little marks or cracks inside it, it can be worth more.

You can find amethyst along the shores of Lake Superior and the beaches of Shelter Cove in Northern California.

Amethysts often grow in groups of crystals that can be either small or big, but you can also find singular crystals. To test if a rock is amethyst, you can try to scratch glass with it because amethyst is relatively pretty hard.

Amber

Amber is old tree resin that turned into a gem over millions of years. It’s usually yellow, but you can find amber in other colors like green, blue, and even red. Amber is pretty shiny and it feels warm if you hold it in your hand.

One cool thing about amber is that it often has stuff like bugs or leaves trapped inside from millions of years ago.

Amber prices can change a lot based on a few things like color, how clear it is, and whether it has any inclusions. Rare colors like green or blue are usually more expensive than the common yellow.

You might find amber along the Atlantic coast in states like New Jersey or Maryland, especially after big storms. Alaska’s southern coast is another place where people have found amber, possibly brought over by ocean currents from far away.

If you think you’ve found amber, try gently heating a needle and touching it to the rock. If it smells like pine and melts a bit, it might be real. But be careful because this test can ruin the amber.

Nephrite Jade

Nephrite jade is known for being really strong and comes in lots of pretty colors. While green is the color we think of most, ou can find nephrite in other shades too.

This rock can fetch a wide range of prices, from pretty cheap to super expensive. The deeper and brighter the green, the more it’s usually worth. White nephrite, called “mutton fat jade,” is rare and can be quite expensive.

You can find nephrite jade on the California coast, especially at a place called Jade Cove near Big Sur.

To tell if a rock is nephrite jade, see if it has a slightly oily shine. It also has a kind of fibrous appearane if you look at it up close, with tiny lines or a grainy texture that you can see on polished stones.

Chalcedony

Chalcedony is a cool gemstone that comes in many colors like black, blue, green, and more. It can also be kind of see-through or completely opaque.

The value of chalcedony can vary based on a few things. If it’s a rare color or really clear, it might cost more. Stones that are cut and polished well are usually worth more too, especially if they’re big enough for jewelry.

There’s a chance that you can find chalcedony in places like the Great Lakes region and the California coast. You might also have some luck on Lake Superior shores and in places like Cambria in California.

Here are some tips to help you tell if you have chalcedony. It has a waxy shine and might have cool patterns like bands or spots. You can also try scratching it on glass; if it leaves a scratch, it might be chalcedony.

Quartz

Quartz is a cool-looking mineral that can be clear or have different colors because of different elements. It shines like glass, which is pretty neat, and you can find it in groups of pointy crystals. Some crystals are tiny, and others can be really big.

Quartz isn’t always super expensive, but some kinds can be worth a lot. Ordinary types like clear quartz or milky quartz are usually cheap, but fancy ones like citrine can cost a lot more.

The really rare kinds of quartz can even cost thousands of dollars if they’re big and look nice.

Near Acadia National Park in Maine, you might find quartz pebbles on the beach because of the granite rocks around there. You can also find quartz pebbles in places like Torrey Pines in California.

Quartz crystals often have a special shape, like little hexagons that end in a point. If you’re not sure, you can try scratching a rock on glass; if it leaves a scratch, it’s probably quartz.

Serpentine

Serpentine is pretty cool because it looks a bit like snake skin with its patterns and colors. Most of the time, it’s green, but you can also find it in other colors.

A piece of serpentine can cost just a few dollars to a lot more for a single carat. Pieces with a dark, rich green color tend to be worth more, kind of like jade. You might also find serpentine in rarer colors like black or yellow.

Serpentine might pop up on beaches in Northern California, near places like Marin County up to Humboldt County, and in Central California around Monterey Bay.

It can also appear in Washington, like on the Olympic Peninsula or the San Juan Islands.

To tell if a rock is serpentine, check if it has a greasy shine. If you try scratching it gently with a fingernail or a penny and it scratches, it might be serpentine, but be careful not to scratch it too hard.