Our Story: How Earthwonders Was Born

As a kid, I had a small mineral collection—$5 and $10 specimens that fascinated me. Unfortunately, many of my best pieces were stolen on my 12th birthday while on display at a public library. Disheartened, I left the hobby behind.

Nearly 30 years later, while moving my mother across the country, she asked what I wanted to do with the remnants of my childhood collection. She sent me a photo. Seeing those rocks again triggered something in me. The nostalgia was powerful, but so was my curiosity: What incredible mineral specimens were out there now, three decades later? I opened my laptop and started searching.

To my surprise, finding fine minerals for sale online was a fragmented and frustrating experience. Searching for “aquamarine for sale” or “best mineral specimens” yielded scattered results—mostly small dealer websites, many with outdated designs and clunky navigation. There was no unified place to browse and compare specimens across many dealers. No system of validation, no reference pricing, no sense of community. Buyers were left to figure out quality and fair pricing on their own.

Then, I stumbled upon an incredible aquamarine specimen. It was mesmerizing—and expensive. But without a reference point, I had no way to determine if the price was fair. Where were the listings of similar aquamarines for comparison? Where was the historical pricing data? Where were the experts to validate quality and authenticity?

By contrast, when shopping for high-end speakers or watches, one can watch numerous YouTube videos and read numerous reviews from experts and enthusiasts who provide in-depth analysis, comparisons, and performance reviews. This kind of educational content helps buyers quickly understand what differentiates a great product from an overpriced or underperforming one. It builds confidence and reduces the risk of making a poor purchase. However, in the fine minerals market, a buyer is left to decipher scattered descriptions from individual dealers, often without the benefit of third-party perspectives or comparisons. This lack of accessible education forces collectors—especially newcomers—to make uninformed decisions, often at a high cost.

This lack of transparency and accessibility led me to a pivotal realization: Fine minerals needed a true online marketplace.

Determined to understand the industry better, I traveled to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, the heart of the mineral world. It was my first time seeing world-class specimens in person since childhood. The minerals were just as breathtaking as I remembered, but the experience was overwhelming.

With no centralized system for browsing or learning, I had to visit dealer booths one by one, manually comparing specimens, taking notes, and trying to remember prices. The process was cumbersome and inefficient. Even worse, many dealers discouraged photography, fearing that images of their specimens would surface online and impact their pricing strategy. Some pieces had no price tags at all—because in a market with no transparency, secrecy was the norm.

I asked about valuation. How does a collector know if they're paying a fair price? The answer was troubling: “You don't. You just need to look at thousands of specimens over a few years to develop an eye for quality.” The message was clear—this was a hobby for insiders.

Even dealers admitted that the high-end collector base was tiny, estimating only 200-500 people worldwide who regularly spent over $50,000 per piece. Compared to other collectible markets—watches, wine, art—this was shockingly small.

At that moment, I realized the industry was artificially constrained. Minerals weren't failing as a collectible because they lacked appeal—these were some of the most breathtaking natural objects on Earth. The problem was that the entry barriers for new collectors were too high. Without a marketplace that provided trust, liquidity, and accessibility, the industry would never grow beyond its niche roots.

I believed minerals could be a major collectible category if only we could make mineral collecting accessible and friendly to new collectors.

The need was clear:

Other collectibles—watches, wine, and even fountain pens—have thriving online marketplaces. Minerals, somehow, had been left behind. The fragmented nature of the industry, combined with its resistance to digital transformation, had kept it from reaching its full potential.

And I had the skills, resources and passion to build it. So I started working on the platform and named it Earthwonders.com.

Earthwonders.com is more than just a marketplace—it's a transformation of the mineral collecting world. We're creating a platform that brings transparency, efficiency, and excitement to a historically fragmented industry. Whether you're an experienced collector, a dealer, or someone just discovering the beauty of minerals, Earthwonders is designed for you.

If you're a dealer, collector, or enthusiast, we invite you to be part of this transformation. Our goal is simple: to make minerals an accessible, exciting, and thriving collectible category.

The mineral world is beautiful. It deserves a platform that does it justice.