Even if you regularly purchase rocks and minerals wholesale, there is a pretty good chance you’ve never heard of chrysanthemum stones. Before you start picturing a bouquet of brightly colored minerals displayed in a shallow vase, let me tell you that these unusual rocks are not the most colorful lot in your supplier’s catalog. In fact, they are a stark black stone that bears an unmistakable floral imprint; hence the term chrysanthemum stones.
Will your customers be looking for chrysanthemum stones this year?
It’s hard to say whether a certain set of regular customers is savvy enough to know about the latest trends in rocks and minerals, but let’s just say that once they see these unique specimens it will be hard to resist owning one. This very unusual material is made up of dolomite, limestone, gypsum-bearing clay, porphyry and lath-like crystals like celestite, calcite, andalusite and feldspar. It is these crystal elements that are grouped together against a matte black backdrop to form a pattern that resembles a blooming chrysanthemum.
Fossil collecting is hotter than ever, and rock shops have the opportunity to cash in on this trend. As the summer tourism season approaches, expect to see more customers requesting fossil specimens than ever. Before you start searching for the best prices on wholesale bulk fossils, be sure you know what you are looking for.
Fossil-hunters have been known to buy valuable fossils from land owners and then sell them for exorbitant sums, which may explain the interest in fossil collecting. Many fossil hunters skip the archaeological dig and look for unique and rare specimens at yard sales. There they purchase them for a few bucks, and then turn around and sell them online to serious collectors. But the average person looking at fossils for sale at your store will be a casual collector with an interest in learning more about our distant past. Fossils are one of the few specimens that provide us with a visual and tactile link to the plant and animal life that flourished millions of years ago.
When it’s time to stock up for the summer tourist crowd, most rock shops go back to the same old products from their wholesale supplier. While this might work for some store owners, there are countless new products added to your supplier’s catalog every year. Take Brazilian Agate, for example. When it was first introduced, buyers looked to it for break-at-home geodes and the occasional metaphysical ornament. Then came the brightly colored wholesale agate slices that every supplier had available, but few people were looking beyond the decorator piece and seeking out Brazilian agate bookends.
Rock and mineral retailers are often the last to learn the details of their inventory. After all, when you sell hundreds of different specimens, from fool’s gold to agate slices, it’s hard to keep up with them all. Wholesale rock distributors like Pikes Peak Rock Shop are well aware of which items sell well and which ones sit on the shelf. They know what you will need to preorder and which items you’ll need to replenish on a regular basis. That’s why it’s so interesting to shop in an online catalog that is designed to meet customer demand.
Stocking up your shelves for the coming tourist season can give any retailer a rush, especially a rock and mineral store located in the Southwest. This is where everyone comes to experience the wild landscapes and awe-inspiring rock formations, Rocky Mountains and Monument Valley. Not surprisingly, this kind of vacation puts everyone in the mood to start a rock collection. Of all the popular items on sale in these parts, break at home geodes are a perennial favorite. Kids and adults both enjoy the element of “surprise” whenever a geode is broken open.
Have you ever wondered what to get that person who has everything? Well, chances are your customers are faced with the same dilemma and that’s why they stopped into your store. In a world that is steeped in technology and electronic “toys,” there is nothing quite like buying someone candle holders made from selenite, or other gifts made from rocks or quartz. Perhaps we are more practical as a society today than we were ten years ago, which may have something to do with the economy, but more and more rock shops are tapping into the mainstream by offering household items made from rocks and minerals.
When a new customer enters your store and they are not already a collector of rocks and quartz, they may not find any reason to keep shopping. That’s why so many retailers have been successful with showcasing selenite candleholders near the front of the store. Selenite is a translucent mineral that is milky white, but it can also be yellowish or pale amber in color. When people buy candleholders made from selenite, they find it gives their interior space a spectacular glow. Selenite has the same effect on a flame as a rice paper lampshade has on a light bulb. It lets light shine through a filter and gives the entire room a warm glow.
It seems like retailers who sell rocks and minerals tend to “specialize” in a certain type of specimen; whether it is fossils, crystals or tumbled stones. But no matter what you consider the “theme” of your store’s selection, there is always room for agate slices. Even people who come into your business to start a collection for their kids are often mesmerized by the translucent colors and patterns in natural agate slices.
No matter which mineral specimens and gemstones you currently sell, wholesale agate slices should be a part of the mix. In fact, they may be the most commonly sold mineral item in the world. For souvenir and rock shops, colorful slices of Brazilian agate are among the most popular and affordable items. If you are like most rock shop owners, you probably want to stick to something that sells, so how do you know which agates to buy? Fortunately, there are several different kinds of agate slices available wholesale. Slabs of agate can be found in white, black and red, as well as many other brilliant colors like pink and aqua. With so many different gemstone varieties to choose from, the possibilities for store displays are endless.
Retailers who are looking for ways to boost sales this spring and summer should pay attention to trends in rocks and minerals. Collectors are savvier today than ever, and they are forcing retailers to rethink the inventory they sell in their stores. One clear trend among metaphysical enthusiasts is translucent selenite crystals, which are available at competitive wholesale prices at Pikes Peak Rock Shop.
Why is selenite so popular?
A crystal form of gypsum, selenite is naturally colorless and most likely seen in white tabular crystals or needle like formations. In its tabular form, it can be formed into solid shapes like massage wands or obelisks, but it is also known for its luminescent qualities. Due to its clear and linear structure, the crystal behaves like a fiber optic, meaning that light can be shown through the material and it will extend through to the ends. What most people don’t realize is that this quality is a physical manifestation of selenite’s metaphysical nature.
In addition to its natural beauty and value to rock collectors, wholesales selenite is also considered the “sword of awareness” among metaphysical believers. In the spiritual realm, selenite cuts through assumptions and promotes the connection between the inner mystic and the conscious self. It allows the body to remove blockages that keep energy from moving freely throughout the body, and which could also cause chronic diseases.
In a world fraught with economic uncertainty and stress, it is nice to know that you can still find lepidolite at the same place where you buy tumbled stones – Pikes Peak Rock Shop. It used to be that the average retailer could get by with just a handful of metaphysical healing stones, such as rose quartz and aventurine. But today’s shoppers are far more sophisticated and they are looking for the peace of mind that comes from lepidolite. If you do decide to start a metaphysical section in your store, be prepared for increased customer demand for specific crystals.
Lepidolite is available in many forms, including tumbled stones, but it’s more common to find this mineral in a slightly larger and rougher format like the one shown here. Collectors love the rose or lilac-gray color of this lithium bearing mineral. It is one of the major sources of rare alkali metals such as cesium and rubidium; in fact that is how the mineral was discovered back in 1861. These metals are mined out of granite pegmatite and found within some quartz veins, and this is also where deposits of lepidolite have been found. Within the mineral family, lepidolite is often associated with feldspar, amblygonite, spodumene and tourmaline, as well as columbite, beryl and topaz.
It’s funny how accustomed we become to seeing the “same old things” at certain stores. Perhaps this explains why it’s so refreshing to find your favorite store has added something new and exciting. A good example of this is the trendy gift shops found in many tourist areas. Every once in a while you will find something incredibly different in one of these shops, such as an amethyst display or a table full of hand dipped candles. The reason people shop these stores is to get something that they cannot find anywhere else, so why not give them what they want?
When retailers come to Pikes Peak Rock shop to purchase bulk amethyst for an amethyst display, it is a not always the owner of a rock shop making the purchase. For example, a store that caters to home decorators might also show off a grand amethyst display or a table full of tourmaline crystals as a way of inspiring their customers. Sometimes a New Age health food store will have a section on the side for metaphysical supplies, which will often include an amethyst display with pyramids, amulets, spheres and obelisks. Shoppers might also learn about the unique healing properties of amethyst, which include emotional, mental and physical balance.
