Tools for collecting stones are the basic hammer and chisels, the bars, picks, shovels, and rock tumbler polish. Hammer types are the chisel point, the pick point, the crack hammer and the cross peen hammer. These are all designed for the specific rocks that you might encounter while out collecting. Other accessories and gadgets are the basic hiking gear such as the backpack, the outdoor hiking clothes and footwear, the water containers. Then there is the ever important hand lens, the compass and inclinometers to let you know where you are, the field book, notebook, specimen containers, safety equipment such as glasses and gloves, sun protection in hot areas such as the sunglasses and sunscreen and a hat, and resource and reference materials for preliminary identification and on field cataloging.
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Before gathering up all the necessary equipment, first decide where to go. Some areas require permission and some absolutely do not allow the removal of specimens be they stones or minerals. This is true for natural parks especially.
Labeling, organizing and classifying also require their own kinds of equipment. A rock hound’s journal would be useful in the field for recording dates and places for each collecting trip. Once safely home, some cleaning materials such as brushes, alcohol, water, and rock tumbler polish would be needed. Labels and index cards could be used for cataloging the collection.
There are no hard and fast rules in the operation of this hobby, but some collectors like to use white lacquer paint and a black marker on a hidden part of the specimen. This is where they put the catalog number. Specific information is then recorded elsewhere, in an index card or notebook. The recorded information might include the date and place of collection, name and type, name of collector, and other such data you might have. A tray, a glass case, or just simply a shoe box will do as your collection containers. Some collectors narrow down their specimens to only one major type, for example, all igneous. Some go for all three types but catalog the collection separately according to the major types. It is really up to you. As they say, there is no hard and fast rule.
Being a rock hound or starting out in collecting is as easy as liking a stone enough to pick it up, bring it home, and get the machinery going on it with some rock tumbler polish. Without being aware of it, you might have amassed a collection of favorite stones already, whether you have chosen to break out that rock tumbler polish or not. These might be representative of the basic types, enough to start a collection. Some start as children doing a kid’s hobby and continue collecting for a lifetime.
As a starting hound, you could just be satisfied with looking at your collection and wondering at the beauty of rocks and the benevolence of nature. Or, curiosity might lead you to research on the classification of these specimens, their origins and characteristics. There are books about this, in the fields of geology, mineralogy, and other fields pertaining to this. The library and the internet are the other possible sources for knowledge expansion about the science and the hobby of collecting, cataloging, spinning with rock tumbler polish, and saving for a lifetime.