Hardrock Summit 2022, Denver, CO

Diggin Dogs Booth at the Hardrock Summit

This past year has been a blur of activity and in the midst of it all we drove to Denver to participate in the Hardrock Summit for 4 days. We had no idea just how influential this trip would be and where it would ultimately lead us to. To begin with, our booth was upgraded to a larger event area thus putting us in amongst the “bigger dogs” in the Rock and Gem industry. Vendors and Distributors from around the world were there showing off absolutely spectacular gems, jewelry, and specimens - it was stunning. We met folks from India, Germany, Australia, and Ireland, just to name a few, and in the course of 4 days learned one heck of a lot about how this very fascinating tight network of people come together to sell and buy and travel all over the world to share their love of rocks.

And one of these beloved rocks is Canadian Ammolite. As you can see from the above picture, we have a large quantity of Rough Ammolite as well as finished pieces such as Pocket Rocks and jewelry, but from our experiences at previous rock shows Ammolite is still relatively unknown and is very often mistaken for Opal or Labradorite … well … that’s what we thought until Denver. More often than not fellow rockhounders stopping by our booth were impressed with our quantity and display and we had numerous fabulous conversations with well informed folks and in the course of these discussions learned a lot. One of our fellow Vendors was Enchanted Designs from Lethbridge, Alberta, and they own/operate one of the only Ammolite mines in Canada and have been wholesalers for many years. We had already learned about this company from our research into Ammolite, so it was a pleasure not only to meet them, but we were very appreciative of their openness to our questions and they were very helpful with their answers and advice. But the most important thing we learned/figured out, was this … Ammolite is Awesome! Ammolite is Rare! Ammolite is Very Popular! We have A lot of Ammoite! Rare Ammolite! Let’s Open a Store!!!

Hmmmmmm……………

March, 2024

So much has happened since I last wrote including … Opening a Store in Aberdeen in February of 2023. The last year has been a whirlwind of growth, meeting amazing new people, learning about our community, and finding out that People Love Their Rocks!! Everyone who walks through our doors is like a Christmas Present to us because we never know just what kind of delightful tale or rock they want to share with us or what kind of treasure they may find in our Store. The fit for our Store in our location in West Aberdeen has been like a glove and we couldn’t be more pleased. Having a location to showcase our Oregon Sunstones, Canadian Ammolite, Plus A Whole Lot More, has been life changing. The Rock Community has welcomed us with open arms and our In-house and Custom Created Jewelry has been received with great enthusiasm and support. And the Kids! We have a dedicated following of Young Rockhounders who delight us with their questions and genuine interest in Rocks and Minerals and knowledge about them … Truly our favorite part of owning a Rock Shop. Adding more rooms to the Shop is already on the horizon and we look forward to showcasing some truly stunning World Class Specimens sourced from Old School Geologists, Miners, and Jewelers. We are conveniently located right on Hwy 101 in West Aberdeen with off street parking … We look forward to meeting you soon!!