Stanthorpe Crystal Cave

05/09/2026

05/09/2026

What’s releasing tonight at 7pm.

I’ve only managed get some lots of new minerals ready tonight with the hope of getting some polished done for tomorrow night. Is not a lot of variety with news so maybe a quick live before we can look at something else but we’ll see how we go a couple of these new releases I think offer a lot of colour and interest for great a great price while the rare and unusual childrenite on pink quartz, while pricier thank most our thumbnails are exceptionally well priced for what they are.

04/09/2026

🦊 THE RED FOX AFTERMATH 😞

And how to get notifications every time a page you follow puts up a post….

Well… that got a little more hectic than I expected. 😂

If you’ve followed us for a while, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve been trying to do things a little differently lately. More posts through the week, more random bits and pieces, and this week I even tried releasing some new stock through posts rather than saving everything for the lives.

I’ve released the occasional one-off or special piece this way before, but I’ve never really tried doing proper little releases of new stock throughout the week.

The main reason I wanted to try it is lag.

I know how frustrating the lives can be when lag is bad. You can genuinely think you’ve claimed something first, only to discover that Facebook has shown someone else’s comment ahead of yours. When it gets really busy and 10 or 20 people are trying to claim the same rock, I completely understand why people get frustrated.

So I thought perhaps posts might be another way of doing things.

And then came the Red Fox Agates. 🦊

I was probably a little too excited about these myself. Red Fox is a material I’ve lusted after for a long time, and when we managed to get this lot directly from the source, I was absolutely stoked. I knew other people would be excited about them too.

I just didn’t quite expect tonight.

I’d dropped a few hints yesterday that they would appear sometime this evening, after most people had finished work. I deliberately didn’t give an exact time because I didn’t want everyone sitting there staring at their phones waiting for me.

Tonight I snuck into the room while I was supposed to be doing things with the family, uploaded the post and then uploaded all seven videos as quickly as Facebook would let me.

Then my son dragged me back out of the room because apparently I was actually meant to be spending time with him. 😂

By the time I got back to my phone, things had gotten a little out of hand.

A number of people had started claiming on the main post rather than on the individual videos.

Unfortunately, with these sales the claim really does need to be on the video for that particular piece. Otherwise, when everything starts happening at once, it becomes almost impossible for me to work out who actually claimed what first.

I completely understand what happened, though.

The videos were probably too long. I was trying to give everyone a proper look at each specimen rather than just throwing up a photo, but that meant Facebook had to upload them one at a time. People could see something was happening, didn’t want to miss out, someone claimed on the main post and then it started a bit of a chain reaction.

In hindsight, photos probably would have appeared almost instantly.

But then I know me — I’d have worried that you couldn’t see the pieces properly. 😂

So I’m still trying to work out the best way of doing these releases.

Part of me actually feels like tonight was a bit of a mistake. These posts take considerably more work than simply putting the specimens through a live, and whatever doesn’t sell can then sit around for ages before I eventually get around to showing it again.

But then we do a live, Facebook lag gets involved, and people miss things that way too.

There isn’t really a perfect answer.

What I DO want to say is a massive thank you to everyone who turned up tonight, whether you managed to get a Red Fox or not.

And to everyone who tried and missed out, I genuinely am sorry.

I know it sucks.

Some of you have been buying rocks from us for years — some of you nearly every week — and still missed one tonight.

I saw Sharree mention that she didn’t even get a notification that the post had gone up.

That’s Facebook.

This page genuinely seems to have a mind of its own sometimes.

Unfortunately, I learnt a long time ago that once I set the rules for a sale, I have to stick to them. If I start changing things depending on who claimed or who I know, everything very quickly turns into utter chaos.

As much as I definitely have some favourites amongst you after all these years 😂, nobody gets special privileges when it comes to claims.

It just has to be whoever claimed correctly first.

I also know what happens when sales get TOO hectic. People get frustrated. People disappear for a while. Sometimes they unfollow. Sometimes they stop coming to the lives altogether.

And I completely understand it.

I collect rocks too. If 20 people claimed something I desperately wanted before Facebook even showed it to me, I’d probably be cranky too.

So I am genuinely trying to find ways of making this as fair and enjoyable as I can.

AND HERE’S WHAT I’M GOING TO DO ABOUT RED FOX…

Tomorrow I’m putting a piece of paper on the wall of my office with RED FOX written across the top.

If you tried to claim one tonight and missed out, I’m going to keep your name.

Next time we manage to get Red Fox Agate of this quality, I’m not even going to put it on the page first.

I’ll make a private group/message for the people who missed out tonight and show you what we have before it goes anywhere near a public release.

If you want one, fantastic.

If you don’t, no problem.

I can’t promise when that will be.

Our previous lot was already a few months ago, and I honestly hoped we would have had more by now. Unfortunately, this isn’t material that I can simply ring somebody and order another box of.

It isn’t really a conventional mine product either. People are out fossicking and collecting these agates, supply is limited, and there are obviously other people chasing them as well.

We were incredibly lucky to get these directly from the source.

If I could have bought 100 kilos, I probably would have.

I’ve been known to do stranger things. 😂

I absolutely adore this material, and it’s something I’d love our shop to become known for having when we can get it.

Hopefully more becomes available. When it does, the people who missed tonight are getting first look.

And finally, because Shaaree’s comment made me realise that some of you aren’t even being notified when these posts appear, I’m putting a video below showing you how to turn notifications on for a page you follow.

You can set Facebook to notify you whenever we make a new post, up to five posts per day.

Don’t worry — you’re very unlikely to get five notifications from me every day. 😂

It’s still basically just me doing all of this — the rocks, photos, videos, posts, invoices and most of the wrapping — and despite how often it probably looks like I’m here, I do occasionally escape the shop and spend some time with the family.

I pushed it pretty hard with posts this week just to see how it went.

I’ve still got rocks to get ready for tomorrow, and I’m out for most of Saturday with John, so five posts a day is certainly not about to become normal!

Watch the video below if you’d like to know how to turn page notifications on. You can actually do this for any page you follow.

Thanks again to absolutely everyone who joined in tonight, and especially everyone who took the chaos in good spirits.

If this was your first claim with us during the week, invoices will be done on Monday.

Have a good night, guys. 😊

04/09/2026

🦊 THREAD SALE — RED FOX AGATE | PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA

A limited release of seven beautiful Red Fox Agates from Patagonia, Argentina — some considerably larger than any we’ve had previously.

Red Fox Agate is a trade name for this distinctive Patagonian agate, recognised for strong reds, oranges, creams and earthy iron-rich colours, with complex fortification bands, plumes, tubes and wonderfully chaotic internal patterns.

The red and rusty coloration is largely associated with iron oxides within the silica, but these become especially interesting under UV. They fluoresce under both longwave and shortwave, revealing bands and zones that can look completely different from normal light. Shortwave is particularly impressive with this lot.

Only seven pieces, ranging from $90 to $360 AUD. Some are definitely better than others, so we’re leaving who gets first look entirely to the fate of the gods. 😂

Full videos and prices in the comments.

All prices are in AUD, GST inclusive.

If viewing this post from a share, you may need to travel to our home page to view all comments.

Please select All Comments in the dropdown to make sure you can see all videos and any potential claims.

Thanks for looking! 😊

04/09/2026

🔦 QUICK UV ROOM THREAD SALE 🔦

While I’m in the UV room, I thought I’d quickly throw a few fluorescent favourites under the lights and put up a little thread sale.

We do have more available of everything shown here, with two exceptions.

The chocolate calcite freeform is the last one we have, and the large red corundum is also our last large piece at the moment. The bigger red corundums have been a bit harder to get lately, although we still have plenty of smaller ones available.

Everything else shown in this thread we have plenty more of, so if something gets claimed, just ask and we can have a look for another one.

Full videos and prices in the comments.

All prices are in AUD, GST inclusive.

If viewing this post from a share, you may need to travel to our home page to view all comments.

Please select All Comments in the dropdown to make sure you can see all videos and any potential claims.

Thanks for looking! 😊

04/09/2026

🦊 QUALITY RED FOX AGATE — PATAGONIA

Five Red Fox Agates from Patagonia, and these ones are awesome under UV.

They react under both longwave and shortwave, but shortwave is definitely the better show, so that’s what you’re seeing in this reel.

These are also considerably larger than any Red Fox Agates we’ve had previously, ranging from $90 to $360 AUD.

It’s a very limited release — probably enough for everyone who really wants one, but some are definitely better than others. So rather than announce an exact time, we’re leaving it up to the fate of the gods as to who happens to be looking when they appear. 😂

They’ll be released via Facebook thread sale at a mystery time sometime this afternoon/evening.

Good luck! 🦊🔦

04/09/2026

STORY SALE — PAKISTAN BRUCITE 💛

A small selection of beautiful brucite specimens from the Killa Saifullah District, Balochistan, Pakistan, all presented and labelled in 70 mm membrane display cases.

Pakistan has produced some of the world’s most recognisable collector-quality brucite, particularly from deposits associated with the chromite-bearing ultramafic rocks of Balochistan. The locality became especially famous among mineral collectors for its remarkably vivid yellow brucite — quite different from the generally pale, white or colourless material historically seen from many other localities.

Brucite is magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)₂, and is a relatively soft mineral at only around 2.5–3 on the Mohs scale. The Pakistani material can occur as individual crystals, platy aggregates, rosettes and wonderfully textured crystalline masses, with colours ranging from pale cream and lemon yellow through to much richer golden-yellow tones.

These are all smaller specimens, but presenting them in the membrane cases makes them into really neat little display pieces and keeps the delicate crystals protected.

All $9 each, including the labelled 70 mm membrane case.

To get quick access to stories and any story sales, you can click on the shop avatar or icon in the top left-hand side of this or any post. It’s the round red and green tourmaline. If there’s a post running, it’ll take you to our Stories section. If there’s a blue ring around that, it means there’s a new story up that you haven’t seen.

If you’d like to look at any of the pieces in the Stories better or claim one, please comment on this post, as it’ll make it a lot easier for me to track it later if I’m away from the phone when you claim it.

Thanks for looking! 😊

04/09/2026

CANDLE QUARTZ — HUANGGANGLIANG MINE, INNER MONGOLIA, CHINA, THREAD SALE 🇨🇳

A few beautiful, good-sized Candle Quartz specimens from the Huanggangliang Mine in Inner Mongolia, China.

These are the remaining pieces from a much larger lot we had quite some time ago, and this is now all that’s left. They’re really quite pretty examples, with plenty going on when you look closely.

Candle Quartz gets its name from the distinctive secondary silica growth covering the larger quartz crystals, giving them that drippy, waxy appearance. The French have a much more elegant name for this style of quartz — “Quartz Robe de Mariée,” or “Wedding Gown Quartz” — which is probably a considerably nicer mental image than a half-melted candle. 😂

Essentially, the larger quartz crystals have been overgrown by later generations of fine, milky to opaque silica-rich material, producing the characteristic cascading, textured surface.

What I particularly like about these pieces is that the quartz underneath was already interesting before somebody came along and put the wedding dress on it. On several you can still make out what appear to have originally been sceptre-like forms, while others have additional quartz crystals growing up their sides and around the larger central points.

Some also carry small fluorite crystals, adding another interesting little mineralogical detail to hunt for.

Under UV, some show subtle fluorescence from trace manganese and other mineral material within or associated with the coatings. And some have considerably more impressive blue fluorescence thanks to a highly technical geological phenomenon known as dust. 😂 Apparently sitting around the shop for a few years has allowed them to develop their own fluorescent secondary mineralisation.

Really interesting quartz specimens with plenty of character, and these are the last remaining pieces from this particular old lot.

Full videos and prices in the comments.

All prices are in AUD, GST inclusive.

If viewing this post from a share, you may need to travel to our home page to view all comments.

Please select All Comments in the dropdown to make sure you can see all videos and any potential claims.

Thanks for looking! 😊

03/09/2026

🌸 SPIRIT FLOWER GEODES — SAN BENITO, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO — RELEASING BY THREAD SALE 🌸

these have all SOLD already but I’ve made a mistake these are all $45 not $80 sorry, well you likely happy if you got one..

Something a little different tonight — a selection of the unusual Spirit Flower Geodes from San Benito, Chihuahua, Mexico.

These are a fascinating relatively recent find from northern Mexico, made up predominantly of pale blue-grey to white botryoidal chalcedony and druzy quartz, with small purple to blue-purple fluorite crystals scattered through some of the cavities.

They’re already attractive little geodes under normal light, but they’re really best appreciated with a couple of different UV lights handy.

Under longwave UV, there’s actually quite a mixture of colour across this particular lot. Looking through the pieces here, we’re seeing areas of green, blue, red, pink and orange, sometimes with several colours showing within the same geode. Some of the little fluorites fluoresce, along with other fluorescent material within the cavities, including what has been identified in some of these as halite.

The longwave fluorescence is particularly difficult to capture accurately on camera, and in person the different colours are much easier to pick out. It is definitely a paler, more subtle display than the shortwave fluorescence, but there’s a surprising amount happening once your eyes adjust to it.

There’s also some phosphorescence after the UV is switched off, with parts of the specimens continuing to glow briefly, generally in a softer yellowish colour.

Then switch over to shortwave UV and they’re a completely different animal again.

Under shortwave, the pale chalcedony absolutely erupts into an incredibly bright yellow-green to almost electric green, while areas of the surrounding matrix fluoresce strongly red. The contrast can be spectacular, particularly inside the deeper cavities, and the intensity is on a completely different level to the longwave response.

The reason the two UV wavelengths can produce such different displays comes down to the different minerals, trace elements and defects within their crystal structures. Different fluorescent centres respond more efficiently to different wavelengths of ultraviolet light, absorbing that energy and releasing part of it again as visible light. Something that produces only a relatively subdued response under longwave can absolutely blaze under shortwave — and these geodes are a particularly good example.

So between normal light, longwave UV, shortwave UV and the brief phosphorescence afterwards, there’s quite a lot going on in these strange little Mexican geodes.

We’ve kept the pricing very simple with this lot and every piece is $80 each.

You’ll certainly see Spirit Flower Geodes around this size selling for considerably more. I could price the individual pieces up and down depending on the fluorite, cavities and fluorescence, but they’re all good value at $80 in our opinion — some just a little more than others — and keeping them all at one price makes life considerably easier.

Full videos and prices in the comments.

Videos show normal light, low and then sw for each piece.

All prices are in AUD, GST inclusive.

If viewing this post from a share, you may need to travel to our home page to view all comments.

Please select All Comments in the dropdown to make sure you can see all videos and any potential claims.

Thanks for looking! 😊

03/09/2026

RANDOM SPHERES THREAD SALE 🔮

A bit of a random selection for this one!

I’ve pulled out a basket of old-stock spheres we’ve accumulated over the years, so there’s a good mixture of different materials, colours, patterns, sizes and prices in here.

Some of these have been hanging around for quite a while, so I thought we’d put them all together into one thread and give everyone a look.

Full videos and prices in the comments.

All prices are in AUD, GST inclusive.

If viewing this post from a share, you may need to travel to our home page to view all comments.

Please select All Comments in the dropdown to make sure you can see all videos and any potential claims.

We should have more of most of these spheres…

Thanks for looking! 😊