How to Display a Rock Collection
After amassing your rock collection, the next logical step is setting up a display to house your rocks. Rocks often make for a beautiful natural showcase, especially if you follow a proper setup. Try to always keep rocks behind glass so that you can minimize dust and avoid frequent cleaning. This also helps to ensure that guests do not handle the rocks.
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Instructions
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Set the Stage
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Choose optimal lighting. Florescent lighting complements collections housed on a bookcase or shelf, while swing-arm lamps best suit a free-standing collection.
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House the collection. Use a glass display case to keep dust from settling on the rocks.
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Search for anti-glare glass. Cases made from this type of glass cut down on glare, thereby enhancing the beauty of your rocks.
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Employ the use of contrast to create a dramatic backdrop. For instance, light-colored rocks look best against a jewel-toned background, and vice versa.
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Visit a geology museum. Take note of their rock displays and mimic their qualities in your own display.
Showcase Your Rock Collection
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Consider quantity. Some collectors use one display while others employ different types of displays to house multiple collections.
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Group the rocks into a logical order. Type, color and texture are popular and easy categories to use.
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Keep it simple. Over-decoration, competing color schemes and overcrowded displays can ruin aesthetic appeal. Remember to let the rocks be the focus of your display.
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Consider using simple wooden stands to display your collection. By creating different levels for the rocks to rest upon, your collection will appear more interesting.
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Build it or buy it! Display cases can be assembled on your own or purchased through a manufacturer like USADisplay (see Resources below).
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Catalog your collection. Keep an organized record of everything you know about each rock so that you can share this information with friends and refer back to it as your own collection grows.
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Label each rock. By using tiny, numbered labels or small dabs of paint, you can easily utilize the information contained in your rock collection record.
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Tips & Warnings
Avoid mirrors. Although they can make the collection appear grander, they also reflect other unwanted objects such as the room your collection is housed in.
Be sure to expose your rocks to natural light often. Prolonged exposure to artificial light can affect the color of the rocks.
