Category: Store News

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Young Rockhound Scavenger Hunt

Attention grown ups and young rockhounds!

We will be holding our Young Rockhound Scavenger Hunt, once again, this summer! We have held this in the past, and since we have an abundance of aspiring rockhounds coming from the newest generation, we are bringing it back! We genuinely hope this will be a fun yet educational experience for all the children (and the adults)! For more information, keep on reading.

First and foremost, this is a kids only event. We recommend that kids who are capable of reading comprehension and writing participate in this event, particularly ages 6-12.

About the Scavenger Hunt

All the young rockhounds that wish to participate will start at Level 1. They will have their entire visit to go around the store finding the answers to our questions. Once they’ve completed the worksheet, please have them hand it back to one of the associates to tally up their score.

If everything looks good, they will add their name to a crystal nametag, and we’ll tape it to our progress chart. This is merely so the children will be able to see their progress as they complete each level!

There are 3 Levels in total, and they will increase in difficulty. There will also be a bonus level for any child who wishes to take it on!

Each level that is completed will count as an entry for the GRAND PRIZE which will be announced at the end of summer, and that will conclude our event.

Meet Gemothy!

He is our mascot for this event, so you will be seeing a lot of him!

Every child that decides to participate will receive a “Gemothy” before they head off on their journey. Redeeming a Gemothy (handing your Gemothy back to an employee) will be helpful if they are stuck on a question and need a little guidance to find the answer.

They will receive one Gemothy per Level, so make sure they choose wisely!

Additionally, any question that was answered incorrectly on their worksheet will be corrected with the help of an employee. Whilst this event is meant to be fun and educational, we also want it to be fair in terms of giving every child a chance to be a winner.

Disclaimer: unfortunately, they cannot collect or take home Gemothy because we need to reuse him for any other children that would like to participate. We do appreciate your understanding!

Additional Event Details

  • This event will take place all summer – June 19th to August 31st, specifically when the kids are out of school to when they go back. Please keep in mind, we will be CLOSED the first week in July for vacation, so the event will be on pause during that time.
  • Kids should be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.
  • Parents or guardians will need to leave their contact information for any child that is participating in this event. This way, if your child is the lucky winner, we’ll know who to contact.
  • Children cannot exceed 4 entries. When they complete a level, they are not allowed to retake it. They must move on to the next one.
  • Winner will be announced on September 1st.

For any additional questions, feel free to message us at (856)-795-5077 or chat with us in person! We are more than happy to help! We hope to see you soon!

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New Year, New Look at Gary’s!

We’ve reconfigured our store’s layout to optimize your shopping experience.

Notice anything different? We’ve replaced some of our window displays, allowing us to shift a lot of our stock out onto the floor. If you see something you like on our website, they’re most likely in the tan cases you see in the picture!
Beads & Findings Display
Agate Slices & Bookends
Mini Amethysts and Rose Quartz points – more accessibility!
Front of Store Display with additional minerals
Web Inventory Case
Points case is now labeled!
Looking to have something custom made? We have open settings to help make your visions come true!
A “subtle” reminder that we sell birthstones! Getting one of our birthstone pieces, or having something custom made with any of our loose birthstones, would make an excellent gift for any occasion!
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Check out this article!

Thank you Gina Cronin and Natural Awakenings Magazine for this awesome article!

Gary’s Gem Garden: South Jersey’s Unique And Complete Gem & Mineral Shop By Gina Cronin

Mar 02, 2020 05:43PM

Gary’s Gem Garden is one of the most unique gem stores on the East Coast. Serving the community for 47 years, the family-owned shop has recently moved from their Cherry Hill location to a brighter, fresher locale in Mount Laurel. “We are super excited to welcome everyone into our new location, and hope they find what they love like we did,” says Crystal Weinstein, daughter of owner Gary Weinstein.

The 2,300-square-foot shop is filled with rocks and minerals of all types including quartz, amethyst, citrine, tourmaline, celestite, selenite, fluorite and many more. They have stones from gigantic to microscopic and every size in between. Customers can find the stone they seek in many forms: tumbled, carved, cut, raw, polished, in jewelry or even create a custom piece of jewelry. From animal carvings and wands; to silver and gold gemstone rings, bracelets and necklaces; to rough geodes, the selection is expansive.

The shop extends more of an earth science lens into these little wonders of the planet, but welcomes rock seekers of all types, from teachers to collectors to crystal healers. “The metaphysical world of gemstone healing is so vast, it’s nearly impossible for us to memorize all of the properties,” says Gary. “We have books and charts to aid our customers in finding the perfect stone for them. We love to see what they choose or what chooses them.” 

Gary started collecting minerals at age 11 and his fascination only grew from there. He had a full-fledged business by the age of 18. At first, he was out doing rock and mineral shows around the East Coast, then had a store in Woodcrest Shopping Center, in Cherry Hill, and it all grew organically into what it is today. After 17 years in Woodcrest, Gary and his family moved the store to Route 70 in Cherry Hill for 27 years, and now to Mount Laurel. “I think what he loves most is the chemistry aspect of it,” Crystal says. “There are over 5,000 different minerals that form naturally in the Earth, it is all so genuinely unique and interesting and that’s what sparked it in him.”

Another detail that customers love about the shop is a large portion of the items sold come with a label, clearly displaying their name and where they are from. People are more and more interested in the origin of their crystals, and even if the information isn’t displayed, Gary and his team always have that information available when possible. This is different from a lot of metaphysical stores where information about the mineral’s origin or even the chemistry and mineral makeup is not accessible.

They also focus on affordability. Prices start at 10 cents up to the thousands for more rare pieces, with many of the more common minerals priced at only a few dollars. “We pride ourselves on having the lowest prices possible,” Gary says.

It isn’t only rocks and minerals that marvel visitors at Gary’s Gem Garden. Other items include genuine and natural fossils from all over the world, historical and cultural artifacts, shells, machinery, books and charts, display stands, and other gifts and collectibles. The team also provides jewelry repair and custom jewelry designing in sterling silver, gold and platinum. They also plan to have in-store crystal events in the near future.

Gary’s Gem Garden is located at 3119 Rte. 38, Ste 1, Mount Laurel. For more information, call 856-795-5077 or visit GarysGemGarden.com.

Gina Cronin is a writer for Natural Awakeningsmagazine editions across the country, and lives in Lima, Peru. To connect, visit GinaImagines.com