Welcome to The Snyder Group's links to the world of gems, minerals, rocks, beads and jewelry.

What is the philosophy of this page?

My goal in assembling this page of links is to help individuals quickly locate web sites that contain information specific to gems, minerals, rocks, beads and jewelry.  I have my favorite web sites, but at this time I have decided not make comments about each location.  I have tried my best to categorize these sites according to primary content or mission.  Please be aware that this is somewhat of a subjective process as it is sometimes difficult to make an exact determination.  Some jewelry related sites also sell loose gems and some gem dealers also sell mineral specimens.  So my best advice is to just click away and explore.  What this page does for you is save the search and locate time.

How this site works

This site is designed to allow you to browse many sites without having to create a new window each time.  If you want to view a site in full screen just make a book mark of the site you are visiting and then click on the book mark and the selected site will appear in a new window.  I look forward to your comments about these links so please send me you comments at expect@bigplanet.com.

What criteria is used for being listed?

Not every site I have visited is listed for a few reasons.  First, some sites take forever to load and quite frankly try my patience.  About 30 percent of the sites I have bookmarked over the past couple of years have disappeared.  I try to keep questionable links in a hold pattern for a few weeks until I know they work.  So my criteria for being listed on this page is simple.  The site must be related to gems, minerals, rocks, beads or jewelry and the link must work consistently!  If you want to add a link to this page or if you have additional suggestions for additional categories please email me at expect@bigplanet.com.

How this links page came to be.

A little over two years ago, I began to explore the World Wide Web--a totally fascinating place -- I'm sure you might agree.  One of my passions is a love for gems and minerals.  I like looking at them.  I like owning them.  I like reading about them.  In short, I am possessed by them.  So, with the discovery of the Internet I grew excited.  I wondered how many sites I could find related to my passion.  How many pictures of mineral specimens could I find?  How many "gem or mineral nuts" are out there?  I began searching for related sites with every available search engine.  What I discovered is that some sites are almost impossible to find, unless you really work at it!.  Consequently, locating related sites became a personal challenge.  I started keeping "bookmarks" of every location I visited.  One day I counted them just to see how many there were--I had over 200. At that point I thought I had them all!!  But with more time to surf and search the number continues to increase.  To date I have cataloged and categorized over 500 web sites related to the topics listed to the right. I am now convinced that there are many more and if they are out there, I will find them!
 

Disclaimer: The URL's (universal resource locators) listed on this page are for convenience and enjoyment of those who visit The Snyder Group web site.  A listing on this page is not an endorsement of any business--nor is the listing a guarantee that all URLs are in working order.