Friendly and knowledgeable employees. Cool items! Encouraged to touch certain artifacts. Variety of price points.

If you are even remotely interested in fossils or rocks, this is a must see in Fort Bragg! The owners (and everyone else I've encountered here) are super friendly and knowledgeable and they have an endless inventory of amazing fossils and rocks that are priced fairly. The best souvenirs in my book! I learn something every time I visit and usually leave with a few fossils too. Love this place! read more

This place is Rock'N!!!! What a really cool spot to check out with the little one. Place caught my eye because it has a dinosaur skull displayed at the window. Brought my girls inside to check it out and we loved the place. The store clerk was an amazing, knowledgeable and helpful. We were allowed to touch almost anything in the shop expect for minerals or displays that are fragile. We spent 20+ minutes in the store and felt with some cool souvenirs. If you're a rock/mineral lover or have kids. Give this store some love. read more

I LOVE THIS STORE!! Even the guys that work there. They are so awesome, friendly, knowledgeable. I love the selection they have. They even had a $3-4 section if you're looking for something cheaper. I spent a lot of time looking at the drawers of crystals and rocks. It was difficult to choose!! I ended up with two pieces. I love them! The three of us had s great conversation about all sorts of subjects during the 20ish minutes I was there. Will definitely be back!!! read more

Beautiful Earth - Galena and chalcopyrite on dolomite - Hobby Shops Near Me - Fort Bragg, California

In all my life, I have never been to a store like this one before; I really wish I have! My dad studied geology and dabbled in paleontology, so any store with amethyst and fossils in the window on display immediately draw me in. I don't know too much about the topics of study myself, but I can assure you the man working in this store sure does! My dad collects fossils and unique stones/rocks, so when I stumbled upon a 360 million year old cephalopod fossil, I knew I had to buy it for my dad so he could add it to his collection. My boyfriend bought an ammonite himself, since he loves seashells and aquatic creatures. Everything here is in great condition and is so beautifully polished and preserved. If this location were closer to me, I would spend a lot more money here. Upon purchasing your items, you will get a complimentary history lesson while being rung up at the register :) This guy clearly knows a lot and is very educated on these topics; his shop alone is a great reason to come to Fort Bragg because he will send you off with more than just your purchase -- you will leave with some knowledge and a piece of history as well. What a cool guy! If he's reading this, I hope he knows that his store was probably the highlight of our trip to Fort Bragg. When I gave the cephalopods to my dad, he was so ecstatic! If you have a friend or family member who is into paleontology, geology or history, this store is the PERFECT place to get a gift. Everything is unique, beautiful, and is a fun piece of history to take home with you. read more

Beautiful Earth - Hobby Shops Near Me - Fort Bragg, California

This place was amazing. Everyone there was having a wonderful time. Paleontologist Rob Sula was working there when I visited. I got great deals on little fossils, and I got to learn while doing it! read more

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We were visiting from SoCal and stopped in Beautiful Earth. We were so impressed by their collection of different rocks, crystals, and fossils. What a great collection of quality products! And the shop representative (I'm sorry I didn't get her name) was so knowledgeable, personable and clearly loved the items in her shop. We purchased a number of items and she carefully wrapped each one for travel. The crystals we purchased were beautiful specimens and fairly priced. Returning to the shop on our next trip to Mendocino/Fort Bragg. read more

I and my partner absolutely love this shop/museum! It is unbelievable how many gems they have beautifully organized in such a small store. Their gems are of the highest quality and beauty while priced quite reasonably. The two owners are also just plain nice guys not to mention experts in their field. I always visit their store when I'm in the area and thoroughly enjoy it! Thank you for such a remarkable store -- it's always an exciting event to experience, Marjie & Rob, Davis, CA read more

We have been coming here for years and it's usually the highlight of our trip (and our kids'). Gary is so knowledgeable and many of the items he has dug himself. The kids love hearing the story behind many of the pieces and it has ignited a curiosity to learn more. read more

The owner is AWESOME. I came in here randomly and was welcomed by the owner. He had a huge excavated dinosaur and lots of eye-catching items, so I'm sure people come in to windowshop all the time, but he was so inviting and engaging. He suggested I interact with one of the items on a table and excitedly told me about it. It's honestly refreshing to meet someone who is passionate! He is knowledgeable and includes info on all items with place and date of origin. I absolutely had to buy something and I'm so happy with my little piece of quartz which was in an area with lots of other gems/rocks for $5 and under. read more

The owner is the nicest person and will let you know all the information on any of the stones in the store. One of the most organized stores when it comes to stones I've ever seen in my entire life and the collection is probably unbeatable. read more

We visited Gary's beautiful collection of rare and sundry fossils, crystals, and stones, but the brightest gem we saw was his passion of all things geology. Having been a teacher and professor, Gary earnestly explained the various items in the store, sparking interest and awe in the hearts and minds of future fossil-hunters, curious collectors, and avid archeologists. Of our stay in Fort Bragg, Beautiful Earth was absolutely the "gneiss"est! You "rock" Gary! read more

I had an excellent experience in this shop. As a geologist, I was drawn to enormous amethyst geode in the shop window. It's a small shop, but packed with excellent gem and mineral specimens. Textbook beautiful. The shop owner is a former Earth Sciences professor and clearly enjoys what he does. He will enthusiastically explain any rock you chose and is genuinely interested in inspiring fascination with the natural world. **for those of you with KIDS A small display is set up in the middle of the shop which is entirely Hands-On! How would you like to hold a fossil? A real meteorite? Or crystals? Breathe easy while the kids enjoy the display, maybe learn something, and you can browse the more delicate samples along the walls and inside the drawers. read more

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This is not your average "rock" gift shop. Went in to have a quick look and kill some time before we rode the Skunk Train. However, the more I looked the more I wanted to stay. I was amazed by the sheer magnitude of how much they've got crammed into their tiny shop. They've got everything organized and labeled like a museum. They also show what each stone is made of. You'll see their more prominent fossils at first, but then you notice there are so many more. Rob Sula, a paleontologist and also running the shop that day, was very informative and great to talk to. Definitely planning on going back read more

Beautiful Earth - Hobby Shops Near Me - Fort Bragg, California

Wow!!! I hardly ever write reviews, but I feel so compelled to discuss and recommend this shop! I entered the shop (a mini museum, really) for the first time yesterday and was blown away by the passion and knowledge that Rob has. The fossil, gem, and mineral specimens are extremely high quality and very reasonably priced as well! I had a phenomenal time chatting with Rob and learning about all of the wonderful items that are on display in the shop. It's amazing to me that so many of the items were excavated by him personally. I only come up to Fort Bragg every few months, but I plan to make this one of my permanent go-to stops each time that I visit. Thank you for the passion and joy that you bring to all of your customers! read more

This small rock/fossil shop was amazing! So many fossils, dinosaur bones, rocks, meteorites, petrified wood, etc!! I could spend all day in here...the owners were so friendly and knowledgeable. We left the first day without anything but went back to get a megaladon tooth and some petrified wood. Love it....will return next time I'm in town! read more

What an awesome store! Amazing assortment of fossils and various crystals, and amazing conversation with the owner who is very passionate about his work. Prices are in line with online retailers but the buying experience is worlds better. A+ read more

An awesome shop. Spent about an hour here. Could of stayed longer. The owner is very knowledgeable and friendly. We got some awesome piece's. Will definitely be back when in the area. read more

I am a bit of hobbyist and am generally attracted to any event, display, or store that offering gems, rocks, crystals, or fossils. Rob's shop here is on another level. His items are untypically vibrant, all are natural stones, in all sizes, and were in variety that surprised me thoroughly. It feels as though you have stepped into the trophy room of renown. What brings this geologist wonder-collection to a new level is Gary with his excellent and interesting commentary. This man is the true gem amongst amethyst wands, opal slivers, and ferrite the size of ping-pong balls. read more

Simple gem of a store! The owner has a ton of various degrees and is more than happy to educate any patrons about the specimen they are purchasing or answer any other questions one may have! Excellent service and amazing selection! And if you don't see what you want - ask! He has drawers of items! read more

We found Beautiful Earth 3 years ago on a trip to Ft. Bragg with our grandchildren. The kids look forward to going back each year to the store to pick out a new treasure. The owner is a fount of information and clearly loves to help the kids learn about the fossils and the gem stones. Plus he's got a great sense of humor and is fun to listen to. This year we bought a piece of Bumblebee Jaspar, an amethyst geode and a quartz geode. Some of the pieces at the store have the most beautiful colors! Thanks for sharing your talent with all of us. read more

This shop truly deserves 10/5 stars. It is beyond amazing and I am always so excited to visit Fort Bragg, explore this shop's ever growing gem collection, and talk to the brilliant shopkeeper about all of the stones' properties and rarities. He has the widest selection I've ever seen, and whenever I visit I am captivated by everything I see. Almost all of my crystals are from this shop and if I lived closer I would probably be bankrupt. read more

Great store for minerals, fossils, and meteorites. The store was recently expanded and more of the stock appears to be going on display. The proprietor, Gary Mason, is a scientist and teacher and encourages the interest of children. He also knows fluorescent minerals. One of the best places I've found in California for rocks and minerals. read more

AMAZING! This is my first time visiting the area and trust me, you don't want to miss this shop. It's packed with stones, fossils, minerals etc. that will leave you in awe (priced reasonably too!) and the owner was extremely welcoming ang knowledgeable :) read more

A wonderful surprise during a short vacation to find such a professional and well-stocked rock store. Purchased several fossils and other smaller samples at very reasonable prices. Particularly good selection of meteorites. read more

This place is wonderful!!! I love fossils and crystals this place was a treasure to find. The owner was amazing and kid friendly. Very informative and kind. He let the kids touch almost everything and was more then happy to show them specialty items and answer questions. We spent an hour going through his boxes and picking out excellent specimens. His prices were also rock bottom. No pun intended. He had items from $2 and up. Love it. Will come back soon. read more

This is a great shop! The owner is amazingly knowledgeable and has a great sense of humor. I could spend hours and hours here just exploring his collection of minerals, crystals, fossils and such. A wonderful find in a little shop packed with treasures from around the world (and meteors, so off-world too). read more