Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Hmmm... Ones' satisfaction with this purchase will depend largely on one's expectations. I bought 2 boxes of these for a kids' birthday party. My expectation was that we would have many types of geodes from different parts of the world. We could cut them open and discover some of the wondrous formations that our planet can create. We found quartzite, pyrite, amethyst, and many others. Inside the box is a great booklet which describes the various types of geodes. The kids were delighted. Some of the more interesting rocks warranted making slices which we could hold up to the light to see the interesting patterns inside. Others we quartered to achieve beautiful natural sculptures. I am very pleased with this purchase. Now for the caveat... Many folks seem to want to crack geodes with a hammer or a hammer and chisel. If this is you, this product may be disappointing since about 2/3 of the geodes were solid. We expected solid geodes. We used a tile saw to slice each geode to reveal the magical patterns inside. This purchase was perfect for that. The pyrite framboids which were included are always solid, so "cracking" those will always be a bummer. When sliced with a saw however, we saw the distinct lines of the crystal formation. So, if you can get your hands on a tile saw then these geodes are for you. (You can rent one.) If you want to smash them open, look somewhere else.