Shelves lined with cracked geodes, boxes and bins full of glittering crystals and minerals, and displays of fossils fill this colorful store. Miners Rock Shop is full of Arizona’s geological wonders. Miner and jeweler Sonseeahray “Sonny” Baar and archeologist Sam Baar, owners of the shop, run their family business in the eclectic town of Tempe, Arizona. The family owns five mining claims across the state, offering up earthly spectacles from the local landscape and beyond.
Their wide collection includes ultraviolet light-reactive minerals, crystals, gemstones, geodes, fossils, and lapidary rough. Visitors can take tours of their UV mineral room and crack open mysterious geodes. Beyond their selection of glistening goods, the Baars offer lapidary supplies and equipment, including faceting machines and other tools for polishing, cutting, and engraving. Sonny is an accomplished silversmith who makes the majority of the jewelry in the shop herself.
Among the shelves of gems hang captivating wildlife paintings, all of which are made by the owner’s 17-year-old son. The shop also features a selection of Native American art sourced directly from the artists themselves, including hand-carved Hopi Kachina, hand-woven Native baskets, Native pottery, and hand-carved Zuni fetishes.
