Duo Seeks to Share the Joy of Rocks

By Michele Robertson

Terrain in New Mexico is a geology lovers’ playground. Around a billion years ago or so, the landscape we see today began its transformation, which can be seen all around the state. The Guadalupe Mountains and surrounding area are the remains of a gigantic reef, and within those remains are treasures to behold. Surface collection of rocks and minerals is allowed on public lands, and Desert Minerals owners Michael Parr and Ngoc Dung Ho want to share the joy of rocks and rock collecting with the community.

From his personal collection to what is available for purchase, a lifetime passion has produced the fledgling Carlsbad business, a specialty retail store offering a diverse selection of high-quality rocks, minerals, gemstones, fossils, and geological specimens. Field trips out into the desert to collect rocks are offered through Desert Minerals, with Pecos diamonds first on the agenda for collecting.

“For me, this is not just a business. It’s also about sharing a passion and hoping to help grow that passion in others. The collecting trips are nothing more than nerdy people meeting in a location and finding rocks, but we start with Pecos diamonds because they’re local and are a good way to get to know people before going on bigger trips where we might share locations. Geology enthusiasts are known to save and share their locations with people they trust,” Parr said.

Parr’s passion for collecting began at an early age, “I started picking up rocks and bringing them home from the beaches of the Great Lakes in Michigan. I used to make sandcastles and then use the bucket to bring home rocks. Then I got into tumbling and collecting fossils after I found my first fern in shale,” he said.

This led to a background in geology, with Parr being a science teacher in Arizona for years, developing the geology curriculum for the district. He got involved in clubs and events, networking with people at the Tucson Rock & Mineral Show, which led to rockhounding trips in different regions of the world. Parr is relatively new to Carlsbad, having moved here a couple of years ago from Las Cruces.

“The desert is full of rocks and minerals and even with the potash mines and the oil fields. The culture around this area is intertwined with Geology. It’s nice to go and see and explore the world around us and get people interested to see what’s out there,” said Parr.

“You can find us down at the farmers market on Thursdays but since rocks are so heavy, we can only carry a limited supply to events,” Parr said.

In addition to the weekly farmers market, they can also be found set up at CavernFest and other vendor events around town as they are able to get in. The annual rock show at the zoo is full this year, but the duo hopes to be at the Deming rock show and would like to add other shows to the schedule next year.

“We have other events such as collecting locally, and once or twice a month will open the garage and show fluorescent minerals as well as more variety than what is possible at the local markets,” he added.

At most events, Ngoc Dung Ho shares his passion and knowledge with attendees. His enthusiasm for rocks and minerals shows as he describes what visitors see and asks questions to learn more about what they are interested in, offering suggestions of new minerals to discover.

“It’s easiest to reach us through either our Facebook group or messenger. If you follow our Desert Minerals Facebook and TikTok page, you can see where we will be; get education on minerals as we will post things weekly; and see materials that are available for purchase if people are interested,” Parr stated.

Dung’s favorite minerals are rhodochrosite, amethyst, and blue lace agate, and Parr’s are all the variations of obsidian, quartz with inclusions such as garden, rutile, enhydro (water trapped), and all the shapes, colors, and types of Pecos diamonds. “The natural beauty of our world is ever-changing, but rocks carry on the beauty the longest,” Parr enthused.