While exploring Stardew Valley you’re bound to run across a variety of precious rocks and gems that will net you a tidy profit if tossed into your drop box at the end of the day. These are Minerals, and they’re well worth the effort to find - particularly if you want to please the people of the Valley.
Minerals serve a variety of purposes:
- As mentioned, they sell well. The rarer the Mineral, the more money you’re likely to get.
- They generally serve well as presents to NPCs. There are a few who don’t care for valuable rocks, however, and it’s best to note who they are on the first try so you don’t keep wasting precious stones on them.
- Many Minerals are used in Crafting.
- Minerals can be donated the Stardew Valley Museum & Library in exchange for gifts. In particular, you need to donate Minerals and Artifacts in order to gain access to the Sewers.
The problem, of course, is finding Minerals, as they’re rare and wily. You’ll find the majority of Minerals in the Mines, a dungeon in the northeast of Stardew Valley, through the following means:
- Minerals are sometimes contained in rocks. In particular, you want to look for rock formations with crystalline spikes sticking out of the sides.
- Occasionally you’ll just find Minerals sitting on the ground. These are usually cheaper, less useful Minerals, such as Earth Crystals and Frozen Tears.
- If you get lucky you may find Minerals inside containers in the Mines.
- Some monsters, when killed, will drop Minerals. These drops are fairly rare, however.
- Minerals can sometimes be gifted to you by NPCs, assuming you get to know them well enough.
- Last, Minerals can be found in Geodes. These little stones will be your primary source of Minerals throughout the game.
Out in the Open
As mentioned, you’ll occasionally find Minerals just sitting out in the open while exploring the Mines. Expect the following:
- Quartz (typically Mines Level 1 - 80, though can still be found below 80 as well)
- Fire Quartz (Mines Level 81 and above)
- Frozen Tear (Mines Levels 40 - 79)
- Earth Crystal (Mines Levels 1 - 39)
Crystalline Formations
One of the more predictable formations in the Mines are these crystalline formations. Though more often offering up Ores (Copper, Iron, Gold, and sometimes Iridium) these formations will occasionally yield up gem Minerals instead. You can find the following gems in crystalline formations:
- Emerald
- Aquamarine
- Ruby
- Amethyst
- Topaz
- Jade
- Diamond
Geodes
Geodes come in four different forms - Geode, Frozen Geode, Magma Geode, and Omni Geodes - and are most often found when breaking open rocks in the Mines. On their own Geodes are virtually worthless, but if you take a Geode to Clint’s Blacksmith and have him crack it open for 25 gold there’s a good chance you’ll find a Mineral waiting inside. Geodes typically pay for themselves.
Each Geode has a chance of containing different Minerals. The Minerals you may find in each are listed below.
Geode (Mines Levels 1 - 40)
- Alamite
- Calcite
- Jamborite
- Jagoite
- Malachite
- Nekoite
- Orpiment
- Petrified Slime
- Thunder Egg
- Celestine
- Sandstone
- Granite
- Limestone
- Mudstone
- Slate
Frozen Geode (Mines Levels 41 - 79)
- Aerinite
- Esperite
- Fluorapatite
- Geminite
- Kyanite
- Lunarite
- Pyrite
- Ocean Stone
- Ghost Crystal
- Marble
- Soapstone
- Hematite
- Fairy Stone
Magma Geode (Mines Levels 80 - 120)
- Bixite
- Baryte
- Dolomite
- Helvite
- Neptunite
- Lemon Stone
- Jasper
- Basalt
- Obsidian
- Star Shards
In addition to the Geodes listed above you can also find Omni Geodes. These Geodes appear on every level of the Mines, becoming more common the deeper you get, and you can also purchase them from Sandy’s Oasis, in the Calico Desert, on Wednesdays. Omni Geodes have a chance of containing every Mineral listed above, as well as rare Prismatic Shards.