Terms of use

Last updated November 7, 2026

Rockhound is run by Rec-Safe (RECSAFE), a Washington corporation ("we" and "us"). By using Rockhound, you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, please don't use it.

What Rockhound is

Rockhound keeps a rock, mineral, gem, and fossil collection's records: each specimen with what it is, where it came from and who found it, its size and properties, gem and fossil details, what it cost and is worth over time, where it's kept, and its photos and papers; collecting sites and field trips; checklists and a want list; storage places, sources, and dates to keep; printable labels; and reports for insurance, a theft, sales, and an estate. It also has a public dictionary of minerals, gems, rocks, and fossils that every account shares. A collection can be shared with the people its owner chooses, and shown through public galleries its owner makes. It's free to use. We may change it, add to it, or stop it at any time.

Your account

Give true information, keep your sign-in to yourself (your email, your passkeys, and any password or PIN), and tell us at info@rec-safe.com if you think someone else has used it. You're responsible for what's done with your account. A collection is yours. You can share it with up to 8 people, to look at it or to help keep it; they see everything in it. You can also make galleries: public links that show the specimens you choose, as described below.

What you put on Rockhound

What you add (your collection's records, photos, and papers, and the messages gallery visitors send you) stays yours. You give us permission to store it, show it to the people it's meant for, and copy it as needed to run Rockhound (in backups, for example). Only add what you have the right to share, and nothing that's unlawful, hateful, harassing, private to someone else, or meant to mislead. We may remove anything that breaks these terms.

Using it fairly

Please don't break the law with Rockhound, try to get into anyone else's account or our servers, overload it or copy it in bulk with automated tools, send spam, or use it to harm anyone. We may suspend or end the use of anyone who does.

Where you collect

Rockhound keeps your records; it doesn't tell you where you may collect. Follow the rules of each place: parks, reserves, public land, claims, and private land all have their own, and some fossils and artifacts can't be collected or sold at all. Ask permission before you collect on anyone's land, and stay safe: Rockhound isn't legal or safety advice.

The dictionary

The dictionary's figures are typical ones, gathered with care; real specimens vary, and an entry may be wrong. Check anything that matters (above all how to handle a specimen safely) with a full reference or an expert.

Values are your own

The values and gains Rockhound shows come from what you enter. It isn't an appraisal, or financial, tax, or legal advice. Have valuable specimens appraised by someone qualified.

Galleries and messages

You're responsible for what your galleries show. Gallery visitors must not send spam, threats, or anything unlawful; messages that do may be deleted, and a gallery's messages can be turned off at any time.

Your records

You're responsible for what you keep in Rockhound. Keep your own copy of anything important: the download in Settings has everything but the photos and papers.

Fair use of space

Each file can be up to 20 MB. Please keep to what you need for your own collection.

No guarantees

We work to keep Rockhound running and accurate, but it's provided as it is, without any warranty: it may have mistakes, and it may be unavailable at times.

Limits on our responsibility

As far as the law allows, Rec-Safe isn't responsible for any indirect loss or damage from using Rockhound (or not being able to), and our total responsibility for any claim is limited to what you paid us for Rockhound in the 12 months before it, or $50 if you paid nothing. Some places don't allow these limits, so they may not all apply to you.

The law that applies

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington and the federal laws of the United States, and any dispute goes to the courts of Washington. Nothing in these terms takes away rights you have under the consumer-protection laws where you live.

Changes and questions

We may update these terms; the date at the top says when we last did, and using Rockhound after a change means you accept it. Our privacy policy says what we keep and why. Questions? Email info@rec-safe.com.