Welcome to Rocky Road Minerals, a small (but rapidly growing) Irish online shop full of beautiful stones, fine specimens, a selection of raw rocks, beautiful jewellery, healing crystals, gemstone accessories and even terrarium stones for those more interesting hobbyists out there!
Let us guess... You have been browsing the Internet for days in search of that special, Irish Quartz crystal to carry with you, to remind you of home, or the land of your ancestors. No? OK, then maybe you have recently visited the Emerald Island and are looking for a timeless souvenir, a REAL piece of Ireland? Or perhaps you find Irish geology fascinating and you`ve just decided to start a collection of Irish minerals? For whatever reason you are on the hunt for an Irish stone, we know it can often be difficult and discouraging, not knowing where to go and what to look for. Well never fear because WE LOVE ROCKS, AND THEY LOVE US!!! so we are here to guide you through all your stone and crystal needs.
Believe it or not there are very few active mineral collectors on the island. We may even be so bold as to say that you can count them on one hand! Usually, these rockhounds collect for themselves with no intention of selling, so in fact only a small number of specimens are ever listed for sale! For this reason, Irish minerals are rarely seen on the market and are as a result highly sought after by customers.
The great news is that we at Rocky Road Minerals are bringing the world of Irish and international stones closer to your doorstep! We are a family run business made up of mineral lovers and collectors with an incredible passion and endless enthusiasm for all things rocks and minerals! We never miss an opportunity to collect, so we can bring you current and sought after finds from most localities in most Irish counties AND from around the world. The minerals that we have to offer are colourful, unique, rare, exquisitely beautiful and one of a kind!
We have also expanded our product range to include more stunning high-quality jewellery as well as miscellaneous esoteric products including smudging and incense sticks, craft supplies, beauty products, candles and holders and much, much, more!
So welcome to Rocky Road Minerals, your Irish rock shop. And now its time to meet the team...
Monika is the owner and creator of RRM and is an avid and passionate mineral collector. She has loved crystals ever since she can remember….possibly even before she could walk! She has her own large collection and is in her element when she is out and about exploring rocks and going to gem and mineral shows.
She has a Masters Degree in Applied Linguistics, in other words…from an education, psychological, and sociological point of view she can offer practical solutions to real-life problems! She certainly put this knowledge to good use when starting RRM, turning it into the thriving business that it has become today!
Monica lived and worked in Poland, Norway, USA and Tunisia before settling in Ireland permanently with her husband Martin, also an avid collector, and the “muscle” when the girls need some heavy lifting. She also shares her home with her two very energetic young sons and pet dog who keep her busy when the company doesn’t.
Monika runs RRM with a very keen business eye as well as a great artistic flair and passion for beautiful minerals. Besides being the brains behind the business, she is also responsible for marketing, promotion, buying, rallying the troops and is literally the “rock” that holds her team together. She never misses a trick and is one of the most thorough, energetic and passionate business owners that you will ever come across. It’s hard to say where Monika gets her boundless energy from. The stones that she surrounds herself with are clearly working their magic!
Klaudia is Monica’s sister and she handles collecting, jewellery design and customer service. Monica has descried her sister as “the most stubborn collector in the world!” Klaudia is happiest when out in the field digging for rocks and won`t eat, sleep or rest until she has retrieved that one last crystal! She designs and makes much of the company’s jewellery including the unique hag stone necklaces. We call her "a crystal nose" as she seems to have a 6th sense in sniffing out a well-hidden vein or pocket.
Klaudia’s hobby is fishing and she has a huge saltwater aquarium that she’s obsessed with. She’s also our very own “handy woman”, which comes in very useful in an almost completely female dominated company.
Monika’s right-hand lady, her mom Ewa, is in charge of packing orders and jewellery stock management. She also helps with the accounts and market research. And she’s definitely the Mama Bear of the team!
Ewa found herself getting hooked on crystals when Monika started to collect as a little girl. Her favourite part of the craft is beach collecting, where she carefully selects the best hag stones to be turned into jewellery later.
Ewa is a qualified electrical and mechanical technician…so not only can she fix your car, but more importantly she can also step in when the kettle’s not working!
She has a great sense of humour and has an extremely easy-going nature so is a wonderful and supportive member of the RRM team.
Lida is responsible for all our beautiful pictures on the website and other online selling platforms. She has got to have one of the best eyes in the business! Crystal photography is an extremely difficult craft, and being able to capture the beauty, colour, intricacies, and detail of each stone takes immense talent and patience. Lida has this in bucket loads!
When she’s not photographing minerals Lida loves hiking, nature and her three beautiful daughters.
Her hobby outside of her incredible job is gardening, so not only does she have a keen eye but also a very green thumb.
Georgina is new to the crystal world but feels that she couldn’t have found a better teacher and mentor then Monika. She is a mom of 2 little boys who keep her extremely busy, and as if that is not enough, she is also a youth leader helping to run a youth club for children aged 8 and older.. Being a part of the formative years of children and teenagers is ultra-cool to Georgina and being a youth leader has been one of the most rewarding experiences of her life.
Georgina has a huge connection with animals and nature and being outside is her happy place. She loves, loves, loves, the great outdoors and being surrounded by nature, the elements…and you guessed it….Rocks, rocks, rocks!
On her quest for adventure, Georgina once went to America on a 3-month work Visa and only lasted for one day returning on the same plane she arrived on! We’re very glad she decided not to stay…the USA’s loss is our very happy gain!
Georgina takes care of dispatching orders and manages the books and accounts.
Cheryl has an honours degree in Dramatic Art and English and worked in the Television and Film Industry for just under 20 years. She moved to Ireland from South Africa with her family in 2019 in search of brighter pastures and found Monica and the RRM team….say no more!
She lives with her crazy rock hound husband and has three-spectacular breath-taking, amazing, and EXHAUSTING children, 2 dogs, 3 cats, a fish tank, and a partridge in a pear tree.
She is passionate about her family, children in general, everything that is good, kind, and fair, feminism, art, performing, food, books, reading and writing, and GOD. Cheryl writes the blogs for RRM and is responsible for updating and listing all the stunning products you see online.
At the end of a long, busy day all that matters to her is a job well done, a fully stocked fridge, enough toilet paper to get through the weekend, and a glorious family to end the day off with.
And chocolate…lots and lots of chocolate – Amen to that!
Our newest, (yet not so new member) is Monika's husband Martin, a qualified truck mechanic and electrician, working in the motor industry for over 20 years. Surrounded by lovely ladies and lovely crystals, Martin could not resist the lure of Rocky Road Minerals any longer and has now officially joined the team. He is responsible for invoicing, product acquisition and manages the companies extensive stock levels. Martin developed his love for, and knowledge of crystals just by watching and listening to Monika, and has found a special passion for larimar, fluorite, malachite and lepidolite. He loves collecting crystals in the field and seems to have the "Luck of the Irish" when it comes to finding the most beautiful specimens! Amongst his many other talents, Martin is a dedicated and energetic father to their two sons, and has graced the company with his kind, loving and passionate temperament.
---------------------
Now that you know a little more about the Rocky Road team, we invite you to join the family.
As our customer, you make it possible to share our knowledge, passion and love for all thing’s crystal and mineral, so we hope you’ll visit frequently and journey with us as we collect and explore everything that the Irish countryside and the crystal world has to offer!
If you have any questions, suggestions on how to make our store even better, or just need help finding that extra special stone, drop us a message anytime. We are here for you!