The official gemstone of South Dakota is actually the multicolored rock, Fair burn Agate, but the official mineral stone is Rose Quartz. The common pink rock you can see all over the exposed landscapes of the Midwestern state is a marker of how common this stone is there - it can be found in both the open air with six sides to the formation or underground inside other rocks with a more spherical shape.

In Black Hills National Forest, south of Custer, Rose Quartz has been found in plentiful supply. Mining is no longer in operation there, but the southern Black Hills have brought vast quantities of Rose Quartz to us and made it one of the best-known gemstones of the world over the years.

It is, in fact, more abundant in South Dakota than it is anywhere else in the world, thanks to its presence in the western grasslands, too. Collectors have made regular trips to the state for years to get their hands on the prized gemstone - in particular in the Black Hills, where collecting is allowed (elsewhere, permission is required).