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THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 8, 2021
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‘Eighth Wonder of the World’ in Cave Creek BY ALLISON BROWN Foothills Focus Staff Writer
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here’s no need to travel to the Great Wall of China or Machu Picchu. Cave Creek has its own “wonder of the world,” at Rare Earth Gallery. “Our sign outside says, ‘Rare Earth Gallery, Eighth Wonder of the World,’” said Wayne Helfand, owner and purveyor of the store. “We tell people who come (to Arizona) there’s two things that are a must-see: the Grand Canyon and Rare Earth Gallery. If you come in, you’ll be awestruck. A lot of times when people come in, I tell them, ‘If you’re not impressed, I’ll give you anything you want from the gallery.’” But visitors are always impressed by the 10,000-square-foot collection of minerals, gems, fossils, pieces of jewelry and home decor at Rare Earth Gallery. Helfand said the store is a mixture of a rock shop and a home decor store, with everything coming from the earth. The store has 180 million-year-old Arizona petri�ied wood, and pieces literally out of this world — from space. On top of that, they have rare fossils and a large crystal collection comprised of amethyst, �luorite, moldavite and smoky quartz. Rare Earth Gallery’s vice president, Chad Brandfrass, said when people come into the store they are blown away and awestruck. Even if you don’t plan on buying anything, Brandfrass said to stop in and enjoy it. “I don’t care if they buy anything,” Brandfrass said. “Just the fact that they were able to come in and see these amazing pieces that we have procured from around the world and to be inspired by them, appreciate them, understand them better, have a higher level of regard and respect for them is a lot. “Obviously we’re a retail store, so, you
Just a few of the “wow pieces” at Rare Earth Gallery in Cave Creek. (Photo courtesy of Rare Earth Gallery)
know, we do need to sell things, but for the most part, when people come in, they’re not pressured to buy. It’s more of an educational experience. Our staff is very well-trained in talking about these items, they’re knowledgeable about them and we create an experience for people.” For Helfand, that experience started at 19, when he worked in an opal mine in Australia. When he returned to Los Angeles, he said he sold a sock full of rocks for $5,000, which, of course, piqued his interest. As he started looking into stones and crystals, He�land said he became mesmerized by the natural beauty. By his mid-20s, He�land was an international gem trader, traveling to or trading with people in places like Madagascar, Brazil, Spain, China, Portugal, Russia and Peru.
In 1990, He�land moved to Arizona and opened his �irst store. Fifty years later, he is still traveling the world to �ind rare pieces, and hand picks the items that go to the store. Helfand tried to explain the beauty and his fascination, but said words weren’t enough to paint a full picture. “It’s like trying to describe a beautiful Arizona sunset, with the reds and oranges twirling around in the sky,” He�land said. “But then you see it yourself and go, ‘Whoa, that’s really beautiful.’ Words fail me to some degree and seeing is believing.” While they have plenty of “wow pieces,” Brandfrass said they have something for everyone, regardless of price. The items in the store sell anywhere from 99 cents to $99,000. Inventory includes a
gemstone chart for kids to over 6-foottall gem centerpieces. “There is not one piece in the gallery that was not hand-picked and brought in,” Brandfrass said. “Nothing here is purchased in mass amounts, every single item in here was individually picked, and every single one of them is beautiful. (It) just depends on the space that you want to �ill. What’s your goal? Are you buying a specimen? Are you buying a home decor piece? Do you want an entryway piece? You want to �ill a niche? Depending on your goals, we’ll determine what the price point is going to need to be, to ful�ill your goal.” The shop opened in Cave Creek in 2012, and while it has moved locations a few times, Helfand said he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. “I did not want to leave Cave Creek,” Helfand said. “It’s the last fashion of old western Arizona, beside the sixth largest city in the country. Sooner or later, everyone comes to Cave Creek. It’s just a wonderful little funky town.” Brandfrass said the location gives the story its charm. “People have been to rock shops here and there, they’ve been to galleries here and there, but to come into something like this, it’s unlike anything else in the United States. And a lot of that is due to the topography of where we’re at. You know, there are warehouse spaces and there’s urban city spaces that (are similar), but within Cave Creek, having the building, having one acre of grounds to walk around and with Black Mountain in the backdrop… it’s profound.” Rare Earth Gallery
6401 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek 480-575-4360 rareearthgallerycc.com
