diff --git a/crates/core/CHANGELOG.md b/crates/core/CHANGELOG.md
index 7f881f48..8db4b2cf 100644
--- a/crates/core/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/crates/core/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
 ### Changed
 
 - Use `Encoder` instead of `TableBuilder` for `geoarrow` (breaking) ([#840](https://github.com/stac-utils/rustac/pull/840))
+- Break apart geoparquet writing into a `WriterBuilder` and a `Writer` (breaking) ([#841](https://github.com/stac-utils/rustac/pull/841))
 
 ## [0.13.3] - 2025-11-13
 
diff --git a/crates/core/src/geoparquet.rs b/crates/core/src/geoparquet.rs
index 9196a176..a01d12c2 100644
--- a/crates/core/src/geoparquet.rs
+++ b/crates/core/src/geoparquet.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 use crate::{
     Catalog, Collection, Error, Item, ItemCollection, Result, Value,
-    geoarrow::{VERSION, VERSION_KEY},
+    geoarrow::{Encoder, Options, VERSION, VERSION_KEY},
 };
 use bytes::Bytes;
 use geoparquet::{
@@ -70,7 +70,9 @@ pub fn into_writer<W>(writer: W, item_collection: impl Into<ItemCollection>) ->
 where
     W: Write + Send,
 {
-    WriterBuilder::new(writer, item_collection).write()
+    WriterBuilder::new(writer)
+        .build(item_collection.into().items)?
+        .finish()
 }
 
 /// Writes a [ItemCollection] to a [std::io::Write] as
@@ -88,58 +90,186 @@ where
 /// ```
 pub fn into_writer_with_compression<W>(
     writer: W,
+    // TODO should we switch to just take a vector of items in the signature?
     item_collection: impl Into<ItemCollection>,
     compression: Compression,
 ) -> Result<()>
 where
     W: Write + Send,
 {
-    WriterBuilder::new(writer, item_collection)
+    WriterBuilder::new(writer)
         .compression(compression)
-        .write()
+        .build(item_collection.into().items)
+        .and_then(|writer| writer.finish())
 }
 
-struct WriterBuilder<W: Write + Send> {
+/// Builder for a stac-geoparquet writer.
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct WriterBuilder<W: Write + Send> {
     writer: W,
-    item_collection: ItemCollection,
+    options: Options,
     compression: Option<Compression>,
 }
 
+/// Write items to stac-geoparquet.
+#[allow(missing_debug_implementations)]
+pub struct Writer<W: Write + Send> {
+    geoarrow_encoder: Encoder,
+    encoder: GeoParquetRecordBatchEncoder,
+    arrow_writer: ArrowWriter<W>,
+}
+
 impl<W: Write + Send> WriterBuilder<W> {
-    fn new(writer: W, item_collection: impl Into<ItemCollection>) -> WriterBuilder<W> {
+    /// Creates a new writer builder.
+    ///
+    /// # Examples
+    ///
+    /// ```
+    /// use std::io::Cursor;
+    /// use stac::{Item, geoparquet::WriterBuilder};
+    ///
+    /// let item: Item = stac::read("examples/simple-item.json").unwrap();
+    /// let cursor = Cursor::new(Vec::new());
+    /// let writer = WriterBuilder::new(cursor).build(vec![item]).unwrap();
+    /// ```
+    pub fn new(writer: W) -> WriterBuilder<W> {
         WriterBuilder {
             writer,
-            item_collection: item_collection.into(),
+            options: Options::default(),
             compression: Some(default_compression()),
         }
     }
 
-    fn compression(mut self, compression: impl Into<Option<Compression>>) -> WriterBuilder<W> {
+    /// Sets the parquet compression.
+    ///
+    /// # Examples
+    ///
+    /// ```
+    /// use std::io::Cursor;
+    /// use stac::{Item, geoparquet::{WriterBuilder, Compression}};
+    ///
+    /// let item: Item = stac::read("examples/simple-item.json").unwrap();
+    /// let cursor = Cursor::new(Vec::new());
+    /// let writer = WriterBuilder::new(cursor)
+    ///     .compression(Compression::SNAPPY)
+    ///     .build(vec![item])
+    ///     .unwrap();
+    /// ```
+    pub fn compression(mut self, compression: impl Into<Option<Compression>>) -> WriterBuilder<W> {
         self.compression = compression.into();
         self
     }
 
-    fn write(self) -> Result<()> {
-        let (record_batch, schema) = crate::geoarrow::encode(self.item_collection.items)?;
+    /// Sets the geoarrow encoding options
+    ///
+    /// # Examples
+    ///
+    /// ```
+    /// use std::io::Cursor;
+    /// use stac::{Item, geoarrow::Options, geoparquet::WriterBuilder};
+    ///
+    /// let item: Item = stac::read("examples/simple-item.json").unwrap();
+    /// let cursor = Cursor::new(Vec::new());
+    /// let options = Options::default();
+    /// let writer = WriterBuilder::new(cursor)
+    ///     .options(options)
+    ///     .build(vec![item])
+    ///     .unwrap();
+    /// ```
+    pub fn options(mut self, options: Options) -> WriterBuilder<W> {
+        self.options = options;
+        self
+    }
+
+    /// Builds the writer.
+    ///
+    /// # Examples
+    ///
+    /// ```
+    /// use std::io::Cursor;
+    /// use stac::{Item, geoparquet::WriterBuilder};
+    ///
+    /// let item: Item = stac::read("examples/simple-item.json").unwrap();
+    /// let cursor = Cursor::new(Vec::new());
+    /// let writer = WriterBuilder::new(cursor).build(vec![item]).unwrap();
+    /// writer.finish().unwrap();
+    /// ```
+    pub fn build(self, items: Vec<Item>) -> Result<Writer<W>> {
+        Writer::new(self.writer, self.options, self.compression, items)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<W: Write + Send> Writer<W> {
+    fn new(
+        writer: W,
+        options: Options,
+        compression: Option<Compression>,
+        items: Vec<Item>,
+    ) -> Result<Self> {
+        let (geoarrow_encoder, record_batch) = Encoder::new(items, options)?;
         let options = GeoParquetWriterOptionsBuilder::default()
             .set_primary_column("geometry".to_string())
             .build();
-        let mut encoder = GeoParquetRecordBatchEncoder::try_new(&schema, &options)?;
+        let mut encoder = GeoParquetRecordBatchEncoder::try_new(&record_batch.schema(), &options)?;
         let mut builder = WriterProperties::builder();
-        if let Some(compression) = self.compression {
+        if let Some(compression) = compression {
             builder = builder.set_compression(compression);
         }
         let properties = builder.build();
-        let mut writer =
-            ArrowWriter::try_new(self.writer, encoder.target_schema(), Some(properties))?;
+        let mut arrow_writer =
+            ArrowWriter::try_new(writer, encoder.target_schema(), Some(properties))?;
         let record_batch = encoder.encode_record_batch(&record_batch)?;
-        writer.write(&record_batch)?;
-        writer.append_key_value_metadata(encoder.into_keyvalue()?);
-        writer.append_key_value_metadata(KeyValue::new(
+        arrow_writer.write(&record_batch)?;
+        Ok(Writer {
+            geoarrow_encoder,
+            encoder,
+            arrow_writer,
+        })
+    }
+
+    /// Writes more items to this writer.
+    ///
+    /// # Examples
+    ///
+    /// ```
+    /// use std::io::Cursor;
+    /// use stac::{Item, geoparquet::WriterBuilder};
+    ///
+    /// let item1: Item = stac::read("examples/simple-item.json").unwrap();
+    /// let item2 = item1.clone();
+    /// let cursor = Cursor::new(Vec::new());
+    /// let mut writer = WriterBuilder::new(cursor).build(vec![item1]).unwrap();
+    /// writer.write(vec![item2]).unwrap();
+    /// writer.finish().unwrap();
+    /// ```
+    pub fn write(&mut self, items: Vec<Item>) -> Result<()> {
+        let record_batch = self.geoarrow_encoder.encode(items)?;
+        let record_batch = self.encoder.encode_record_batch(&record_batch)?;
+        self.arrow_writer.write(&record_batch)?;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    /// Finishes writing.
+    ///
+    /// # Examples
+    ///
+    /// ```
+    /// use std::io::Cursor;
+    /// use stac::{Item, geoparquet::WriterBuilder};
+    ///
+    /// let item: Item = stac::read("examples/simple-item.json").unwrap();
+    /// let cursor = Cursor::new(Vec::new());
+    /// let writer = WriterBuilder::new(cursor).build(vec![item]).unwrap();
+    /// writer.finish().unwrap();
+    /// ```
+    pub fn finish(mut self) -> Result<()> {
+        self.arrow_writer
+            .append_key_value_metadata(self.encoder.into_keyvalue()?);
+        self.arrow_writer.append_key_value_metadata(KeyValue::new(
             VERSION_KEY.to_string(),
             Some(VERSION.to_string()),
         ));
-        let _ = writer.finish()?;
+        let _ = self.arrow_writer.finish()?;
         Ok(())
     }
 }