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Blog
10/08/2021 | Eric Greene
If you are
interested in rocks, minerals, lapidary work, fossils, or any other
aspect of earth sciences, you may find that joining a local mineral club
is a great way to expand your knowledge, meet like-minded collectors,
make new friends, and discover new collecting spots. Here are some tips.
10/08/2021 | Eric Greene
This raspberry-and blue-colored tourmaline nicknamed the Steamboat
is one of the worlds finest and most valuable mineral specimens; it
was collected in Pala, California
10/08/2021 | Eric Greene
Economics? What does the price of wheat in Chicago have to do with finding fine mineral specimens to buy? Well, you might be surprised!
Read more10/08/2021
Some, but not many of us mineral collectors are blessed with unlimited space to display and store our mineral collections. Even in our 13-room house, we don't have space for everthing (and Jeanne has a rule: no mineral specimens in the part of the house we live in!). So, like other factors to consider in building a mineral collection (color, quality, species, locality, etc.), size does matter, and collectors must think about what size they want to collect. For example, consider this: you can display 1,000 thumbnail-sized specimens in the the space required to keep 50 hand-sized specimens. That certainly puts it in perspective!
10/08/2021 | Eric Greene
Since there are over 7,000 recognized mineral species, your chances of acquiring one of each for your collection is practically zero. This is why most mineral collectors choose to specialize in some way as they build a collection.
Read more10/08/2021 | Eric Greene
See full-size photos below
Controversy has swirled around lab-grown mineral specimens for centuries. Collectors generally fall into one of two groups on this issue:
10/08/2021 | Eric Greene
View of the world's premiere mineral market: the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show - Eric Greene Photo
10/08/2021 | Eric Greene
When I look at a mineral, the first thing I usually notice is its color. How can you help but be attracted to the riveting red of a Tasmanian crocoite, the vibrant violet of Uruguayan amethyst, and the glowing green of an emerald? But what really produces these colors? Why do most minerals have their own specific colors (for example, green emeralds)? And why is it that sometimes the same mineral is found in many colors (think fluorite: blue, green, purple, yellow, orange, red, pink, etc.)? Unfortunately, the answers to these seemingly simple questions are remarkably complex. In fact, physicists have identified at least 14 different causes of color!
10/08/2021 | Eric Greene
My undergraduate degree was in fine arts - specifically, sculpture. What better training could I have received to be a mineral dealer, since fine mineral specimens are mother nature's own sculptures - natural works of art in shapes and colors and arrangements that are beyond what any artist could possibly dream of creating. Over time, serious collectors often develop a special appreciation for the aesthetic beauty of fine minerals specimens. And if they do any research, they may also acquire real scientific knowledge about how and why crystals form. Together, these talents inspire a collector's passion for building a personally satisfying, valuable collection of these natural treasures.
Read more10/08/2021 | Eric Greene
2" Tanzanite crystal, Merelani Hills, Umba Valley, Lelatema Mountains, Arusha Region, Tanzania