John Betts - Fine Minerals, New York, NY 212-678-1942
Dealers of Fine Minerals and Natural Crystal Clusters since 1989.
John Betts - Fine Minerals, New York, NY
212-678-1942
Dealers of Fine Minerals and Natural Crystal Clusters since
1989.
4/29/08
I was reading an article about a family that renovated the old house that they lived in. The owner had several "rules" on how to keep sane during the process and maintain a sense of humor. One of the rules is that anyone deserves 5 minutes in hell for every door hinge that they paint over.
I have a corollary to that rule: Mineral dealers and collectors deserve 5 minutes in hell for every cotton-filled box they use to store mineral specimens.
Perhaps I am prejudiced by the fact that I have photographed 35,000 mineral specimens and have cumulatively lost days worth of time removing cotton fibers from mineral specimens. But given the alternatives, there is no need to ever use cotton in a mineral storage box. And there are several reasons NOT to use cotton:
Insects and vermin can live off the cotton fibers - notably silverfish. These make a mess of your mineral specimens as they shed and defecate.
Cotton fibers easily are caught on minerals with rough surfaces, especially native copper specimens.
When washing specimens, any cotton fibers that were not removed get matted against the specimen and become even harder to remove.
Hydroscopic minerals, like halite, can draw moisture from humid air and actually liquefy and encapsulate the cotton fibers.
You get the idea...
If you feel the need for padding the boxes you store mineral specimens in, then I suggest using the polyethylene bags used in dry cleaning. These thin-walled bags are the default padding used by most professional dealers and have the advantage of being a Moh's hardness of 2, softer than calcite and other scratch-prone minerals.
But don't earn you time in hell by continuing to use cotton padding ;-)
4/22/08
Everyone knows my distaste for Internet-based mineral reference sites. Another instance occurred last week while completing my new article The Minerals of New York City. The editor of Rocks & Minerals magazine requested each mineral species should have corresponding formulas. I was optimistically hoping I could find an Internet site that used proper superscripts and subscripts for the mineral formulas, requiring less typing for me - and in case you don't know, I am a one-finger typist - so anything that can reduce my typing is appreciated.
What I found was complete disagreement in the formulas listed for many common species! Can you believe it???
Here is one example for the mineral Allanite-(Ce):
Fleischer's Glossary of Mineral Species: CaCeFe2+Al2(Si2O7)(SiO4)O(OH)
www.Mindat.org: {CaCe}{Al2Fe2+}[O|OH|SiO4|Si2O7]
www.Webmineral.org: (Ce,Ca,Y)2(Al,Fe+++)3(SiO4)3(OH)
For my article, I relied completely on Fleischer's Glossary of Mineral Species as I know the sources and accuracy. I do not know how Webmineral and Mindat arrived at their formulas.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: if a fundamental piece of information cannot be trusted, then how can we trust any information on these sites?
4/15/08
Last week a visitor to this site asked me to evaluate his collection based on the photos shown in his gallery on Mindat.org. I was willing to look at the gallery. But I cannot appraise value from tiny photographs illustrated on Mindat - especially without written descriptions that describe explicitly the level of damage to any crystals. The level of damage is not visible in most web images and damaged crystals have a large influence on the price of a mineral specimen.
That is why I go to great effort to accurately describe the minerals on this site.
When a collector assesses a potential purchase, the balance between price and damage is weighed. How visible is the damage? Should I hold out for a better specimen at a higher cost? To help in answering these questions, I write a written description of each specimen. It is the most tiring task I must do each week. Often I feel nobody reads the descriptions. Especially after someone emails me a question that was explicitly answered in my written description.
But I encourage every customer to read the description before buying a specimen. It will prevent any disappointment and reduce returned specimens. (My return rate is less than 1% already, so maybe everyone is reading my descriptions and this commentary is unnecessary...)
4/1/08
When buying minerals via the Internet, there are many dealers out there ranging from poor to excellent. A customer asked me about other dealers and it started me thinking about the attributes you should look for when buying from an online mineral dealer. Here is a list of considerations:
Look for unequivocal statement of condition or damage. Do not ASSUME anything regarding to damage. Just because a site doesn't say anything about a chipped crystal, you cannot assume the crystal is not chipped. If is is undamaged, the description on the site should say so. If it is undamaged it should say so too.
Avoid buying specimens with damage visible to the naked eye. Of course pristine mineral specimens are much more expensive. So there is a trade-off to be made. You should assess how visible the damage is versus a discounted price.
Do not buy at mineral auctions. Online auctions are watched by too many smart collectors, so there is little chance of sneaking away with a bargain. The real reason I don't advise auctions is that the price is set by you (and other bidders) based solely on the photograph - which can be misleading. You are better off buying from a web site where the mineral dealer sets the price, while holding the specimen in his hand and inspecting closely, then setting a fair price based on years of experience.
Before you order a specimen, try to visualized the actual size of the specimen. Get out a ruler and sketch out the dimensions listed on the mineral specimen's description. See how big it is compared to other specimens in your collection.
Adjust the brightness and contrast of your computer monitor so you are not mislead about the specimen's color. I have a test image that I will send you with instructions if you are interested. Don't assume that because your monitor was set at the factory that it has been optimally calibrated.
Look for a No-Questions-Asked return policy. This is a black and white issue, there is no middle ground. Either the dealer will accept any return or he will not. Avoid any that do not readily accept returns.
Look for signs the dealer knows what he is talking about. I have seen other mineral dealers out there that don't know the difference between transparent and translucent. Needless to say his descriptions were poor and essentially worthless.
I hope these hints help.
3/25/08
They have changed the mineral nomenclature again. First we had Apatite. That was simple. Then that mineral was split into Fluorapatite, Hydroxylapatite, Chlorapatite, Clinohydroxylapatite, Strontium Apatite. Now it has been changed to Apatite-(CaF), Apatite-(CaCl), Apatite-(CaOH), Apatite-(SrOH), Apatite-(CaOH)-M. Similar changes have been made to apophyllite, columbite, ellestadite, axinite, tantalite, etc. I suspect the IMA (the organization that controls these changes) has a financial interest in labeling software, mineral reference book publishing, and label printers. They change the names periodically so we must all update our reference books, mineral labels, and collection catalogs.
It is like the old joke: How did they punish Helen Keller? A: They moved the furniture.
Changing mineral names is the same. Fluorapatite and Apatite-(CaF) are the same mineral species and equally clear as to the apparent chemistry of the species. So why change to meet an arbitrary naming system? Yes, the new name is clear. But so was the old name. If they really wanted to be clear, why not eliminate mineral names altogether and use only formulas: Ca5[F|(PO4)3]?
There is no use in protesting. The changes are official. But the changes in the nomenclature do not eliminate the inconsistencies. In fact there are many more inconsistencies than were fixed with this change. There is a long way to go. So don't panic.
But I wouldn't make any great effort to revise your labels yet. Surely more changes are to come. After all, it is the IMA's job to make these changes. If there were no changes to make then there would be no need for their existence and they would be out of a job. So you can count on more changes to come...
3/4/08
Last week, when I was not paying attention, this site had it's 1,000,000th visitor.
What a contrast between a web-based business and a mineral store, or even a dealer that sells exclusively at weekend mineral shows. It is unlikely that a traditional store or show dealer would ever have 1,000,000 customers look at his offerings. Yet it took relatively few years to achieve this milestone.
And I am approaching my 41,000 mineral specimen in inventory. That averages to one mineral specimen sold for every 24.4 visitors. Pretty good averages. I wish my averages at mineral shows were as good.
Note that I am referring to visitors, not the much misunderstood "hits" that many web sites use for statistics. A "hit" is generated any file call made by a visitor when he views a page. Every image, graphic, header logo on a web page generates a "hit." A single visitor to my weekly New Listings Pages will generate about 120 hits by viewing only two web pages. So you can see that hits are not a very valuable statistic. "Page Views" are a good alternate, but the numbers are still inordinately high. So I prefer to rely on Visitors as a gauge of activity on the site. (I am also distrustful of any site hyping their hit count, which as illustrated above, is easily misunderstood, therefore misleading.
2/26/08
Today a mineral collector emailed me distraught over buying a vanadinite cluster then researching it on the Internet and finding a references that said vanadinite gets darker and duller upon exposure to light. That is wrong. Vanadinite is stable. I suspect the original author was thinking of cuprite, which does get darker and duller upon exposure to light.
But this illustrates, again, why you CANNOT rely on Internet web sites for reference information. I have said it before, I will say it again: Get a good mineral reference book. A good reference book is fact checked prior to publication (with the famous exception of Dana's Mineralogy 8th edition). I have several books that I recommend in my article Reference Books for Mineral Collectors. Buy one and use it first, before using any Internet web site.
Every week I find errors even on "authoritative" sites. Because there is no fact checking, they cannot be trusted. And because they are not fully researched, there may be OMITTED information. For example, Mindat.org lists minerals that occur at various localities - but they do not publish ALL the minerals that occur at the localities. What's the point of such lists if they cannot be trusted to be complete?
In order to understand the source of the erroneous information about vanadinite, I did a Google search and found several "reference" web sites that were using the exact same text. I suspect one person posted the erroneous information and it was then picked up by another site and so on. Or these sites are somehow associated and using the same source code.
Either way this is an illustration how anybody can post false information on the Internet and it will take on a life of it's own.
1/22/08
As my regular customers may know already, I am in the finishing stages of a large article for Rocks & Minerals magazine on the Minerals of New York City. Three mineral species found within the 5 boroughs of New York City rank among the best of their species found in the United States. You will notice I hedge my statement by saying "among the best" rather than potentially antagonizing collectors by saying "the best". (For the record, the three specimens are the famous almandine from the subway excavation on 35th Street, the chrysoberyl from 93rd Street and artinite from Spring Street on Staten Island.)
But this commentary is not about debating whether the best comes from NYC. This commentary is about ANYBODY judging what THE BEST mineral specimen is.
Several dealers I know are fond of saying they have the best of a mineral, or "this is the best I have seen." I am troubled by these statements, especially since they frequently come from dealers or collectors that don't travel or attend many shows. Perhaps they have a poor memory for the better specimens, or maybe they lack the vocabulary for moderating their superlative adjectives.
But who can say what the best specimen of a mineral species is? What criteria are you using?
The best specimens cannot be defined by any one person, because no two collectors will agree on the criteria and how to weigh them. And many of the best specimens are never seen by more than a handful of people. They pass through a dealer to a millionaire collector and are never shown again in public.
Since the judgment of a specimen is a personal matter, the adjectives should be personal. Saying a minerals is "my favorite" or "the best I have had" is better - and more believable.
1/15/2008
Has the IMA lost sight of their purpose?
The IMA is responsible for establishing the official mineral names. Recently they announced many changes - including several that make no sense. One notable example is eliminating Hancockite as a mineral species and renaming it Epidote-(Pb). What is the point??? I wonder if they are going to make similar changes in the future. I suspect these changes are in the works:
Rhodochrosite will be renamed Calcite-(Mn)
Dolomite will be renamed Calcite-(CaMg)
Siderite will be renamed Calcite-(Fe)
Sounds farfetched? Not really. The IMA has strayed from it's task of determining valid species. They should NOT be renaming minerals that are established in the literature. Hancockite was first identified in 1899. Do we really need to make all reference books, museum mineral displays, and collectors catalog obsolete by changing the name? Of course not.
12/11/2007
Will Internet web sites ever replace a good mineral reference book?
Many new collectors think that the answer to that questions is yes. They think that everything they need to know can be found on Mindat.org or Webmineral.com.
Sadly these collectors are mistaken. The web sites listed above present only facts - they don't provide information.
My first stop reference book is Sinkankas' book Mineralogy (originally published as Mineralogy for Amateurs). What does this book provide that a web site does not? To begin with it has a listing for each mineral "Distinctive Features and Tests" that provides ways of identifying a mineral from others it may resemble. How do you tell if it is celestine or barite? Sinkankas says the flame test for celestine will have vivid red flame color due to the strontium content, barite will not. That is just one example of how this book provides more than just facts found on a web site. A good book will also have several crystal diagrams showing typical habits and twinning commonly found for a species. Here again Sinkankas book is excellent. And of course a good book will have the facts too.
But having a reference library is not as easy as Googling a mineral species. But the ease of use comes at a price- often meaningless facts with no guidance or experience. So I repeat the advice offered by many in the past: Buy a good mineral book, and use it.
Remember: There are only two weeks remaining before Christmas. That means this week is the last week you can place an order and have it arrive in time without the additional expense of Fedex shipping.
11/27/2007
Recently there was some discussion on Mindat.org regarding a Skorpionite specimen I sold and the owner posted a photo of a portion of the specimen to the site. Another collector, also one of my customers ,observed that the photo was probably not Skorpionite. The photo was removed and the owner started to search the specimen for the Skorpionite. (FYI: all Skorpionite specimens came from the same boulder at the Skorpion Mine.)
I reminded the owner that I have a LIFETIME GUARANTEE for all mineral specimens sold: If at any time a mineral specimen is tested, and the mineral species identified on my label was incorrect, then I will refund the cost of the specimen, the cost of return shipping, and the cost of the test.
In the case of the Skorpionite, even though the owner broke up the specimen, I was willing to refund his purchase price. I can take the pieces to my source and get my money back.
I stand behind all mineral specimens sold, and there is no expiration to this guarantee.
11/20/2007
Last week I sold a Calcite-Aragonite from the mineral collection of Upsala College that gave the locality as simply "Pinal County, Arizona". A question arose how an educational institution could have such inadequate labeling for a specimen in their collection. The assumption was that the specimen was acquired through their field work, so they would have better locality information available.
Many specimens in museum collections are not the result of field research by the museum. Most museum specimens are acquired from mineral dealers. Most often a benefactor purchases the specimen and donates it to the museum. Or a collector may buy the specimen as part of his/her private collection - then donate the collection in later years to a museum. And since most specimens passed through the hands of a dealer, there are several reasons incomplete locality data is available:
The specimen was acquired in the early days of collecting when exact locality was unimportant (pre-1970).
The specimen locality was withheld to prevent other dealers from acquiring the same material.
The specimen came from an active mine, collected by the miners, and the mine company views the act of removing mineral specimens from the mine as pilfering the mine's valuable ore.
All of these are real examples of why locality data is frequently incomplete. Even when the locality appears complete , it may actually be purposely misleading. Do you have a specimen of octahedral purple fluorite in your collection from "Catron County, New Mexico" or the "T&G Claim, New Mexico"? This material actually came from the Judith Lynn Claim in Grant County, New Mexico, but the collectors were hiding the source of the material.
Fortunately the exact locality of origin is not necessary for the enjoyment of a beautiful mineral specimen...
10/2307
This week I posted some large natural diamond crystals to my web site.
The prices of uncut diamonds are starting to climb steeply. Apparently major jewelry manufacturers have discovered they can sell uncut diamonds in jewelry. DeBeers has a jewelry line called Talisman and the success of a new line called Diamond in the Rough has caught the attention of many smaller jewelry makers. Now everyone is clamoring for uncut diamonds.
This may be bad news for collectors that are looking for reasonable prices. As I acquire new diamond crystals, I will undoubtedly pay higher prices because of increased demand for quality crystals that are complete and undamaged. Already prices are high because of the dollar's weakness compared to other currencies. Fortunately I have a healthy inventory. But if you are considering purchasing an uncut diamond crystal, it is best not to delay hoping for prices to drop.
9/18/07
Among the new minerals posted this week is a vial of melanterite that is water soluble. Storing such a mineral in a glass vial is one solution, if the mineral is for reference only. But how should you store a water-soluble display mineral?
One solution is to use the European-style acrylic boxes that have a tight-fitting white base that effectively seal out moisture. However, I still suggest sealing the base to the top using silicone, putty or acrylic solvent. And placing a packet of Silica Gel dessicant inside with the mineral is a good idea too.
If you have non-display water-soluble minerals you do not need a glass vial. Simply place the mineral in a freezer bag with ziploc seal. I use freezer bags, instead of normal sandwich bags, because the thicker bag material is a better sealant at moisture that can migrate (slowly) through plastic.
There is no reason not to own water-soluble mineral specimens. With careful storage they can be displayed and enjoyed. (Remember to label them as water-soluble so the future owner of the specimens will not try to wash them in water!)
8/28/2007
I frequently get requests for assistance in identifying mineral specimens from collectors around the world. I always reply that I (and everyone else in the world) cannot identify minerals based on photos. Color inaccuracy can be grossly misleading. And it is doubtful that a good quality photograph can be produced.
It seems that collectors have forgotton how to identify minerals. With ha few simple tests, you can narrow down the possibilities very quickly. You can identify seven charachteristics using visual observation or with simple tests:
Hardness can be determined with a hardness testing kit that you can assemble yourself for less than $20. Streak requires a white tile scrap. Testing for density requires a small scale and a cup of water. Any good mineral book will describe the process. You can also test for magnetism using a simple apparatus you can build for $5.
Then what do you do with the results of the above observations?
I use a computer database of mineral species called MinData created by Lanny Ream ( LR Ream Publishing, 208-659-3035 or www.LRREAM.com). Is a great tool for everything from searching for minerals by formula or characteristic or group. The best charachteristic of MinData is that you can do Boolean searches of multiple charachteristics of the mineral.
For example, by entering only four charachteristics color: brown, opacity: translucent, hardness: >5 <7, density: >6 will yeild a single mineral species: Manganotantalite.
The ability to do a Boolean search is something that online mineral databases like Mindat.org or Webmineral.com do not accomadate. I know that many collectors these days don't believe in owning reference books because all information can be found for free on the Internet. Sadly the information might be available, but the ability to search through 4000+ mineral species is NOT available.
Lanny Ream has put much effort into creating the MinData and charges only a modest fee ($75 I think) for the CD-rom. It is well worth the small investment.
7/10/2007
Recently I was asked about mineral nomenclature when identifying minerals in a series like calcite and rhodochrosite. Often minerals form in what is called a solid solution series. This means that most of the chemical formula is the same between two minerals, but two elements vary in proportion. In this instance:
calcite = CaCO3
rhodochrosite = MnCO3
You can easily see the CO3 part of each formula is the same, but one has calcium (Ca) and the other has manganese (Mn). But minerals are not perfect and seldom are pure "end members" of the series. More often the calcite may have Mn impurities or the rhodochrosite may have Ca impurities. If the specimen is tested and Mn is 51% and Ca is 49% then the mineral is identified as rhodochrosite. If it is 51% Ca and 49% Mn than it is identified as calcite (or possibly as Mn-rich calcite or calcite var. manganoan or the now obsolete name manganocalcite). Just a 2% difference is all it takes to change the identification. And some crystals vary by being zoned with varying composition - it may be calcite in the center and rhodochrosite in an outer layer.
Here in New England the pegmatite quarries frequently have a green apatite that fluoresces yellow under UV illumination. Local collectors call this mineral manganapatite. There is no such mineral species. A researcher did a review of several specimens from several quarries and found that they were all fluorapatite Ca5(PO4)3F with trace impurities of Mn which caused them to fluoresce. None had Mn content over 3%. If they had over 3% (or is it 10%?) then they would qualify to be called Mn-rich fluorapatite according to the IMA. (I am sure I will get a correction on this last tidbit, but I have forgotten the exact threshold.)
Some common mineral series are:
adamite - olivenite
albite - anorthite - microcline
amblygonite - montebrasite
austinite - conichalcite
calcite - magnesite - siderite - smithsonite - rhodochrosite
descloizite - mottramite
dravite - schorl - elbaite
epidote - clinozoisite
grossular - andradite - uvarovite
pectolite - serandite
scheelite - powellite
tennantite - tetrahedrite - freibergite
I hope this clarifies how minerals are identified when they are not pure end members.
6/5/07
This week a customer questioned why some items are marked "net" and others are not. The notation "net" are hypertext and link to an explanation that "net" means no discount is applicable to these items. They have been priced at a firm price and at the lowest possible price for that item.
There would be no need to tag items as "net" if I did not have an automatic discount policy. If all prices were fixed, then effectively all items would be "net" by default.
But I offer discounts on orders of 4 or more items (if the total exceeds $200) as an incentive to order more than one item at a time. It does not mean that I have added extra padding to the price to allow for a discount. I actually lose money on the discounts. But it reduces the work required to ship the minerals. It is easier and faster to ship one box with four minerals in it, than it is to ship four boxes each with one mineral in it. There are are also added costs of boxes and commissions paid on credit card transactions when shipping four boxes instead of one box.
So the discount is an incentive. And the "net" notation indicates that my cost for the specimen prevents me from discounting the mineral. This is most apparent with the diamond crystals I sell, which have high inventory costs and the prices per carat per quality are pretty much standard throughout the world.
5/29/07
Recently I acquired a large number of mineral specimens from a collector that bought most of them through online mineral auctions. With each mineral specimen, I was supplied a printout of the auction listing so I could see the original descriptions and the bidding history for each item.
Many mineral specimens sold at auction for many times what I would sell them for. Then I realized, the prices at online auctions are set by the bidders - and they have not seen the actual mineral specimen. The only thing the bidders have seen is a photograph of the mineral. Invariably an item with a great photo was bid beyond what the mineral specimen is worth.
Contrast that to the way I price minerals: after cleaning and trimming, I am holding the specimen in my hand, under good light, and evaluate the specimen based on size, quality, condition and history. Frequently I will research the rarity and associations in references before finally establishing the price. But the price is established independently how photogenic the specimen may be. If I get a great photo of a specimen, it may sell faster, but the price is set at what (I feel) it is worth when I hold it im my hand.
The allure of getting a bargain keeps buyers going back to online auction sites. But when buying quality, attractive minerals, you are better off buying from an online "catalog" site like this one, where prices are set based on the specimen, not on the photographs.
5/22/07
After shipping many packages last week, I have a better sense of what the new postage rates mean to mineral packages. Here are a few observations:
These small changes add up and incrrease the overall postage on each package by at least $1. Therefore, it is best to purchase more than one item at a time to spread the postage across more specimens.
5/8/07
Last week it happened again. A regular customer requested a mineral specimen from my new listings - but his email was filtered and it went into my Spam folder.
I have cautioned everyone before about this problem. I have no control over the filtering algorithms that are in place at my ISP. The safest way to request a mineral is to use my secure order form. The server instantly records the order form request, it cannot get lost or filtered, and it results in you getting into the queue earlier during the weekly feeding frenzy.
Yes, I hate filling out online forms too. Past customers only need to enter name (last name will suffice if you are in a hurry), your email address, and the item number that you are requesting. It is not required to list the price or description of the item you are requesting, but they are a good backup in case you misentered the item number. Some web browsers can be set to fill in your name and email address so you never have to do it again in the future.
It is that simple. If you are concerned about missing out on an item, the online order form is the best.
5/1/07
Last weekend, while selling at a mineral show, a well known mineral personality and rare mineral specialist came by to request immediate notification the next time I get in any variscite specimens from Utah. I explained that I never call customers to notify them of new arrivals. He got upset, misinterpreting my comments. He thought I said I would not call him. I said I would not call anybody.
Why not?
Because I have 800 regular customers. At least 1/4 of them have specialties and would like advance notice of a certain mineral specialty. For example, look at the Mineral of the Week above. Pyromorphite collectors want notice, collectors of German minerals want notice, collectors of Albanese minerals want notice, collectors of pink minerals want notice, collectors of lead minerals want notice, collectors of cabinet-size specimens want notice. I would spend all of my time sending notices for the 5000 mineral specimens that I sell on this web site every year.
And it is only possible to give notice to one collector. It may make that collector happy, but the 20 other collectors that didn't get notice would be unhappy.
So my policy is simple: no notices. This way the regular visitors, that check my new listings every week, are rewarded for their efforts. After all, they are my most loyal customers. Many ordering every week, or at least once per month. The customer that made the request at the mineral show has only bought one mineral specimen from me ever. Why does he deserve advance notice over someone that buys from me every week?
Of course I do send mass email reminders that new minerals have been posted. And each email lists a few items out of the many posted. But these are sent to 2000 people around the world, and no one is given preferential treatment. If you want to receive email announcements, then email me at jhbnyc@aol.com
4/24/07
Sometimes I get emails from first-time visitors to this site that say my prices are too high. Usually I send them to a few other web sites with even higher prices.
But recently one customer sent me a large shipment of minerals acquired from other web sites and mineral auctions. It was a window into how other mineral dealers describe, label, and the quality of minerals they sell. It was a shock to see what other dealers are getting away with.
A few other dealers were honest about the quality of their mineral specimens and the extent of damage. Most were of the other dealers were criminal in the way they omitted mentioning damage or glossed over hugely damaged areas by saying they did not find it objectionable. (Of course they didn't find damage objectionable - they are the SELLERS!!!)
So when I get emails saying my prices are too high, I assume they are not judging minerals of equal quality.
Lastly, I was amazed at the poor labeling of several of the dealers. Aside from the misspelling of geographic names, they were often grossly in error, including misidentifying the mineral species. One dealer took the old historic labels and wrote his prices in red ink on the old labels. Old labels are historic documents - they should never be altered in any way. Period.
So when judging the prices of a web site, be sure to evaluate the dealers written descriptions, the historic labeling, the condition of the specimens, the quality of the wrapping and promptness of shipping. Not all internet mineral dealers are the same.
4/3/07
Displaying minerals on open shelves is an inefficient way to display a large collection. If you fill the shelves full, often the minerals at the rear are hard to see. And the spacing of the shelves results in low density of minerals stored per volume (i.e. minerals per cubic foot of storage space).
One way to improve displaying minerals on open shelves is to add stepped platforms at the rear of the shelves to elevate the minerals at the rear. This improves the visibility of the minerals at the rear, and allows for tighter spacing without looking overcrowded.
But even with stepped platforms on your shelves, it is difficult to display a large collection. My best suggestion for improving your storage while maintaining easy access, is to add a bank of thin drawers below the display shelves. Arrange your shelves from eye-level down to waist-level for your best, large specimens. Then below, from waist-level to the floor, have a bank of 2-3 inch high drawers for storing smaller specimens. You will be surprised at the quantity of minerals that you can store with such an arrangement. Best of all, they are all easily viewed and accessible. The best drawers are flat-files used by architects for storing large drawings.
Don't forget to have some good overhead lighting to illuminate the minerals in the drawer when opened. I use some Luxo-type lamps with halogen bulbs to illuminate my drawers and it works very well.
Remember, if you your displays don't accommodate your collection you should change your display. Don't change your collection.
3/27/07
I hate cotton-filled boxes.
Why do collectors use cotton-filled boxes for storing mineral specimens? They have absolutely no advantage over ANY alternative.
Cotton-filled boxes are made for the jewelry and gift industry for packing purchases. They are not intended for minerals. Period.
Invariably the cotton fibers get snagged by the matrix or fine crystals on a mineral specimen. The worst is a mineral like crystallized silver where the fine crystals are strong and easily become entangled in the cotton fibers. Once they are entangled it is almost impossible to remove the cotton fibers. The best way I've found is to use a small ball of mineral tack or duct tape and try to grab the cotton fibers to pull them off. Some specimens simply defy removing the cotton fibers.
There are several alternatives to use in the bottom of storage boxes for your mineral specimens. Most widely used today are dry-cleaning bags (lightweight polyethylene bags) that have a Moh's hardness of 2 and are readily available from many sources. I buy my bags from Cleaner Products (1-800-818-1234) for about $38 delivered. Another alternative padding are the various polystyrene foams used for packing delicate items. They are available in various thicknesses and come in white or natural. Lastly, I question the need for any padding in boxes. Unless you are packing for a move (where cotton filling provides inadequate protection) there is no need for ANY padding in the storage box for a mineral specimen.
Remember, we are only the temporary caretakers of the minerals in our collections. Our credo should be "Do no harm". Storing minerals in cotton-filled boxes violates that principle.
3/20/07
This week I posted several new mineral species. Most are not found in any reference books. The only information about them are in the abstracts published in various magazines or Internet databases. In most cases, the mineral species name is tentative.
A mineral species is first described and submitted to the IMA. Once accepted, it is assigned an IMA number, but does not become official until the description of the new mineral is published in a professional journal. In all cases I have provided the IMA number for the mineral species just in case there is a last minute spelling or name change.
Also posted this week are several mineral species from the Type locality. This is the locality where the first samples of a mineral were isolated and provide the basis for the description of the mineral species required for acceptance by the IMA. 99% of all mineral species have a type locality of record. Only the earliest minerals identified do not have a type locality because their identification preceded the formal study of mineralogy.
Collecting rare mineral species or mineral specimens from type localities is another facet of mineral collecting. There are more mineral species out there than the same 200 we see regularly at mineral shows. There are over 4000 mineral species known. If you get over 1000 species in your mineral collection you are to be congratulated. I learned recently one customer has over 3000 mineral species in his collection. That is a stunning accomplishment for an individual.
I urge serious collectors to expand their collecting beyond aesthetics and to learn more about the science and history of minerals
3/13/07
One of the advantages of buying mineral specimens over the Internet is that each specimen is photographed and described for you. The images and descrioptions can be saved and incorporated into your mineral collection catalog. The simplest way to save this information is to print out the web page and save the pages in a three-ring binder.
But you can save the web pages directly to your computer's hard drive. In MS Explorer click on "File" in the upper left corner of the browser window, then select "Save As" from the pop-up menu. If you save the page as an "archive" it will save all text, photos, and graphics to a single file that be easily viewed in the future. You can even link the archived page to your database of your collection catalog if you use one.
If you only want to save the photographs, you can right-click your mouse on a photograph and just save the JPEG to your hard drive.
This is a convenient way of building a catalog of your collection. It certainly takes less time than recreating all the same photos and descriptions yourself.
2/20/07
As regular visitors know, I recommend using Mineral Tack to mount mineral specimens to display bases. It is not permanent and will not harm the specimen. This means that a future owner of a specimen will be able to "undo" the mounting. This cannot easily be done with silicone, epoxy or other permanent glues. The rule of thumb should be, "Do no harm."
But there are two complaints about Mineral Tack: it leaves an oil stain on the specimen and does not always come off easily. The two problems are related. Mineral Tack is oil-based and relies on the oil content to remain pliable. If the oil is absorbed into the specimen matrix, then the Mineral Tack becomes stiff or hard, making removal difficult.
To remove the oil stain on the specimen, simply soak in a detergent. I use Cascade brand dishwashing detergent dissolved in water. It will cut through the oil and remove any residue. Repeat if necessary and always rinse thoroughly.
To remove old Mineral Tack from the specimen, scrape away as much as possible, then use a ball of fresh Mineral Tack, and press it repeatedly onto the old Mineral Tack. The oil in the new, will soften the old. And because Mineral Tack sticks to itself better than it sticks to minerals, it will eventually come off.
By the way, for really stubborn, hard Mineral Tack you can use any solvent and actually dissolve the Mineral Tack. You can use Goo Gone available at hardware stores or other solvents. I use a thinner called Bestine made for thinning rubber cement.
2/13/07
Recently a visitor told me about a specimen he acquired that was beryl, but had been sold to him as quartz (or maybe it was vice versa). I immediately responded that it would take less the 15 seconds to determine which was correct using a hardness test. Beryl scratches quartz. Quartz cannot scratch beryl.
Every collector can assemble a hardness kit for a few dollars by buying cheap kid's rocks at your local mineral show. My kit includes: my fingernail (2-2.5), a broken calcite crystal (3), a $1 fluorite octahedral cleavage (4), a cheap Mexican fluorapatite (5), an orthoclase I collected in Colorado (6), a quartz crystal I dug in Herkimer N.Y. (7), a beryl crystal I dug in New Hampshire (7.5-8), a cleavage of a Utah topaz (8), lastly a cheap ruby crystal from India (9). There is no need to have a diamond in your hardness test kit - a diamond scratches everything so it will prove nothing.
If you don't have the patience to assemble your own hardness kit, you can purchase a kit from Ward's Earth Science Establishment in Rochester N.Y. I have one of their kits too. It has four double-ended scribes with hardnesses 5,6,7,8,8.5,9,10.
Testing hardness rules out many possibilities when you are faced with a misidentified mineral. You don't always need fancy quantitative testing to make an identification. Just remember the basics: hardness, streak, crystal system, color, opacity, cleavage, and specific gravity.
1/2307
A visitor to this web site recently noted the abundance of minerals priced less than $35 and complained about few minerals priced over $100. The reason is simple: the better mineral specimens sell immediately and are removed from the site in the first 30 minutes after being posted. Unless a visitor views the new listings between 11:45 to 12:15 on Tuesday, they will never see the best specimens that sold quickly.
I guess I could leave the sold minerals up on the site, and mark them SOLD. But the additional thumbnail images slow down page loading and only aggravates the customers that missed them. It would be good for my reputation, but making my pages load quickly is important to me and the 65% of the customers that still use dial-up connections.
1/16/07
An old-time dealer here in New York City recently approached me with an offer of Canadian Diamonds from a friendly source. I requested proof of the Kimberley Certificate for the diamonds. He said what does a Kimberely Certificate have to do with diamonds from Canada.
A Kimberely Certificate is required for all diamonds entering the United States and for all diamonds shipped out of the United States - regardless of country of origin. The name "Kimberely Certificate" does not refer to country of origin, it is a proof the diamonds followed the "Kimberely Process" where the diamonds are sealed at the mine to prevent smuggled diamonds from entering the supply chain.
The Kimberely Process was devised by the major diamond producing nations to protect the integrity of their production and prevent blood diamonds from reaching the consumer. All diamonds require a Kimberley Certificate. All diamonds I sell on this site are purchased from legitimate wholesalers with the proper documentation.
1/9/07
Every effort is made to present accurate information on this web site. Locations are verified and updated to latest geographic names. Correct mineral species, with varietal names, are checked and double-checked. No "attributions" are made for old specimens with inadequate labeling - my labels repeat the old label unless there is absolutely no doubt about additional information.
Sometimes a mineral is unintentionally posted with incorrect information. In these instances, I welcome corrections/updates. It is never an imposition to receive them. Usually when a correction is received I pull the specimen from the site and repost it at a later date with corrected information.
But there are times when people offer locality corrections based on the images. Comments like, "The specimen of mineral X is a yellow-green color indicating it is actually from location Z, not location Y as you have listed. If it were green or blue-green then I would believe the locality you have listed." In this instance it sound like the correction sent is based on a subtle color variation.
No matter how good your computer and monitor is, unless you use color calibration software, color rendition is poor with ANY computer.
I have addressed this problem in the past. Go to any computer store and look at the same image on several computers. There is a WIDE variation in color rendition - especially with yellows, browns, purples (a computer monitor only has red, green and blue pixels - how do you make yellow from those colors?) You will not that many computers stores display bright blue images on their computer displays because these are the most consistent colors - only the blue pixels are being used and no color mixing is involved. Poor color rendition of computers is the same reason I do not identify minerals from photographs emailed to me.
Please continue to send me corrections and I will continue to improve my site. But be wary of making any attributions based on the color of a mineral image. In those instances I will always trust the previous label that accompanied a specimen.
12/12/06
The new Leonard DiCaprio movie entitled Blood Diamond has highlighted the the issues of warring African factions financing their battles by enslaving miners and selling local diamonds. The income from diamonds are used to buy guns and equipment. As a result of the illegal trade in "conflict diamonds", the United Nations instituted the Kimberly Process where legally mined diamonds are sealed at the mine and documented with a Kimberly Certificate prior to export. The Kimberly Process has eliminated or significantly reduced smuggled diamonds from entering into marketplace as legal diamonds.
All diamonds sold on this web site are purchased from legal wholesalers and Kimberly Certificates are on file for them.
Frequently I get call from individuals trying to sell me diamonds. My first question is whether they have the Kimberly Certificates for the diamonds. If the answer is no, I terminate the conversation. Other mineral dealers have offered me diamonds too. Though they may be from non-conflict countries, but the diamonds must still have Kimberly Certificates prior to entering the United States.
One thing that the new movie conveniently omitted: the percentage of conflict diamonds is minuscule compared to the legal diamond mining from the major producing nations. Diamonds from Australia, Canada, Russia as well as legal countries in Africa such as South Africa, Botswana and DRC far outnumber the small production from Sierra Leone and other conflict countries. These major producers have willingly accepted the additional restrictions of the Kimberly Process to guarantee their production is untainted, thus guaranteeing open trade of their diamond production.
11/28/06
Look closely at the two listings below from the minerals posted this week.
|
|
At first glance, the specimen on the left looks like the better specimen. The crystals appear larger on the left, and the price is much lower. But look again. The left specimen has the notation (m) while the right specimen has (c). These correspond to specimen size. See the chart below:
|
Centimeters |
Millimeters |
Inches |
(t) = Thumbnail Specimens = |
2-3cm |
20-30 mm |
3/4 to 1-1/8" |
(m) = Miniature Specimens = |
3-6 cm |
30-60 mm |
1-1/8 to 2-1/2" |
(c) = Cabinet Specimens = |
6-10 cm |
60-100 mm |
2-1/2 to 4" |
(lc) = Large Cabinet Specimens = |
> 10 cm |
> 100 mm |
> 4" |
When we click on the left specimen, it is discovered the specimen is 4x3x2 cm in size. The specimen on the right is 10x6x2.5 cm . If we look at the overall all size of the left specimen, the visible displayed specimen is 4x3 cm = 12 cm2 while the right specimen has a visible area 10x6 cm = 60 cm2. That is 5 times the visible displayed area.
But the thumbnail views look so similar. That is because all thumbnail previews are the same height. Regardless of specimen size, they appear the same.
So you must look at the dimensions and the size codes for the relative size. Now it is clear the higher price of the larger specimen is justified, if not a bargain. Also, remember large specimens from most locations are much harder to obtain than smaller specimens.
11/14/06
I was recently featured in a television show on the Dish Network about mineral collecting. The show presented (the reporter's choices for) the top 20 tips when collecting minerals. Many of the same points as I wrote about in my article Advice For Beginners: Nine Lessons Learned from Experience including:
But the video editors omitted my most important tip I have for collectors: Buy a good book and use it.
My favorite recommendation is the excellent Mineralogy by John Sinkankas. This was originally published in 1964 under the name Mineralogy for Amateurs but was revised and updated in 1986. It is the most concise, lucid explanation of mineralogy I have encountered. Sections on the fundamentals of mineralogy include mineral classifications, crystal growth, crystal systems, physical and optical properties, and tests and identification. A very useful feature under each mineral is an entry for Distinctive Features and Tests that helps in distinguishing a mineral from commonly encountered look-alikes.
Mineralogy is currently out of print, but readily available from used book dealers via the Internet.
An alternate reference that is still in print is Peterson's Field Guide: Rocks & Minerals by Frederick Pough (ISBN 0-395-91096-x in paperback) was updated with the 5th edition in 1996 with all color photographs by the noted mineral photographer, Jeff Scovil. This Field Guide has passed one million in sales, more probably than all other mineral books in total. There are no crystal drawings under the descriptive mineralogy section, and the minerals described are limited (for example no entry for boleite) and the entries for occurrences is brief, though it has been updated. It is also less expensive than Mineralogy. If you cannot get a copy of Sinkankas’ Mineralogy then this book is a good alternative.
Don't just buy the book, and look at the illustrations. Read it cover to cover. Twice if possible. Doing so will give you a foundation in elementary mineralogy that will make you a skilled mineral collector.
10/17/06
Customers frequently request early notification when certain minerals are going to be posted to my web site. One customer might want notice of any minerals from Germany, another is looking for notice of gem crystals, another may want notice of cuprite specimens. You can see that it quickly becomes unmanageable. Every week 2000 customers visit my site to see the new listings. Presumably a fraction of those want advance notice about some type of minerals. If only 10% want email notice, then that is 200 emails, each about a different type of mineral.
That is more than I can manage.
Buying minerals on the internet is like collecting minerals on a mine dump. You must look through many pieces of no interest, to find the one worth keeping. A collector that puts in the time, will be rewarded with fine specimens for his/her collection.
Rather than relying on me, I suggest scheduling a reminder to prompt you to visit the site on Tuesday at noon when the new minerals are posted. Or sign my guestbook to receive the generic email announcements when the new minerals are online.
Remember, the time and effort that you expend is directly related to the results of your searches. The more you look, the more you will find.
9/12/06
Asbestos. Most people react in violent fear of the word. The same reaction is generated for "Radioactive".
Is it safe to collect these minerals? Yes. Collecting minerals is safe, even for the types of mineral above.
Asbestos causes asbestosis, a disease of the lungs, when short microfibers of this type of mineral are inhaled into the lungs. When asbestos is mined, the drilling and blasting generates the short microfibers. But a specimen sitting in your display cabinet is safe. However you should not grind it up into a fine powder and blow it around your room with a fan, then try some deep breathing exercises.
Radioactive minerals are safe to collect too. Distance is your best protection against radioactivity, and it takes surprisingly little distance to be safe since the hazard drops by the square of the distance. The dose from being 6" away from a specimen is 1/36th the dose of being 1" away. Actually the biggest danger from radioactive minerals is the Radon gas generated via radioactive decay. This gas is heavier than air and collects in the lower parts of your home. Because it is a gas, it is easily inhaled where it can cause health problems. But if your home has good ventilation, you are safe. If your home passes a radon test, then you will be OK. If in doubt, store radioactive minerals in your garage.
Other minerals are unsafe if ingested. If you have infants or pets that like to chew on things, prevent tjhem from ingesting any mineral specimen.
Collecting minerals is a safe hobby. There is no reason to overreact. A little education is all it takes to understand minerals and safely handle them.
8/29/06
All minerals sold on my web site have a standard two week return policy. This allows the purchaser to decide whether to keep a mineral specimen or not after seeing the mineral specimen in person.
But there is another guarantee for my minerals: If at any time a mineral specimen is tested, and the mineral species identified on my label was incorrect, then I will refund the cost of the specimen, the cost of return shipping, and the cost of the test.
Of the 30,000 mineral specimens sold, I have had only a handful returned. (Usually the misidentification was due to labels being accidentally switched in an old collection, and I failed to detect the switch.)
If a mineral specimen is suspected to be incorrect, have it tested by a reputable laboratory. Not that some tests cannot accurately identify all mineral species. For example only XRD will discern the structural differences between stilbite and stellerite. So make sure the test is valid for the mineral species. Note: EDS is not a reliable test for many species, notably zeolites.
I stand behind all mineral specimens sold, and there is no expiration to this guarantee.
8/22/06
Last week a regular customer complained about having to fill in the order form every week. Repeat customers are encouraged to use the order form because it instantly records the order and there is little chance of it getting lost or overlooked (as opposed to an email that may get filtered, sent to the Spam folder, or simply lost en route).
But repeat customers do not have to fully fill out the order form. All you need provide is name (last name will suffice), email address, and payment method (for repeat customers this means using the "Credit Card Number used on last order" option from the drop-down menu).
Did you know there are a number of software programs that automatically fill out order forms for you? Using them is even less work.
Lastly, you can send an email if your order is not urgent and you don't worry about getting in the queue quickly.
I could use cookies (a web page programming applet) to automatically recognize return customers and fill in the order form automatically. But cookies are usually associated with suspicious spyware and frequently refused by the best antivirus/antispyware programs. So that leaves you back at the beginning.
I have tried to make everything about my site easy to use. My current system is the best compromise between ease of use and safe, secure, simple programming. If you have suggestions though, please share them with me.
8/8/06
This week's new minerals are an experiment. Almost all of the minerals posted are from the eastern United States. This is direct contrast to my normal practice of posting a wide variety of minerals from a broad range of localities. I have no idea if it will work. My guess is that a few customers will like it, the rest will ignore it. We'll see...
This week there are several mineral specimens with old mineral names like "Pyroxene" which is no longer a mineral, but a group of 19 mineral species, including: Aegirine, Augite, Diopside, Enstatite, Hedenbergite, Omphacite, and Spodumene. That is a pretty diverse list. These minerals vary widely in appearance and characteristics. But with old specimens, there is little I can do unless their is a reference on the occurrence that clarifies the actual mineral species. Sadly there are few references for these historic minerals that I posted this week.
A few of the "pyroxenes" are clearly diopside. But I hesitate to make attributions without solid evidence. And determinations cannot be made with simple EDS tests that can be done cheaply. Some require XRD. So I have resorted to simply restating what is on the label.
Note: Dr. Lupulescu at the New York State Museum is systematically testing all of the amphibole specimens in the museum's collection to provide up-to-date identification in the new amphibole nomenclature. He is finding many surprises, and many minerals incorrectly identified.
7/18/06
Every week I post new mineral specimens to this web site at noon (or slightly earlier) on Tuesday. Almost immediately orders start to pour in.
Some customers wonder why I do not send email order confirmations right away. When orders come in, I focus my time and energy on removing sold specimens from the New Listings Galleries. But I usually delay sending email confirmations for two reasons:
All customers should rest assured, even though order confirmations are delayed, all requests are filled in the order received. In fact ,one tactic that results in better chances of getting all items you want is to submit many small orders. As soon as you spot an item you want, submit an order for that one, then continue shopping. This will get your request into the queue earlier and improve your chances.
7/11/06
This week many of the minerals posted to my web site are from an old collection dating to the late 1800s. When it was purchased, all I knew was the previous owner and that it had old pen-and-ink labels with many of the mineral specimens. The minerals were filthy from years of neglect, but I could see many classic locations were represented. It was clear there were no "killer" specimens - top quality specimens that would make purchasing the collection worthwhile. But I purchased the collection anyway, mainly to help out the widow and the mineral club that was helping her dispose of the collection. Out of 600+ mineral specimens in the collection, about 125-150 are worthy of being offered on this web site.
Fortunately, I got very lucky...
The very first specimen that I selected to be posted to the web site had the only label in the collection that was signed by the original owner ca. 1895: John A. Manley. If I had not picked out that specimen first, I would have dispersed the collection around the world to my customers, without ever knowing the history of the collection. That is pure luck.
Here is what I now know about the collection:
Look for more classic minerals from John A. Manley in the coming weeks on this web site and at my booth at the East Coast Gem & Mineral Show in West Springfield, Massachusetts.
6/13/06
Is your monitor properly calibrated?
Most people respond, "Yes, I haven't changed the factory settings since I bought it last year." The assumption is the monitor was properly calibrated in the factory and there is no need to make any adjustments after you purchase the monitor. Sadly, these assumptions are flawed.
Monitor manufacturers do not calibrate monitors. And your computer, software and interior lighting all affect what you see on your monitor. As evidence of this, I suggest visiting a computer store and looking at side-by-side comparisons of monitors displaying the same images. You will see there is a wide variety of color rendition.
I am not going to tell you how to calibrate your monitor. But I am going to help you identify if your monitor needs calibration. Click on the small test image to see the full-size test pattern:
In each half of the image are tints: top row - cyan, red; middle row - yellow, gray; bottom row - green, magenta. The white half has 5% tints of the these colors. The black half has 95% tints.
Can you see all of the tints?
If your monitor is set too dark, you will not see all of the 95% tints. If your monitor is too light, you will not see the 5% tints. If your monitor has too much red (most common) the gray squares (middle row, right side) will have reddish hue. The most difficult color for monitors to display are yellows. This is because the red, green, blue phosphors in the monitor do not easily combine to make yellow. How do the yellow squares (middle row, left side) look? Do the look yellow or pink?
If you discover the need to calibrate your monitor after using this test image, I suggest purchasing one of the software programs that will control your monitor. The added bonus of using color calibration software is it will also improve the color of prints you make on your computer.
6/6/06
Recently one of the mineral magazines ran an article about buying minerals via the Internet. Rather than writing helpful advice to guide readers on avoiding potential problems when buying via the Internet, they chose express their personal opinions of the Internet buying experience (one of them admitted to never buying over the Internet - why was he writing for the article?) and they debated the value of seeing the minerals in person at mineral shows along with other issues.
A few observations about buying via the Internet:
The bottom line is that buying minerals through the Internet is safe and easy as long as you:
If you follow these guidelines, you will find you can build a good collection easily and effortlessly.
5/23/06
I am working my way through an old collection of thumbnail-sized mineral specimens, all mounted in Perky-style display boxes. In the early day (before mineral tack was invented) most minerals specimens were glued using white glue (Elmer's) to the styrofoam insert in the Perky boxes. Then Mineral Tack was invented, the pliable putty that adheres to the mineral and the insert.
Once collectors saw how easy Mineral Tack made mounting thumbnail-sized specimens, they stopped gluing the minerals. This was a step in the right direction. White glue is nearly permanent. (The golden rule that mineral collectors should always follow is: do nothing to a mineral specimen that is not reversible.) At least white glue can be soaked in water for a few days to soften it and allow for removal of the glue.
But there were also cheapskate collectors that did not want to pay for Mineral Tack (or did not know where it could be purchased). They saw the advantages of using a putty. But they did not use Mineral Tack. Some used silly-putty, or plumber's putty, or soft patching compound, or silicone-based adhesives.
My advice: Do not use ANY substitute for Mineral Tack.
I found these alternatives go rancid over time, resulting in an unpleasant odor. Or it hardened over time leading to failure and damage to the specimen. Or it is not easily removable like Mineral Tack is. Silly putty is the worst - it refuses to peel off the mineral.
The bottom line is: don't take any short cuts. Use the right product for the job. Mineral Tack is the best.
5/16/06
Last week I posted some thumbnail-sized mineral specimens that were from an old collection. Each specimen was mounted in a Perky-style box. Now normally when I prepare minerals to be posted to this site, I wash each specimen in soap and water. But the thumbnail specimens were in closed boxes - so they didn't need washing. Right? Wrong, they were filthy.
How can minerals in closed boxes get so dirty?
I guess it is possible they were dirty before being mounted. But I am beginning to believe there is another explanation. Perhaps there is a microscopic ecosystem that lives in boxes of minerals (and any other box that is stored in a basement or garage). There is a similar ecosystem that lives in your mattress where dust mites live off of our discarded skin tissue. Apparently up to one-third of the weight of an old mattress is the feces and skeletons of these dust mites. Why couldn't a mineral collection stored in boxes have similar residents?
It is not uncommon to open a flat of minerals from a basement and see small, pale spiders. What are they surviving off of? They must be eating something...
What is to be learned from this? I suggest that minerals should not be stored in damp areas like basements or garages. If you must store your minerals in these environments, place them in large tupperware-style bins to seal out moisture and insects. Wash your minerals periodically. Discard old boxes and wrapping.
In the meantime, I know that every specimen must be washed - even if it was mounted in a sealed Perky box.
5/9/06
Last week I sold a book from my mineral library that was a pronunciation dictionary of mineral names and geological terms. That prompted a few questions from visitors about rules for pronouncing mineral names. Here are some guidelines:
These general guidelines will get you through most of the common mineral names. And every grammarian will tell you language is fluid and rules change over time. Many latin words have been Americanized. Therefore you might still make a mistake. Attending lectures at mineral clubs and symposia will expose you to more knowledgeable speakers. Listening to them you will pick up acceptable pronunciation.
Remember, no matter how you pronounce it, if you say with confidence nobody will argue with you.
4/25/06
Frequently I get questions about repairing mineral specimens. While I am no expert at making repairs, I can tell you what NOT to do when making a repair:
In general, a specimen with three complete crystals and one incomplete crystal is more valuable than a specimen with the same three complete crystals and a repaired crystal that was poorly done.
One collector once taught me that it is better to intertionally chip a quartz crystal (resulting in a clean conchoidal surface) to remove a bruise that is highly visible.
Finally, assess whether making the repair is worth it. Why are you making the repair? You will always know it is repaired and will never enjoy it fully. And it is unethical to repair a specimen in order to unload it on an unsuspecting collector. Why not just keep it as is?
4/11/06
I just returned from the Rochester Mineralogical Symposium, and I sadly report that Fred Pough died on Friday while attending the symposium. Fred was entering the symposium when he collapsed in the lobby. He made it to the hospital with a pulse, but died a few hours later. Fred was 99 years old and the sypmosium was planning on celebrating early his 100th birthday. Sadly it turned into a memorium.
Fred Pough was the mineral curator at the American Museum of Natural History here in New York. He is best known for his book: Peterson's Field Guide: Rocks & Minerals (ISBN 0-395-91096-x in paperback) which was updated with the 5th edition in 1996 with color photographs by the noted mineral photographer Jeff Scovil. This Field Guide has passed one milllion in sales, more than all other mineral books in total. It was my first mineral book, and others of my generation. When I was writing the article Manhattan Mineral Collecting I consulted many references and journals (including Conklin's article on the Kingsbridge District in Manhattan) about the brown tourmalines I recovered in northern Manhattan. All references, except Pough's book, incorrectly identified the tourmalines as uvite. Pough's book correctly identified them as dravite which was later confirmed through analysis.
I was 10 feet away when he collapsed. I prefer not to remember him that way. My best memory was one year earlier, also at the Rochester Mineralogical Symposium, where Fred was enjoying the "Hospitality Suite". The open bar fueled the storytelling of minerals and mineral collecting. Though Fred was 98 at the time, and got around with the aid of a walker, his mind was sharp as a tack. He loved to talk minerals and freely shared his knowledge with others. And he closed the bar every night that year. He was up until two in the morning with all of us. And he had a ball.
When he died last Friday, he was doing what he loved best: visiting with colleagues and talking about minerals.
I will miss you Fred.
4/4/06
Last week I received a flurry of requests for Mineral Tack, the soft pliable adhesive used to mount minerals to bases. I regularly recommend it's use because it is removable without destroying the mineral. I used to get Mineral Tack from David Shannon in Mesa, AZ. Sadly he died a few years ago and his widow, Colleen decided not to carry the white (gray actually) Mineral Tack because, "it leaves an oily stain on the mineral." While this is true, I do not want to use the alternative that she is selling: blue mineral tack. When mounting a transparent mineral, the blue shows though and looks unnatural.
The only place to get white mineral tack now appears to be Mikon in Germany. Unfortunately, the quantity quoted me was for a 6 kilo roll, which is OK for me because I mount thousands of specimens each year. But it will take the average collector a lifetime to use up.
The average collector would be wise to haunt the local mineral shows and find the many small dealers that sell packets of the old white mineral tack. Shannon sold them to dealers in prepackaged small sizes, often with the dealers name preprinted on the package.
Otherwise, you might consider gathering a group from your local mineral club and group-purchasing a 6 kilo roll from Mikon.
3/28/06
When you order a book from Amazon.com do you expect to negotiate the price with the company? When you order outdoor goods from L.L. Bean do you try to negotiate the price? Of course you don't. The Internet marketplace is based on the assumption that the seller has put his best price on the items for sale and there is no negotiation.
I spend lots of time researching prices for the minerals posted in an effort to keep my prices reasonable. If I mistakenly price a mineral too high, it won't sell. If I put a price that's too low, it will attract 10 requests (since only one customer will be successful in getting the specimen, the other 9 customers will be deeply upset). So my prices are hopefully "right" priced.
I routinely get requests trying to negotiate a lower price for a specimen and I am often confused by this. The beauty of the Internet, and the power of Google, is that you can search for other specimens in an effort to get lower prices. If my price is too high on a specimen, then you should have no problem finding a cheaper alternate with Google. If my price seems low, then don't hesitate and order it quickly because somebody else is probably doing the same thing and whoever submits the order first will get the specimen.
NOTE: In order to motivate customers to purchase multiple items at one time, I offer a discount on orders over $200. I lose income on these orders, but it is faster and easier to ship 4 minerals in one box instead of shipping four boxes each with a single specimen inside.
3/21/06
Last week I purchased the mineral collection of John Rorer, Jr. It was a delight to see a collection that was beautifully curated. Every mineral specimen had a label stored in the same box as the specimen. There was a computerized database with all pertinent information fully written out. And there were accompanying binders with print-outs of articles on the minerals, the mine, the town, as well as copies of any correspondence. Few collections can compare to the organization of his collection.
The only thing I would have added was to add a corresponding number to each mineral specimen in case the labels were ever mixed up. Yes, each mineral had a label in the bottom of the box. But minerals can be accidentally switched. If the boxes do not have high sides, it is possible that one could jump out while moving the collection (all were in mineral flats for easy handling).
I guess the guiding rule when you organize your collection should be: Can a 12 year old child figure it out. A number on each specimen corresponding to the number on the label would have been a small task and would make the collection completely foolproof.
3/14/06
Selling minerals over the Internet has a curse: every mineral must have a written description and that description must state whether a mineral specimen is damaged whether it is visible or not.
There are times when I want to write, "It looks beautiful, you can't see any damage with the naked eye, but if you examine every nook and cranny you will find one corner is chipped." But usually, because space is limited, I will only write, "one corner is chipped." The equivalent in the gem trade is the phrase "eye clean" that indicates the damage is not easily visible.
Occasionally I will state, "Minute damage is visible when viewed under magnfication." This is typical for gem crystals, such as tourmaline or aquamarine, where they are commonly transported in bags of loose crystals rubbing against each other. Sometimes the damage is on a rear corner where it is not visible when displayed. To me that is no more objectionable than having a rough surface on the bottom of the specimen: it is not visible.
The bottom line is that customers look for my usual phrase, "no damage" before ordering a mineral. Often this means that perfectly good mineral specimens will not sell, even though the damage is not visible. It pays to read my descriptions thoroughly. It try my best to communicate the condition of the specimen. And remember, you may always return a mineral specimen opurchased from this site. No questions asked.
3/7/06
Last week a collector asked for advice on shipping his mineral collection
to his new home. I prepared the following tips for packing minerals. This
is the system I use to ship large quantities of minerals back from Tucson
every year. It is not the only system, but it works well. The system depends
on isolating the loads of minerals in a large box to keep the minerals on
the bottom from being crushed by the minerals on the top and it works no
matter how the box is oriented (the minerals on the "top" may become the
bottom minerals if the box is turned upside down.
This is a simple system and uses readily available supplies. The only items that require some searching are 18x12x12" shipping boxes. But you can usually find these at U-Haul rental centers or office supply stores. This year I shipped 500 specimens, including some very fragile specimens without a loose crumb when the minerals were unwrapped.
2/28/06
A question arose last week about exactly when the New Mineral listings are posted to this site every week. I state at the top of my home page that the new minerals are posted at NOON on Tuesday. But a few eager customers discovered that the new listings are actually accessible earlier than that.
It is true: I start the process of posting new minerals at 11:35 on Tuesday. But the update in not instaneous. The process usually involves:
As you can imagine, all this takes time. Since the new minerals are accessible at step 2 above, it is usually possible to see the new listings by 11:45. That leaves me 15 minutes leeway to fix any errors if they arise.
Once a few years ago my update was not online at noon. Due to ISP problems the new listings were not ready until 12:30. Many regular visitor were confused, upset, and disappointed. I learned that day to always have everything smoothly running prior to the stated noon time. That is why I start early and why it pays to check in early on Tuesday.
2/14/06
All of the new minerals I acquired on my buying trip to Tucson are now cataloged, priced and labeled. I acquired over 600 mineral specimens including:
I gave up on trying to write up a complete summary of my observations on the minerals this year. There is just too much to write about and not enough time.
Look for the above minerals in the coming weeks. My plan is to continue posting 80+ mineral specimens every week and at least half will be new minerals acquired in Tucson.
1/17/06
I recently received an inquiry from a mineral collector that specialized in collecting only sphalerite. He purchased a specimen from this web site and asked to notified if any other sphalerite specimens are available from "rare or unusual" locations. I am completely stumped on how to respond to his request.
What is a rare or unusual location?
What may be unusual to this collector, may be ordinary to me or other collectors. For example, sphalerite is very rare in the trap rock quarry in Southbury, Connecticut. But I have repeatedly offered sphalerite specimens from that quarry and NEVER had a single customer buy one. Unless you collect regularly at this location, there is no way to know how rare it is.
I also acquire many old collections, often with old specimens from old Dana localities (these are localities listed by Dana in his Catalogue of American Mineral Localities). The localities were once commonly available through dealers like George English, A.E. Foote, and others. When I get an old specimen, it may be rare now but was not always considered rare. I may have had many other specimens from this location and find it rather ordinary.
I think the bottom line is that "rare" and "unusual" are best judged by the collector.
Building a collection requires some effort by the collector. The collector must put in the time to scan the newly listed mineral each week. (I make it very easy to see the new listings with a prominent link the the new listings at the top of my home page.) He will be in the best position to judge whether a specimen fills a gap in his collection.
1/10/06
Somebody recently asked about who my my customers are and why do they buy my minerals. There is no single answer. I have many different types of customers. I sell to individual collectors in the U.S. and abroad. I sell to museums that have mineral collections. I sell to students and researchers. I sell to corporations and colleges. There is no typical customer.
And there is no typical mineral collection. Everyone has a different specialty and I try to keep them all coming back to my site. Here is a sampling of some types of mineral collections:
You get the idea. The point is: not everybody is out there collecting the same thing. In fact, I believe that there is a collector out there for every mineral specimen, no matter the cost, size or aesthetics.
1/03/06
Last week an old customer called about a mineral specimen she had purchased. It was a gold in quartz and was labeled as from "Yukon Territory, Canada" and she was concerned that the location was too general. She wanted to know the exact mine name.
Unfortunately the interest in exact mineral localities is modern. Before 1920 it was common to have only the country or state as the ONLY locality information for a mineral specimen. Mineral collecting focused on the mineral - not the locality. Even early books on minerals showed only passing interest in exact mineral localities.
With the growth of mineral journals and the increase in the number of mineral dealers, locality information started to become more exact. As articles were written about specific locations, having minerals in your collection from the localities mentioned became important. Eventually full mineral locations were given with many mineral specimens (though some countries still produce sketchy locality information - China is on top of that list).
So when you get a hematite and quartz specimen labeled as from "Cumberland, England" or a sphalerite on dolomite labeled from "Tri-State District, Missouri" know that is probably an old specimen and there is no other locality information available.
Conversely, if you do get an old specimen (with an old label) that lists the specific mine name, then your specimen is more valuable because of this information. Collectors of minerals of Cornwall, England will pay more for a specimen if the exact mine name is known. But beware: the exact mine location on a new label may merely an attribution made by a dealer, with no true evidence of origin. Do not value the specimen more unless it has historic support.
12/27/05
This is the last update for the year 2005. It has been a busy year:
It makes me tired just thinking about the above.
Now the cycle begins again. In less than 4 weeks I will return to Tucson, Az. to start buying new finds for the upcoming year. Now is the time to send your requests. I will add your requests to my shopping list. Send me an email at jhbnyc@aol.com if you have any requests.
In the meantime, there are lots of great minerals in the queue for the upcoming weeks, including some great new diamond crystals.
Have a happy and safe New Year celebration. Cheers!
12/13/05
Recently a customer stated she was worried about buying "conflict diamonds". Conflict diamonds, also known as blood diamonds, are diamonds mined by rebels to fund their regional wars. The two countries cited by the United Nations as conflict states are Angola and Sierra Leone. I do not sell diamonds from these countries.
At the height of the problem with diamond smuggling the adjacent countries of Liberia and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire) were mentioned in the blood diamond discussions, not because they are conflict countries, but because conflict diamonds from neighboring Angola and Sierra Leone were smuggled over the borders and sold along with legitimate diamonds.
The problem of smuggling has now been solved. Since January 1, 2003, the "Kimberley Process" has been put into place by 70 diamond-producing countries. In the Kimberley Process, diamonds are shipped in sealed containers with documentation of legitimate origin. The process has been an overwhelming success and diamond smuggling has been drastically reduced from conflict countries.
For the record, DRC is nearly tied with Botswana and Australia as the largest diamond producing countries (by carat weight), and the DRC diamonds are entirely legitimate. There are no restrictions to selling diamonds from the DRC.
12/05/05
Recently a parent asked about gift ideas for his son who is interested in minerals. He was thinking of getting his son a rock tumbler, but was concerned about the noise and the long time it takes to get results. I agreed with his fears. But I was wondering what should you get a child with a budding interest in minerals?
The first choice is a good book on minerals. There are not many books that I recommend. But you cannot go wrong the Peterson Field Guide: Rocks & Minerals by Frederick Pough (ISBN 0-395-91096-x in paperback). This book is one of the best all around books and the latest edition has many color photos by Jeff Scovil. There were more copies of this book printed through the years than all other field guides combined.
If you want to buy some equipment for your child, then I suggest buying a student microscope, preferably a stereo microscope. The smallest mineral specimens look fantastic under magnification. Anyone (adults included) can spend long hours looking at minerals in a microscope.
Another gift idea is trays or boxes for storing a child's mineral collection. Plastic boxes with lid and internal dividers will protect minerals from damage and keep them organized and clean. You could also print up custom mineral labels with the child's name and blank lines for mineral type and locality. The child can spend long hours labeling his collection - a task that is best started when a collection is small.
11/15/05
Last week I expressed my belief that collecting minerals is a growing pastime and is experiencing growth in all categories of expertise. Mineral clubs and mineral magazines have helped expose new collectors to the joys of mineral collecting. But as a dealer, I see a correlation to another influence that brings in new mineral collectors: museums. Mineral displays in museums exposes the average public to the beauty of minerals. I believe it is the single largest influence to get non-collectors to become collectors of minerals.
Why do I think museums play such a significant role? Because there is a correlation between museum location and collecting populations. Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington D.C. have important collections of minerals on display. They are also where there is the greatest number of new mineral collectors. And there is a large group of regional museums like the Bruce Museum in Connecticut and the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in N.J. that also expose lots of people to mineral collecting. Years ago I was told that the mineral displays in the American Museum of Natural History, here in New York City, were in the top 4 exhibits visited by the public.
Sadly, some of the best museums are downsizing or eliminating their mineral displays. The Field Museum in Chicago has no minerals on display worth seeing. And the mineral museum at Harvard University (in my opinion it was one of the top three mineral exhibits in the US) has reduced their mineral displays to make more offices for administrators (just what we need ;-). Lastly, there has been many reports about the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences trying to sell their entire collection.
I do not understand why museums in Denver, Houston and Dallas are building their mineral displays up, when other museums are downsizing. But the relationship with building interest in the field of mineral collecting is clear. As long as their are minerals displayed in museums, we will see new collectors entering the field.
11/8/05
Old time mineral dealers are worried that mineral collecting is losing collectors and will soon be dead as a hobby. They base their opinion on the fact that their regular customers are dying off and they are not getting new customers.
I disagree. Mineral collecting is growing rapidly. Mineral collecting is not dying.
The Internet has provided a new path for collectors to enter the hobby. Through the Internet collectors can learn about collecting locations, local mineral clubs, mineral magazines, and references on minerals like Mindat.org or Webmineral.com. And the Internet provides access to hundreds of mineral dealers around the world. Using the power of Google.com, collectors can find several dealers of any given mineral occurrence, making comparison shopping easier than ever before.
Perhaps the problem with the older dealers is they think of mineral collecting as a "hobby". Nobody thinks that collectors of fine art or antiques are participating in a hobby. They are collecting items that interests them and are willing to pay for important items. The same is happening with collecting minerals - serious collectors are starting to enter the field. I agree with Dave Wilbur when he attributes serious specimen mining by Bryan Lees as the cause why serious collectors are now attracted to minerals.
When assessing the health of mineral collecting, do not look to magazine subscribers as an indicator. Here in New York, the local mineral club has about 300 members. I estimate that only 10% subscribe to Rocks & Minerals magazine and 5% subscribe to Mineralogical Record (few subscribe to both). The mineral magazines have done a poor job at penetrating their "base" and must now compete with online mineral references.
Mineral collecting is growing in popularity. Minerals are more popular than ever. And prices are rising equal or greater than the rate of inflation.
10/25/05
This week I cataloged mineral #32000. Every mineral I've offered for sale since 1992 has had a unique number in sequential order assigned when it is cataloged into my database. (Minerals sold before 1992 were not numbered.) The number appears on my web site, my photos on Mindat and Webmineral.com, and on my labels that accompany every specimen.
Visitors have often asked why the minerals offered each week are not in strict order. For instance, this week the minerals posted include: 9799, 16774, 17765, 19729, 20496, 21676, 22490, 23724, 24806, 25065, 25431, 25436, 25548, 27621, 27623, 27850, 27853, 28987, 31361, 31365, 31371, 31374, 31434, 31481, 31617, 31857, 31926, 31974-32023.
This is because I have two stocks of minerals. One is for mineral shows only. These tend to be larger specimens with little historic value. The other stock minerals are posted to this web site. These tend to be smaller specimens, frequently with historic labels and provenance. I prefer to sell the historic specimens through the web site because customers are able to focus on the details of a specimen, and I can sho wimages of all old labels (not easy to do at mineral shows).
When my web stock is depleted I will cannibalize my show stock for more specimens. When I do not have show scheduled in the near future, all new acquisitions will go into my web stock. The end result is that the minerals offered on this site may have been acquired 4 years ago or 4 days ago, with item numbers that seem random.
Also, I frequently obtain specimens in old collections that I sold long ago. When possible, I use the original number. There are 5 specimens this week that I sold several years ago to another dealer (Brian Scholten).
So you can see that the numbers are assigned when they are acquired, not when they are posted to the site.
10/4/05
Last week this site quietly had it's 700,000th visitor. Soon it will pass the 3/4 millionth visitor. When I started this site, I had no idea that I would ever reach such a wide audience. And now there are more and more mineral dealers online. I was afraid that would dilute the number of visits to my site. In fact, the opposite has happened. More visitors come to the site every week than ever before.
Note that I am referring to "visitors" to the site. This is different than the common statistic on most sites called "hits". My counter counts actual individuals that come to the site. It is smart enough to know if you were at the site earlier in the day or the previous day. All visits from the same individual are counted as only one "visit".
The other way of counting "hits" counts the numbers of calls to the site's web server. Every image and every web page counts as a hit. If a viewer calls up my New Listings page it generates 51 hits, one for the page and 50 for the images embedded in that page. Obviously my "hit" count is MUCH HIGHER than my visitor count. It is so big that I have stopped counting.
8/16/05
Recently a friend was describing another collector's mineral collection. As my friend spoke, it was clear he was impressed with the other's collection. He described the collection and how well organized it was. He remarked is was organized in drawers and display cases, carefully cataloged, with all historic labels archived in books.
As I listened, it occurred to me that he was impressed not just by the mineral specimens, but also by the organization. As collectors we tend to focus on acquiring great mineral specimens. But it is the presentation and organization that contribute equally to the appreciation of a collection. The minerals are the content. The display is the presentation. The cataloging and labeling are the organization.
I suggest that you devote as much energy to the presentation and organization as you devote to content. A collection presented haphazardly will not be appreciated as much as the same collection presented in optimum conditions.
Collectors rarely consider these aspects. But cleary my friend's reactions to seeing a good collection reveal how much it adds to the viewing experience.
8/9/05
Here in the eastern United States, where the high population density has led to rapid urban development, I often hear complaints that there are no mineral collecting locations remaining. Usually I point out that I have several mineral collecting localities listed in my section on field trips. And in my section on educational articles, there are several long articles that I wrote after researching old locations and "rediscovering" them as collecting locations.
Not everyone has access to a library of historic mineral books and magazines. So what can you do if you can't find a place to collect minerals?
Find new spots to collect is the simple answer. Keep tools and boots in the back of your car so that when you pass road construction (after work hours), you can stop and check out the recently exposed minerals. This is often very productive. Even the most boring rock (pardon the pun) may have shrinkage fractures filled with late mineralization like pyrite or calcite. Building foundation excavations are another good location to check out. Many nice amethyst clusters have been found this way in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
I have a catalog of the minerals in the collection of the New York Mineralogical Club dating back to the 1880s. I plotted the locations listed on a city map. Nearly all of the minerals were collected when the city was digging tunnels for the subways. Minerals can be found almost anywhere. But you have to get out and look for them.
7/19/05
Last week a new visitor to this site inquired about a phrase used to describe a mineral specimen: "No external damage". He was unsure what that meant. I guess he wondered why I didn't say, "No damage."
He was right. Damage is when something happens to a mineral specimen during mining or after it was extracted by the miner. An edge is chipped, a crystal is broken, a surface is scratched or some other alteration to the exterior of a specimen due to carelessness by the owner. It is not possible to damage a specimen internally. Therefore all damage is external, making the need to qualify my description redundant. "No damage" means no damage to external surfaces.
If a crystal has internal flaws such as fractures or inclusions or bubbles these are entirely natural and caused by natural stress or processes. They are imperfections or flaws, but they are naturally occurring.
7/12/05
I just finished reading the book Genuine Diamonds in Arkansas by Glenn Worthington. In his writing about the value of diamonds, he proposes changing the four C's of assessing diamonds (Carat weight, Color, Clarity, Cut) by adding a fifth C: Country of Origin. I agree completely.
Diamonds from some countries are hard to get in today's marketplace. The production in India has dwindled as localities are long exhausted. Botswana and South Africa are large producers, therefore plentiful, which keeps prices down. The entire ore production in Australia is crushed to 15 mm making the chances of getting a large diamond extremely unlikely.
Scarcity affects value. Supply versus demand.
The same holds true of any mineral. Amethyst from Brazil or Uruguay is plentiful and inexpensive. Amethyst from New Hampshire or Virginia or Pennsylvania is rare and therefore more expensive. One of my customers collects minerals that only occur at one location. Isn't that a great specialty? I had never thought of that before, but it results in a collection of rare minerals from worldwide locations. Of course, because the minerals occur only at one location, the supply is limited (or possibly controlled by a monopoly) and that drives prices higher. Hopefully a new find of a mineral at a new location will not flood the market and drive prices down (reducing the value of his collection). Cavansite was originally found as microcrystals in Oregon. Then the floodgates opened up in cavansite production from India. Prices adjusted accordingly.
5/24/05
A regular customer recently asked about the categories used to classify minerals. The common categories are Micromounts, Thumbnail, Miniature, Cabinet and Large Cabinet specimens. On the west coast they often substitute Toenail for Thumbnail.
The latter two categories vary from dealer to dealer, but the sizes listed here are how they are categorized on this site.
Did you know that there is a list of all minerals on this site, sorted by size? You can go to the list Sorted by Size and browse through all minerals on this web site (over 500 specimens at any given time).
5/10/05
I spent the weekend attending the marathon auction of Jay lininger's mineral collection. Jay was the co-founder of Matrix magazine, a journal on the history of minerals and mineral collecting. Jay's collecting specialty was Pennsylvania minerals, and 2400 specimens of his Pennsylvania mineral collection were auctioned over a 17 hour auction, spread over two days.
Jay was a real mineral collector - he acquired anything that fit his collection, regardless of whether he already had three (or more) similar specimens in his collection. Jay was also a typical collector: he failed to catalog his collection or keep old labels with his minerals!
If someone as knowledgeable and intelligent as Jay failed to catalog his collection, then those of us that have not cataloged our collections are in good company. Though my personal collection is not fully cataloged into a computer database, I have at least made sure there is a label with each specimen. Jay failed to do even that.
It was sad to realize that Jay had acquired many historic specimens, with stories to go with each specimen. Jay knew this history in his head. But when he died, that history was lost. No labels or documentation to pass the history on to the next owner of the specimen. Jay forgot that he was merely the current caretaker of the minerals, and that a new owner would take over after Jay's passing.
Also at the auction was the antithesis of Jay, a collector who dcuments everything about a specimen, including copies of emails, articles, and any history that he can gather on a specimen. This collector has my extreme admiration for his detailed documentation of his mineral collection. In addition he has a fine eye for minerals and purchases the best specimens when available. We should all strive to avoid Jay's mistakes and try to reach the ideal of this other collector.
5/3/05
At mineral shows, and sometimes in email, I get comments from collectors about the prices of minerals. Sometimes they comment about how they paid $3 thirty years ago for the same mineral that I am selling for $30. But the ones that make me laugh are the visitors that see a mineral (let's say an aquamarine crystal) and say they have them by the bucketful in the hillside behind their house. I have grown to understand that these collectors are incapable of judging quality in a mineral specimen. To them, an aquamarine is an aquamarine. Or probably they have common beryl in their backyard and they think that all beryl is aquamarine.
At the last mineral show, a visitor commented on how he paid $3 for a poldervaartite while he pointed to one I had for $250. I guess to this customer a poldervaartite is a poldervaartite. Regardless of whether his was an opaque, brown crystal with no luster or complete crystals. He was looking at my translucent pink crystals with brilliant surface luster on the crystal faces. To him a poldervaartite is a poldervaartite.
I recommend that collectors learn to judge quality in a mineral specimen. Study competition-quality mineral displays at shows; look at the best specimens of noted mineral dealers; visit museum collections; read every mineral magazine available; etc. Only by spending time will you begin to discern the subtle differences that make good specimens good. Do not be a "checkbox" collector - someone that checks off the box in Fleischer's Glossary of Mineral Species when he buys a mineral and says, "I've got that one now, no need to look at another one of those ever again."
4/26/05
I was selling last weekend at the New Jersey Earth Science Association mineral show. While talking to several other mineral dealers, they all mentioned that Internet mineral sales are killing the local mineral shows. I disagree.
Internet customers do not go to mineral shows (in general). Mineral show attendees rarely buy over the Internet. I believe there are two separate populations. They are buying via whatever venue is most convenient. Those that buy over the Internet frequently are residents of remote areas where there are no (or few) local mineral shows. Internet buyer are comfortable with return policies and are not afraid to have a mineral sent to them without holding it in their hand first.
I believe that the Internet has made buying (and trading) minerals easier and has enabled a broader audience to collect minerals. It is true that with so many distractions in life, that some mineral shows are experiencing declining attendance. But other shows are experiencing growth. The large shows are growing the most.
Perhaps it is the large number of mineral dealers that is hurting the sales at mineral shows. If you look at old magazines, you will see the number of mineral dealers has probably quadrupled over the last 40 years. That says to me that mineral collecting is growing.
One final thought: the big mineral shows are losing their importance. Dealers used to hold out their best new specimens for major shows like Denver or Tucson. Nowadays, if a big new find is made, it is rapidly sold through web sites. This is the real change in mineral shows...
4/12/05
This I week I added a special page with images of 22 pages crystal drawings of diamonds.
In 1916 Victor Goldschmidt published the nine volume Atlas der Krystalformen. It was a compilation of crystal diagrams from many books and references. I have scanned the 22 pages from the atlas containing diamond crystal drawings. Because the diamond drawings were derived from many different sources, the style varies from line drawings to shaded illustrations. Because these were scanned from a second-generation copy of the Atlas, the quality varies. But it is the most comprehensive collection of diamond crystal illustrations available.
In addition, I have added crystal diagrams to my gallery of diamonds. Eight crystal habits are represented. These are the most common forms found in diamond crystals. Though most diamonds are blend of two forms. The crystal illustrations have been added to help buyers understand the crystal system when reading the descriptions of each diamond crystal for sale. I hope you find them helpful.
4/5/05
When describing the minerals for sale on this site, I include a summary description of the condition of each mineral specimen. When the crystal is obviously in pristine condition, I may write "no damage". When it looks clean and no damage is visible I may write "no visible damage" if there is doubt about the condition of the rear of the specimen. When a crystal is missing anywhere on the specimen I will write "missing crystal" or "incomplete crystal". There are variations of these descriptions, but all are a description of the exterior condition of the mineral specimen.
A mineral specimen described as undamaged may be internally flawed. Most minerals have some internal flaws, or inclusions, or water bubbles, or silky areas. Rarely do descriptions describe the internal condition. It is the mineral photograph that best communicates the interior condition. Only if a mineral is described as "flawless" can you be assured of the internal perfection - few specimens earn that label.
NOTE: Just because a specimen omits the description "no damage" does not mean that the specimen is chipped or cleaved. There are times when I cannot tell if a surface formed with an irregular shape (naturally) or whether it was damaged after it was collected. In those instances I do not attempt to make a judgement as a purchaser may disagree with a "no damage" assessment.
3/15/05
When I buy old mineral collections, occasionally I get specimens where the mineral identification is questionable. When it is an important specimen, I pay to have the mineral analyzed to confirm the mineral species. The amazing thing: the old identifications are almost always correct! How did they do it?
It isn't rocket science. Today's mineralogists rely on EDS, XRD, microprobe, Raman mass spectroscopy, etc. 80 years ago mineralogists used a blowpipe, hardness kits, specific gravity, thin sections under a polarizing microscope. With these these low-tech tests they were able to narrow the possibilities and eventually confirm the mineral species - correctly.
Any good book on minerals discusses the testing and identification of a mineral. With some study time, and some basic test equipment, mineral identification is within reach of any mineral collector.
Note: It is easy to show a mineral to an "expert" and get an identification. It is much harder to get a CORRECT identification ;-)
2/15/05
This week I passed another milestone: I cataloged the 30,000th mineral specimen.
I started using a numerical identification system in 1993 and since that time, every mineral sold has had a unique number. All information on each specimen and an archive of photos documents all of the sold minerals. It is very easy to look up an old specimen, view it's image, and review the detail of the specimen. Since I regularly buy mineral collections, it is not uncommon to get back a mineral I sold years ago.
My archives make researching old specimens very easy. And if little or no locality information is available, I can look up similar specimens to see what locality is listed for them, thereby determine an otherwise unknown locality.
I prefer a simple number system because it also determines the chronology of the specimen. And sorting by number is easy (for example: list all tourmalines number >19065 and < 27122). I have written about using databases before, but a simple number is easier to use that number + prefix.
Sadly, I should have planned for the 30,000th specimen to be something special. But the luck of the draw resulted in an old Vanadinite being the milestone mineral. I suspect that I will hit 40,000th in about a year. Perhaps I will plan better for that milestone.
2/8/05
Everyone asks what was new at Tucson. That begs the question: What is a NEW mineral?
I have several definitions of new:
This year there were "new" minerals that fit all of these categories. All will be posted in the coming weeks. New tourmalines from the famous Mt. Mica; minerals from the collections of Dick Bideaux and Chuck Leavitt; newly accepted mineral species.
There might even be a special update during the midweek...
1/18/05
Recently a visitor inquired about why the rhodochrosite from the N'Chwaning Mine fluoresces when all the sources on the Internet indicate that rhodochrosite does not fluoresce. There are two problems with the question:
The first is obvious. The information found when researching via the Internet is inadequate. Only the information some webmaster is voluntarily posting is available. It is far from thorough. Especially information about fluorescing minerals. There are no references that I know of that lists all occurrences of fluorescent minerals. I wish there were. I wish Lanny Ream's Mineral Database, a program that I regularly use to research minerals, listed fluorescence under properties. It would make identifying minerals much easier. But when researching, you must assume that just because something is not listed on the Internet, doesn't make it false.
The second problem is that minerals vary in composition. Rhodochrosite is MnCO, calcite is CaCO. It is possible to have calcium impurities in rhodochrosite, and you can have manganese impurities in calcite. At Franklin, New Jersey it is the manganese impurities in the calcite that makes it fluoresce under UV illumination. It is therefore possible to have calcium impurities in rhodochrosite make it fluoresce in a similar way.
The bottom line is: there is no single authoritative reference for mineral information. And the Internet is a poor substitute for a good reference book.
1/11/05
Why do mineral labels sometimes give incomplete, vague, or inaccurate locality information?
There are several reasons. In pre-1945 times mineral dealers and mineral collectors did not care much about exact localities. It was not uncommon to see only the country listed on a label. Or perhaps a vague area such as "Siberia" or a mining district such as "Alston Moor." At the time, mineral dealers kept their labels vague to protect their sources of specimens from competing dealers. Sometimes completely incorrect locations are given. Almost every collection from the 1960-70s has a specimen of purple fluorite labeled from "Catron County, New Mexico." This location was a dealer/collector's way of keeping claim jumpers away from the real location in Grant County.
