FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

Will there be new mineral species millions of centuries in the future, after geology has processed a trillion tons of plastics, aluminum, etc.?

What courses would you recommend for someone who wishes to be a mineralogist? What universities would be good to attend?

Remember this when you talk to a layperson.
Check xkcd comic number 2501

These are the stones I got from the museum souvenir shop. What minerals would these polished rocks be? Are they different species or a porous one that can be dyed? Or something else?

Here is the T-shirt I bought at the museum.

Had to delay till next month. We are picking out when now.

TOM,
There were 2 (!) personally self-collected examples shown, both used only as examples.

One was from 0 cost - $2750 offered, the other was from 0 cost - $3000 offered.
In my arithme ...

Being that this website forum is part of a dealer's website, I am not sure your question is appropriate. However, I will answer it in a different sort of way.

The 2 attached photos are 2 of my bes ...

My books sometimes give an idea of how much a particular gem or mineral would cost. However, they say prices are very prone to change.
What are the biggest changes of the last five or ten years?

I read you can change colors of gems by dyeing, heat or radiation. Dyeing I can understand, but how does heat or radiation change a stone's color? The heat cools off and the radiation dies out, and ne ...

It is an excellent mineral museum. Enjoy it. But check before you go to make sure they are open!

We're going in mid-May. My cousin is handling all the details.

My cousin is taking me for a few days on a mini-vacation to Pittsburgh. Researching, I came across this collection in their Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
Anybody have any tips or reviews on it ...

Another promising technology mentioned on page 274 is infrared spectroscopy. Any of you use that?

Most of the online ads say "Contact us for price", but I saw a used one for $6500.

My 2016 Gem Identification Made Easy (2016) on page 34 says

While it lacks portability and is not yet an affordable instrument (currently selling at approximately $12,000) for most of the readers o ...

SteveB:
Just reading this and it occurred to me -
Why would any country print six or fewer stamps of a specific kind?

Ordered myself a couple more for my birthday (March 5):
Gem Identification Made Easy (6th Edition): A Hands-On Guide to More Confident Buying & Selling
Matlins and Bonanno

The Jeweler's Direc ...

Sometimes I read things like "Mazanecite is sometimes fluorescent."
"Sometimes"?
What would make one specimen of a chemical substance fluorescent when another specimen with the e ...

Are we still getting new mineral locations? Or have they all been pretty much found? What are the big 21st Century discoveries, if any?

How does heat change a mineral? It should not change the chemical composition (unless the stuff burns). If it is temperature that does it you would expect the change to revert when it cools.
What hap ...

Author	Message
Topic: Minerals of the distant future
Tom Mazanec Replies: 4 Views: 7205	Forum: Minerals and Mineralogy Posted: Aug 04, 2023 10:54 Subject: Minerals of the distant future
Tom Mazanec Replies: 4 Views: 7205	Will there be new mineral species millions of centuries in the future, after geology has processed a trillion tons of plastics, aluminum, etc.?
Topic: Mineralogist curricula
Tom Mazanec Replies: 5 Views: 3462	Forum: Off-Topic and Introductions Posted: Mar 19, 2022 13:24 Subject: Mineralogist curricula
Tom Mazanec Replies: 5 Views: 3462	What courses would you recommend for someone who wishes to be a mineralogist? What universities would be good to attend?
Topic: Average Familiarity
Tom Mazanec Replies: 0 Views: 9792	Forum: Off-Topic and Introductions Posted: Aug 13, 2021 09:37 Subject: Average Familiarity
Tom Mazanec Replies: 0 Views: 9792	Remember this when you talk to a layperson. Check xkcd comic number 2501
Topic: Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems
Tom Mazanec Replies: 9 Views: 8940	Forum: Other Museums in USA Posted: Jul 21, 2021 12:24 Subject: Re: Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems
Tom Mazanec Replies: 9 Views: 8940	These are the stones I got from the museum souvenir shop. What minerals would these polished rocks be? Are they different species or a porous one that can be dyed? Or something else?
Topic: Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems
Tom Mazanec Replies: 9 Views: 8940	Forum: Other Museums in USA Posted: Jun 12, 2021 09:36 Subject: Re: Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems
Tom Mazanec Replies: 9 Views: 8940	Here is the T-shirt I bought at the museum.
Topic: Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems
Tom Mazanec Replies: 9 Views: 8940	Forum: Other Museums in USA Posted: May 08, 2021 11:32 Subject: Re: Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems
Tom Mazanec Replies: 9 Views: 8940	Had to delay till next month. We are picking out when now.
Topic: Price changes
Tom Mazanec Replies: 16 Views: 9305	Forum: Off-Topic and Introductions Posted: Apr 25, 2021 12:47 Subject: Re: Price changes
Tom Mazanec Replies: 16 Views: 9305	TOM, There were 2 (!) personally self-collected examples shown, both used only as examples. One was from 0 cost - $2750 offered, the other was from 0 cost - $3000 offered. In my arithme ...
Topic: Price changes
Tom Mazanec Replies: 16 Views: 9305	Forum: Off-Topic and Introductions Posted: Apr 25, 2021 11:07 Subject: Re: Price changes
Tom Mazanec Replies: 16 Views: 9305	Being that this website forum is part of a dealer's website, I am not sure your question is appropriate. However, I will answer it in a different sort of way. The 2 attached photos are 2 of my bes ...
Topic: Price changes
Tom Mazanec Replies: 16 Views: 9305	Forum: Off-Topic and Introductions Posted: Apr 24, 2021 11:19 Subject: Price changes
Tom Mazanec Replies: 16 Views: 9305	My books sometimes give an idea of how much a particular gem or mineral would cost. However, they say prices are very prone to change. What are the biggest changes of the last five or ten years?
Topic: How does color treating "work"?
Tom Mazanec Replies: 6 Views: 3999	Forum: Off-Topic and Introductions Posted: Apr 24, 2021 06:25 Subject: How does color treating "work"?
Tom Mazanec Replies: 6 Views: 3999	I read you can change colors of gems by dyeing, heat or radiation. Dyeing I can understand, but how does heat or radiation change a stone's color? The heat cools off and the radiation dies out, and ne ...
Topic: Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems
Tom Mazanec Replies: 9 Views: 8940	Forum: Other Museums in USA Posted: Apr 11, 2021 11:14 Subject: Re: Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems
Tom Mazanec Replies: 9 Views: 8940	It is an excellent mineral museum. Enjoy it. But check before you go to make sure they are open! We're going in mid-May. My cousin is handling all the details.
Topic: Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems
Tom Mazanec Replies: 9 Views: 8940	Forum: Other Museums in USA Posted: Apr 11, 2021 07:26 Subject: Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems
Tom Mazanec Replies: 9 Views: 8940	My cousin is taking me for a few days on a mini-vacation to Pittsburgh. Researching, I came across this collection in their Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Anybody have any tips or reviews on it ...
Topic: Raman Spectroscopes
Tom Mazanec Replies: 5 Views: 4281	Forum: Off-Topic and Introductions Posted: Mar 10, 2021 18:18 Subject: Re: Raman Spectroscopes
Tom Mazanec Replies: 5 Views: 4281	Another promising technology mentioned on page 274 is infrared spectroscopy. Any of you use that?
Topic: Raman Spectroscopes
Tom Mazanec Replies: 5 Views: 4281	Forum: Off-Topic and Introductions Posted: Mar 09, 2021 16:29 Subject: Re: Raman Spectroscopes
Tom Mazanec Replies: 5 Views: 4281	Most of the online ads say "Contact us for price", but I saw a used one for $6500.
Topic: Raman Spectroscopes
Tom Mazanec Replies: 5 Views: 4281	Forum: Off-Topic and Introductions Posted: Mar 09, 2021 13:47 Subject: Raman Spectroscopes
Tom Mazanec Replies: 5 Views: 4281	My 2016 Gem Identification Made Easy (2016) on page 34 says While it lacks portability and is not yet an affordable instrument (currently selling at approximately $12,000) for most of the readers o ...
Topic: Beautiful durable and...common?
Tom Mazanec Replies: 8 Views: 6440	Forum: Off-Topic and Introductions Posted: Mar 03, 2021 09:40 Subject: Re: Beautiful durable and...common?
Tom Mazanec Replies: 8 Views: 6440	SteveB: Just reading this and it occurred to me - Why would any country print six or fewer stamps of a specific kind?
Topic: A gemstone Christmas
Tom Mazanec Replies: 1 Views: 3225	Forum: Off-Topic and Introductions Posted: Mar 03, 2021 09:30 Subject: Re: A gemstone Christmas
Tom Mazanec Replies: 1 Views: 3225	Ordered myself a couple more for my birthday (March 5): Gem Identification Made Easy (6th Edition): A Hands-On Guide to More Confident Buying & Selling Matlins and Bonanno The Jeweler's Direc ...
Topic: Sometimes fluorescent
Tom Mazanec Replies: 5 Views: 4227	Forum: Off-Topic and Introductions Posted: Feb 27, 2021 08:28 Subject: Sometimes fluorescent
Tom Mazanec Replies: 5 Views: 4227	Sometimes I read things like "Mazanecite is sometimes fluorescent." "Sometimes"? What would make one specimen of a chemical substance fluorescent when another specimen with the e ...
Topic: New locations
Tom Mazanec Replies: 7 Views: 5179	Forum: Off-Topic and Introductions Posted: Feb 07, 2021 09:43 Subject: New locations
Tom Mazanec Replies: 7 Views: 5179	Are we still getting new mineral locations? Or have they all been pretty much found? What are the big 21st Century discoveries, if any?
Topic: Heat changes some minerals - how?
Tom Mazanec Replies: 11 Views: 6311	Forum: Off-Topic and Introductions Posted: Jan 29, 2021 10:32 Subject: Heat changes some minerals - how?
Tom Mazanec Replies: 11 Views: 6311	How does heat change a mineral? It should not change the chemical composition (unless the stuff burns). If it is temperature that does it you would expect the change to revert when it cools. What hap ...