FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Tracy]

George - I think I need a model to visualize your solution! :-) Off to find an old bloom handle...

Gail - just curious, what's your definition of a research mineral?

Please keep the photos coming Linda!

- Tracy

[Gail]

Tracy,


When we first got into collecting I went to the mineral auctions and often won pieces that I wanted to research to see if we wanted to add them to our collection. I would be curious about the write up of a piece, and found such things as galena, linarite, scheelite and hemimorphite to "research" and study up on as well as having a physical specimen in front of me. I would take a loupe and study them in detail. I would also spend time on mineral sites to see other examples.
The pieces we got from the auctions were pretty good, as a matter of fact, but most have been placed in drawers as we have collected finer specimens of those same minerals since.
I like to give these pieces to really deserving children who actually care enough to cherish them and not harm them. They come with labels also, so we really make it clear the labels need to always accompany the specimen. This is good training for youngsters also.

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Linda, my apologies for taking up precious space on your mineral collection site. I will happily delete any non-Linda threads if you wish.

[Jordi Fabre]

Gail wrote:
>Linda, my apologies for taking up precious space on your mineral collection site. I will happily delete any non-Linda threads if you wish.

Linda and Gail: please don't delete them, if Linda is unhappy for the mix-up in her thread I can move the non-Linda threads to a different topic. Just letting me know, but please, don't delete them.

Jordi

[Linda Smith]

Jordi,
Please keep all of the items in this thread. We are a bonded group of women who enjoy sharing our information and experiences and I welcome this.

Gail, thanks for the info on how you researched your mineral acquisitions. You have given your collecting great thought and have informed yourself and that is really a wonderful example for those who wish to start collecting.

[Linda Smith]

Here is specimen that was part of the old collection I purchased. It was wrapped in a newspaper from 1981 and I particularly like the blue color with the galena.

[Linda Smith]

Well I have taken a few more photos and hopefully these are okay. I am learning how to use my new camera. This specimen is 7cm x 5.5cm.

[Linda Smith]

Another from my collection. This a specimen from Shigar Valley, Pakistan and 8cm x 7cm

[Linda Smith]

This was purchased on my trip to China and is 8cm x 5cm. I reminds me of a hedgehog.

[Linda Smith]

My husband gave me a subscription to the "Mineral of the Month Club" for Christmas the last 3 years. This was one of my first specimens. It is 3cm x 6cm and is from the Crystal Peak Area, Teller, CO.

[Linda Smith]

This a favorite of mine. I like gypsum and this was a beautiful and delicate specimen that I purchased at a mineral symposia and show. It is 10cm x 6cm

[Gail]

Thank you SO much for sharing your wonderful minerals!

[Linda St-Cyr]

Thank you for the photos! I'm on the way to Tucson now - very excited - looking forward to meeting lots of people and lots of rocks.

[Linda Smith]

Trying to play catch up after Tucson. Here is one of the Mexican minerals I picked up.

[Pete Modreski]

Thanks for sharing the pictures, Linda.

I always love those apatites from Cerro de Mercado. Aside from being such nice gemmy crystals, the deposit is very unusual--crystalline hematite (martite) and apatite in vuggy ore associated with volcanic rock. (I've never been there, but it would be a neat place to visit--I'm certain Peter Megaw has been there!)

And, it was nice meeting you in Tucson too.

Pete

P.S., notice, I'm being totally anachronististic here and just calling it "apatite"--instead of being more proper with fluorapatite or (heaven forbid) apatite-(CaF) (grin).

[Linda Smith]

Thanks Pete for the comments and the info. I too would love to go. Who knows, maybe one day. By the way, it was great meeting you in Tucson and am sorry I didn't get to your booth during the main show. I am afraid I developed a case of ADD. too much to see and too many directions.