FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[meowtrageous11]

Hi all! New to the forum and looking for advice on a few things from more experienced mineral collectors.
1. Best U.S. places to go for mineral mining (of any kind - quartz, calcite, special minerals of your liking)? I'm looking to take a road trip or two this year between semesters and would like to find some of my own minerals - i love the idea of a hunt! Also, any advice on locating or spotting deposits? (Things to look for, typical signs and locations of deposits, etc.)

2. What is your favorite mineral? I love minerals with unique crystal structures and am looking for one with such structures (fluffy okenite, hexagonal vanadanite, octahedral fluorite, etc).

Thanks for your input!

[Jordi Fabre]

[Recovering - Academic]

I suggest concentrating your preliminary collecting focus on sulphide and arsenide minerals. It is still possible to acquire some first-rate display worthy minerals in the small-cabinet to cabinet size if you focus on galena, pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and others. There are some absolutely stunning sulphide minerals with great aesthetics coming from localities like Trepca, Bulgaria, Morocco and others. Some very nice and affordable minerals like gersdorffite and skutterudite are now abundant from some Moroccan mines. You will be able to obtain some specimens that are equal to those you might find in any Museum, and often for less than $1000USD or even $250USD. As a general rule calcite, fluorite, silicates and other similar minerals often attract high prices.

The other suggestion is to learn how to trim and prepare minerals. This way you will develop the skills to enhance what might otherwise be considered just a mediocre piece.

I hope this helps, and best of luck with your adventures.

[meowtrageous11]

[cascaillou]

May I suggest calcite: many crystal forms, many colors and also fluorescence, many combinations with other minerals, easily found anywhere, also sells for cheap.

[Recovering - Academic]

[Mathias]

Hi

I don't agree that you need to be fortunate to own a good collection.
What is a good collection (or as you said: "collector quality") anyway?
If you like it then its a good collection!

I agree that if you make a list of what you want to buy, take and the list with you to Ste. Marie or Munich, and succesively buy at top quality dealers; yeah, take some money with you.

But there are dozens of local exhibitions where you will find local dealers, or collectors who stop and sell all they have against very attractive prices. Be there early, before the doors open, because there's buyers competition. And yes, gradually, during years, you will gain a good collection.

Another tip that works, but it requires good knowledge; buy specimens at small / local exhibitions and sell them on e-rocks or on other auction sites. But you need to know which mineral specimens typically are sellable and of course you have to purchase them against a profitable price. With the earned money you may buy the specimens you want for your own collection.

[Tobi]

I agree that you can build a "good" collection without winning the lottery. It depends on how you define "good" minerals. If you want to collect large specimen of classic minerals that have perfect aesthetics and outstanding quality, well, a win in the lottery would be not that bad ;-) But a collection of good and aesthetic minerals is also possible without the lottery. I collect worldwide minerals and thus I'm not rich I can not afford the outstanding high-end pieces that you can find online or at shows; I'm not able to own top pieces of stuff like rhodochrosite from Sweet Home Mine or Galena from Neudorf. Nevertheless I think I have a "good" collection with several fine specimens, though none of my specimens has a four- or five-digit-price or would win an award at a show ...

I follow (or at least I try to follow) another advice that is really, really, really important for every collector: Purchase quality, not quantity. My display collection has only about 140 specimens and I "force" myself to get the best ones for the one showcase I have in the living room. So not matter if you can spend 5 or 50 or 500 or 5,000 or 50,0000 Dollars for a mineral purchase: Try to invest them in ONE specimen and buy the best you can afford. I often ignored that advice (which in my opinion is one of the most important advices for EVERY mineral collector) and purchased stuff that did not really satisfy me :-(

And if you ask for our favorite minerals, every answer is very subjective. But if it helps you to determine some collecting focuses for you, why not ;-) As a collector of both aesthetic and classic (= from historic/famous localities) minerals, my favourites are fluorite, galena, quartz, calcite, pyromorphite and other minerals from the apatite group (fluorapatite, mimetite, vanadinite), sphalerite, rhodochrosite, beryl, tourmaline, topaz, barite, garnet and pyrite. But due to the fact that I did not win the lottery you will find more good quartz, galena and fluorite specimens in my collection than good rhodochrosite, beryl or tourmaline specimens ;-)