FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[John S. White]

Mr. Salvan have expressed quite elegantly the very points that I have been trying to make ( https://www.mineral-forum.com/message-board/viewtopic.php?p=5463#5463 ). Frankly I am more or less tired of seeing fine photos of fine specimens of what are essentially the same thing. To paraphrase a friend of mine, how many more photos of crystal specimens from Tsumeb do we need to see? Haven't we by this time seen it all? I much prefer to see photos of things that are new to me, and I hope that others share this view.

Here is one of my favorite pieces, an "artichoke" quartz from the Shangbao mine, Leiyang, Hunan, Chine, about 9 cm across. Scovil photo.

[Tracy]

John, I agree to some degree with your comments that we do not need to see any more fine minerals, and that new and different things would be more interesting, but have to play devil's advocate. You are at the far end of the learning curve with respect to minerals and the various shapes and forms they take. For certain FMF readers who are new to the hobby, a bunch of minerals seemingly of the same type might be invaluable as a learning tool. Also, where do you draw the line between "yawn" and "wow?" It is a moving target, so to speak. Does a great specimen from a recent find qualify as "wow" for you, or are you only interested in looking at head-scratchers? (in which case we should be limiting our photos to those of true oddballs).

Lastly, the opportunity of having people share photos of their favorite specimens is also called into question. If a person likes something tried and true, then they should share it, even if it is not necessarily a new and exciting specimen. One should not have to worry about generating a "been there, seen that" response from the readers/viewers, when uploading a photo (I confess I'm now a little uncertain as to whether I should share any more photos on my own thread). FMF is a place to share with others what we like!

Personally, I stand alongside the fence. Being fond of oddballs, I like to see new and different things. Being a relative newcomer, I like to see fine photos of fine minerals, but more importantly I don't always know whether what I'm looking at constitutes something new and different, and if so why. Your beautiful artichoke quartz was shared with us via a fine photo, therefore to me (and others) it is a fine photo of a fine mineral. I like visiting your thread because (so far) you have showcased minerals that I like, and I like following others' threads because they help me develop an appreciation (or not) of certain mineral species and their arrangements, also an appreciation of a nice-looking example of a mineral that's been around for some time. I doubt you will find consensus among the group regarding what should or should not be posted, or in setting a boundary line between boring and exciting. But I'd love to hear thoughts of other readers...

- Tracy

[Ed Huskinson]

Sure, I'll weigh in. It's all about the rocks. Show me the rocks! I learn something from everything that is posted on FMF. If nothing else, it's a chance to see another specimen. I am not a neophyte, been doing this a long time, but hey, I still enjoy looking at specimens. Sometimes I see something new. Many times I see something old. But the point it, I see something, and it is something that is of interest to the person who has posted it, and it is of interest to me. Some things I/we enjoy more than others, it's true, but so far, I've read every post, lingered over some for a longer time, and just skimmed through others. But every time, I've come away from the Forum with something new. Perhaps a different outlook on things (like the give and take between you and John, or the wrangling over the umlauts in the old labels recently, all that stuff), or an enhanced appreciation for specimens from a locality that is new to me. The Les Farge pyromorphites, the polka dot ones. I had seen a few, now I'm seeing more. I had no idea.

So, for me, in that regard, the Forum is great. I can get a daily mineral fix, and go about my business. And we've all enjoyed helping others with their specimen ID or location. It's fun. The Forum provides us with the opportunity to show others the things that interest us. Things that range from the mundane to the esoteric. (Like me: "Here's my first rock collection" duh). Contrast that with JSW's screw dislocation in a faceted almost 2 inch long (!!) beryl.

Again, it's all about the rocks (Tony Potucek taught me that one). Gail feels the same way. We just love the rocks.

So there's my two cent's worth of a mostly zinc, copper clad penny.

Keep 'em coming everyone.

[John S. White]

Okay please don't gang up on me and don't (Tracy especially) misread my message. The last thing I would want to do is discourage any of you from displaying your minerals on this Forum. I enjoy them all and, if I may, I particularly like the microcrystals. I was a micromounter in my early collecting days and I have a great love of micromounts. It is a fact that most fine micromounts exceed in quality the best cabinet specimens of the same minerals from the same localities, if they exist.

It is for me, however, kind of uninteresting to see photo after photo of blood red plain rhombohedral rhodochrosites from the Sweet Home mine, or native silvers from Freiberg, aquas from Pakistan, etc.. Of course there are exceptions, some photos of the above above show really unique features which stimulate the brain cells, but most do not.

I figured that my comments might open the door to a lot of feedback, and that is a very good thing, in my opinion.

[Gail]

Show me everything, every size, every shape, every colour, every black ugly, white on white, you name it. Show it to me please. I love them all.
I never tire of any mineral.
What a treat to see ANY mineral .

My enthusiasm knows no bounds!!!!!!

[Peter]

I would encourage everyone to post after their own mind and interest.
It is always easy for others to select if something happens to be old stuff.

But, I think no one never has seen it all ,
but I do understand that a massive pale rose quartz specimen may not be as exciting after you found it in thousands of tons in several locations for decades....

I still remember fondly the first time I found quantities of rose quartz though....
thick bands all over a big quarry in Sweden, deep colored rose color but the nicely colored spinells ´nearby in quarry walls and others were more interesting but my girl friend had me carry a lot, I mean A LOT of heavy rose quartz to fill their garden.

[Peter]

Here is an old Tsumeb specimen I saw many years ago in Namibia and a few years later the collector brought it to the Munchen show! My absolute treasure from that show.


Another year I flew to Munchen against my doctors prescription as I had double sided very serious pneumonia )legionella i.e. legionary decease). I seam to have survived but was very weak... but gee I found the absolutely most ugly and most precious specimen at the entire show!!! But I had better stay home in bed in retrospect....

Enjoy this photograph of my favourite Mottramite on calcite about 15 cm wide. I have never seen another one.

[Peter]

blue fluorite with "tourmaline" inclusions (specie unknown) from Baian Obo, Mongolia.

[Ed Huskinson]

Holy cow Peter!!! It looks like someone drizzled two different colors of green paint over the calcite. Any clue as to what controlled the emplacement of the darker versus lighter green mottramite? It looks like jungle camouflage, doesn't it?

And the fluorite. It's clear, with nice terminations along the edges and at the 111 face. And those are definitely tourmalines of some sort inside. I would have snapped both of these beauties up in a heartbeat. They are stand-alone beautiful, and, when coupled with their uniqueness, well, you really have something to show and talk about.

Thanks for the submittals.

Ed

[Peter]

Hi Ed

I am glad to show you something new to you!
And big thank you for getting Peter M into collecting!!!

This is the only such specimen I have seen form Tsumeb and everyone I have spoken to about it. It sure looks camouflaged. Will have to do some analyses to see if booth colors are mottramite, with some composiiton variation.

I collect everything from very ugly, I started out with REE minerals I collected in Swedish and Norwegian pegmatites in the 1970s to Be minerals, phosphates, Långban and many other deposits, general pegmatite specimens, since the mid 70s more and more unusual morphologies, inclusions etc..... and some eye candy like your to.

Will see if I can find another photo for you, but most are high resolution ones.
OK found a photo of a floater (broken off some 1600 million years ago, possibly the oldest finest gem calcites found in fresh condition!) golden colored butterfly twin calcite.

[Ed Huskinson]

Thanks Peter. The bimodal colour thing is just too weird.

The postman just delivered the new Mineralogical Record. How fitting that it has a chapter devoted to JSW's single crystal collection. This is for two reasons. First, we've horned in on his string wherein he was displaying his things, (well, we high-jacked it, but I suspect that Jordi has fixed that already) and second, your butterfly twin calcite is something that I think he would display with pride in his single's collection if he were to own it.

If you have not as yet received the latest MR, you have a treat in store.

Thanks again for showing and sharing.

Keep 'em coming.

Ed

[Peter]

I knew it was coming but No I have not yet received it!
I myself has also a whole bunch of interesting single crystals, with rare morphologies, inclusions, and also systematic just to see the variety of colors, morphology from a single pegmatite veins different pockets, a pegmatite field etc.

John saw my collection a couple of times, well no one besides me saw it all , as most of it is and was in Sweden, but he a bunch of it. Not even my brother who collected with me since he was 2 years old !!! , saw it all, but he saw most.

Looking forward to the next MR!!!

[parfaitelumiere]

I can tell t:"too much of the same thing",I am neophyte,but when I go to a local exhibiton, see always same indian minerals,and other chinese fluo,pyrite,polished stones,an of course,sometimes,french stones...
But on the web,and on this forum,I like to see classics,because these classics(especially good ,and expensive specimens) are not often viewed on french exhibitions,and .
This kind of material is difficult to find here in France.
But maybe you will come here,At millau,or Beaumont,and tell"wow",because you will see lots of uncommon french minerals I'm in habit of seeing,Like I tell "wow"when I see american classics,or tsumeb oldies...
If i'm lucky I will buy a rhodonite from Franklin,and here wee do not often see good rhodonite(from everywhere in fact...)
regarding french pyros,there are lots of places,and shapes,not only "les farges"
the french pyros(and other,from other countries)are wonderfull,but maybe,we,french guys'do not know how wonderfull they are?

[Tracy]

Wow, I am stunned - I did not receive a single notification that there had been other posts to this topic since It was set up as a separate thread! (Jordi, any idea why?)

John: admittedly my response was a bit overzealous, but my central point stands. Though I think some clarification is needed on your original comments: are you tired of seeing the "same old things" (which are not regarded as such by many) on FMF or everywhere? I assume your comments were directed toward the latter even though I initially thought the former. If I'm right, then your complaint is aimed at all websites and magazines that feature mineral photos, which typically cater to public demand. So there are plenty of folks out there that enjoy seeing fine mineral photos, the old and new classics. I don't think that many of the truly unusual minerals have the same appeal, though I could be wrong in saying that.

I know that you are particularly fond of oddities and headscratchers; I only wanted to bring to your attention the fact that I've seen at best 1% of the number of minerals which you have, and because of that most things have yet to become tedious to my eyes (and on the flip side, many more things strike me as unusual or otherwise special). Some things are displayed to excess even for me, particularly when the mineral in question is not one that interests me. But everything is relative, and somebody else might never get tired of seeing the very same mineral repeatedly.

I am belaboring the point and repeating the comments of others, so I will get off my soapbox now. Peace? I'm looking forward to reading your article later today - congratulations!

- Tracy

[Jim Prentiss]

Hello Everyone,

How about some Magnesioriebeckite for something new.

Jim Prentiss