Frequently Asked Questions

About Mineral Collecting

Collecting Minerals 101

 

Why collect minerals?

 

First of all – you might learn something about this earth on which you are planning to spend the rest of your life.  The elements such as carbon, silicon, hydrogen, and others combine to make all plant life, animal life, and the rocks and minerals of the earth.  Learn about minerals; learn about the stuff of life.  Geology, Petrology, Mineralogy, Geography, History, Mythology, Languages, and more:  you will gain an amazing amount of knowledge, and it will actually be both fun and useful. 

 

Another really great reason to collect minerals is that they bring us extraordinary beauty in a form that most of the time is very long lived.  A flower is certainly a beautiful object, but a good gold nugget last a great deal longer.  Most gems are extremely hard and durable, lasting centuries.  Even the softer minerals that form crystals can provide specimens that, when cared for properly, will last many lifetimes. 

 

Finally, collecting minerals can be a good use of you “spending money.”  Good mineral specimens actually increase in value over time.  Many other uses of “spending money” decrease in value.  An excellent, well formed, clean, clear tourmaline crystal in matrix will be a thing of value forever.  A DVD, movie pass, or trip to the mall will certainly bring pleasure, but not lasting value.  Lots of collectables don’t stand the test of time.  Beany Babies are not the investment many people thought.  Old baseball cards deteriorate over time.  Stamps go out of style.  But things like mineral specimens continue to appreciate, and they don’t “go bad”.  (OK, you can ruin a mineral specimen.  Drop it, whack it, let your dog eat it, dip some of them in water, spill acid on it, leave some in the bright sun, etc.) However, care is relatively easy, and most specimens are quite durable under normal handling and storage. 

 

Learning, knowledge, beauty, and value:  good reasons all to collect and enjoy the beautiful minerals of the planet Earth.  However, the best reason of all:  It’s fun! Enjoy!

 

 

What is a Mineral?  Isn’t it just a rock?  Is there a difference?

 

Well, yes, there is a difference.  Basically a mineral is a specific chemical composition that forms in a particular crystal structure.  Rocks are conglomerates of minerals usually composed of tiny crystals of several minerals.  Granite is a rock.  Diamond is a mineral. 

 

How do I collect Minerals?

 

We need to break this question down in to a couple of parts.  First let’s look at where one actually finds minerals, and then we will examine how to decide which ones to collect. 

 

Where do I find minerals and mineral specimens?

 

Minerals make up the earth.  There are about 4000 different ones, and many are extremely plentiful.  However, they all don’t come from the same place.  In fact some areas of the world have a lot of different minerals and some have very few.  The ones with a lot become mining regions.  In areas were minerals are scarce, the land is used for other purposes.

 

Mineral collectors collect where the minerals are found.  In order to know where to find minerals, you need to do some homework.  The Internet is an excellent source for the new mineral collector.  Clubs abound. Magazines such as Rock and Gem have articles every month on collecting locations. 

 

Of course it is difficult for most collectors to go where the minerals are found.  Travel is expensive, and a lot of minerals are found in places where most travelers cannot easily get to, like the high mountains of China!

 

So the next source is from people who buy the minerals from the miners and sell them to collectors.  There are thousands of mineral dealers in the world offering an incredible mix of minerals.  The Internet offers the collector access to thousands of specimens from hundreds of dealers.  Auction site like EBay offer even more.  The problem won’t be finding good specimens.  

 

However, deciding what to collect is a different subject. 

 

What minerals do I collect?

 

Ah, what you need is a theme.  A theme is the basis of a collection.  For example, you might decide you are interested in the beautiful agates that come from the area around the Great Lakes in the US.  Your theme might be:  A collection of Agates from the Great Lakes Region.  Or the beautiful crystals and minerals that are associated with copper mining might fascinate you.  Your theme might be: The ores of copper and associated minerals.  Maybe you are from Oregon.  You might choose as a theme:  The minerals of Oregon. 

 

You can organize a collection in a wide variety of ways.  Geographic, like collecting the minerals of Oregon, by chemical composition, like the Ores of Copper, by crystal structure, like collecting minerals that form in the isometric crystal structure, or by color, or shape.  It’s up to you.  Some folks just collect what is interesting or beautiful.  Some try to have as many examples of different minerals as possible.  Some just strive for perfection in a few.  There are as many ideas as there are collectors.  It doesn’t matter what your theme is, but do have one.  It helps you sort out what to buy, what to collect, and what to ignore.

 

Where can I learn more?

 

First of all, explore the links from this site. The world is full of help.  Start with a few good books.  Get a subscription to a magazine or two.  Join a club. 

 

Here is one free piece of advice.  It is impossible to know everything about every mineral.  A good mineral collector know quite a bit about minerals in general, but most make a study of some theme.  As you explore this hobby, you will find that minerals are classified by their chemical composition and by their crystal structure.  Learning these classifications will enable you to follow most discussions and allow you to understand where certain minerals fit in the natural world.  You will have a grasp of the taxonomy of minerals. It will help you sort minerals out and understand how one mineral relates to another.  Any good mineral collectors guide will explain this or you can use the reference in this site.  One of the best sites is mindat.org.  It is a treasure trove.

 

I would urge any collector to become an expert in some aspect of the hobby, even if it is just one mineral!  Come on, how many experts on tourmaline are there in the world?  There is certainly room for one more.  (Wait until you find out tourmaline isn’t really a mineral, but a group of related minerals.) Study that group hard.  Collect specimens of the different minerals in the group.  Understand why they are different, yet related. Understand why they form different colored crystals.  Know where they come from.  Know the famous mines.  Be an expert in identification of tourmalines.  Write a best seller about them.  Ok, maybe not a best seller, but plenty of publications would like a good article now and then.  Use your collection to illustrate your publication. Send a copy to your mom or dad. 

 

What is it?

 

The most often asked question by experts, and non-experts alike when confronted with a new specimen is “What is it?”  As soon as you have your first specimen, and show it to someone, I guarantee you will hear this question.  Good mineral collectors have good answers to this question.  Here is a bad answer: “It’s an Ulixite.”  Wow, that said a lot. I am sure your girl or boy friend now completely understands what your specimen is and why it is interesting.  Here is a better answer. 

 

It is a specimen of a mineral officially called Ulixite, but more commonly known as “TV rock”.  It is found in the desert areas of southern California, and it is the only natural fiber optic material on earth.  Look if you take a polished cross section and put it on a piece of newspaper, the print jumps to the top of the specimen.  That’s why it’s called TV rock.  I got this piece in a great rock shop in Boron, California where they find this mineral in the Borax mines and near them.  Like Borax, Ulixite is from the family of borate minerals.”

 

 

OK, the second most common question:  “What is it worth?”

 

This question is important, because of the simple reason that no one likes to find out they paid too much for something.  It is not a pleasant feeling.  It destroys the value we see in an object.  Avoiding that feeling is important. 

 

The price of something, and its value are often different.  When you are buying a mineral specimen, you are interested in getting the price and value to match.  The price is easy to establish.  It is the asking price of the item, or some amount less that can be negotiated.  In an auction, it is the highest price any bidder is willing to pay.  But what of value?  How do you establish the value, so you can decide on the price? Do your homework.

 

 If you are interested in a mineral specimen, you should take the time to understand the market for the mineral.  The Internet is rich in information.  Auction results, different dealers’ listings, advertisements, etc, all give good indications of the relative value of mineral specimens.  Going to a mineral show is an incredible way to gather market information.  Talk to dealers, compare specimens and prices, and keep good notes.  Know as much or more about what you intend to buy as the person selling it.  Don’t buy the first specimen of a mineral that comes by.  Remember, there is always another deal around the corner. 

 

What determines a specimen’s value?

 

There are many factors.  Most of all it depends on the supply and demand for the specimen and ones like it.  The issue is usually rarity.  The rarity might be the rarity of the mineral, rarity of specimens from a particular mine, scarcity of the size of the crystals, or the rarity of the shade or color of the specimen.  It might be the size, clarity, or quantity of the crystals.  It might just be the last one a seller has!  Judging these types of factors is impossible without knowledge.  If you are very familiar with a mineral, and have seen dozens or hundreds of specimens from a variety of dealers, you will have gained the knowledge to judge any particular specimen.  I suggest you develop a simple scale for yourself for the minerals in which you have an interest.  For example, you might use:

Size of specimen,

Size of crystals,

Clarity of crystals (if applicable)
Number of crystals in specimen,

Color and shade of crystals,

Lack of damage to any crystals,

Shape of crystals,

Aesthetics of overall specimen

 

Give each factor a rating, say 1 star to 5 stars, then record the rating and the price offered.  After you have a dozen or more in your records, you should be able to judge the value of any specimen of that mineral and have a good idea of its worth in the marketplace.  You will know its value.  At this point, you will be an informed collector.  You will know when a price is right and you will collect with confidence because you will have matched price and value.  So when you are asked, “What is it worth?” you will be able to reply that “specimens of dark red garnets of this variety of almandine in thumbnails, with this number of 2-4cm crystals in good condition are selling at shows for $35-$45 each.  This one is a bit bigger than most, and has a few more good crystals than most.  It is about a $40 specimen in today’s market.  I would bid not more than $38 and if I win, I will know I got a good deal.  If it goes for more than $45, then the dealer will be happy.”