Mineral collecting

A collection of identified rocks & minerals on display.

Azurite specimen from the Morenci mine, Morenci, Arizona, USA. Morenci is the largest copper mine in North America, and Morenci copper mineral specimens are beautiful, abundant, and relatively inexpensive.

Creedite specimen, 11 x 7 x 3 cm, from Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, formerly in the Perkins D. Sams collection.

Mineral collecting is the hobby of systematically collecting, identifying and displaying mineral specimens. Mineral collecting can also be a part of the profession of mineralogy and allied geologic specialties.

Motivations

Mineral collectors find a variety of reasons to collect minerals. Many minerals are strikingly beautiful and collected for their aesthetic value. Others collect to learn more about mineralogy, the local mining industry and/or local geology. Some simply enjoy exploring the outdoors and socializing and trading with other mineral collectors.

Notable public mineral collections

• Geological Museum, Mineral Collection, London
• National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Gem and Mineral Collection, Washington, D.C.
• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Hall of Gems and Minerals^[1]
• Houston Museum of Natural Science, Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals, Houston
• Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Australian Museum, Albert Chapman Mineral Collection, Sydney
• Musée de Minéralogie, École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris, Paris

Notable mineral collectors

• Andrew Ketcham Barnett (1852–1914), principal, Penzance School of Mines
• Walter Frederick Ferrier (1865–1950), Canadian geologist and mining engineer
• George Frederick Kunz (1856–1932), gentleman scientist, VP of Tiffany & Co., "special agent" for the US Geological Survey (1883–1909)
• Perkins D. Sams (1927-2010), West Texas oilman who amassed a very high-quality mineral collection, which he sold to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. ^{[2] [3]}
• Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749–1817), pioneering German geologist

See also

• Rockhounding
• Fossil collecting
• Lapidary
• Lapidary club
• Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, the world's largest.
• Mineralientage, the Munich Mineral Show, Europe's largest.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mineralogy

Gemology and Jewelry portal

• Getting Started in Rock and Mineral Collecting, a brief introduction.
• Beginning Guide to Mineral Collecting at mindat.org
• Tips for collecting minerals in the field, by the Mineralogical Society of America.
  • Collector's Corner, at MSA
• The American Federation of Mineral Societies, with links to regional and local clubs in the USA.