There really is no event in the Mineral World year exactly like the Rochester Mineralogical Symposium. It may sound scientific and formal, but Rochester is perhaps the most welcoming and inclusive mineral gathering I know. The 2016 RMS featured great talks and photos from excellent speakers on a range of subjects.

Tucson: urban field collecting at its finest! Some years are better than others, and this was a great year at the Tucson shows – many excellent mineral specimens and good fun with mineral friends. This post includes interesting news from Tucson, with glimpses of Tucson specimens to be posted on the website over the coming weeks.

This is a great time of year in Bancroft. The woods are full of deep green, the lake is warm enough that it’s no longer only the dog who thinks swimming is a good idea, and… it’s our mineral show season. Every summer, on the last Sunday of July we host the Bancroft Gem and Mineral Club Show, and the following Thursday marks the beginning of the four-day Bancroft Rockhound Gemboree.

The annual mineral show at Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines is so different from all others. Sure, we all love the large exciting mineral-filled halls and general mineral mayhem of the large shows, and the hotel shows in Tucson and Denver. But Ste Marie’s character and charm, from the theatre and the tent-lined streets within the show, to the town and the countryside beyond, make this an experience not to be missed.

Although arrivals in Rochester were initially greeted by lingering recent snow, with winter’s last breath still upon us, a few signs of spring were beginning to show in this part of the world. And yet once the mineral fun starts, who cares what the weather is doing? [Note to Mother Nature: that is not a dare for next year’s Symposium. I mean unless you want to rain fine mineral specimens.] This post is all about this year’s super Rochester Mineralogical Symposium.

Every March, Toronto hosts PDAC, the huge mining industry convention. This year, my former partners at Stikeman Elliott invited me to set up mineral displays for their annual dinner during PDAC. It was not only great to be back and seeing everyone, but fun to spend a night with great minerals under the lights.

When I think of Tucson, it’s sunny with blue skies, and the temperature is pleasantly warm. I’ve never seen Tucson like it was for the start of Tucson 2015. Of course the deluge did not stop the show and there were excellent minerals as always, including from several great new finds.

If you’ve ever wondered about mineral shows as they used to be, the smaller-town affairs meant for everyone, from serious collectors to beginners and families, the Bancroft Shows offer a glimpse. There is a lot to be said for this kinds of mineral show, in a beautiful setting among scenery and wildlife, with guided field trips, local collectors and dealers, and some great minerals.

Nestled in the Val d’Argent, in Alsace, France, the town of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines hosts one of the world’s largest minerals shows, with character and class unto itself. I’ve added this post to give a glimpse into finds and highlights from Sainte-Marie 2014.

After a long, harsh northern winter, most people in this part of the world look to the arrival of the red-winged blackbirds and robins, buds and flowers to mark the arrival of spring. But let’s be honest, spring only truly arrives with “Rochester” (the annual Rochester Mineralogical Symposium). Rochester is for people who love minerals and mineral collecting – if you’d like to see more about this year’s symposium (including photographs from the presenters), I hope you’ll enjoy this post.

Each year when “Tucson” nears, I’m like a kid who can’t wait to race downstairs on Christmas morning. Just the chance to experience the sprawling mineral shows all over the city (known collectively in Mineral World simply as “Tucson”)… there is so much to see! This is a brief blog post about a few finds from Tucson 2014.