I’ve posted excellent new specimens in this Indonesia Update, including beautiful top calibre “grape amethyst” and chalcedony.

I’ve just posted exceptional new specimens from the Chibuku Mine, Chiredzi District, Masvingo, Zimbabwe.

I’ve posted a new update featuring the first of many specimens to come, from the collection of my friend Tracy A. Kimmel. Tracy built an excellent, substantial collection of fine minerals, and I acquired it this year. I have also written a post about Tracy (see Profiles and Tributes), and I really hope you’ll enjoy reading about her – she was a remarkable person.

I have added excellent new specimens in this Brazil Update, including brazilianite, fluorapatite, elbaite, aquamarine, hematite, rutile, spessartine and beautiful fuchsite crystals, along with quartz and calcite.

I’ve added excellent new specimens from the John S. White collection. The theme of this update began as quartz with inclusions, but there are specimens exhibiting other phenomena as well – phantoms, zoning, selective deposition.

I’ve added more gorgeous specimens in this latest update from the John S. White quartz collection.

I’ve just added the first of many specimens to come from the John S. White quartz collection. This is a superb quartz collection with wonderful specimens spanning quartz varieties, habits and localities of all kinds.

The Rochester Mineralogical Symposium is one of the best mineral events of the year. Here’s my report from RMS 2019, with lots of great mineral photos.

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.

I’ve added a few excellent new specimens in this Morocco Update. This update includes some particularly fine and unusual pieces – some are rather colourful!

The specimens in this update are truly special – they are the top quality Thunder Bay amethyst. These specimens are from the collection of David Nicklin, representing the best of all specimens he and his son Ian mined at the Diamond Willow Mine over a period of over 30 years. They are absolutely remarkable. We don’t expect to be able to see a lot like this again in the future.

Just north of Lake Superior, the Thunder Bay District of Ontario is world famous for its distinctive, ancient amethyst crystals. Thunder Bay amethyst is remarkable for its variety – it occurs in all shades of purple and it is often further coloured by red hematite inclusions, the classic look of Thunder Bay amethyst. It is a long journey to the amethyst mines of the Thunder Bay District, and hopefully this article will bring this beautiful region, its history, geology, mines and collecting experience a bit closer!