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.

Who could pass up the chance to adventure in one of the world’s greatest mineral countries? Morocco hosts to some of the great contemporary specimen producing localities of our time, in a beautiful region with stunning landscapes.

After the Sahara adventure, it was time to descend into the workings of the world famous Mibladen mining district.

This Brazil update contains some brilliant specimens. Two matrix fluorapatites, in purple and blue, are really special! Two exquisite hematite iron roses – one is a great old-timer. The elbaite tourmalines and other fine minerals are excellent with lots of character, so I hope you’ll enjoy looking through them.

Building a great collection of fine minerals involves a few generally recognized fundamentals, and yet every perspective on this is a little different, with emphasis and focus varying from one to the next. So this is my perspective and I also include a list of great articles at the end of this post…

Ok, like anything new, mineral collecting can seem daunting, but there are thousands and thousands of collectors out here and we all started somewhere. So if you are interested, don’t be shy about it! If you find that you have a love for minerals, you will absolutely not be a beginner for long. There are seven easy steps you can take to start on your way…