I’ve posted beautiful new natrolite specimens in this Mont Saint-Hilaire Update. These are from a relatively recent pocket – they are great crystals with sharp, glassy pyramid faces and they fluoresce bright green under short-wave ultraviolet light.

I’ve added excellent new specimens from Cape Split in this Nova Scotia Update. Over the past three years, a pocket system at Cape Split has sporadically yielded excellent, distinctive specimens of several minerals, most notably the groups and hemispheres (and even balls) of natrolite crystals, associated with sharp analcime crystals, and lustrous brownish stilbite crystals. This group of specimens represents some of the nicest pieces recovered from these finds.

The Rochester Mineralogical Symposium is one of the best annual events in Mineral World. This post about RMS 2017 includes lots of great mineral photographs, with many from prominent mineral photographers Jeff Scovil and Michael Bainbridge. And hopefully, if you missed this year’s RMS, this will help you catch up – and plan for next year…

This new post is Nova Scotia’s Bay of Fundy Part 2: The Islands. Superb specimens of many minerals have been found at Two Islands and Five Islands, including world class gmelinite crystals, and great specimens of natrolite, analcime and stilbite. This post offers a glimpse into these classic Canadian localities.

I’ve added Part 2, a new Nova Scotia Update, with minerals from the Bay of Fundy. The specimens from this update are from different localities from last week – Two Islands, Five Islands and Cape Split. This group of specimens includes superb gmelinite crystals, sharp analcime crystals and sparkling natrolites.

Nova Scotia’s Bay of Fundy has been famous among mineral collectors for a long time – the area includes some of Canada’s oldest classic localities. Today, fine mineral specimens are still periodically recovered along the Bay of Fundy, making this area one of the most productive contemporary regions for Canadian fine mineral specimens. This article includes many photographs to give a better sense of the localities and adventures behind the beautiful specimens from here.

I’ve added a new Nova Scotia Update, with minerals from the Bay of Fundy. This update accompanies the new post about Mineral Collecting in Nova Scotia’s Bay of Fundy, with specimens from the classic Bay of Fundy localities highlighted in that article: Wasson’s Bluff, Amethyst Cove and Cape D’Or.

Great new pieces are on the website in the latest Nova Scotia Update. Most of these are from the collection of well-known Nova Scotia collector Terry Collett. They are top quality specimens! There are super specimens from thumbnail to cabinet, including gmelinite, chabazite, natrolite and golden stilbite. The crystallization and condition of these pieces is superb.

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.