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’ve posted excellent new specimens from the John S. White quartz collection, representing many different phenomena of quartz crystallization, also from a great diversity of localities and mineral environments.

New specimens from the Pete Richards collection, from the Steep Rock Mine, Atikokan, Rainy River District, Ontario.

I’ve posted the third in a series of updates with excellent quartz specimens from John White’s collection.

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.

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!

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.

The new Bancroft Gem and Mineral Club Mineral Museum is open, housed in the recently-restored historic Bancroft Train Station. When you come to Bancroft and want to learn about local minerals, this is where to start! I’ve added a post with a few photographs – we hope to see you in Bancroft soon!