Articles

Smithsonite - The Calamine Carbonate

Smithsonite - The Calamine Carbonate

Smithsonite, aka zinc spar, is an uncommon and colorful secondary carbonate. It was rarely mined as a zinc ore, but its rich variety of colors and aesthetic specimens make it a highly valued mineral by many collectors.

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Mineral Collectors Safety

Mineral Collectors Safety

Collecting minerals is not like playing chess: it is more like driving. If you do stupid things and make bad decisions, you might get yourself or someone else injured or even killed. It is less painful to learn from mistakes of someone else.

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Report from Munich Mineral Show 2016

Report from Munich Mineral Show 2016

Munich show is the important European mineral show. Munich 2016 was definitely worth to see, many new minerals, many old friends. The exposition of the Alpine minerals was very nice, as well as wide selection of minerals for sale.

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Siderite - Mineral Properties, Photos and Occurence

Siderite - Mineral Properties, Photos and Occurence

Siderite is both an iron ore and gangue mineral. Its principal economic value lies in its high iron content and the absence of process contaminants such as sulfur or phosphorous. It is part of a large group of isomorphous minerals, the calcite group carbonates, which share similar physical properties, and rhombohedral crystal form.

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Dioptase - the Perfect Green

Dioptase - the Perfect Green

Dioptase is a secondary copper silicate, occurring naturally as an oxidation product of hydrothermal copper deposits. It is renowned as a spectacularly colorful rival to emerald, but is too soft and too fragile to be cut as a gemstone, mainly because of its perfect cleavage.

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History of Klondike and Nome Gold Rush Events

History of Klondike and Nome Gold Rush Events

The Klondike (Yukon) Gold Rush holds the record as one of the shortest-lived mining booms ever, lasting a scant 2 years, from August 1896 to September, 1898, when it was undermined by the slightly longer-lived Nome (Alaska) Gold Rush (September 1898 to 1905).

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Aragonite - The Pearly Carbonate

Aragonite - The Pearly Carbonate

Aragonite is the less known cousin of calcite. Despite the lack of popularity, aragonite crystals and stalactites are among the most aesthetically-pleasing mineral specimes. Aragonite is present in various hydrothermal environments and it is the principal component of mollusk shells, coral skeletons and pearls.

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Vivianite - The Green Iron

Vivianite - The Green Iron

Vivianite is found in many geological environments. Its great blue-green crystals are very rare and very popular among collectors. Also vivianite filled fossil shells are among very interesting and popular collectors items.

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