Tucson 2012 Mineral Video

This long awaited-for short video describes some of the excellent mineral specimens photographed by Hershel Friedman at the various Tucson shows. The video contains footage from several high-end dealers, and display exhibits from the Convention Center Show, the Westward Look Show, the InnSuites Show, and the Pueblo show.

Our new Q&A Going Strong!

People have been posting many questions to our Q&A, where anybody can post a mineral or gemstone related question, and members of the community will provide an answer. This is a great tool, and we hope that our Q&A forum becomes the standard place to post questions and receive answers for both experts and students alike.

Visit  answers.minerals.net

Content Updates

Since our last newsletter, we have added the following new minerals, complete with detailed content, 3-D crystal animation, and many photos:

• Wulfenite
• Stolzite
• Raspite
• Molybdenite
• Rheniite
• Wolframite
• Huebnerite
• Ferberite

The NYC Metro Show

The New York City Metro area has always lacked a large and significant mineral show. There are plenty of smaller style shows around the area, but a large-scale show had never existed. This was always quite surprising considering the size of the metro area and amount of collectors present. This all changed now with the all-new NYC Metro show. Located in the Secaucus Exposition Center in New Jersey, a mere five miles from bustling Midtown Manhattan, this new show featured a large array of quality dealers. The concept of this show is great, and the folks who planned this show are going to make next years show bigger and better than ever, and are aiming to make it one of the most significant shows in the Unites States.

The 2013 show theme will be be The Minerals and Fossils of NY/NJ. This will be very appropriate, considering the area's rich mineral deposits and extensive mining history. The show staff are working on bringing top-notch exhibit and display collections, showcasing regional minerals from the American Museum of Natural History, the Franklin and Sterling Hill Museums, and the finest collections of many local collectors.

Herkimer Diamonds from… Pakistan?

I was recently at a mineral show and saw something that caught my attention: Herkimer Diamonds from Pakistan. I kid you not. That is what the dealer’s flyer had written on it above the Quartz crystals being sold. (I wish I had taken a picture of the flyer!). Now let’s get things straight here: "Herkimer Diamonds" are lustrous Quartz crystals from the Herkimer area in New York. I don’t care how similar these Pakistani Quartz crystals look to Herkimer Diamond’s – they cannot be called a Herkimer Diamond. I would not have such a problem with this had they called it “Herkimer-style Quartz” from Pakistan. But to actually call them Herkimer Diamonds is just totally unacceptable. Even the term "Herkimer Diamond" is in itself misleading, since the mineral is Quartz and not Diamond. Yet the name "Herkimer Diamond" has become mainsteam and accepted, and is globally recognized. It probably won’ take long for these dealers to start selling these Pakistani Quartz crystals as Herkimer Diamonds from Herkimer if they aren't able to sell them otherwise! So next time you see a Pakistani dealer selling Herkimer Diamond, ask him which specific mine it came from.

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