Mineral Man Mel

This is the first of two Blogs on native silver. In the first I will introduce the mineral, including a gallery of specimens, and in the following blog, “Ancient Silver Jewelry” I’ll present examples of ancient silver jewelry, coinage, and art works, which demonstrate the innovative artisanship of early silversmiths from varied locations around the. . . Read More

In this blog, the subject is the Garnet Family and their six members, (See Figure 1), which are gemstones and mineral specimens highly prized by collectors, as well as by those that wear them, because of their colors. Their colors, as seen in Figure 1, span the rainbow, and some unexpectedly undergo a change in. . . Read More

In the presentation of photos of specimens of various garnets the source of the photo is referenced. For more or supporting images, Google the name of the mineral and the word image to see a gallery of additional images. Almandine Garnets Specimens from the classic localities of Wrangall Island, Alaska and Tyrol, Austria as well. . . Read More

In this blog post I’ll talk about the ore minerals of copper in Porphyry Copper deposits; major sources of copper; Porphyry Copper Deposits in Arizona; the formation and geology of Porphyry Copper deposits; and am including a gallery of Copper ore minerals; and lastly, discuss Peacock Copper Ore. Porphyry Copper Deposits Porphyry Copper deposits are. . . Read More

Today I want to talk about opal as a gemstone and it’s, not expected, biological role in grasses and algae. Opal as a Gemstone Gem-quality opals are characterized as Precious Opal, also called Fire Opals and Common Opals. Precious Opal as a gemstone is prized by collectors and can display all the colors of the. . . Read More

This is a brief introduction to the mineral Pyrite, or when we were young, known as Fools Gold. I’m also going to tell you about one mineral species which forms kidney stones in people. Pyrite is an iron sulfide with two atoms of sulfur for every iron atom, giving it the formula FeS2. [Ref 1]. . . Read More

Thanksgiving Day 2017, my son Greg and I traveled to the old copper mining town of Bisbee for a two day exploration of the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum, observing the, now non-operational, Lavender Open Pit Copper Mine, and soaking up the ambiance of this charming town perched on the low hills of the Mule Mountains. [Ref. . . Read More

Today my main topic is the mineral Wulfenite which has a strong association with Arizona. Lead mines, in which Wulfenite has been found, are numerous, with some of them offering such beautiful examples of the mineral that they have become classic localities. Among these are the Rowley Mine and the Glove Mine.   More photos of. . . Read More

I’ve been an avid collector of mineral specimens from around the world since my experience, at the age of 13, of finding a beautiful black tourmaline crystal while on a Boy Scout hiking adventure. We were in the upper limits of the gem mining Pala District in San Diego County, California. I’m now 84 and still. . . Read More