Mineral collecting
Mineral collecting is the hobby or activity of collecting, identifying and displaying mineral specimens. Gem collecting is also included here.
Contents
General
Mineral collecting is a very broad activity: some hobbyists will collect minerals from unique places or foreign countries as souvenir; other will collect rare or beautiful types or minerals, even expensive minerals. The latter category is more common.
Setup
Minerals are usually displayed on a simple shelf, but cubit or grid shelves are more aesthetically pleasing. The minerals are generally identified with a proper label. Air-sensitive, light-sensitive or toxic minerals are generally kept inside glass or plastic boxes or containers, however some hobbyists will encase them in acrylic blocks, which are more resistant and much easier to handle. Just like in the case of compound collecting, the minerals can be displayed based on any category.
Common minerals
There are thousands upon thousands of mineral species, however most collectors tend to revolve around several categories:
- Common rocks: feldspar, granite, marble, mica, quartz, etc.
- Colored minerals: azurite, cinnabar, fluorite, galena, malachite, pyrite, etc.
- Ores: bauxite, cassiterite, galena, native elements (gold, silver), pyrolusite, sphalerite, etc.
- Gemstones: amethyst, aquamarine, diamond, emerald, onyx, opal, peridot, ruby, sapphire, topaz, etc.
- Volcanic minerals: basalt, pumice, obsidian, Pele’s tears, etc.
- Fibrous minerals: asbestos, Pele’s hair, etc.
- Rare minerals: cryolite, moissanite, musgravite, painite, sperrylite, etc.
- Biologically derived: amber, coral, diatomite, natural coal (anthracite, bituminous coal, lignite, natural graphite), petrified wood, etc.
- Other minerals: impactite, meteorites, native sulfur, natural glass (desert glass, fulgurite, moldavite), shocked quartz, tektite, etc.
Acquisition
Minerals can be purchased from various shops, fairs or online.
Uses in chemistry
Many minerals are a source of elements in chemistry, such as antimony (stibnite), beryllium (beryl), fluorine (fluorite), lead (galena), mercury (cinnabar), potassium (sylvite), silicon (quartz), etc.
They can also be used as a source of various compounds, either salts, oxides or chalcogenides.
Some minerals, such as quartz and pumice can be used as boiling chips.
Galena can be used to make crystal radios.
