jgourlay - 5-5-2009 at 14:04
Gents, I've been looking for raw minerals. Just what you'd expect: cinnabar, pyrite, apatite, etc.
All I can find is the outrageously expensive "crystals" on ebay or new-age incense and idiocy sites. Now, many of these crystals are not overpriced
if you want something in your cabinet-o'-curiosities.
But where are the guys that will ship you a five lb pail of cinnabar dust or hematite pebbles?
UnintentionalChaos - 9-5-2009 at 13:25
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say there's almost no market at all for that kind of stuff. I looked into getting some beryl to try to isolate a small
amount of beryllium compounds, but the best I could do was really low grade tumbled stones, which still were not cheap.
Elawr - 9-5-2009 at 13:51
One way is to find a rock hound club in your area. There are many such groups of amateur mineralogists who collect and trade all sorts of interesting
things. I once went on an excursion with some rock hounds in my area. In an afternoon they showed me a place where you can find barite... big chunks
of it scattered along the ground, another place with vivid red hematite, a particular highway cut where some phosphate-laden mineral was exposed
(can't remember the name of that one) and a dry lake bed (usually submerged) with garnets scattered like acorns all over the place. These were just a
few.
Where you live is probably rich in minerals ... you just have to know where to look.
jgourlay - 11-5-2009 at 04:24
I think you gave me the golden hint. My area is very mineral poor: just low grade clay and petroleum. I live in the ocean front sedimentary washout
remains of the permian sea (houston).
HOWEVER, Htown is FULL of geologists and I know some. And geologists have friends....
Elawr - 13-5-2009 at 22:44
Always happy to be of some help....Good luck!
jgourlay - 14-5-2009 at 04:05
Yep, I'm getting some nibbles already!