This page mentions mineral collecting, mineral storage, labeling, and proper care for minerals.

Collection Methods
Many collectors save any mineral type they find. They try to have as many minerals in their collection as they can. Since there are over 3,000 minerals, and each one has variances, they will never reach the goal of having every mineral. No collection in the world is close to complete. A collection method known as specialized collecting is used by many collectors throughout the world. Instead of collecting any and every mineral specimen, specialized collectors collect only certain types of minerals, based on several classification "groups". These groups compromise minerals that have some similar characteristics. For example: metallic minerals, isometric minerals, zeolites, fluorescent minerals, and even different varieties of the same mineral.

Some collectors have thumbnail and micromount collections. Thumbnails are mineral specimens about 1 inch (2.5 cm.) in size, and micromounts are about 1/10 to 1/20 of an inch (15 -27 mm.) in size. Both are usually stored in small, plastic, clear, covered boxes, and mounted on thin stands . There are several advantages to thumbnail and micromount collecting. The smaller a crystal is, the more perfect its shape. These tiny crystals can have near-perfect crystallization that is beautifully displayed when viewed through a microscope. Micromounts and thumbnails also take up less space and are considerably cheaper than larger specimens.

Mineral Storage
Storing minerals is dependant upon preference and environment. Many want to display their minerals in a breakfront or viewing cabinet where the beauty of their minerals can be publicly displayed. Because of the high price of breakfronts, most collectors keep their specimens in inexpensive organized drawers. A beginner may store his minerals in boxes or cartons, but will eventually achieve better storage methods.

To get a good understanding of mineral storage, I will discuss the timeline of my collection and how it was organized. When I first started collecting minerals, I had my minerals stored in styrofoam egg boxes . The boxes were free and provided adequate storage. Since they were flimsy, I partially replaced them with plastic compartment boxes that I purchased in a hardware store . As my collection grew, these storage methods became inadequate. I was fortunate to find a nice cabinet that my neighbor threw out, so I put each mineral in a little box and placed them in the cabinet drawers . At the time, this provided me with plenty of room, but I had to add more storage furniture as my collection further expanded. I then purchased a container used for storing nuts and bolts, and I put my small gemstones into it . I also added a large, flat, covered box that was being thrown out . When storage space became a problem again, I inherited a small breakfront, installed lights, and arranged the minerals until I had a beautiful display .

Minerals should be stored by group no matter what storage method is used. This is the basis of organization. For a general collection, minerals should be organized by groupings. It doesn't make a difference what method is used, as long as there is a method, whether it be chemical groups, colors, or hardness.

Labeling
To mineral collectors, the locality of a mineral is almost as important as the mineral's name. When a mineral is found, an index card describing the mineral and its locality should be filled out. In addition, when purchasing a mineral without a locality label, make sure to ask for locality information. The value of a mineral can be reduced if its locality information is unknown.
If you keep minerals in your collection in cardboard boxes, the best way to retain the locality is by placing a label with the mineral's name, variety, together with the mineral. If minerals are displayed, they should be labeled either by a number with information corresponding to that number , or by charting them in a display listing. Another method, popular among computer enthusiasts, is using a database to organize the mineral information.

Proper Care
Some minerals have weaknesses in their physical structure, and must be kept in special conditions. This include fragility, disintegration, color fading, and transformation.

All minerals break when put under stress, some easier than others. Therefore, ALL minerals should be handled as little as possible. If minerals in a display breakfront or casing, they should not be crammed together. There should be ample space between the specimens. If the minerals are in drawers, they should be place in small cardboard boxes . Many purchased minerals are sold in such boxes. Extra care must be exercised when handling and storing them delicate minerals. A badly broken specimen loses its beauty and can become worthless. These fragile minerals should be kept on foam padding or cotton, although acicular, fibrous, and long, slender crystals should be kept away from cotton, as the crystals can get caught in the cotton and break. When cleaning minerals one should use extreme caution.

Several minerals lose their original color when exposed to light for extended periods. Some minerals, such as kunzite, amethyst, and topaz fade upon prolonged exposure to light. Any mineral that fades should in a dark area or covered box.

A few minerals, namely proustite and pyrargyrite, darken upon exposure to light. They darken at a much faster pace than fading minerals fade, and therefore superior care must be taken to keep these specimens away from light.

The minerals realgar and orpiment must also be kept out of light. Orpiment crumbles into powder when exposed to light for extended periods. (I have seen some majestic orpiment specimens on display in museums crumbling into powder.) Realgar transforms into orpiment in strong light, and eventually crumbles.

Halite, chalcanthite, and several other minerals are soluble in water. These minerals should not be washed with water, and must not be stored in a humid place. To insure that they remain dry, they should be kept with silica gel , or rice, which absorb moisture. Silica gel and rice eventually become saturated and should be replaced on a regular basis, depending on the humidity.
A small number of minerals, such as borax and kernite, are efflorescent, meaning they lose water in their structure if stored in a dry area. Such minerals should be kept in a moist place.

Copyright © 1997 - 1999 Hershel Friedman, all rights reserved