A reference library for collectors. Crystallography, identification, chemistry, classic localities, and care — the essentials a collector returns to. 23 guides.
Every mineral on Earth belongs to one of seven fundamental crystallographic families — Cubic, Hexagonal, Trigonal, Tetragonal, Orthorhombic, Monoclinic, and Triclinic. Learn to read crystal symmetry and use it as your first identification clue.
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Parse chemical formulas like CaF₂, BaSO₄, and Cu₃(CO₃)₂(OH)₂. We cover what subscripts and parentheses mean and how to identify the major anion groups — silicates, carbonates, sulfides, oxides.
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Friedrich Mohs's 10-level relative-hardness scale is the field mineralogist's first tool. From talc (1) to diamond (10). Learn the field-test items every collector owns and when 'hardness 7' is really tougher than that.
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The four physical properties that distinguish look-alike minerals. Metallic vs. vitreous lusters, streak as chemical fingerprint, cleavage planes that reveal atomic structure, and fracture patterns that finalize the ID.
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A crystal's habit is its characteristic external shape — prismatic, tabular, acicular, botryoidal, dendritic, druzy, massive. Many minerals are identified at a glance by habit alone. The dozen habits you will see most often.
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Color is the least reliable property but the most seductive. Understand idiochromatic vs. allochromatic coloration, pleochroism in cordierite and tourmaline, and the UV fluorescence that turns ordinary specimens spectacular.
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China produces world-class specimens of fluorite, calcite, stibnite, barite, azurite, scheelite, and more. The classic localities — Yaogangxian, Daye, Shangbao, Xuebaoding, Lengshuijiang, Xianghualing — each have a distinctive look.
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Every mineral has enemies. UV light bleaches fluorite, vivianite, and realgar. Humidity oxidizes pyrite. Friable specimens flake at the wrong touch. How to control light, humidity, and handling.
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Where a specimen comes from — and how it was obtained — matters as much as what it is. What 'ethically sourced' actually means: legal permits, fair pay for diggers, accurate locality data, and the red flags that suggest a piece was smuggled or faked.
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