Smithsonite, Kelly Mine, Magdalena, Socorro County, New Mexico - available later today in the shop.

Mineral collecting can become all consuming.  People's lives can change dramatically and beneficially from collecting.  If only you ever buy minerals to enhance your living space and never read a mineralogy book you still have deepened your knowledge and connection with nature just knowing that crystals exist.

Parents of budding collectors often ask me if this is a useful pursuit.  I tell John's experience.  As a young child he discovered minerals on a family outing to a flea market.  That was it.  The whole family joined the local mineral club the very next month.  Both he and his parents became avid collectors.  It also introduced him to geology.  Being a bright lad his teachers encouraged college and he was accepted with scholarships to numerous fine institutions. But which one?  He plotted on a map the field collecting areas around each of the institutions.  New Mexico School of Mines won hands down.  (He collected the smithsonite pictured today.) He would be able to maximize his field collecting while in college.  He initially studied geology but switched to geophysics and mathematics.   Upon graduation he immediately had job offers.

The adult collector can enjoy a pursuit which provides continuing education, aesthetics and competition.  You will also develop a social network among collectors based on common interest not politics, social station or other barriers to friendship.

When you first start collecting minerals you should explore all types of minerals, all localities, all sizes, colors, forms, etc...  Learn through your purchases - ownership brings knowledge.

As you gain expertise you will start to focus your collection.  Some people collect only examples of one mineral,  some collect only certain sizes, others collect single crystals with no matrix, some focus on a group of minerals (eg micas). Many collect for the beauty of the minerals - hence the term "House Jewelry".  Traditionally many collectors have focused their collection on a geographic area - be it a single mine, a single district or even a single country.  One of the popular areas to collect are the classic alpine locations of Switzerland.  Here is an example of that location -
Orthoclase variety Adularia coated with Chlorite from Burg-Fiesch Glascier Area, Fiesch, Goms, Wallis, Switzerland.

Hello.  I am Maryanne Fender.  I married into a family of long time mineral collectors.  In 1996 John and I started selling minerals at shows as Fender Natural Resources.  We still sell at shows in Tucson, Denver and in Texas.  Recently I branched out selling cabochons, jewelry stones, crystals and miniature minerals on Etsy.

We are always asked "What do you collect?"  So I am starting this blog to answer that question.  John pursues collecting macro (can be seen without aid of magnification) very rare minerals ranging in size from 2 inches up to about 8 inches.  I collect just about anything as long as it is a thumbnail mineral - that is a macro mineral that can fit into a 1 inch cube.  Thumbnail mineral collectors store their prizes in small clear acrylic boxes called "perkies" which are a 1.25 inch cube.

  Thumbnail collectors traditionally have arranged their collection alphabetically so today I start with Adamite. So here is one of my many adamites.

 Adamites is a  fairly rare arsenate mineral and some of the best come from Mina Ojuela, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico - as does this specimen.  The yellow adamites fluoresce a lovely kelly green when lit with a short wave ultraviolet light. The yellow adamites range in color to a yellowish green. Adamite also comes in a violet variety called Mangan Adamite and a blue green variety called Cuprian Adamite.  You can learn more about adamite at webmineral: Adamite Mineral Data.