You can now view our April 2017 newsletter online. This edition features our reporting of the Tucson shows. Please click the image below for the larger version.
The NY/NJ Mineral, Fossil, Gem, & Jewelry show is now in its sixth year. The show took place on April 7-9, 2017 at the New Jersey Expo Center in Edison, New Jersey. This show is large, and continues to grow, with hundreds of dealers of all types filling up the mammoth expo center. Please enjoy our photos taken by Hershel Friedman of general show scenes as well as interesting individual minerals, new finds, and fluorescent displays.
Fluorescent Willemite and Calcite from the Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, NJ
Richard Bostwick and Tema Hecht
Fluorescent Wollastonite from the Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, NJ
Richard Bostwick and Tema Hecht
Fluorescent Willemite in Calcite from the Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, NJ
Franklin Mineral Museum
Blue Opal from Owyhee, Malheur Co., Oregon
Colorado Rocks (Amanda Adkins)
New Find of Emerald from Ethiopia
TJ's Rocks
Additional Emeralds from New Ethiopia Discovery
TJ's Rocks
Pyrite Cubes in Matrix from Navajun, Spain
Pyritas de Navajun
Giant Stegodon Huanghoensis Skeleton (Elephant/Mammoth Family)
New Find of Amethyst from Turkey
Alacam Mining
Additional Amethysts from Turkey
Alacam Mining
New Find of Green Chromium-Dravite from Tanzania
New Era Gems
Minerals from the Rhein Find in Amity, NY, Acquired by Gary Maldovany
Just Keep Rockin'
Gary Maldovany in his Just Keep Rockin' Booth
Scenes at the NY/NJ Show
The Evolving Universe by the Smithsonian Institute
Much thought and consideration is given to every picture we choose to display on the mineral detail pages on Minerals.net. Our goal is to provide a complete portrait of each mineral’s appearance without overwhelming our visitors.
We try to provide a snapshot of all minerals in their most commonly encountered scenarios, and show the diversity of each mineral. We include multiple habits and colors for each mineral type. The most common habits and colors are always included, and less-common settings are also included if they are interesting or unique.
Another very important factor is locality. We will try to include at least one picture of every important locality for a specific mineral, and usually more if there are multiple habits or forms. As far as specimen value, our key is diversity. We try to show a range from high-end and more exclusive forms, to more common lower-end samples of each mineral.
We try not to repeat the same habit or color from the same locality, to keep interest and retain a healthy assortment. An exception to this is when a less common mineral has limited localities or habits.
For many minerals, this general concept works, showing enough diversity while keeping the number of pictures limited to a maximum of 15-20 pictures. However, certain more common minerals, such as Quartz and Calcite, have so many significant habits, colors and important localities, that it is virtually impossible to provide a picture of every color, habit, and primary locality. Such minerals create a significant challenge, as we have to select the most well-known habits and varieties for these minerals.
Some highly diversified minerals that have significant varieties may have their own dedicated variety pages that can include many more pictures of just the variety type. For example, Quartz has a dedicated page with general Quartz pictures, but the Amethyst, Citrine, Chalcedony, and Agate varieties have their own dedicated pages with their own pictures as well as additional information and sub-varieties.
Our website was first launched in 1997, and started out with only a few low resolution pictures of each mineral. Over the years, we have been expanding our database and adding many more pictures. We have recently been going through all minerals, adding many more pictures to the existing ones. We are also starting a new campaign to redo the picture system to include a new picture display window with larger and higher resolution pictures.
