Quick answer: Pennsylvania is one of America’s most important mineral states. It led early U.S. iron production from furnaces fed
Pennsylvania’s Mineral Heritage: Iron, Chrome, Coal, and Quartz Read Post »
Quick answer: Most crystals on the market are mined by hand in a handful of countries, especially Brazil, Madagascar, Morocco,
Where Do Crystals Come From? A Buyer’s Guide to Sourcing and Ethics Read Post »
Quick answer: Many mineral specimens are repaired: broken crystals are reglued, chips are filled, matrix is rebuilt, and surfaces are
Specimen Repair and Restoration: What Gets Fixed and What Should Be Disclosed Read Post »
Quick answer: A mineral specimen’s value comes from five factors dealers weigh: aesthetics (color, luster, composition), crystal quality (sharpness and
What Makes a Mineral Specimen Valuable? The Factors Dealers Actually Weigh Read Post »
Quick answer: Micromounting is the hobby of collecting tiny mineral crystals, usually a few millimeters or smaller, mounted in small
Micromounting: The Mineral Hobby That Fits in a Matchbox Read Post »
Quick answer: Most caves form when slightly acidic rainwater, charged with carbon dioxide from soil, dissolves limestone along cracks over
How Caves Are Made: Karst, Limestone, and New York’s Underground Rivers Read Post »
Quick answer: Long Island is a pile of debris left by glaciers. The Ronkonkoma moraine (the island’s spine and South
How Long Island Was Built by Ice: Moraines, Erratics, and the Rocks on Our Beaches Read Post »
Quick answer: A double-terminated crystal has natural points on both ends because it grew without being attached to rock, suspended
Double-Terminated Crystals: Why Some Quartz Has a Point on Both Ends Read Post »
Quick answer: Sulfide minerals are compounds of sulfur with metals such as iron, copper, lead, zinc, and silver, and they
Sulfide Minerals: The Shiny Ores Behind Almost Every Metal You Use Read Post »
Quick answer: Franklin and Sterling Hill in Sussex County, New Jersey, are zinc mines famous for the world’s most spectacular
Franklin and Sterling Hill: The New Jersey Mines That Glow in the Dark Read Post »
