Collecting & Buying Guides

Quick answer: Most crystals on the market are mined by hand in a handful of countries, especially Brazil, Madagascar, Morocco,

Quick answer: Many mineral specimens are repaired: broken crystals are reglued, chips are filled, matrix is rebuilt, and surfaces are

Quick answer: A mineral specimen’s value comes from five factors dealers weigh: aesthetics (color, luster, composition), crystal quality (sharpness and

Quick answer: Mineral dealers sort specimens by size: thumbnails fit in a 1-inch (about 2.5 cm) box, miniatures run roughly

Quick answer: To photograph a mineral specimen well, use soft diffused light, a plain background, a tripod or steady surface,

Quick answer: Only a small number of minerals need special care: those containing arsenic (realgar, orpiment), mercury (cinnabar), lead (galena),

Quick answer: Buying minerals by the parcel (a lot) gets you more pieces for the money than buying singles, usually

Quick answer: Lab-grown (synthetic) crystals are the same mineral as natural ones, with identical chemistry and structure, grown by methods

Quick answer: “On matrix” means the crystals are still attached to the rock they grew on, rather than broken off

Quick answer: Without a label, rockhounds identify a specimen through a short series of tests: hardness (the scratch test), streak