Rockhound Time
I don't remember how old I was but it was not past my 12th birthday when our family traveled back to Long Island to see my mother's cousin. This is the same cousin's house where I did my first vacation (see picture below). Here is me on that first trip. Ah! Childhood memories of those days of freedom!
Well on that later trip I visited with my cousin's (yes all family members are cousins or aunts and uncles if they are anyway related) neighbor's house. This man worked in New York City and collected minerals. I say minerals but we call ourselves "Rockhounds" which is the more common term, but few of us have collections of rocks. He had applied his minerals to his house. he had lamp shades covered with crushed minerals that glow in the dark. he had fence lines with crystals of all sorts growing in all directions. But the one display that I will always remember is a dull waxy piece of clear stone about one inch in diameter squarely placed in the center on a dark black basalt square as the base of a table lamp. Unless you knew about the association and the crystal shape you would not know that you were looking at a raw uncut diamond! he picked it up in a pawn store in the City. The dealer had no idea what it was.
From that day forward I have been collecting minerals off and on as a hobby. I have a very itty bitty diamond from Russia, that I purchased one year at the Tucson Gem and Mineral show, just to say I also have a raw diamond in my collection.
You never know what new habits you will pick up on the road to adventure!
Wulfenite is my favorite not just because it is from Arizona, but it is so beautiful, and peaceful like a mellow window to the soul.
Well on that later trip I visited with my cousin's (yes all family members are cousins or aunts and uncles if they are anyway related) neighbor's house. This man worked in New York City and collected minerals. I say minerals but we call ourselves "Rockhounds" which is the more common term, but few of us have collections of rocks. He had applied his minerals to his house. he had lamp shades covered with crushed minerals that glow in the dark. he had fence lines with crystals of all sorts growing in all directions. But the one display that I will always remember is a dull waxy piece of clear stone about one inch in diameter squarely placed in the center on a dark black basalt square as the base of a table lamp. Unless you knew about the association and the crystal shape you would not know that you were looking at a raw uncut diamond! he picked it up in a pawn store in the City. The dealer had no idea what it was.
From that day forward I have been collecting minerals off and on as a hobby. I have a very itty bitty diamond from Russia, that I purchased one year at the Tucson Gem and Mineral show, just to say I also have a raw diamond in my collection.
You never know what new habits you will pick up on the road to adventure!
Wulfenite is my favorite not just because it is from Arizona, but it is so beautiful, and peaceful like a mellow window to the soul.
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