This new post is Nova Scotia’s Bay of Fundy Part 2: The Islands. Superb specimens of many minerals have been found at Two Islands and Five Islands, including world class gmelinite crystals, and great specimens of natrolite, analcime and stilbite. This post offers a glimpse into these classic Canadian localities.

I’ve posted a very small group of excellent specimens from the 2002 find in the new China Kermesite Update. These kermesite specimens are from the find of the best kermesite crystals known to date. Unfortunately no specimens have been collected since the 2002 find, so it seems to have been a one-time find.

I’ve posted a small number of great new specimens in this new Afghanistan Update. This update includes brilliant lustrous andradite crystals from the Spin Ghar range, and red zircon from the Dara-i-Pech District.

I’ve added new specimens in this Mali Update (click here), including excellent prehnite, epidote, grossular and a particularly sharp vesuvianite.

The new Brazil Update on the website features a mix of excellent specimens from Brazil, including spessartine, rutile, struverite-ilmenorutile, alexandrite, montebrasite, brazilianite, kunzite and more.

I’ve posted a group of spectacular aragonite specimens from a new find in Morocco – these are special.

I’ve added some great new French specimens in this France Update. Several are recently-collected from the Mésage Mine, Saint-Pierre-de-Mésage, Isère, France, along with a bournonite from Saint-Laurent-le-Minier and a gem-clear calcite from Pau, Aquitane.

Every summer, for a few days, the quiet town of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines transforms into a bustling mineral and gem extravaganza. This is the most beautiful major mineral show setting, and attending is a great experience. This year’s show included some excellent minerals, including some great new finds.

There really is no event in the Mineral World year exactly like the Rochester Mineralogical Symposium. It may sound scientific and formal, but Rochester is perhaps the most welcoming and inclusive mineral gathering I know. The 2016 RMS featured great talks and photos from excellent speakers on a range of subjects.

I’ve posted a small number of beautiful atacamite specimens in this new Peru Atacamite Update. These are sharp, lustrous, terminated atacamite crystals in vugs, from the Lily Mine, near Pisco, Ica.

Excellent new specimens from Mont Saint-Hilaire. The specimens in this update are from finds 1988-2007. This selection of specimens represents several different unique finds, including beautiful serandites, terminated elpidite crystals, twinned rhodochrosite, sodalite var. hackmanite, narsarsukite, leucophanite, analcime and more.

I’ve posted some great new specimens from Tanzania, including excellent alabandite crystals (very large for the species), a beautiful sharp corundum (ruby) crystal, a super twinned orange kyanite, dravite tourmalines, scapolite, spinel and prehnite.