FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[jimgrains51]

I have a lot on the list. But my top 3 are calcite, quartz, and copper. I love to look at them in my office.

[James Catmur]

Did a quick query on my database. My top 14 are (with number of specimens of each mineral)

Baryte 166
Calcite 136
Chalcopyrite 25
Dolomite 91
Fluorite 298
Galena 44
Gypsum 30
Hematite 28
Orthoclase 29
Pyrite 59
Pyromorphite 27
Quartz 173
Siderite 43
Sphalerite 37

So it looks like fluorite wins, then quartz, baryte, calcite, dolomite

[Tobi]

[Gerhard Brandstetter]

My main focus is on minerals from Austria and the classics finds from the old Austro-Hungarian monarchy: A, Cz, Sk, H, Ro,..... I also love nice and rare systematic minerals as well as any other aesthetic and interesting specimen. In any size - but usually not too big.
I am also interested in the geological and historic aspects and the chemistry. So I am fascinated in any species with Au, Ag, Te, Be and REE

Specially i love:

Halite
Calcite
Hematite
Sulfides
Phosphates
Gold

For me Quartz is normally a matrix only - so i do not know why i have so many…. Ok - mainly for regional reasons. …..

[Michael Shaw]

After reading James’ post I thought this would be an interesting exercise, so I ran a query of my collection to determine what species made the top 20 list. I probably could have predicted the top 5, but there were a few small surprises that turned up. Results are as follows:

1. Calcite 364
2. Quartz 272
3. Fluorite 195
4. Barite 140
5. Galena 101
6. Pyrite 86
7. Gypsum 76
8. Copper 61
9. Tourmaline group 56
10. Sphalerite 53
11. Wulfenite 54
12. Azurite 48
13. Vanadinite 43
14. Stibnite 32
15. Rhodochrosite 30
16. Cerussite 28
17. Pyromorphite 28
18. Mimetite 13
19. Bournonite 9
20. Descloizite 8

The fact that Calcite and Quartz rank #1 and #2 is no surprise, being the most common minerals. Like Jesse, I am interested in MVT deposits, and one of my largest sub-collections is from the southern Illinois Fluorite District. Fluorite happens to be my 2nd favorite mineral, so its #3 rank was expected. Barite at #4 was a bit of a surprise. Galena ranks 5th. It’s my favorite mineral, and with 101 pieces in the collection, I hope I never have to move. Ever since having collected at several localities in Michigan’s copper country in the early 1960s, I have always been fond of native Copper, but its #8 rank was unexpected. Tourmaline, Azurite, and Rhodochrosite ……. who doesn’t love these three.

I have always been attracted to lead minerals, so Wulfenite, Vanadinite, Cerussite, Pyromorphite, Mimetite, Bournonite, and Descloizite round out the top 20 and along with the galena make up 17% of the top 20. Further, the top 20 make up 62% of the collection. This was a fun exercise and somewhat revealing about my collecting tendencies.

[Tobi]

... My honest list:

1. Quartz
2. Fluorite
3. Quartz
4. Fluorite
5. Quartz
6. Fluorite
7. Quartz
8. Fluorite
9. Quartz
10. Tourmaline

;-)

[Michael Shaw]

[bob kerr]

here's mine in no particular order:

1 - azurite (and pseudos - to quote Peter Megaw; "Milpillas Rules")
2 - cuprite (and pseudos - Rubstovskoe especially)
3 - wulfenite (especially Rowley Mine AZ)
4 - crocoite
5 - mimetite/vanadinite/pyromorphite series - and add in cerussite and anglesite for good measure
6 - fluorites
7 - quartz
8 - barite
9 - aquamarine (especially Erongo)
10 - sulfides

could probably add some others but these are my top 10.

bob

[Philippe Durand]

1 Hematite
2 Quartz
3 Sphalerite
4 Galena
5 Fluorite
6 Tourmalines
7 Garnets
8 Pyrite
9 Barite
10 Stibnite

If I consider what is in my collection, then: Azurite, Cassiterite, zeolites, pegmatite minerals...

[Roger Warin]

Hello,
I knew very well (a matter of age) Roger Titeux from Nancy.
Lorrain like me, outside the borders, Roger was a close friend.
He often gave me the following advice:
Collect hard minerals. Avoid carbonates (rhodochrosite excepted), halides…
His reasoning was based on the mechanical stability of the sample.
At the price where you buy the specimens, they can deteriorate at the first small shock more likely with age. In the past, I loved calcite simply to study its countless crystallographic forms. I have also written, with Simon Philippo, PhD and Jean-Marie Jonville, Eng. A very descriptive article on calcite. I compared the various international ways (to integrate the notation of Haüy) to index the faces, the relations between the various systems of notation, the various twins…
The Règne Mineral, 2001, Nr 42.
I like hematite from Brazil for its habit and those from the Alps for the epitaxies of rutile.