Christmas Gift Ideas - 2010

We've been notified that Crystal Moon Gallery will be featured in the upcoming Fort Worth Weekly Holiday shopping guide.  Specifically, they are featuring gifts under $10, and Carl Linde's hammered copper bracelets were selected from our store.

Continuing that train-of-thought, I thought it might be appropriate to mention some of the inexpensive items which were not selected by FW Weekly.  Although certainly not comprehensive, we thought we'd highlight some of the items under $20.  Please remember that these items are one-of-a-kind, or in very limited supply.

Karl Hoffman hand-forms some fascinating letter-openers by splitting wood from the Bois d'arc tree (among the hardest woods in North America).  He does not use a saw, but relies upon he natural grain of the wood to define most of the shape.  The result is curvy, beautiful, and a tactile delight.  $10.

Dale Miller still has a couple original cast sterling silver rings being offered at $10.

Wayne Mandrell has polished amber, with identified bugs, starting at $10.  These are small pieces, and the bugs are tiny, but the price is amazing.

Sandi McFarland offers hand-thrown and hand-carved pottery, several of which are offered at $10 to $15.

Teresa Sanchez offers many of her hand-thrown pottery items at $15.

Dyan Johnson, Margaret Laughlin and LaNelle Tadlock each offer hand-made earrings in the $12 to $20 range.

In addition to the bargains above, during the Christmas season we will be running sales on metal art by Eli, paintings by Svetlana, Meteorites, and even 19th century tools.  Some may question giving tools as gifts, but they are collectible, attractive, and give a masculine aura to an office space without treading on any politically sensitive areas.

We hope you will think of us as you compile your Christmas list.  If anyone on your list appreciates the unique, original, or one-of-a-kind, we think we can help your search.

Mineral Collecting with a Purpose

Most of us appreciate the beauty of minerals.  And, many of us will purchase individual mineral specimens that we find compelling.  We at Crystal Moon Gallery would like to suggest that mineral collecting with a specific purpose or objective in-mind can be educational, motivational, and Fun!

If one studies mineralogy, there is a potential to be entirely overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the field.  Many thousands of mineral species have been discovered and identified.  And the subtleties!  A single atom can significantly change the composition of a mineral...and result in a new mineral species.

And, let's not forget that some minerals are not very good for your health!  And, others are not very stable.  Cinnabar, a Mercury Sulfide, sometimes 'bleeds' elemental Mercury.  Realgar, an Arsenic Sulfide, forms beautiful deep-red crystals, but can alter to powdery yellow Orpiment or Pararealgar upon long-term exposure to air and light (which can be mitigated with specialized storage).

Collecting with a purpose allows one to: (1) narrow their focus to only those minerals of intense interest (2) establish themself as a local expert (3) avoid dangerous or unstable minerals (4) be motivated to find that next piece of the collection.

Collectors take a wide variety of approaches.  Following are some which we have seen first-hand:

• Fluorescent minerals.  Some minerals exhibit entirely different colors and textures under UV light.  Fluorescent minerals deliver bright colors, and a really unusual way of seeing minerals.  However, fluorescent minerals require special lighting.
• "Type Localities".  Many minerals are historically documented such that the first discovery is known.  Minerals from the location of first discovery/identification are the goal of this collector.  For example, Ajoite was first identified and named-for the Ajo mining district in Pima County, AZ.  Type locality collecting can allow wondrous variety in a collection, while keeping to a main theme.
• Unique species or groups.  We know one fellow who collects only the Garnet group of minerals.  With numerous unique species, and almost every imaginable color (except blue), the garnet group can deliver an amazingly colorful collection. 
• Crystal systems.  Most minerals form in a distinct pattern (e.g. Quartz is usually Hexagonal, and classified as such).  And some enjoy a collection of varying shapes in which minerals crystallize.  A variation would be a collection of crystal oddities...minerals that crystallized into unexpected shapes.

Not surprisingly, some will combine two or more of these example strategies.  For example, crystal oddities in the Quartz family could be a reasonably inexpensive and diverse collection.  The photo at the top of this post is of "skeleton" quartz (sometimes called window, jacare, or elestial quartz).  The steel pin is about 1 3/4" long, and is inserted about one-third of its length into an open chamber in the quartz crystal.  The prevailing theory is that the outer walls of the crystal grew more quickly than the inner areas, creating an enclosed, hollow, inner space, with an opening to the outside.

Here are Crystal Moon Gallery, we try to offer a wide variety of safe and stable mineral specimens.  And, we know quite a number of mineral dealers and collectors.  So that we can help you to fill-in the gaps in whatever collecting strategy you chose.

What's in a Name?

During our shopping trip to the Denver 'rock' shows, I became keenly aware of an amazing variety of pronunciations for the fossils and minerals on display.  I held my tongue and avoided saying something rude like "it is pronounced...".  But, on a couple of occasions, I may have stepped on toes by steadfastly holding to my own preferred pronunciation (rather than saying it their way).  Hopefully I didn't offend anyone.  But if I did, it was not intended.

I did observe just a couple people in active discussion over pronunciation.  But seriously, who REALLY KNOWS the correct way to pronounce Latin names?  I vividly remember being taught that Latin was chosen for medical and scientific names because it is a "dead language".  So, if it is a dead language, how can anyone be confident of the correct way to say those words?

And, of course, at an international type of show, there are cultural and language differences that one should respect...if for no other reason than to just be polite.

Anyway, what follows are some pronunciations observed among people for whom English was their primary language:

Trilobite:  TRY-lobe-ite, TRILL-o-bite
Sugilite: SU-jee-lite, SU-gill-ite, SHOO-gill-ite
Barite: BAY-rite, BEAR-ite
Fluorite: FLOOR-ite, FLOO-rite

Entertaining as this might be, we welcome all pronunciations at Crystal Moon Gallery.  And, please be patient with us if our pronunciation doesn't match yours.  ;-)