Hello and good afternoon , Here is the monthly update and who found diamonds ! Also Waymon Cox , has ideas on how to start your collection of rocks and minerals ! When starting a mineral collection, think small By Waymon Cox Double terminated quartz micromount This double terminated quartz micromount was found recently by a park visitor. Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! While many visitors come to the Crater in search of “The Big One,” some of the smallest finds at the park can also be the most amazing. Micromounting is the practice of collecting and displaying mineral specimens that are best viewed and appreciated with magnification. There are many factors that make micromounting a fun and appealing pastime. Because the crystals are so small, micromounts are more often found perfectly-formed and undamaged than their larger counterparts. Perfect specimens are highly sought after by collectors, while unique crystal clusters and colorful inclusions can also be exciting to find. Though small in size, the variety of micromounts in a collection can be huge. Only a few hundred minerals ever grow crystals large enough for cabinet display, but thousands of minerals are suitable for micromounting, including many of the rarest types. Goethite in quartz Finding unique inclusions is part of what makes micromounting an interesting hobby. These are goethite inclusions in a quartz crystal. Micromounting is also an inexpensive hobby. In addition to display boxes, a microscope or hand lens is the only real expenditure. Most micromounts are also very reasonable, ranging from only a few dollars up to $30 or $40 for rare specimens. However, the greatest appeal of micromounting is perhaps the limited amount of space required. While a collection of hand-sized rocks and minerals can take up an entire room, a thousand micromounts may fit into a shoebox! Crater of Diamonds State Park offers a unique opportunity for visitors to start their own micromount collections with quartz, calcite, barite, and more. Each visitor is allowed to remove up to five gallons of washed gravel or other rocks and minerals each day, providing abundant materials for collectors to inspect for the best micromounts. The park also sells small, clear plastic boxes with magnifiers that can be used as simple displays for a collection. If you enjoy rocks and minerals but wish you had more room in your home to keep a collection, remember that thinking small can open up unlimited possibilities in micromounting! Most recent significant precipitation: January 11, 2015 Diamond finds for the week of January 11, 2015 (100 points = one carat): No diamonds registered January 11-16. January 17 – Bobby Jones, Plain Dealing, LA, 2 pt. brown; Jerry Gullett, Piketon, OH, 10 pt. white, 17 pt. white; James Green, Memphis, TN, 4 pt. white; Brett DeCesari, Springfield, PA, 30 pt. yellow; Adam Hardin, Murfreesboro, AR, 9 pt. white Crater of Diamonds Home Page 209 State Park Road Murfreesboro, AR 71958 Email: craterofdiamonds@arkansas Phone: (870) 285-3113 To unsubscribe, go to craterofdiamondsstatepark/newsletter/ and click the Unsubscribe button. Reply, Reply All or Forward | More
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 22:30:09 +0000