Within the Bancroft Area, the Tory Hill vein-dikes have produced superb specimens of many minerals, including titanite, fluorapatite, fluoro-richterite and ferri-fluoro-katophotrite. Many now grace museums and private collections around the world. This article is an introduction to these exceptional occurrences and the adventures of collecting there.

I’ve posted a great selection of U.S. specimens from many different collections in the new US Update. There are specimens from the collections of Rock Currier, Robert Bartsch, John S. White, Pete Richards, Steve Szilard and from my collection too.

I’ve posted some super specimens in this new Tanzania Update. This group of specimens includes a variety of species from several different finds, and includes a world-class alabandite.

After a long, harsh northern winter, most people in this part of the world look to the arrival of the red-winged blackbirds and robins, buds and flowers to mark the arrival of spring. But let’s be honest, spring only truly arrives with “Rochester” (the annual Rochester Mineralogical Symposium). Rochester is for people who love minerals and mineral collecting – if you’d like to see more about this year’s symposium (including photographs from the presenters), I hope you’ll enjoy this post.