What to read after Wilensky Fine Minerals?

"I wonder whether Art has a higher function than to make me feel, appreciate, and enjoy natural objects for their art value." (Bernard Berenson)

I have written a short essay at the beginning of each of our volumes. I have expressed my belief that minerals are the purest form of art and that we have arrived at a stage in mineral collecting that has achieved almost everything I had hoped for. Donna and I began as mineral collectors and dealers over 30 years ago. Everything we dreamt of has occurred for us as mineral collectors. So, then what to write about? I thought of two questions that need answers.

Why do we collect? This is not a new question, books have been written on this topic, and there are several theories on why people collect. It has not been applied specifically to minerals. Most are drawn to minerals for obvious reasons; beauty. We enjoy looking at them. Beauty is a feeling, an emotional rush that can only be experienced not explained. I cannot recall ever showing someone a colorful crystallized mineral without them having an overtly positive response. In fact, it is usually something like "Oh My God, that's stunning!" Once we move past the obvious, minerals open up a curiosity, they make us aware of the earth and everything in it. The mystery of crystallography, chemistry, atomic structure. Most uninitiated ask the same question, and it is almost always phrased this way; "Did you make these?" or "How did you make these?" Sometimes I've even been told how talented I am that I was able to make them. Once told that these are natural crystals from the ground the questions change and suddenly you are witnessing a profound amazement. It never gets old and never fails to thrill me.

We easily accept the fact that flowers, animals, and people are all from nature - we are even blasé about them - minerals, because they are hidden from our everyday experience, have a mystery that few other natural objects can match. We all gaze at the sky and wonder what's out there, but few ever consider what's right beneath us. Some of the most beautiful things on earth are minerals, and they cannot be appreciated until someone displays them. This is a powerful reason we collect minerals. There are two distinct styles of mineral beauty; pieces that are obviously beautiful, like an Illinois Fluorite or a colorful Tourmaline. And, those that are beautiful to the advanced collectors’ eye; a superb German Pyrargyrite, or Michigan Silver. The first group everyone can appreciate. The latter takes knowledge and understanding of the rarity, crystallography and locality, as well as the history of mining and mineral collecting. I have, and always will be, a proponent of mineral specimens as works of art. I have also studied minerals most of my life and cannot deny the fascination, and value, of specimens that achieve greatness through rarity and/or other less obvious features. To the eye of the beginner a Euclase, Phosphophyllite or Jeremejevite may be just a "pretty colored" crystal, but to the advanced collector they are among the "Holy Grails" of mineral collecting. It is this next level of advanced mineral collecting that adds a dimension beyond what our eyes see, I equate it to what is commonly termed "inner beauty". What is the role of a mineral dealer? My idols were art connoisseurs, like Bernard Berenson, René Gimpel and Erwin Panofsky. I have spent all of my life enjoying art; I admired what these individuals accomplished in the art world. It was this type of deep appreciation and knowledge I wanted to apply to minerals. To this end I have for over three decades viewed countless numbers of specimens, examining them, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses. Reading, photographing, comparing, to recognize what is unique or special. To know what is hidden in collections around the world, and to be aware of new discoveries. As a dealer I apply this knowledge, and share it with collectors.

As a mineral dealer I have a responsibility to guide collectors towards acquisitions that are of exceptional quality. My role is to be advisor, expert, and connoisseur. Every collector has personal likes and dislikes. It is the role of the dealer to consider those specific tastes but to also expand upon them to ensure the best possible collection: a collection that is beautiful to look at, each specimen being of the utmost quality and aesthetics, as well as specimens that are important mineralogically. It is my job to offer collectors the easily acknowledged minerals, but also to teach them about the less obvious ones. It is my goal to present collectors with as much knowledge about any given specimen so that they can make an informed decision.

Every collection I have helped form is a direct reflection upon us as mineral dealers. It is imperative that it stand up to scrutiny. My reputation and legacy depends upon this. It is my intention that this set of volumes will help future collectors in their personal quest for connoisseurship.

“There is nothing more practical, in the end, than the preservation of beauty, than the preservation of anything that appeals to the higher emotion in mankind.” (Theodore Roosevelt)