Cheryl & Richard Sittinger chat with mine geologist Dean Misantori
during our tour of the Sweet Home Mine, Alma, Colorado, September
'97, when we featured Sweet Home rhodochrosite in our Mineral of the
Month Club
Hello, and thanks
for visiting
our Web site!
Our names are Richard & Cheryl Sittinger,
and for the last fifteen years, we've been sending excellent quality
mineral specimens and fascinating, in-depth write-ups to our Mineral of
the Month Club members. Now we'd like to invite you to join our Club!
We believe you'll find our Club is a great way
to obtain an excellent specimen at a low price. We purchase more
than 500 specimens of each mineral we feature, and as a result get
some wonderful bargains on outstanding minerals. crude oil trading platform Club members have
commented time and time again about how much more minerals we
feature typically sell for at shows! Plus, shipping is included in
the United States, saving you more money! And you'll be amazed by
the depth of the mineral write-ups and by how much you'll learn from
reading them! Click
here to view a sample write-up
We have three levels of membership available-- with the only
difference being the size and price of the specimens.
Click here to see how our Club works
Click here to see a brief video of all twelve
minerals we featured last year:
2009 Featured
Minerals
JOIN NOW!
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Note to Club members wanting to renew: Click here for our new renewal
page: Club Member Renewal
Email us 
with any questions or call us toll free at 1-800-941-5594!
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Remember, you'll receive
only the minerals you wish-- you can pass on any mineral at any
time. Our goal is to provide you with wonderful specimens and highly
informative, detailed write-ups that will increase your love and
appreciation for our natural world!
OUR PLATINUM MEMBERSHIP!
Since we
purchase over 600 of each monthly featured mineral for our Club
members, we are often able to obtain high quality specimens at
bargain prices, and then pass the savings along to our members. For
more details about this new membership, click this link:
Platinum Membership
E-mails from new members:
"I received my
[Platinum-level] piece yesterday. An outstanding sample, I am very
pleased. Thanks."
"I absolutely love being a member. My husband got me the membership as
an anniversary gift. The minerals are stunning and I am learning a lot."
"I got my July mineral and
found it very interesting. You send a really comprehensive report on the
minerals; it's fantastic. Thanks."
"I am so excited. So far I am very impressed with your club. I have not
done anything yet, but it seems like we have such a personal
relationship, not at all what I expected. Thank you!"
"As I have said before, the relationship we have made with your
organization has been such a positive experience for our grandson.
Andrew has been with your group, as a Silver member, since he was four
and a half years old; he is still thrilled with his collection and with
his monthly additions. Just last week Andrew made a presentation to his
second grade class about his knowledge of rocks and minerals. Thank you
again for this opportunity to continue with you on e-mail. We look
forward to the consistent excellent connection."
Free Pocketsize DK Rocks &
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Our privacy policy: We will never
under any circumstances give or sell Club member's addresses and other
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engage in it! WHY NOT JOIN NOW!
Platinum-level specimens-- Click here to see photos of Platinum-level specimens:
Platinum Membership
Would you like to start your
membership with January's mineral and include all the minerals we've
featured so far this year? Then choose one of these memberships:
1 Year Gold-Level membership starting with January 2011 for $291.50 (12 months
for the price of 11)
1 Year Silver-Level membership starting with January 2011 for $88 (12 months
for the price of 11)
Click here to join now or to give a gift membership, including a
complimentary gift card with your special message:
WHY NOT
JOIN NOW!
STILL AVAILABLE: JULY 2010 MINERAL OF THE MONTH:
QUARTZ (JASPER) AFTER ARAGONITE
Quartz variety Jasper Pseudomorph after Aragonite
Valle de las Plumas
Paso de Indio
Chubut Province
Argentina
July 2010. Pseudomorphs of quartz after
aragonite from Argentina, another unusual find! The outside crystal form
is that of aragonite, but the original mineral has been completely replaced
by the Jasper variety of chalcedonic quartz! The corresponding write-up
explains exactly how and why this type of replacement occurs in nature in a
special section entitled "The Phenomenon of Mineral Pseudomorphism." You'll
find both the mineral and the write-up quite fascinating! And Platinum-level
member have the opportunity to obtain a piece that has been cut in half and
polished to show off the inner beauty of the jasper and the drusy quartz
lined pockets! Follow this link for details:
Click here for details on Platinum
Membership
Pyrite Concretion
Hengyang Baifang Coal Mines
Hengyang County
Hengyang Prefecture
Hunan Province, China
Pyrite is one of those amazing minerals that continues to come out of
the ground in unusual forms and shapes! Our specimens are from a new
find in China, where the pyrite crystallized in unusual spherical and
ovoidal concretions, some of which look like acorns, muffin tops, turtle
shells, brains, and snowmen! The accompanying write-up explains in depth
how pyrite crystallizes in such odd shapes in the section on "About Our
Specimens" and in the special section on "The Many Forms of Pyrite." You'll
find the concretion and the write-up quite fascinating!
Gold-level specimens are complete concretions about 2.5" by 2"
Silver-level specimens consists of half a concretion, allowing you to
really see the radiating crystal structure
Platinum-level specimens are bigger and heavier--click here to see
what they look like:
Click here to see
Platinum-level specimens
Would you like to order all 24 minerals we've
featured in 2006 and 2007? Click here to see photos of all 12 minerals from
2006: 2006 Minerals
or Order here:
All 24 minerals from 2006 and 2007 in Silver-size for $160--24
minerals for the price of 20! Price includes US shipping.
All 24 featured minerals from 2006 and 2007 in Gold-Level size
for $530--24 minerals for the price of 20! Price includes US shipping.
All 24 featured minerals from 2006 and 2007 in Platinum size--Larger, better
specimens--24 for the price of 20--Email us for price:
All 24 Platinum-Size
Minerals from 2006 & 2007
Price includes US shipping.
STILL AVAILABLE:
SEPTEMBER 2010 MINERAL OF THE
MONTH: HEMATITE PSEUDOMORPH AFTER MAGNETITE
 
Hematite after
Magnetite, Pay�n Volcano, Altiplano de Pay�n Matru, Mendoza, Argentina.
Two photos showing two of the habits we have on hand for Club
members!
September 2010
Hematite after Aragonite, Pay�n Volcano, Altiplano de
Pay�n Matru, Mendoza, Argentina. Another amazing pseudomorph from
Argentina, and one that has generated tremendous interest in the mineral
community! Our pseudomorphic specimens were collected at an extinct
Argentinean volcano. Our write-up explains their unusual fumarolic
origin, the chemical oxidation of magnetite into hematite, and some of
the basics behind the phenomenon of volcanism.
STILL AVAILABLE: AUGUST 2010 MINERAL OF THE MONTH:
VESUVIANITE
Vesuvianite
Jeffrey Mine
Quebec
Canada
August 2010 Vesuvianite, Jeffrey Mine, Quebec, Canada.
Though the
specimens we're sending this month are much smaller than usual this month, they have exceptionally
lovely color and excellent crystal forms! We first featured vesuvianite from
this classic locality in March 2000, and are thrilled to have gotten another
large lot of beautiful pieces! Our write-up explains the unusual metamorphic
origin of vesuvianite and its use as a gemstone, along with the facts and
fiction surrounding asbestos and the rich history of what was once the
world�s largest asbestos mine--the Jeffrey Mine in Canada!
STILL AVAILABLE: APRIL 2010 MINERAL OF THE MONTH:
TOPAZ
April 2010 Topaz, Maynard's Claim, Thomas Range, Juab County, Utah.
This was another outstanding month! �I pulled out a section of brush and there, stuck to the roots, were
two rather large, perfectly flawless topaz crystals. Thus began the most
exciting mineral collecting adventure of my life.� Our 10-page Topaz
write-up explains why a graduate student made this statement in 1973! In a
special section, it also explains why commercial mineral collecting is such
a risky business. And as always, the write-up discusses in detail topaz'
chemical make-up, crystal form, important collecting sites, gem use.
history, and lore, and much more.
And remember, store your topaz crystal away from sunlight to preserve
its color!
Gold-level specimens are about 1" to 1.5" long
Silver-level specimens are about �" long Platinum-level specimens are
available as single crystals or crystals on matrix
Click here to see photos of Platinum-level
specimens
Would you like to start your
membership with January's mineral and include all the minerals we've
featured so far this year? Then choose one of these memberships:
1 Year Gold-Level membership starting with January 2011 for $291.50 (12 months
for the price of 11)
1 Year Silver-Level membership starting with January 2011 for $88 (12 months
for the price of 11)
Click here if for a price for all the featured minerals from 2009 in
Platinum-level size
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SEPTEMBER 2011 MINERAL OF THE MONTH:
ANHYDRITE
Photo by Jeff Scovil
Anhydrite
Naica Mine
Naica
Municipio de Saucillo
Chihuahua, Mexico
SEPTEMBER 2011
ANHYDRITE Our specimens are from the Naica Mine at Naica, Municipo
de Saucillo, Chihuahua, Mexico, an area that is 230 miles south of El
Paso, Texas. Spanish prospectors discovered the Naica multi-metal
deposit in 1794 and mined it for silver. The Naica Mine has operated
more-or-less steadily for more than 200 years and produces lead, zinc,
and smaller amounts of silver, copper, and gold. Its historic production
exceeds 40 million tons of ore. Naica is Mexico�s oldest producing mine,
its leading source of lead, and southern Chihuahua�s biggest private
employer. Naica first became recognized in the 1970s as a source of
mineral specimens, initially for crystals of fluorite and pyrite. In
1981, miners blasted into a fault that was lined with thousands of flat,
square-terminated, pale, blue-gray anhydrite crystals that established
Naica as a classic locality for anhydrite. In 2000, Naica miners
discovered a natural geodic (geode-like) cave now known as La Cueva de
los Cristales Gigantes (the Cave of the Giant Crystals). Our write-up
includes a special section on this amazing discovery!
STILL AVAILABLE: AUGUST 2011 MINERAL OF THE MONTH:
DOLOMITE
Dolomite
Shangbao Pyrite Mine
Leiyang County
Hengyang Prefecture
Hunan Province, China
AUGUST 2011
DOLOMITE Our dolomite specimens are from the Shangbao Pyrite Mine in Leiyang
County, Hengyang Prefecture, Hunan Province, People�s Republic of China.
The Shangbao Pyrite Mine is located 15 miles southeast of the city of
Leiyang in a historic iron-mining region. In 1972, several small,
iron-sulfur mines were consolidated into the Shangbao Pyrite Mine, which
used a combination of open-pit and underground mining methods to extract
pyrite ore as a source of both iron and sulfur. binary options Shangbao exploits a
skarn-type pyrite deposit that formed through the contact metamorphism
of limestone and dolomitic limestone. Mineral specimens from the
Shangbao Pyrite Mine first reached international markets in the 1980s.
When Shangbao ceased commercial operations in 1995, it was one of the
world�s few remaining mines that still exploited pyrite as a source of
iron. Immediately after the mine closed, a group of former pyrite miners
formed a syndicate and leased parts of the mine specifically to collect
specimens. Our specimens were recovered from a skarn pocket that was
opened in 2008. The write-up you will receive with your dolomite
specimen will have lots more information, including a special section on
the unique element magnesium.
STILL AVAILABLE: JULY 2011 MINERAL OF THE MONTH:
AQUAMARINE
Aquamarine
Erongo Mountain
Usakos and Omaruru Districts
Erongo Region, Namibia
JULY 2011
AQUAMARINE For the second month in a row, we're featuring well-formed
crystals collected in dangerous conditions from pockets of sheer cliffs
in a South African country! Our aquamarine specimens were collected at Erongo
Mountain in the Usakos and Omaruru districts, Erongo Region, Namibia.
Erongo Mountain, a prominent, semicircular mountain 18 miles in
diameter, is located in west-central Namibia about 125 miles northwest
of the national capital of Windhoek. The origin of our specimens goes
back 135 million years ago to the late Jurassic Period when a volcanic
system subsided and collapsed to form a caldera. This fractured caldera
was then intruded by magma that emplaced the alkaline (silica-poor)
Erongo granite formation. This intrusion solidified very slowly, leaving
pockets of residual magma that were enriched with such unusual elements
as tin, tungsten, boron, fluorine, and beryllium. In areas where gases
created cavities, final solidification of the residual magma took place
on a mineral-by-mineral basis with the growth of large, well-developed
crystals. The write-up you will receive with your aquamarine crystal
will have lots more information, including a special section on the
unique element berylium. Because of their rarity and value, the aquamarine crystals are smaller than what we typically send Gold- and
Platinum-level members.
And we still have some left of the
long, thin, lustrous black blades of aegirine from Mount Malosa, Zomba
District, Malawi, that we featured in June. Why not get a membership
that is retroactive to January 2011 and get all the marvelous minerals
and fascinating write-ups we have so far this year?
1 Year Gold-Level membership starting with January 2011 for $291.50 (12 months
for the price of 11)
1 Year Silver-Level membership starting with January 2011 for $88 (12 months
for the price of 11)
STILL AVAILABLE: MAY 2011 MINERAL OF THE MONTH:
RHODONITE
Rhodonite
San Mart�n Mine
Huallanca
Bolognesi Province
Ancash Department, Peru
We are very excited about the gorgeous
specimens we will be sending you in May! And we are not
exaggerating--the May-June 2007 Mineralogical Record calls these
"Gorgeously deep pink aggregates of bladed rhodonite crystals." Since
these are exceptional, gorgeous, and rare, they are especially
valuable--and as a result, our specimens on all levels will be
significantly smaller than usual. If you are a Silver- or Gold-level
member who is interested in obtaining a Platinum-level specimen on a
one-time basis, please let us know, and we'll forward you a copy of the
Email we send to Platinum members with sizes, prices, and photos of our
best pieces. how to invest in Visa shares in Kenya
Our rhodonite specimens were collected at the San Mart�n
Mine at Chiurucu, Huallanca District, Bolognesi Province, Ancash
Department, Peru. Huallanca District, with an average elevation of 6,000
feet and covering 337 square miles, is 80 miles east of the Pacific
Coast and 125 miles north-northeast of the national capital of Lima.
Local mineralization was emplaced following the crustal fracturing that
accompanied the uplift of the Andes some 60 million years ago.
Mineral-rich, hydrothermal solutions surged upward in multiple phases
into fractures within quartz-monzonite and granitic country rock to
precipitate an array of minerals in complex vein systems. Both the Incas
and the colonial Spanish mined silver at Huallanca. Zinc mining became
prominent at Huallanca in the 1960s when several underground mines were
developed, including the San Mart�n Mine, a small, multi-metal operation
that produces zinc and lesser amounts of silver, lead, and copper.
Crystals of rhodonite, a gangue mineral at the San Mart�n Mine, gained
popularity with collectors in the early 1990s. Miners found major
rhodonite pockets in 1991, 1995, and 1997, and again in 2007 when our
specimens were collected. The San Mart�n Mine has since closed and is
unlikely to reopen. The write-up we will be sending along with the
beautiful rhodonite specimens contains much additional information,
including a special section on "Decorative Stones" like rhodonite.
STILL AVAILABLE: APRIL 2011 MINERAL OF THE MONTH:
KYANITE
Kyanite
Capelinha Mine
Jequitinhonha Valley
Minas Gerais, Brazil
APRIL 2011 KYANITE from Brazil.
Our kyanite specimens were collected at the Capelinha
Mine near Capelinha in the Jequitinhonha Valley in the Brazilian state
of Minas Gerais, which is one of the world�s premier sources of mineral
crystals and gemstones. Our specimens were obtained as a by-product of
mining pegmatite gemstones. In the early Paleozoic Era some 490 million
years ago, the present-day surface of Minas Gerais was buried to a depth
of about 12,000 feet. The basement rock, which consisted of highly
metamorphosed gneiss, schist, and quartzite, was intruded by granitic
magma that created gemstone-bearing pegmatites and provided the
pressures that formed our kyanite crystals in the adjacent schist.
Capelinha has three pegmatite gemstone mines, the Capelinha, Campo do
Boa and Fazenda Rubin Pimenta mines, which are worked by both open-pit
and underground methods. These mines yield crystals of topaz, titanite,
and the tourmaline mineral elbaite. In their search for gemstones,
pegmatite miners remove large quantities of surrounding schist, which
sometimes contains well-developed, blue kyanite crystals. This is just a
portion of what you will read in this month's write-up!
STILL AVAILABLE: MARCH 2011 MINERAL OF THE MONTH:
AXINITE-(FE)
Axinite-(Fe)
New Melones Dam
Calaveras County, California
MARCH 2011 AXINITE-(FE) from California. The September-October 1982
issue of the Mineralogical Record contained an article on a new find,
stating: "In the fall of 1981, very fine Ferroaxinite specimens were
collected from the spillway adjacent to New Melones Lake near
Copperopolis in Calaveras county. Since its discovery, this locality has
produced some of the finest ferroaxinite specimens ever found in North
America." We are delighted to have obtained a nice lot from this find!
(The name of the mineral has been changed from Ferroaxinite to
Axinite-(Fe) in the intervening years.) Gold-level specimens are much
smaller than usual--small crystals on small matrix, most about 1" to 2".
We're mounting the smaller pieces on the Acrylic squares we offer, which
makes then much showier.
STILL AVAILABLE: FEBRUARY 2011 MINERAL OF THE MONTH:
AZURITE
Azurite
Morenci Mine
Greenlee County, Arizona
We're very excited about this month! We're featuring azurite, a
colorful, hydrous copper carbonate from Arizona�s famed Morenci Mine. Our
write-up explains azurite�s mineralogy, its use as both an ornamental stone
and an early ore of copper, and the history and technological development of
one of the world�s greatest copper mines.
STILL AVAILABLE:
JANUARY 2011 MINERAL OF THE MONTH:
SCOLECITE
Scolecite
Sangamner
Ahmadnagar District
Maharashtra, India
January 2011 This month�s mineral is an uncommon
zeolite group mineral from India that can forms delicate, lovely,
colorless-to-white blades, as seen in the photo above These long,
thin crystals are an external manifestation of the internal structure of the
long, aluminosilicate chains that comprise scolecite, as our write-up
discusses. It also explains scolecite's origin as a secondary mineral in
volcanic host rocks, the difficulty of collecting this fragile mineral, the
unusual properties of the zeolite-group minerals, and why mineralogists
recently revised the system of zeolite classification and nomenclature.
Would you like to start your
membership with January's mineral and include all the minerals we've
featured so far this year? Then choose one of these memberships:
1 Year Gold-Level membership starting with January 2011 for $291.50 (12 months
for the price of 11)
1 Year Silver-Level membership starting with January 2011 for $88 (12 months
for the price of 11)
Click here if for a price for all the featured minerals from 2009 in
Platinum-level size
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