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 thirteen 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!
With many of us needing to spend
less on our mineral collection, you'll find our Club is a great way
to obtain an excellent specimen at a low price. We purchase more
than 600 specimens of each mineral we feature, and as a result get
some wonderful bargains on outstanding minerals. 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 this year:
2009 Featured
Minerals
Click here to see a brief video of this amazing
new find from Russia:
Seraphinite
Stalactite Slices
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 NEW PLATINUM MEMBERSHIP!
We've been thinking for several years about offering a membership
with access to even bigger, better specimens than we normally send,
and are finally ready to introduce our Platinum Level! 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 &
Minerals Book for each new member! ($7 value)
Our privacy policy: We will never
under any circumstances give or sell Club member's addresses and other
personal information to anyone! We loathe this practice and will never
engage in it! STILL AVAILABLE FROM PREVIOUS
YEARS:
We still have some wonderful specimens available if you'd like to
include one with your membership-Just mention it in the "Special
Instructions" when you order online!
Still
Available! Our October 2005 Featured Mineral:Gypsum,
variety Selenite
Las Salinas de Paracas, Paracas
Pisco, Ica Dept.,
Peru
October
2005
We've been working for a couple of years now to obtain a large
lot of pretty golden gypsum, variety selenite [CaSO4•2H2O]from Peru, and
are happy to announce we finally have it! This year is shaping up as the
most colorful year of minerals we've ever featured! (The photo doesn't
capture the true golden color of the crystals.)
Still Available! Our September 2005 Featured
Mineral: Prehnite
Bendoukou, Sandaré District
Kayes
Region, Mali
September
2005
We have a good supply of these wonderful
prehnite specimens from this new find in Mali left over if you'd care to include
one in your membership. Just mention it in the "Special Instructions"
when you order online, or call us at 1-800-941-5594. Because these are
from an exciting new find, specimens are smaller than what we typically
send.
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.
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JULY 2010 MINERAL OF THE MONTH:
QUARTZ PSEUDOMORPH 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
STILL AVAILABLE: MAY 2010 MINERAL OF THE MONTH:
PYRITE CONCRETIONS
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
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 ¼" long Platinum-level specimens are
available as single crystals or crystals on matrix
Click here to see photos of Platinum-level
specimens
STILL AVAILABLE FROM 2009:
Chrysoprase
Yerilla Chrysoprase Mine
Western Australia
Australia
This is an exceptional month! We're sending to Platinum- and Gold-Level
members a beautiful polished slab of translucent Chrysoprase in Matrix!
Silver-Level members will receive a tumble-polished piece. The write-up
details the history and value of the rare green variety of chalcedony, and
explains the mechanism that creates its lovely color. A special section
highlights the history of the gold fields of Western Australia, and how the
search for gold lead to the discovery of the great chrysoprase deposits.
Gold-Level Chrysoprase specimens are slabs
that have been polished on one side to bring out the beauty and translucence
of the chrysoprase. They range in size from about 2.5"
by 2" wide to 3" by 2", as seen in the above photo.
Silver-Level specimen consists of a
tumble-polished Chrysoprase piece.
Click here to see photos of Platinum-level
specimens
Okenite
Khandivali Quarry
Mumbai District
Maharashtra, India
Uralite
Calumet Mine
Chaffee County
Colorado
Andradite
Garnet Hill
Calaveras County
California
Heulandite
Wani
Aurangabad District
Maharashtra, India
February
2009 The Deccan Traps of India are an incredibly prolific source
of beautiful minerals of the zeolite group, good quality crystals
with excellent color and crystal form on matrix! We're sending
very nice specimens of the mineral Heulandite to Club members in
February. The write-up has a special section on the geologic
processes that led to the formation of the Deccan Traps and how
these are related to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Gold-level specimens are on matrix about 3" by 2", as pictured above.
Silver-level specimens are about 1.5" by
1.5", also on matrix, similar to the photo above, just smaller..
Platinum-level specimens are even bigger
and better-- Click here to see photos of Platinum-level specimens:
Platinum Membership
WHY NOT JOIN NOW!
Quartz-lined Geode Pair
Bou Craa
Laâyoune Province
Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia
El Hamra Region, Morocco
January 2009 Club members really appreciated their January
specimens--impressed not just by the overall size of their specimen, but
also by the clarity and forms of the drusy quartz crystals,
and their amazing growth patterns--and they were fluorescent, too! The write-up has
two special sections: the first explains how crystal-lined geodes form, and
the second, entitled "Minerals Names and Games," describes the
all-too-common
practice of dealers and collectors providing incorrect or misleading
locality information for their finds.
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 2009 for $291.50 (12 months
for the price of 11)
1 Year Silver-Level membership starting with January 2009 for $88 (12 months
for the price of 11)
Gold-level Quartz Geode specimens are larger and heavier than what
we typically send--about 5" to 6" across and 2.5" to 3" high when
displayed side by side, as pictured above.
Silver-level specimens are about 2" by 2".
Silver-level members will receive just one half of a geode pair, but
have the option of ordering both halves of a complete geode for $7
more by clicking here:
Platinum-level specimens-- Click here to see photos of Platinum-level specimens:
Platinum Membership
Click here to join now or to give a gift membership, including a
complimentary gift card with your special message:
WHY NOT
JOIN NOW!
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 2009 for $291.50 (12 months
for the price of 11)
1 Year Silver-Level membership starting with January 2009 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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