Menu
The journey begins…
The first time I laid eyes on a ”Herkimer Diamond,” I recall saying to myself: ”What is this?” My mother thought I had glass in my hand and reprimanded me… Wow, a natural Swarovski crystal! That was my first encounter with the mineral world… I was 12 years old when I wrote a letter to President Nixon, enclosing a picture of myself and requesting a moon rock! The President wrote back that private citizens are not allowed to possess ”moon” rocks, but he directed me to the Smithsonian to see one in person. President Nixon actually signed my letter, which I thought was terrific. A twelve-year-old communicating with the President… That same year I wrote to the mine manager in Tsumeb, South-West Africa, requesting any minerals that they could send. I waited for two months, and finally, a package arrived at my front door. The parcel was postmarked South-West Africa… My heart was beating so hard I thought it would come out of my chest! Inside the package were an azurite, a dioptase, a cerussite, and a calcite, along with a book about the mine. I had never owned such beautiful minerals… Years later, I met the gentleman who sent me the package! I thanked him for helping change my life. In 1979 I enrolled at Arizona State University to study geology. Why ASU? The beautiful azurite and malachite specimens from Bisbee. Flashbacks to the beautiful azurite from Tsumeb? By the way, ASU has an excellent geology program! My favorite endeavor was working with satellite imagery of the moon. Those moon rocks again…
From Del Mar to Desautels
”If the artist has outer and inner eyes for nature, nature rewards him by giving him inspiration.” – Wassily Kandinsky
From Del Mar to Desautels
1990 Del Mar Fair, the third largest in the United States, home to an excellent mineral competition. Many luminaries in the mineral field, such as Pete Bancroft, Josie Scripps, Bill Larson, and Dave Wilbur, were competitors. I meet Cal and Kerith Graeber for the first time. A wonderful California tourmaline is my first purchase as an adult collector. (The specimen cost $100, and I needed six months to pay.) The relationship with the Graeber’s was similar to a medieval apprenticeship; sales, mineral knowledge, display techniques, and the desire to acquire the best pieces were instilled in my mineral psyche. Being a ”fly on the wall” working for the Graebers paid huge dividends. Kerith, in particular, instilled the knowledge necessary to be a first-rate competitor. (Kerith taught me great food as well). Within two years, I successfully won all the awards possible at the Del Mar Fair competition. Thanks, Graeber’s! The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show was my ultimate target; the Desautels award for the best display in competition. The next step was the MSSC Competition (Mineral Society of Southern California) which I won the next year. Tucson awaits…
”Encourage collectors to strive for the very finest, the specimens that have no equal. They are special, unique, and most important, they are memorable.”
– Stuart Wilensky –
Tucson, 1993, I meet Stuart Wilensky for the first time. As children, we share a common bond living in Wurtsboro, NY. Stuart made it possible for the acquisition of Desautels-level mineral specimens and became a good friend and mentor. I recall mentioning to Stuart that I really coveted a Jonas mine tourmaline he was selling. Two weeks later, the tourmaline is in my mailbox… The price tag was that of a new car! Somehow I did manage to pay for it. The lesson here is that in building a world-class competitive collection, you must safely stretch your finances within reasonable boundaries. Without Stuart, I would never have contemplated buying the pieces necessary to win the Desautels. By the year 2000, I had won the Desautels award…
The Dealer Odyssey
In 1993 I met a hyper-intelligent fellow mineral collector named Rob Lavinsky while he was studying for his Ph.D. at UCSD, and we became good friends. Rob shared a house with three roommates, and in the center of the living room floor were about 20 flats of minerals. This was the beginning of the Arkenstone, one of the largest and finest mineral dealers in the world. I traded Rob mineral specimens for his house… Thanks, Rob!
When I was a 13-year-old kid, I remember an article in National Geographic about collecting minerals. Center to that article was the mining of tourmaline in Pala, California, by Bill Larson. The photo of the cherry red tourmaline crystal stayed with me over the years…
20 years later, I met Bill at the Costa Mesa California Mineral Show, and I was star-struck. Over the years, we have maintained a friendship that has been both adventurous, educational, and just plain fun. Thanks, Bill!
In 1998, sitting in the back of one of my health food stores, I received a call from Stuart Wilensky. ”Would you be interested in selling your Maine tourmaline if I can get you $25,000 for it?” Well, $25,000 is more money than my health food stores profited in six months! The tourmaline sold, and I never looked back. Stuart and I worked together at various mineral shows, visiting most of the major museums and traveling the world in search of minerals. To this day, he is one of my closest friends… Thanks, Stu!
To be a mineral dealer is an adventure, a treasure hunt, and a continuous lesson in ethics. A mineral dealer does more than buy and sell minerals…
San Diego Natural History Museum
Los Angeles County Natural History Museum
Gemological Institute of America, Carlsbad
Fallbrook Gem and Mineral Society
San Diego Gem and Mineral Society
”All that glitters” – Gemstone and Mineral Exhibition, SDNHM
(one of the finest exhibitions on minerals and gems ever assembled)
”Magnificent Emeralds: Fura’s Tears” – Wilensky Gallery
(The finest assemblage of emerald specimens in history)
”Centuries of Opulence: Jewels of India” – GIA
San Diego County Fair – 2003 to 2019
Tucson Gem and Mineral Show – 1998, 2000, 2005, 2017, 2019
Denver Gem and Mineral Show – 2001, 2005, 2018
Stuart Wilensky
Sandor Fuss
Jim and Gail Spann
Ed David
Steve Maslansky
Bill Larson (family)
Mike Keim
Rob Lavinsky
Tim Sherburn
Don and Gloria Olsen
Steve Smale
Barry Kitt
Steve Neely
Cal and Kerith Graeber
Gerald Demaree
Angie and Garry Cannon
Scott Rudolph
Chuck Houser
Peter Via
Daniel Trinchillo
Thank you all, and apologies to those I may have not listed.
A special thanks to the photographers whose images I may have used inadvertently:
Jeff Scovil, Tom Spann. James Elliot, and anyone we may have missed.
Judged mineral competitions:
Tucson Gem and Mineral Show – Quality Judge
Denver Gem and Mineral Show
Mineralogical Society of Southern California
San Diego County Fair – Gems and Minerals
Allow your journey to begin…
Copyright @GreatRocksInc 2022