I started collecting minerals in 1973 when a friend of my Mom’s gave me a couple of rocks he said he’d picked up in Arizona. They were a shiny golden pyrite crystal and a nice chunk of petrified wood that had visible growth rings on it. Those two rocks along with hundred of others still reside at my Mom’s house.
I was blown away and swept into the world of rocks and minerals. I got a rock tumbler for Christmas that year and set out to selecting nice rough and running it through the tumbler night and day for weeks on end, always keeping up with the water level and changing the grits as needed to get the final polishes on my treasures.
I had some findings that came with the tumbler and glued them on the stones and thus was born my jewelry career.
From that time on, anytime we would go as a family to some new destination, I would seek out the local rock shop to buy a treasure or two. As time ticked on, and my tastes for nicer minerals grew, I began to like more and more expensive specimens.
Sometime in the 90’s I was introduced to “thumbnails”. Thumbnails are a designation given to minerals of a certain size, one that would fit into a “Perky” box. The “Perky” box size has typically been 1.25 inches cubed although the AMFS “American Mineral and Fossil Society” has defined this as 1 inch cubed for competition specifications.
There is a sizable group of clubs and shows that have “Thumbnail Competitions” which consists of collectors showing the best of the best of these tiny treasures which are judged on their perfection both in the individual pieces themselves, the perfect angle of display of those pieces and the level to which that specimen participates in the ideal form of that particular mineral.
One of the biggest advantages of collecting thumbnails is that a collector can have a sizable collection of minerals that will take up only the smallest of spaces in their homes all while keeping the budget under control.
Here at BuyTumbnailMinerals.com, we strive to bring new collectors young and old into the fold. We scour the globe to find the best quality and diversity of petit perfection to you. Whether you prefer your new specimens already mounted and displayed for your enjoyment, or if you prefer to mount them yourselves, we provide the tools of the trade to build your own collection.
We have great displays to go with any decor in order to show off your art of nature to all your friends and family.
Please visit us often, as we continually update the page to show you the best mother nature has to offer. And if you’re looking for that special hard to find piece to complete your collection, drop me an email at pustuff@gmail.com and I’ll see what I can do to help you fill that hole.