Prez Says...

by Dan Teich, MSDC President

I enjoy touring the world from my couch. Much appreciation to our last presenter, Phil Persson, for bringing the mim Museum in Beirut to us at home. Although many of our members have their own collections, museums enable the masses to view the best of the best, and the mim certainly does not disappoint.

During the presentation I was reminded of provenance – through whose hands has a mineral passed? How many collections? Countries? Decades? The Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian is such a mineral, with a storied, if possibly partially apocryphal history (see Ken Rock's article about the allegedly cursed Hope Diamond elsewhere in this newsletter).

Many minerals in my collection were mined over 100 years ago and entered famous historical collections. Again think of the Smithsonian; its core was from Washington Roebling of Brooklyn Bridge fame. So, too, do we see fantastic histories, even with more pedestrian minerals.

In this month’s newsletter is a 2010 article by Jake Slagle documenting selenite finds in Prince George’s County, Maryland. As a collector of local minerals, I of course added a few selenite specimens to my collection, including one from the recent show at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds hosted by the Gem, Lapidary, and Mineral Society of Montgomery County, MD. Part of the allure of the specimen, aside from its clarity, is the provenance (see labels). I am at least the fourth person to host this mineral in their collection.

A selenite specimen from Prince Georges County, MD that I purchased at the Montgomery County show.

Many others in my collection can be traced back to collectors from New Jersey, and even around the world. If you have a mineral with a fantastic trail of provenance, please email me (msdcdan@gmail.com) with pictures and a description of the specimen and how it entered your collection. The more photos, the better! I am hoping to put together a presentation down the road.

The show at the fairgrounds was well-attended this year and featured a host of educational exhibits on the ground floor and numerous mineral, gem, and jewelry dealers on the floor above. I saw old friends at the show and our very own Dave Hennessy and Kenny Reynolds had tables. Always happy to see members in the wild.

Happy collecting, examining, pondering, and especially, cataloging.