Collection stones are samples of minerals and mineral aggregates of scientific and educational interest, as well as of decorative and artistic value. Educational collection material is used as visual aids in teaching at schools, technical schools and universities. It includes representative samples of various minerals, rocks, and ores. These samples should be visual and typical, with well-defined diagnostic features. Another type of collector's stone is intended for scientific research, as well as for thematic and museum collections; in this respect, rare minerals and rocks, unusual and size mineral individuals and other unicumns of the mineral world are interesting.
The group of decorative collector's stones has not only cognitive but also applied purpose: stones are used as effective sockets for decorating interiors and museum expositions. They are served in the form of souvenirs and collect samples. This group of collectible stones can combine externally attractive crystals, various minerals, druses, crystal brushes, tingles, concretions, inflammation, and other mineral aggregates, possessing in a natural form perfect crystallographic forms, compositional perfection, and good preservation. Such collection material is close to jewelry and ornamental stone masonry raw materials, they do not require processing and polishing. Thus, it is naturalness that is the defining feature of decorative collectible stones. Beautiful formations in nature contain various minerals, which are often metallic and non-metallic minerals. Many ores and non-metallic (vein) minerals can also be decorative. The source of commercial production of collectible minerals can be deposits of precious and ornamental stones, many deposits of metallic and non-metallic minerals, as well as the actual deposits of valuable collectible samples.
DESCRIPTION OF COLLECTIBLE MINERALS
The most common collectors' specimens include minerals forming separate crystals such as chrysoberyl, epidote, fluorite, minerals of quartz group (amethyst, citrine), tourmaline, agates; minerals forming dendrites (copper, gold, etc.), aggregates (pyrite, native sulfur, antimonite), druses (sphalerite, etc.).
Native minerals
Homemade copper.
Copper - Cu. Syngonium cubic. Color brownish.
Copper is quite soft metal - its hardness is 2.5 - 3 on the Mohs scale. The luster is metallic. Previously, it was used for making dishes, mirrors, and tools.
Often, copper nuggets can be found at the very surface of the earth. Copper nuggets are dendrites. They resemble branches of trees, open-worked, intertwining sprouts, the thinnest threads, its green color like moss. There are also crystals of native copper, more often in the form of cubes.
Deposits: Turinskie springs, Ural.
Native sulfur.
S - sulfur. Has a rhombic synonym. The color of the mineral is different shades of yellow, less often brown to black. The line is yellowish. Glitter is diamond on the edges and greasy on the break. Hardness 1 - 2. Sulfur is a brittle mineral with a characteristic smell. It is formed mainly as a result of volcanic excavations and biogenic-sedimentary way. It is used in the manufacture of sulfuric acid (in the chemical industry), in the pulp and paper industry.
Haloids
Fluorite
This amazingly diverse stone, usually found next to ore minerals, was called "Aerzblume" by the miners of Saxony in ancient times - "the ore flower". (Adding it to the ore greatly facilitates the melting of metal and makes the slags fluid). That is why in the 16th-century German scientist Georg Bauer (Agricola) called the mineral fluorite "flowing". Fluorite is a calcium fluoride CaF. The palette of this mineral contains all the colors of the rainbow. Very beautiful are pink, red, golden-yellow, emerald-green, violet crystals, but there are also striped varieties. Hardness is small 4. The splits of this mineral is perfect. Syngonium is cubic (well-formed cubic crystals are found in the cavities of veins and pegmatites). Fluorite often forms twins and druses. Fluorite rich deposits are observed in shallow chamber pegmatites - Kazakhstan; hydrothermal vein deposits - Transbaikalia. It has long been used as an ornamental stone.