Recomiendo ampliamente esta pagina para Ciencia y Exploracion Geologica del Ing. Geologo Luis Perez:

https://petrogeociencias.com/ 

Washing my collection of minerals

 I took advantage of being on vacation to wash my collection of mineral the week of December 21st, 2020. I enjoyed washing one at a time with a tooth brush and hand soap, the results are unbelievable, as they shine like saying thanks for the well deserved shower. I cleaned their display, and I also got a new LD lamp much more powerful than the previous "candle" they had. I am proud of the hard work, it pays off in the end. I will share some of the pictures, and feel free to share if you enjoy this as much, or is it just me. Happy new year 2021.

Colored diamonds? Diamonds are not forever anymore!

Ever since I was a kid I remember the first time I saw a diamond, it was a jewelry store in Guadalajara, Mexico. Lived there until I started college in Mexico city in the mid 70's. My Mom explained to me that day that diamonds were very shiny, durable, that one can cut glass of a window with this the hardest natural substance and those features made it very expensive; and because of the clarity, and purity, this was a typical stone for women when they got engaged, and so forth. I think this was a good Geology class that started to give me my professional direction. So, the picture I had in my life for years about diamonds, was that the diamond was color-less, with a mega high refraction index, mounted on rings, earrings, or pendants, and that they were forever, very famous even in 007 movies. Once on college, I had the chance to see the first specimen, an hexoctahedron in my Mineralogy class brought to the classroom by my professor, famous Mexican Petrologist Raul Ortiz Asiain. A few days ago (40 years later), I was walking down one of the floors of the worldwide famous The Galleria Mall when I stopped by The Debeers, and I realized that the color-less are almost a thing of the past, nowadays the trend is to look for colored diamonds! I was flabbergasted! some look like topaz, or citrine, but not like diamonds. The blue ones look like a shiny topaz, or even an aquamarine, if it wasn't for its refraction, they would've fooled me. I was very disappointed, and I firmly believe that diamonds are not forever anymore! I am not even sure the colored specimens have some fake color lab-made. Didn't mean to get off on a rant, but I said it. Diamonds are diamonds, fantastic and almost perfect even in its crystallography, pursuing a sphere. Happy day my dear readers.

Minas Gerais Brazil's specimens display in the Intercontinental Hotel in Mexico city!

Color of amethyst geodes is very similar to the color of a Malbec wine

 Amazing surprise checking in at the Intercontinental hotel in Mexico City by Reforma (Campos Eliseos). My breath was taken away when I saw this beautiful 1.5 m specimen, a gorgeous amethyst geode from Minas Geraes, Brazil in the lobby. It seems to me that they were waiting for my arrival. I immediately took my camera and captured several pictures, which I believe some came up good, I hope you enjoy my selections. To celebrate, nothing better than an amethyst colored Malbec wine from Mendoza, Argentina 2010 crop.

What's new in the mineral world?

Tom's online report 37 (Spring 2014)

Click the following text to enter Tom's online report:

Rob Lavinsky’s The Arkenstone site (irocks.com) has undergone a complete redesign, and its new incarnation, like the old one, has very “deep” galleries loaded with fine specimens, fine Joe Budd photos of same, and much documentary information. Among Rob’s post-Tucson updates on the new site is a section which offers specimens from the Herb Obodda collection—heavy on old European classics and on more recent things from Herb’s former stomping........  

Keynote Speaker at the Society of Women in the Petroleum Industry Houston

What a privilege to speak at the SPWP on February 13, 2014 early in the morning with a nice breakfast consisting of French toast, bacon, coffee and orange juice. Almost 70 women of the Petroleum Industry in Houston from petroleum engineers Halliburton to owners of successful companies supplying the industry. and female NOV colleagues, one of them is the Executive VP for the SPWP. 

My presentation was about Geology Applied to the Oil & Gas Sector. Feedback has been good, and I look forward to a future part II meeting. There was just one Geologist in the audience, and therefore I decided to put some slides together to give them a crash course in Geology from the rock cycle to tectonic plates and Earth's time table. I had been their keynote speaker before: 1995. Time flies (a friend of mine says, he is a pilot). I truly enjoyed it. The picture is a nice gift now being shoed off in my office. Happy Valentine Day!  

Amazing crystals from the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show 2013

In order, the following beauties: Native Gold dendrites on Quartz crystal matrix! From Rosia Montana, Verespatak, Alba County, Romania | Brochantite acicular crystals on Limonite coated Quartz! From the Blanchard Mine, Bingham, Hansonburg District, Socorro Co., New Mexico | Kämmererite (Chromian Clinochlore) on matrix From the Kop Krom mine, Kop Daglari, Erzurum Province, Eastern Anatolia Region, Turkey | Sphalerite sitting atop Chert with Chalcopyrite From the Ballard Mine, Baxter Springs, Picher Field, Cherokee County, Kansas | Forsterite var Peridot From Sapat Gali, Naran-Kaghan Valley, N.W.F.P., Pakistan | Aquamarine crystals and Muscovite From Chumar Bakhoor, Hunza Valley, Gilgit District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan | Fluorite cubes set against a drusy Quartz matrix From the Blanchard Mine, Bingham, Hansonburg District, Socorro County, New Mexico | Aquamarine with Schorl Tourmaline on Albite matrix From Erongo Mountain, Erongo Region, Namibia | Sphalerite sitting atop Chert with Chalcopyrite! From the Ballard Mine, Baxter Springs, Picher Field, Cherokee County, Kansas Rhodochrosite with purple Fluorite on needle Quartz From the Four Ball Pocket, Fluorite Raise, Sweet Home Mine, Alma, Park County, Colorado | Rhodochrosite with purple Fluorite on needle Quartz From the Four Ball Pocket, Fluorite Raise, Sweet Home Mine, Alma, Park County, ColoradoSpecimens to take our breath away! My apologies if this text looks clumsy, my suggestion is for you to print it, it will be easier. Enjoy them! November 2013.

What is each specimen? Beautiful pictures from the Museum of Science in Dallas

What a beautiful collection of crystals, and also rock formations, crevices models, and even the architecture of the Museum looks like a twin topaz! Below is my new post of pictures taken there, in the heart of Downtown Dallas, the Ross Perot (former Presidential candidate in the USA). Name the crystals! I will have to make another visit to the area, as I just saw half of it, as it was already late when I made it. The specimens go from Schellited to tourmaline, beryl, wulfenite, native gold, gypsum, etc. Enjoy them, I took my iPhone 4S to work hard.