New Mexico Mineral Symposium — Abstracts

A thumbnail mineral is, as every collector knows, one category in a series of somewhat loosely defined specimen size classifications that range from micro to so-called museum pieces and, at the extreme, decorator specimens that require a forklift to move. Limiting oneself to collecting thumbnail-sized minerals is both challenging and in a way, liberating. Challenging because of the limitations it places on aesthetics, and liberating in that, while you can certainly enjoy and appreciate larger specimens for what they are, for most of us the strong urge to acquire them is simply not there. What a thumbnail mineral is depends upon whom you ask. If it is someone who competes in this category at mineral shows, they will tell you that it must fit within a one-inch cube as displayed. For others, it is simply a small mineral specimen, perhaps fitting snuggly into a perky box (or perhaps not) that is somewhat smaller than what is referred to as a miniature. Why the one-inch size? At one inch by one inch, it represents the lower limit of what can still be viewed and appreciated with the naked eye, while anything much smaller requires magnification.

A brief history of thumbnail collecting will be presented in this talk, together with a review of some of the most prominent early thumbnail collectors and dealers. The advantages and disadvantages of collecting specimens in this size as compared with larger sizes will be discussed. Many of the aspects of what makes a good thumbnail specimen, or any specimen for that matter, will be illustrated, as well as the various practices employed for curating and displaying thumbnail minerals. The author uses many photos of specimens from his own collection to illustrate various points presented in this talk, including his techniques for photographing small mineral specimens.