My journey in mineral collecting and photography has brought me to an unexpected milestone.
For the past year, Shaun Rasmussen, Krissann Morrill and myself had been quietly assembling an article for a magazine publication. Alice Sikorski paved our path and submitted the article to The Mineralogical Record. The article was accepted and was finally published in the November-December, 2020 issue Vol. 51 No. 6.
In my hobby of photographing mineral specimens, I never expected to achieve something of this magnitude. I have no expensive cameras or equipment. I captured all of these photos with a cell phone camera and a GemOro jewelers loupe. I think that's probably the greatest achievement of this project!
Five of my photos were featured of four different specimens from the SK Star Claims. One photo was taken by Alice Sikorski and lastly, a photo by Kevin Shumacher from the G.I.A.'s "Gems & Gemology" online publication.
This issue of The Mineralogical Record is truly a masterpiece and will be sought after for many years to come. 2020 celebrates 50 years since the founding of The Mineralogical Record in 1970 and out of all the issues published in those 50 years, this is the first "centerfold-style" cover. I can think of few specimens in history that deserve such recognition as The King of Kashmir Aquamarine from Pakistan, without a doubt the finest specimen of this species ever discovered.
The specimen above was featured twice in this issue of the M.R. This is another angle that I never showed to the public. Sadly, this specimen was destroyed in a house fire this past year but fortunately the owners are safe. The other three specimens featured in this issue reside in my private collection, The Oculus Mineral Gallery.
The specimen shown above also made its way in the M.R. A doubly terminated Black Topaz crystal in matrix. This uncommon matrix specimen features several topaz crystals on a highly fluorescent host of uranyl chalcedony, fluorite & clinoptilolite.
This phenomenal specimen shown above also made its way to the M.R., featuring five terminations on one end and three on the other. It is truly a one of a kind specimen from the SK Star Claim.
The specimen on the right was the fourth specimen featured in this issue. A remarkable, 3 cm cluster with multiple, terminated crystals coating the surface. Isolated inclusions fade in the upper portion of the largest crystal, displaying a champagne color and flat, basal termination.
I'm very grateful and humbled to have been able to participate and contribute to this unforgettable experience. This is my photo contribution to the Black Topaz article featured in the latest issue of
The Mineralogical Record. I'd like to thank Shaun Rasmussen and Krisann Morrill for giving me the opportunity to join them on this journey and more importantly, the opportunity to create a genuine friendship. You both rock! Thank you to everyone who has followed my work and shared my love for minerals.
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