On this page I share with you some of the crystals I enjoy collecting. Since I was a young child I have
had a fascination with the natural colours, textures and shapes of crystals and other minerals. Over the years I have collected some and
bought others. These days I am more interested in the aesthetical looking pieces that I feel a connection with - crystals that I feel
appeal to me because of their appearance and energy. I still have an interest in the forces of nature that formed them too.
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Hematite - Iron Ore
Small pieces of hematite kidney ore I collected when I was a child from a local footpath.
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Sometimes it is nice to see natural crystals while out in the local hills of Devon taking a walk.
These are a home for some tiny plants.
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I have included this image because I love the effects which happened when I made some
bronze out of some old Cornish tin mixed with purchased copper pellets. The casting of
the blade for an athame worked on the second attempt.
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Veracruz Amethyst is one of my personal favorites. This comes from Mexico and has some
nice pale crystals on the matrix it formed on.
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I found this long ago on an old copper mine spoil tip in Cornwall. The rock looked really
dull but was very heavy so I broke it open to reveal the gold coloured ore.
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From an old quarry in hills not far from Exeter. This formed millions of years ago when
the region was full of volcanic activity - gas bubbles escaping through thick mud eventually
solidified and later the cavities became filled with crystals. The proper name for it is
amygdaloidal basalt.
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A nice shop bought chunk of an amethyst geode. Likely from South America where many come from.
I love the really deep colour on this one.
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A form of natural iron ore which looks a bit like a kidney. I picked this one up
on e-bay. Originally mined in Cumbria in the UK.
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I spotted this for sale in a gift shop back in the 90's. Love the amazing formation
of crystals arrayed on the pyrite, some are really tiny as thin as a human hair.
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For my main collection I store many in card trays like this. It makes them easier to look at and
each has a label with the name and other information which is also on a database. It can be too
easy to get muddled up with some minerals so this system works well.
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Some pieces are stored in a dust-free cabinet which makes them easier to enjoy.
These look very colourful and have a variety of textures and shapes.
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More of the display cabinet.
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Rock, Gem and Bead shows take place in the area twice a year, a nice place to
visit just to have a look around or buy something nice.
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This kind of amethyst comes from Bramberg in Africa and often has zones of colour within the crystal.
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Love these thin quartz crystals. This one is particularly long and
was collected by a tribal person in Africa who gave it to a geologist then it came to me.
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Group of crystals bought at a local show in 2017
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From a swap I did long time ago. These are lovely bright garnets on the matrix from a location in
South America.
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Stained orange throughout by iron minerals this alabaster is found in clay
deposits in north Devon where the sea erodes it out leaving amazing shapes.
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I found this in the subsoil of a working quarry in Ashburton where the surface was being
ripped off ready for the next phase of work. It is really heavy and likely to be a natural
nugget of tin ore.
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These are tiny crystals of Pyrite and Dolomite which formed in a small void
within quartz material. Washed out of the mudstone cliff in Torbay. I spotted them back in 1980's.
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Larger crystals and minerals in the main display case. Quite a selection here
from all over the world.
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This is a type of copper ore where the light reflects colours in a way that looks like peacock feathers.
From a quarry in Cornwall.
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Various meteorites either as they fall or sliced. One has an amazing
structure of metallic crystals inside and another clear green glassy material formed
inside voids.
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Rainbow colours inside the ball.
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My two-day visit to Treasure Mountain mine in New York State in USA back in 2001.
I was the only one to find a brain-sized void crammed with dozens of these gemmy looking
quartz crystals.
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