Practical guides for Chinese mineral specimens, natural crystals, and carved mineral pieces — localities, buying, identification, display, and care. 41 guides.
Chinese mineral localities, classic species, and collector-grade specimens — buying guides, locality stories, and field knowledge.
A practical buyer’s guide to Chinese mineral specimens: why collectors prize them, how to judge locality, crystal form, color, luster, condition, size and matrix, how to think about natural vs treated material, and how the classic localities — Yaogangxian, Xuebaoding, Shangbao, Xianghualing, Lengshuijiang, Daye — compare.
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A calm, practical look at natural vs treated mineral specimens for collectors: what cleaning, trimming, repair, stabilization, coating and dyeing actually mean in the mineral trade, what questions to ask a seller, and how to read a listing — without assuming the worst about any one locality.
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A focused buyer’s guide to Yaogangxian fluorite from Hunan, China: the green and purple cubes, fluorite-on-quartz aesthetics, color zoning and phantoms, what separates a good specimen from a great one, and how to judge condition on a soft, cleavable mineral before you buy.
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A focused buyer’s guide to Xuebaoding scheelite from Sichuan, China: the golden-yellow octahedral crystals, classic associations with cassiterite and pink beryl on a pale matrix, what separates a good specimen from a great one, and how to judge condition before you buy.
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A buyer’s guide to Chinese fluorite for collectors: the purple, green, and blue colors, the classic localities — Yaogangxian, Shangbao, Xianghualing and more — what separates a good specimen from a great one, and how to judge condition on a soft, cleavable mineral.
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A collector’s overview of the Chinese mineral species worth knowing — fluorite, scheelite, stibnite, cassiterite, pyrite, calcite and more — what each is prized for, where the classic specimens come from, and how to start a focused Chinese mineral collection.
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How MyMineralBox sources Chinese mineral specimens and works to present locality information accurately and transparently — how we review localities, use product records and specimen characteristics, photograph specimens, and handle broad or uncertain locality data.
Read about our approachWhy Chinese stibnite sets the world standard: silvery bladed crystals from the Xikuangshan field in Hunan, how to judge quality, and how to care for them.
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Daoping in Guangxi yields the world's finest grass-green pyromorphite. What makes the Chinese material special, how to judge quality, and how to care for it.
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A collector's guide to classic Chinese mineral localities — Yaogangxian, Daye, Shangbao, Xuebaoding, Lengshuijiang, Xianghualing — and how to tell them apart.
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A fluorite collector's guide: why calcium fluoride shows so many colors, how to judge crystal quality and color zoning, and how to keep specimens from fading.
Read articleA calcite collector's guide: the species' huge range of crystal habits, how to tell calcite from aragonite and dolomite, and what to look for when buying.
Read articleYaogangxian Mine in Hunan, China is a classic source of color-zoned fluorite, scheelite and arsenopyrite. Its geology, signature look, and tips for collectors.
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Daye in Huangshi, Hubei produces iridescent calcite on golden pyrite plates. A collector's guide to the skarn geology, signature look, and how to judge quality.
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What makes a mineral locality “classic,” and a tour of the famous sources collectors prize — from the fluorite mines of Hunan and the scheelite pockets of Sichuan to Tsumeb, Panasqueira, and the great pegmatites — with where China fits in the modern hobby.
Read the overviewNatural crystals and carved pieces — how to choose, display, and care for crystal carvings, spheres, skulls, and decorative objects.
What to look for in a crystal carving: material and hardness, color and pattern, shape and craftsmanship, and how to spot dyed or reconstituted stone.
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Why fluorite is a favorite carving stone: its banded green, purple and blue color, plus the softness and cleavage that mean you must handle and display it with care.
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Why quartz and agate are the most durable carving stones: the varieties, what makes a fine figurine, and how to spot dyed agate and reconstituted material.
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Keep crystal carvings looking their best: lighting and fading, safe handling and stable display, gentle cleaning, and which materials need extra care.
Read the guideThe essentials every collector returns to — evaluating quality and condition, reading locality labels, identification, care, and value.
A buyer's guide to fakes, dyed and coated stones, heat treatment, repairs and assembled clusters — what to look for and the questions to ask before buying.
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Why some minerals glow under ultraviolet light: how fluorescence works, shortwave versus longwave lamps, the classic glowing species, and safe UV practice.
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Where crystals come from: how minerals form by igneous, hydrothermal, sedimentary and metamorphic processes — with a real Chinese example of every one.
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The 7 crystal systems — Cubic, Hexagonal, Trigonal, Tetragonal, Orthorhombic, Monoclinic, Triclinic — explained, with symmetry as your first mineral ID clue.
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Learn to read mineral chemical formulas like CaF₂ and Cu₃(CO₃)₂(OH)₂ — what subscripts and parentheses mean, plus the anion groups that classify every mineral.
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Mohs hardness scale explained: the 10 reference minerals from talc to diamond, the field-test tools every collector owns, and how to scratch-test a specimen.
Read articleIdentify look-alike minerals with luster, streak, cleavage, and fracture: metallic vs vitreous shine, streak as a fingerprint, and breakage that confirms an ID.
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Crystal habits explained: prismatic, tabular, acicular, botryoidal, dendritic, druzy, massive — the dozen shapes that let you identify minerals at a glance.
Read articleColor, pleochroism, and fluorescence in minerals: why color misleads, how idiochromatic and allochromatic hues differ, and how UV light makes specimens glow.
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How to store and display mineral specimens safely: control UV light, humidity, and handling to stop pyrite decay, fluorite fade, and breakage before they start.
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What ethically sourced mineral specimens mean: legal permits, fair pay for diggers, accurate locality data, disclosed treatments, and the red flags of fakes.
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Crystal twinning explained: contact, penetration, and polysynthetic twins, their telltale shapes, and what these intergrowths reveal about growth conditions.
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How hydrothermal veins form: hot mineral-rich fluids fill rock fractures and crystallize fluorite, quartz, galena, and stibnite by open-space growth in vugs.
Read articleStreak plates and field kits for mineral ID: how a streak test separates hematite, magnetite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite, plus the cheap tools collectors carry.
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How to clean mineral specimens safely at home: soft brushes and distilled water, when an ultrasonic cleaner is safe, and which species acid will dissolve.
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How to label and catalogue a mineral collection: the catalog-number system, what to record for each specimen, and digital records that protect provenance.
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Silicate minerals make up about 90% of Earth's crust. The six structural classes — neso, soro, cyclo, ino, phyllo, tectosilicates — explained for collectors.
Read articleCalcite and aragonite share one chemistry (CaCO₃) but different structures. Learn to tell the two carbonate polymorphs apart by cleavage, hardness, and density.
Read articleSulfide minerals are the world's main source of base metals. Compare galena, pyrite, and sphalerite by luster, cleavage, streak, and oxidation behavior.
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How to buy your first cabinet specimen (6–15 cm): judge crystal form over size, spot damage and repair, and pick beginner-friendly species that display well.
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How to photograph mineral specimens at home: a simple background and lighting setup, macro and focus-stacking technique, and honest color for true records.
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What “rare” actually means in mineral collecting — rarity of species versus rarity of fine specimens — plus how rarity interacts with locality, condition, and demand, and a sensible way for newer collectors to approach uncommon material.
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