WHAT
WE BELIEVE IN: Every mineral
specimen you see on our web site is completely natural and as found deep
in our Earth. The only intervention by human hands is the removal from the
mine, cleaning and sometimes trimming away parts which are not desirable.
Every mineral specimen we sell carries our lifetime guarantee of authenticity
and satisfaction. All specimens are sent on an approval basis and not until
you the collector are satisfied with the piece is it considered sold. We
will always consider trading up specimens you have purchased in the past
towards new pieces of greater value. Our reputation as dealers in
the finest minerals is our bond with you our client. We deal not only in
minerals but in trust, honesty, quality, investment and beauty.
As you will see when browsing our web site our focus is on acquiring
and selling the very finest and most perfect of all mineral specimens. Our
only goal is to provide collectors with the most aesthetic, well crystallized
and highest quality minerals that have ever been found and to sell them with
honesty and integrity. We feel it is our responsibility to describe each
piece within the context of other known examples and explain why any particular
specimen is among the very best. We try very hard not to abuse or misuse
the term "best" or "finest" but whenever we honestly feel that way about
a piece we will say it without reservation. It is our obligation to our clients
to provide only those examples that we feel worthy of their collections.
Your collection is a direct reflection upon us and we take that distinction
very seriously.
**Read a recent interview with Stuart Wilensky by the
Italian Mineral web site WWW.MINERALI.IT**
OUR ADVICE:
Buy what you like and buy the very
best you can afford. Enough said.
MINERAL COLLECTING - WHY?:
Mineral specimens and crystals have been
collected since the earliest humans came in contact with them. Many prehistoric
burial sites contain assorted mineral fragments and crystals which were used
both for ornamentation and spiritual purposes. It is obvious why the natural
beauty and perfection of minerals attracted the human eye. I can't tell you
how many times I've introduced people who previously had little or no exposure
to spectacular crystallized minerals and heard something like -- "These can't
be from the ground?" or "Oh, you made these?". I always enjoy watching for
the very first time the expressions and listening to comments. It is pure
unadulterated amazement! We can all appreciate the talent and skill of artists
like Van Gogh or Michelangelo, but what can we say about the overwhelming
beauty and natural aesthetics of minerals? They are truly the wonders of
the world. They are the treasures of the Earth, each one is completely unique
and cannot be duplicated by man. I then like to follow up with telling how
most of the minerals they are looking at are hundreds of millions of years
old. That's usually the point at which they look at me and are sure I'm making
all this up!
Mineral specimen collecting really grew into a popular pastime during
the Renaissance and even grew more rapidly right through the Victorian age.
Kings, Queens, and Royalty across Europe were collecting minerals at a feverish
pace, often competing with one another for the very finest material available.
Nearly every large European city maintains a mineral collection (usually
within a larger natural history museum) that has its origins in one of these
great 18th or 19th century Royal collections. Along the way other wealthy
and influential people collected specimens. A good example is the famous
British art critic and
poet,
John Ruskin (1821-1910) who maintained a large mineral collection. Here
in the United States we had many 18th and 19th century collectors of note.
One which most of you will have heard of was Washington Augustus Roebling
(1837-1926). Yes, he was the guy who built the Brooklyn Bridge. His
collection was the basis for one of America's most important collections
which is now in the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. So
you see, if you love beautiful minerals, you're in good company.
Mineral collecting in the 20th and 21st century has built upon this
great historical past and has grown into a huge thriving and wonderful collecting
field. We have shows dedicated solely to mineral specimens. On any given
weekend there are small and large shows and exhibitions around the United
States and Europe. The famous Tucson, Denver and Munich shows attract tens
of thousands of collectors. The great days of mining are mostly behind us
but oddly enough many of the finest known minerals have been found in the
past twenty years. This is a direct response to the ever growing demand and
appreciation of minerals. Mines that were extinct for 50 or 100 years are
now being rediscovered and reworked just to extract fine specimens. New areas
of the world are being explored by intrepid mineral dealers and startling
finds are being discovered every few months. Donna and I have been mineral
enthusiasts for nearly twenty years and we are constantly surprised how often
we are shown pieces that are incredible, sometimes the best ever found for
a particular species.
WHO, WHAT & WHERE:
If you are new to minerals we suggest
getting a few good books to start off and surely a subscription to both
The Mineralogical Record and
Rocks and Minerals. Unfortunately
my favorite book, Gem
& Crystal Treasures by Peter Bancroft, is out of print but we
will help you obtain a copy. I would also recommend
The F. John Barlow Mineral
Collection catalog. There are just too many web sites devoted to
mineral collecting so I would say look around the
Bob's Rock Shop,
www.mindat.org,
www.the-vug.com and
www.minerapole.com. He has the most comprehensive link list I know of. Most important is
get out and see a few good museum collections. We like the
American
Museum of Natural History in NYC,
Houston
Museum of Natural History,
The
National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian,
The L.A. County Museum of Natural
History,
The Carnegie
Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh and also the
Harvard University
collection. Look at minerals, look at minerals and look at minerals.
You will develop your own taste and then follow that path. Do not be intimidated
by the scientific aspects of mineralogy. It is not at all necessary to feel
you must be scientifically inclined to enjoy the shear beauty of minerals
and crystals. All it takes is the appreciation of nature and beauty. Do not
worry much about "how do I know what species or crystal form a specimen is?",
that will come with time. Donna and I have always stressed the aesthetics
and perfection of specimens. If you allow that appreciation to develop the
rest will follow with ease. Once you fall in love with minerals much information
will flow from dealers, museum curators and fellow collectors who I have
found are very generous with their knowledge.
***IMPORTANT*** ARTICLE IN SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
APRIL 2001 - "LIFE'S ROCKY START". NEW RESEARCH BELIEVES THAT MINERALS WERE AN
IMPORTANT CATALYST AND RESOURCE FOR THE VERY BEGINNINGS OF LIFE ON EARTH. SINCE
READING THIS INCREDIBLE ARTICLE MINERALS HAVE TAKEN ON A WHOLE NEW MEANING...NOT
ONLY ARE THEY FABULOUSLY BEAUTIFUL OBJECTS BUT OUR VERY EXISTENCE, LIFE AS WE
KNOW IT, WAS BORN FROM AND ON CRYSTALS.
READ THE ARTICLE - CLICK HERE.
ABOUT
US:
Stuart and Donna Wilensky Fine Minerals began
one day about 20 years ago at a flea market on Long Island. We
were newly married and stumbled across a table filled with Arkansas Quartz
and polished Agates. We instantly fell in love with a clear Quartz
plate and bought it for the princely sum of $50.00 That night we took
it home, placed it on our dining room table and just stared with wonder at
the natural beauty, the unbelievable perfection of the sharp pointed crystals.
I had seen such things in natural history museums growing up but never
thought we could own them. I (Stuart) grew up in a very artistic family.
My parents were art and antique dealers and I traveled the world with them
visiting museums and studying every period in art from Egyptian to 20th century.
I eventually went off to college and earned my masters in art history.
Little did I know that every artist, every creative work I had ever
seen would pale in comparison to the work of Mother Nature. My lifetime
of aesthetic learning drew me rapidly towards the natural beauty of
minerals. It was as if a lifetime studying art had brought me
to this point where I now understood that all art, all aesthetics, come from
nature. The appreciation of human art is but a reflection of nature itself.
Donna has the most incredible taste in beauty without any formal training and
was as drawn to the minerals as quickly as I was. We actively pursued their
acquisition. We visited museums and mineral shops wherever we could find them
from New York City to London. I had been a collector my whole life and knew
that obtaining the very best was the only path and we both worked night and day
constantly refining our taste and learning all that we could. So you see, it
only took us 20 years to get here...we
are happy to share our knowledge and passion with you. If you have a moment
please feel free to take a look at our
family
photo page.
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
We accept MASTERCARD, VISA and
PayPal.
READ
THIS EXCELLENT ARTICLE ON MINERAL COLLECTING IN THE ROBB REPORT
Now that you are more familiar with minerals and mineral collecting
please feel free to contact us if we
can be of any help in your pursuit of these amazing and spectacular works
of natures art.
Stuart & Donna Wilensky 14
Longview Ln. Middletown, NY 10941 Tel. 845-695-1550 Fax. 505-213-2433
When on the East Coast please call for a visit to see more of this quality on
display, our inventory is always changing.
Order Our Latest DVD Catalog of Fine Minerals
Email
us to be added to our automatic update list
E-MAIL: stuwil@aol.com
FOLLOW THIS LINK
TO SOME UNUSUAL IMAGES...
For the VERY BEST in MINERAL LINKS, go to
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