Nature's Garden of Crystals has been printed!

Nature's Garden of Crystals is now a reality and will debut at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show! The book is hardcover and in 8.5" x 11" (21.6 x 28 cm ) format. There are 424 full-color pages with about 700 mineral specimens illustrated. Most specimens are shown in full-page views with many of the species never before having been shown in such large size and such stunning detail. The contributors are mineral collectors and mineral dealers of international fame and the images are from a Who's Who of the great mineral photographers. In alphabetical order, the authors are: Russ Behnke, Matteo Chinellato, Jeff Collins, Val Collins, Brice Gobin, Christophe Gobin, Dona Leicht, Wayne Leicht, Steve Neely, Mario Pauwels, Keith proctor, Mauna Proctor, Scott Rudolph, Robert Snyder, Stephanie Snyder, Laurent Thomas, Donna Wilensky, Stuart Wilensky, Stephan Woldsfried, and Paradise Woods. Each chapter starts with a biographical or philosophical introduction about what influences a person to become a mineral collector or what minerals have the qualities that bring the most enjoyment. The following photo gallery pages are a visual treat of well-photographed mineral specimens by many of the world's best known mineral photographers. (Many images from the book are shown below, but there are additional images seen in previous blogs that have been posted throughout 2010.

Meet the authors:

Russ Behnke, from Connecticut, USA, is a second generation mineral collector and mineral dealer. His chapter features classic American and South American classics specimens with a specialty showing fine amethyst.

Matteo Chinellato from Italy is widely regarded as the world's best close-up mineral photographer, mineral and meteorite collector. His chapter features European rare minerals which are rarely seen in photographs and which are truly astonishing for their beauty and sharpness.

Jeff Collins and Val Collins are father and son mineral collectors and mineral dealers from New York, USA, but who have separate mineral businesses. Jeff and Val have always appreciated unusual crystal shapes, rare minerals, and gem crystals, especially if they are from the USA.

Brice Gobin and Christophe Gobin are second generation mineral collectors and mineral dealers, originally from France, but now living in Dubai. They specialize in going to remote regions to acquire beautiful minerals.

 Dona Leicht and Wayne Leicht are mineral collectors and mineral dealers from California, USA. Their company, Kristalle, specializes in fine minerals with an emphasis on gold specimens. Their chapter shows only gold crystals.

Steve Neely is a private mineral collector who specializes in fine display minerals. His primary love includes the minerals of the Elmwood District in his home state of Tennessee, USA. His chapters is a connoisseur's choice of the finest display specimens from Elmwood.

Mario Pauwels is a life-long mineral collector from Belgium. His collection features specimens specifically chosen for their aesthetic merit. The specimen in his chapter illustrate the attention to detail necessary to chosing fine specimens.

Keith Proctor and Mauna Proctor of Colorado, USA are lifelong mineral collectors and mineral dealers. Their numerous exhibits at the Tucson Show are legendary for their excellence and awards. Their chapters feature a wide selection of the mineral kingdom, many they have never revealed before.

Scott Rudolph is a private mineral collector from New York, USA. His interests include the best minerals available. His philosophy tends toward the classic species in the history of mineralogy as well as the modern greats.

Robert Snyder and Stephanie Snyder and mineral collectors and mineral dealers from Connecticut, USA. Their cover specimen is an astonishing galena on fluorite from the USA.

Laurent Thomas is a college-trained geologist from France, now mostly haunting the great mineral localities of Madagascar. His love of the remarkable color-zoned tourmalines of that country shows through in the selection of specimens in his chapter.

Donna Wilensky and Stuart Wilensky are mineral collectors and mineral dealers of New York, USA. They have a love for remarkable display minerals and specialize in exceptional mineral specimens from around the world.

Stephan Woldsfried is a private mineral collector from Germany. He is well-known as one of the great photomicrographers in the world. His huge images of phosphate mineral micromounts from a single location, Hagendorf, will convert many people to enjoy this aspect of mineral collecting.

Paradise Woods is a private mineral collector from the USA. He has been a frequent benefactor of major mineral magazines and has published mineral posters of some of his fine specimens as a complement to the Mineralogical Record.

The Last Month

     There's still time to send in your subscription for a chapter in Nature's Garden of Crystals. Two major US collectors and one from Europe just joined and images are coming in. How does the process work?

     Each author gets 15 full-page gallery pages for mineral photos and a page of introduction where they get to tell about their philosophy, biography, or the allure of particular minerals and localities. There will be a chapter on Hagendorf and another on the Elmwood mine. Many authors have chosen to have more than one chapter as they had much to say and needed more space.

     Images need to be large enough to print without pixellation. Photos which are 5 megabytes or more are safe candidates. Jpg or tiff formats accepted. Files can be sent by email attachment while text and captions may be in the body of the email or in a Word file. First layouts are generally available the next day so each author can design their order of presentation. Many have sent in their images first and fill-in the blank captions from the pdf that is sent containing their layout. Each chapter starts on a right-hand page so there is no overlap with another chapter. All chapters contain an even number of pages and therefore end on a right-hand page. Books will be sent to the printer in November and will be for sale at the Tucson Show.

     Chapters are less expensive than two pages in a major mineral magazine: $3500. Each paid subscriber is entitled to 50 copies of the hard-bound book. Please see the FAQs for general ideas, although some additional leeway is now offered compared with the beginning stages of the project. Note: Each blog post contains images which will also be in the book.

Pre-Springfield Mineral Show Up-date

     Nature's Garden of Crystals continues to grow in strength. There are now 203 pages which are committed and Springfield and Denver will be the last two shows where new authors will be sought. Several chapters have completed layouts and several are in the works, while a few authors are using the summer to accumulate pictures. September and October will be busy, but the work is done as pictures come in. Changes as authors up-grade specimen images are usually made the same day received. The flavor of Nature's Garden of Crystals is particularly international and the authors are a Who's Who in minerals. Delivery of finished books is expected before Christmastime.
     The above photo of a Chinese axurite rose is an example of a change in the layout. This specimen's photo was submitted in April. The author had also obtained a multiple azurite rose which greatly surpassed this specimen in aesthetics. Recently, they submitted a new photo which was of the multiple azurite rose from the same locality. The replacement image is a high resolution photo that was sent as an attachment to an email and after downloading, the new photo was inserted into its proper place in only a few minutes and a new layout was immediately emailed to the author for their review. Remember to save your images as tif or raw format if that is an option with your camera.

Nature's Garden of Crystals - Summer update

     May and June were activity filled months in the mineral world: major shows, field collecting, general travel, etc. In that time, nearly 200 pages of chapters in Nature's Garden of Crystals were committed by various authors. We were particularly pleased that two of the world's finest mineral photographers came on board. One is doing a retrospective of the finest European minerals he has ever photographed, while another photographer, also European will present an homage to his mineralogical mentors and has an expanded chapter featuring two important localities, also European. Continuing a theme of specific minerals, there will be a wonderful chapter on Chinese minerals. Several of the chapters are biographical illustrating great minerals that have come to their expanding collections and their particular impression of what these minerals have as the "it" factor. These are also very strong chapters. Many of the world's finest mineral specimens grace the pages, but there is a wealth of beautiful minerals which do not need to be the world's best to be loved and appreciated. The gamut of species representation is fairly wide with not much in the way of duplicating minerals from a particular locality. As such, Nature's Garden of Crystals is an intimate look at beautiful minerals from a wide variety of points of view: aesthetics, history, rarity, out of the ordinary, high quality. The time line for publication has moved forward, as is to be expected. It is possible to have a debut at Munich, but more than likely Tucson will be the extravaganza. Several of the authors who've signed on came in just the last few days and we area awaiting  their start on their chapters. About one half of the chapters have been put into layouts already so that the authors may see what shape their chapter may take. It's very important that authors can see their layouts early so that facing images may compliment each other, a flow through the chapter may be elegant, and the story each author wants to present is as interesting and as error-free as possible. One of the goals of Nature's Garden of Crystals is useful content to accompany nice images. You've heard this before, but I'm really excited about the direction this book has taken. In a time of economic uncertainty, dealers have recognized that Nature's Garden of Crystals offers a venue for bringing themselves in front of the world's mineral collectors by showcasing fine minerals and fine images. Mineral Collectors have also come froward to present their story about the minerals they have a passion for. The mixture is complementary, visually stimulating, and contains the textural content to make the book interesting, if not compelling. As an end note, it is important to realize that many of the authors' images were taken by the specimens' owners, although there is an excellent representation of European and US professional photographers. With the dramatic rise in the quality cameras available to the general public and the development of excellent photographic skills by a wide base of mineral collectors, the galleries of images being submitted are first-rate! This is an important development as the owners have a personal connection with their specimens and have the insight to produce fine images. The last time when new authors may join the Nature's Garden of Crystals project will be just after the Denver Show. Thank you all and stay tuned!

Nature's Garden of Crystals is a "GO".

Some of you have been wondering about Nature's Garden of Crystals: What is it about? When will I get to buy a copy? Good news! NGC has a full compliment of subscribers and will be printed before Tucson 2011. It is particularly gratifying to have so many European collections represented. There is still time for taking late subscriptions, but we are now in full steam ahead mode. Everyone who has submitted images has seen them in the initial layout and most have already reviewed their pages, but subscribers are busy getting more photos and thinking about what they will have for supporting text. I've been busy with all of the computer support issues so that the subscribers can focus on making a terrific presentation. You always hear this, but... I am very excited about this book as it is so full of content, not just pretty pictures - although most of the images are stunning beyond words. You can't have a better combination. Stay tuned.
Morganite and Kunzite, ~20 x 20 cm. Paprok, Afghanistan.
Photo courtesy Stuart Wilensky.

Carrying the Concept Further

Nature’s Garden of Crystals is a way to showcase minerals and mineral collections and/or a company image at an economical price (be sure to see additional photos at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=337767144399). In particular, there are relatively few international outlets where mineral collectors and mineral dealers can have a concentrated presence except through magazine advertisements or costly books.  This is a stand-alone book which can outlive ordinary magazine promotions. This book provides the opportunity to showcase your collection or business with a level of intimacy with your peers or customers a single page cannot offer.  Each subscriber is entitled to 15 specimen pages and one introductory page at a price lower than that of only two full pages ads in a major mineral magazine. (See example below.) The organization is by chapter and you or your company will be the chapter author. The introductory page will be autobiographical and also provide two image areas on that page for your story or that of your company.

Each subscriber receives full computer support and they only have to submit the images and a description of the specimen. Additional text support is free and frequent and timely responses assure you can design a beautiful chapter.
The following is an example of the path your chapter might follow.

The cover is yet to be finalized, but it has been committed. The cover design will vary, but two images shown give an idea of the potential. The apatite that was in my chapter of  American Mineral Treasures, but the actual image might be a red tourmaline, an astonishing emerald, or a magnificent azurite, depending on the final choice. The person committed to the “second cover” has generously agreed to use a complimentary image to the first cover image, so the actual outside look may be much different from the example below.

(See cover concept from previous blog.)

Here is the chapter of a Hypothetical Subscriber: George Kunz. (As a man of the nineteenth century, his flowery writing style is that of his youth.)

Chance Encounters with

Great Minerals

By George Frederick Kunz

When I was nine years old, a pretty pebble changed my life. The turn and character of its patterns thrilled me. The shimmer and play of colors on its surface are burned in my memory still. As we get older, those objects which give us pleasure transform. It’s hard to resist the excitement of splashes of color, giant crystals thrust into our hands, or the rigorously unyielding geometrical forms of nature, but which are  sensational to the imagination.

 

Many of you know me from my chapters, Precious Stones, but I started out as a mineral enthusiast. As you read my writings, you’ll soon see that I believe fine minerals are as precious as cut gems. As vice-president of Tiffany’s, my normal customer seeks objects of decoration: fine rings, elegant silver, or golden objects d’art; but I also sell exquisite minerals. I want to share with you some of the riches of the mineral world which have come into my possession.
     My place of business is open to the public without reservation 9 AM – 5 PM Monday through Saturday: closed on major holidays: Union Square, New York, NY. Please feel free to contact us: (201) Union7-2346 or tiffany@diamondsRus.biz. Online at www.kunzite.com 
Be sure to visit our booth at the next Paris Exposition!

Dr. Kunz’s chapter would, of course, be 16 pages long. In the example, he has varied the style of the pages and used a thumbnail image on one page to support, the major image. On one page, the group photo is actually three images. The individual images are close-ups, otherwise crystals in a distant view would have no impact.

Obviously, the layout can be somewhat flexible and there is some room for individual style in every chapter. Of course, the captions here are typed in a large font size for easy viewing on the computer screen and the actual captions may have up to 100 words in the final version. You may use more than 100 words in a caption, but the size of the image would be reduced at the expense of the text.

     There will be some “front matter” before the chapters begin as an introduction to crystals and their origins, but there will be no chemistry and physics to discourage the reader. There will be a page about granite pegmatites, oxidized zone minerals, massive sulfide and sulfide vein deposits, alpine clefts, etc. depending on the variety of minerals chosen by a subscriber. (I can send the granite pegmatite page now if you’d like to read it.) When the photos are laid out (QuarkXpress 8), the specimens can be tied in a list regarding mineral origin. That is, if an azurite and a cuprite are chosen by a subscriber, those images will be listed in the section explaining the formation of secondary ore deposit minerals. Relating the illustrations to the front chapter on mineral deposit formation will help make the book a useful reading and viewing experience, but keeping the major influence on visual appeal. Dr. Kunz’s examples are from pegmatites.

     Additionally, each illustrated specimen may have a special label available to the subscriber and the label may be further personalized by the specimen owner. A high resolution PhotoShop file with levels available will be provided for your convenience. Style and font may be changed to taste.

A subscription to Nature’s Garden of Crystals is only $3500. Additional pairs of pages are just $425. The need for pairs of pages is to keep the signature layouts the same. Each subscriber will get 50 copies of the book. There will also be 50 unbound chapters so that each subscriber will get individual sheets of their chapters.

Cover Concept for Nature's Garden of Crystals

Tucson has come and gone, but with it's passing there are now enough subscribers to Nature's Garden of Crystals to start a layout for the book cover. The front cover may feature a fine American purple apatite crystal, which also debuted in my chapter in American Mineral Treasures. The final choice is yet to be determined. By nice coincidence, the back cover is balanced with a wonderful amethyst specimen from India. Although I do not have the Jeff Scovill transparency in hand of the apatite, I couldn't resist playing with a possible cover design, so I took a picture of the picture. Although not as sharp as the actual image will be, it gives a feeling for the direction and style of the book. Potential subscribers are from a veritable Who's Who of international mineral people.

Green is one of my favorite colors and I anxiously await all of the fine emeralds that will be in one chapter. The potential for some luscious crystals from China, and many other possible photos is going to assure this will be a wonderful book! If you check the latest changes to the FAQ section, you can see the way the book will be laid out.