Buying minerals on the
internet - words and pictures:
Most of the words used
by vendors on eBay or the web (myself included!) to describe mineral specimens
are at best both relative and subjective in nature; terms like flawless,
perfect, museum-quality, stunning, intense, jumbo, giant, pristine, undamaged,
superb, fantastic, choice, sweet, world-class, incredible, huge, top-quality,
top-shelf, rare, etc. are all basically meaningless - unless you can actually
read the mind of the person who used them. For example, one rockhound
might feel an item is "museum-quality", while another would throw the same
specimen out the back door onto the rockpile! I've seen crystals described as
"double-terminated" simply because they had two ends, translucent material
described as transparent, and Barite, Quartz, Selenite, and Apophyllite all
described as Calcite. Sellers (me included) sometimes make mistakes, and
are usually somewhat biased (surprise!) in their evaluation of the items they
are trying to sell you!
There are a number of techniques which may help you avoid either disappointment
or getting raked over the coals. I've used these myself with success in
the past:
1) When you see a specimen described with adjectives which are always
subjective, like "gigantic", or "incredible", or "top-quality", ask yourself
"relative to what?". In fact the phrase "relative to what?" is one you
might want to mentally add to almost all adjectives used to describe
minerals.....
2) When you see the phrase "museum-quality" (or something similarly grand), ask
yourself "in whose opinion?" or, "in whose museum?". I have seen specimens
offered on eBay and websites which in my opinion are far better than those I've
seen in some very fine museums, but are they really "museum-quality", or just my
idea of what that phrase means? I've also seen numerous specimens on eBay
described as "museum-quality" which are in my opinion not worth the cost of
shipping them to my residence. The question "in whose opinion?" (it may be
only the seller's!) is one you might want to mentally ask about most descriptive
statements.
3) When you see a specimen described as "rare", or "seldom seen", do yourself a
favor: search for the mineral name and/or its source on google or even on
eBay itself - you might be surprised to find many more examples of the
supposedly "rare" specimen. In fact, whenever you're planning to plunk
down your hard-earned cash for a specimen, take a moment to see if anything
similar is out there on eBay; you may find several comparable specimens at
bargain prices closing within a few days or even moments of your intended
purchase! Since each mineral specimen is unique, you may still want the
one you first spotted, but at least you're now making an informed decision....
4) Take a good look at the mineral specimen photo(s), then ask yourself "can I
tell what this specimen will look like in my hand?". Is the specimen
pictured the one you will receive, or merely a representative example? Apply the
numeric measurements given in the description, and note whether the image on
your computer screen is larger (most are!) or smaller than the measurements.
In fact, numerical measurements (even approximate) are almost always the only
thing you can be sure of in a description; nothing is as disappointing as
getting a "hand-size" specimen which disappears between your thumb and
forefinger, or finding that your modestly-sized cabinet would actually hold
another 500 of the "cabinet-size" specimen you just bought. The camera
angle can fool you also; a specimen held out at arm's length in front of the
camera will look huge compared to the hand holding it, regardless of its actual
size.... If the weight of the specimen is given, make sure you factor in
the units: one kilogram (kg.) = 2.2 pounds (lb.) , 1 lb. = 16 ounces
(oz.), 1 oz. = 28.4 grams (g.), 1 g. = 5 carats (ct.), 1 ct. = 3.1
grains (gr). I'll let you do the rest of the math....
5) Take another look at the photo(s), then think of how the specimen will look
when displayed by you under your lighting conditions. White light minerals
such as crystalline Elmwood Sphalerite or the deep purple Mexican Fluorites are
examples of specimens which look quite different under strong directed
photographic lighting, ordinary room lighting, or daylight. Pictures taken
under ultraviolet (UV) lamps are particularly notorious for being far better (or
worse) than the reality when you get them into your display; many factors affect
the brightness and color of fluorescent minerals, including distance from the
lamp to the specimen, wattage of the ultraviolet lamp, surface characteristics
of the specimen, ambient light level, and so on. Perhaps the most
important factor is the wavelength of the UV lamp; most shortwave UV
fluorescents either fluoresce weakly or not at all under a longwave UV lamp.
Two longwave UV lamps may even differ in wavelength enough to produce very
different results on the same specimen.
6) Fakes!!
In the past several years, vendors in a number of countries have begun
"enhancing" specimens, and they are really good at it! Dyed (or even
re-crystallized) green Quartz from China, heated Amethyst from Brazil which
magically becomes Citrine, irradiated Kunzite from Afghanistan, native Silver
(not!) from China - these are all examples of "un-natural " minerals being sold
on eBay and the web now. There is nothing wrong with seeing these as
attractive and worthy of purchase - I just think it is always best to know what
you are buying, before you shell out your hard-earned dollars. So beware
the word "natural" - unless your definition of the word is "just what you would
expect for the price"....
7) Finally, because
digital photos can be made brighter or darker, more or less colorful, changed to
any shade of the rainbow, made larger or smaller, sharper or blurrier, all with
the simple click of a mouse, making a decision to buy a specimen from a photo
should be tempered by your knowledge of the seller, either through personal
prior experience or through eBay's feedback system. While most reputable sellers
will accept a return of a specimen which doesn't meet your expectations, you may
still wind up paying for shipping - possibly both ways!
And now a word from our sponsor: I hope these suggestions will prove
useful to you in enhancing your eBay or web purchasing experience. I want your experience to be positive, so that you will repeat it!
If I've made a mistake in representing something you've purchased from me, or
even if you've made a mistake in purchasing an item from me which was properly
represented, please let me know about it - we will work it out. Good
luck in rockhounding the internet!
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