{"id":2573,"date":"2020-04-03T23:15:51","date_gmt":"2020-04-04T03:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/?p=2573"},"modified":"2020-04-04T00:22:01","modified_gmt":"2020-04-04T04:22:01","slug":"provenance-and-its-importance-to-your-gem-mineral-or-fossil-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/provenance-and-its-importance-to-your-gem-mineral-or-fossil-collection\/","title":{"rendered":"Provenance and its Importance to your Gem, Mineral, or Fossil Collection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Provenance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When is a box of rocks not a box of rocks?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As the\nterm goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.&nbsp; It takes an openminded person with a keen set\nof eyes to see the beauty of a rock prior to cleaning and polishing it. But\nwhat if we were to tell you the true story behind that rock?&nbsp; Where it was found?&nbsp; The mine it came from?&nbsp; The adventure, story, and challenges that lead\nup to finding it? The true value of a rock goes much deeper than may first be obvious\nand it is critical to the hobby of rockhounding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The origin and history of ownership including background\nstory adds to value and collectability. Provenance is a term most often used in\nthe Fine Art and Antiques markets as one of the determinants of value. The term\nand logic can be applied as well to stones, minerals, and crystals to help\nvalue a Rockhound\u2019s collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Let\u2019s\ntake a common example: Quartz. Lustrous purple quartz that most people refer to\nas Amethyst is found in many parts of the world and people love to browse the glossy\ncathedral pieces often found in gem shows. These are mostly commercially mined in\nbulk predominantly in China and Brazil, and are often augmented by various\nheating, coloring, and gluing techniques. Their retail price point fluctuates\ngreatly but ultimately the piece you are looking at is a version of quartz and\none of the most common minerals in the world. Now what if we also told you that\nin Arkansas, USA you can mine a magnificent piece of clear quartz by hand with\nperfect scepter points to place as a centerpiece that would simply make your dinner\nfriends jealous. Even better yet, we could all go grab a great bottle of pinot\nred together and drink a few glasses while reminiscing about the day you found\nit. Then browse through the photos of triumphantly lifting the mineral with a\nhuge smile while you were absolutely covered in dirt due to obsessively digging\nwith a custom pick axe carefully for hours. How much would that be worth in\ncomparison to the generic Amethyst piece from unknown locale you were considering\npurchasing over eBay? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When rockhounding, how do you ensure your collection retains its provenance? Luckily, modern technology and tools make labeling and documenting your collection much easier than in the past, much more organized, and easier to share. First off, take real-time pictures of your findings to record your rockhound discoveries (old cell phones work great). It is amazing how pieces and stories can get lost so quickly when going from a dirty field bucket to a cleaned-up treasure.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Geolocate! Geolocate! Geolocate!&nbsp; Modern day cell phones allow you to\naccurately identify the coordinates of your findings. Even if you consider the location\nto be a secret for all eternity, one day you may forget your path and landmarks\nchange. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Videoing a discovery is skill that sets apart modern-day\nrockhounds. It\u2019s a good idea to buy a 1080p low price video camera with hard\noutdoor plastic case to film discoveries.&nbsp;\nCell phones work in a pinch but just remember that rock fragments and\ndirty hands scratch surfaces very easily. As you film while you dig, clear\ndirt, or brush off a specimen and narrate what is going on around you. &nbsp;You may just get lucky and capture the delight\nand joy of your first Herkimer Diamond pocket discovery, or the agony and defeat\nof just \u201canother rock\u201d or worse yet, cracked and broken treasures.<br>\n<br>\n<\/li><li>Rockhounding often involves going to multiple\nmines, trekking though woods, or galivanting over hills and through creeks, and\nif you are finding the same mineral or crystal throughout, then documenting\neach find is even more important to complete with your phone. Take photos of\nthe area in which you are rockhounding, the mine, the walk up to the area, and\nnarrate it or write notes to make sure you document the date of this\nrockhounding adventure, and perhaps who is rockhounding with you, in order to\nrecord the \u201cstory\u201d behind your discoveries.<br>\n<br>\n<\/li><li>Another benefit to documenting the whereabouts\nof your discoveries, beyond a story, is the help the information may offer when\nyou are identifying your minerals. If you find an unusual stone you were not\nanticipating, or stumble upon a fossil for instance, we suggest saving these\nand identifying it later at home. Many minerals and stones are can be\nidentified by their locale. A green stone found unexpectedly in Washington\nstate is likely a variety of serpentine because it is common in Washington\nstate. A green stone found in Indiana can not be jade because Indiana does not produce\nor generate jade. For the post-rockhounding ID analysis from home, your search\nwill be whittled down when you can begin with geographic location of the stone.<br>\n<br>\n<\/li><li>What to do when you bring your collection and\nfinds back home? We suggest, after cleaning, treating, and preparing them\n(covered in another chapter), to keep your stones in plastic bags that can be\nlabeled in marker with the information you have scrupulously been recording:\nlocation, locale, date, who was with you (was this a group field trip for\ninstance, and ID (if you know it).<br>\n<br>\n<\/li><li>Other easy options for storing and keeping records\nabout your rockhound finds in the field include egg cartons and small bubble envelopes\nupon which you can write down all the details about your find with a Sharpie\nmarker.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Now imagine a scenario in which\nyour grandson or granddaughter inquires about your mineral collection, and you\nare able to share stories about trips to Maine, Colorado, or Texas, and how you\nuncovered these specimens during a family trip. Imagine the conversation with a\njeweler or auction professional, about setting values on your crystals and\nsemi-precious minerals when you can share that they came from a mine that is\nnow closed. Provenance requires additional work during and after your rockhound\nadventure, but your cell phone can make it very easy, and provenance pays off\nin sentimental dividends in the future, as well helps generate a potential\nfinancial return for your collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For sentimental value, a large\nquartz crystal is worth more to the family and descendants if Granddad and\nGrandmother acquired it during their honeymoon to the Grand Canyon, than it\nwould be were it unmarked, unlabeled, without story, without provenance.&nbsp; Remember, Provenance!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Provenance! When is a box of rocks not a box of rocks? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As the term goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.&nbsp; It takes an openminded person with a keen set of eyes to see the beauty of a rock prior to cleaning and polishing it. But what if we were to &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/provenance-and-its-importance-to-your-gem-mineral-or-fossil-collection\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Provenance and its Importance to your Gem, Mineral, or Fossil Collection&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2247,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,52,101,102,157,156,95,5,32,47,20,94,93,80,79,46,96,158,33,97,159,160,1],"tags":[76,55,40,78,77,67,3,163,131,133,39,164,84,81,135,4,45],"class_list":["post-2573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antiques","category-antiques-roadshow","category-conservancy","category-environmentalism","category-gem-and-mineral-clubs","category-gem-and-mineral-shows","category-gemstone","category-geodes","category-geology","category-ice-age","category-interior-design","category-jewelry","category-lapidary","category-museums","category-new-york-2","category-paleontology","category-peridot","category-rock-shows","category-science","category-star-wars","category-tucson-gem-and-mineral-show","category-tucson-gem-show","category-uncategorized","tag-american-geode","tag-diamond","tag-diamonds","tag-gem-and-mineral-club","tag-gem-and-mineral-show","tag-gem-and-mineral-shows","tag-geode","tag-geode-cracking","tag-geodes","tag-geology","tag-herkimer-diamond","tag-indiana-geode","tag-mindat","tag-museums-2","tag-paleontology","tag-rockhound","tag-rockhounding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2573"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2576,"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573\/revisions\/2576"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}