A fluorescence collection is something very nice to have in any home. It is the ultimate WOW talking point. Whether you love looking at the pieces yourself or showing them to your friends you will find great enjoyment in having your own fluorescent mineral collection.
Collectors means people who have a collection, not just those who go out into the field to collect. Many – perhaps most – collectors get their rocks from other people rather than searching for them out in the wild. You don’t have to be an adventurous 4WD type to build a beautiful collection. To get specimens from other countries, of course, you have to get them from other people. I started off resolved to collect just Australian pieces, but it took me no time at all to realise that fluorescent beauty is spread across the whole planet, and that I had to get hold of specimens from other countries as well as Aussie pieces.
Many people start off by keeping their pieces in a box, and putting them out on a table to show them using a torch. That works fine, but a permanent display cabinet usually becomes an aim. You can see how to make a display cabinet here.
There are three ways to get specimens:
First you can go out into the field and find them for yourself. That’s something you can add to things you do already if you love to get away and see interesting places. For me, looking for fluorescent rocks was a great excuse for going on extended camping trips. You soon realise, however, that your finest pieces are not necessarily going to be ones you have found yourself. For example, the only place in the world where you can find the spectacular Franklin willemite and calcite is Franklin New Jersey. If you want a Franklin specimen, and most collectors want at least one, you either go to NJ in USA, or buy one.
So the second way to increase your collection is to buy pieces. You can do that without even going outside. Just google “fluorescent minerals” and you will find a vast number of specimens from all over the world on eBay and from individual fluorescent mineral sites. You will find pieces from just a couple of dollars, to very expensive large or rare ones. Or you can visit my For Sale page. Buying specimens is how most collections grow.
The third way is to trade or swap pieces with other collectors.
The main requirement when starting out is the UV torch or lamp. It is important to get the right one. Cheap unfilterted UV torches are no good at all. If you want to buy your specimens rather than going out looking for them, any good quality UV torch or lamp will work, but the more powerful your torch or lamp, the brighter your rocks will glow.
If you want to go out searching for glowing rocks, you should get the best torch you can afford. Price = power – the more you pay, the more power you get and therefore the more you’ll find. It’s that simple. More power means
• the torch will reach further
• you are less likely to miss weakly fluorescing rocks
Most people start with a Long Wave torch because they are cheaper and more powerful and lots of things in the house and garden will glow under Long Wave. However a lot more minerals glow under Short Wave than under Long wave. See also here.