El Paso Mineral & Gem Society

We had a great meeting yesterday evening at the El Paso Mineral & Gem Society. A retired gentleman from Las Cruces, New Mexico gave a really excellent presentation on fluorescence. He was nice, articulate, and fully conversant with PowerPoint. Also an excellent photographer. I’m looking forward to going out on collecting trips with him and his wife.

I displayed more than 50 specimens of fluorescent rocks, some of my Vaseline glass, and my very most beautiful Vaseline glass European oil lamp from the late 1800s. We both had brought some books, and amazingly both of us had brought two of the same fairly rare and obscure books!

We got to turn lots of people on to the beauty and wonder of fluorescence, and to demonstrate several different brands of UV lights. Between us we had four of Don Newsome’s UV Systems lights on hand (we both agreed they are the best), a couple of Way Too Cool lamps, and a couple of other brands.

-

I gave out some flyers for the Fluorescent Mineral Society. Overall it was a very pleasant evening.

-

Now this morning I have brought in all of that stuff from the car. It is now sitting in zip lock bags and boxes all over my kitchen, dining room table, and the room I have dedicated to fluorescence.

-

The rock room is just absolutely overflowing. It makes me think, maybe on the next fluorescent mineral collecting trip I won’t even bring home any rocks. Perhaps next time I’ll try bringing my Nikon and tripod along, and just photographing fluorescent minerals in situ. Outside in the wilderness. At night. Why not?