Here is my display.
Currently in the process of making specimen labels.
1. Stilbite, heulandite, apophyllite, calcite from the Lucky Strike quarry (self-collected)
2. Quartz (scepters and amethyst), siderite from Hansen creek (self-collected)
3.KingCo quartz:
Spruce claim: ankerite, pyrite, quartz scepters
Green Ridge: Quartz (amethyst scepters, enhydros), sericite
Denny Mtn: Quartz (amethyst scepter), hematite inclusions
Puffball claim: Quartz, siderite, aragonite
Currently in the process of making specimen labels.
1. Stilbite, heulandite, apophyllite, calcite from the Lucky Strike quarry (self-collected)
2. Quartz (scepters and amethyst), siderite from Hansen creek (self-collected)
3.KingCo quartz:
Spruce claim: ankerite, pyrite, quartz scepters
Green Ridge: Quartz (amethyst scepters, enhydros), sericite
Denny Mtn: Quartz (amethyst scepter), hematite inclusions
Puffball claim: Quartz, siderite, aragonite
Some neat stuff here. I really like Wilfred's setup; my wife and I have been discussing a remodel of a basement room and I would like to include built-in displays along one wall.
Some pics and shared experiences on my main display at present. Apologies in advance for the disorienting photos, but my display has a mirror in back that makes photography difficult. The human brain can focus on and weed out stuff not of focal interest while viewing in 3D, but it’s much harder in a photo.
This is the primary display in my home, a curio cabinet I purchased from a furniture store. It is about 7’ high and 4’ wide. I like the mirror in back for enhancing the overall lighting, though it's tough to photograph. The glass door slides both left and right rather than swinging out, which actually isn’t ideal because we had to put it in a spot that doesn’t allow sliding to the left.
There are six shelves. Starting at the top, shelves 1, 3 and 4 are just a mix of displayable and (mostly) colorful rocks. Shelf 2 has a variety of native coppers from that collecting focus of mine; all of those have labels on the shelf because most people would have no clue as to the associated locality. (Labels for specimens on all shelves are kept in shelf-numbered envelopes nearby and also have digital photographs.)
I sometimes rotate in thematic specimens on shelves 3 and 4 when I’m feeling enthusiastic or hosting a meeting.
Shelf 5 is for my kids to show off their favorites. They have gone collecting with me a few times and also get an allowance at shows. The bottom shelf is for big rocks I don’t trust on glass shelves.
Lighting for this case is a bit of a hodgepodge. It came with a single central overhead halogen, which I left in there. To fill in the rest, I installed a bunch of ribbon LEDs along the interior supports. These have worked out OK, but given how lighting has evolved in the last few years I think I could have found a cheaper and better solution.
It works well overall, but I would like to improve a few things, mostly a function of being in earthquake country. The cabinet is strapped to studs in the walls, but I would like to acquire thicker glass shelves and heavier-duty supports for the shelves. Better lighting would be nice as well, but I think we're more likely to do remodeling of the house before we get there.
Fun thread!
D.
Some pics and shared experiences on my main display at present. Apologies in advance for the disorienting photos, but my display has a mirror in back that makes photography difficult. The human brain can focus on and weed out stuff not of focal interest while viewing in 3D, but it’s much harder in a photo.
This is the primary display in my home, a curio cabinet I purchased from a furniture store. It is about 7’ high and 4’ wide. I like the mirror in back for enhancing the overall lighting, though it's tough to photograph. The glass door slides both left and right rather than swinging out, which actually isn’t ideal because we had to put it in a spot that doesn’t allow sliding to the left.
There are six shelves. Starting at the top, shelves 1, 3 and 4 are just a mix of displayable and (mostly) colorful rocks. Shelf 2 has a variety of native coppers from that collecting focus of mine; all of those have labels on the shelf because most people would have no clue as to the associated locality. (Labels for specimens on all shelves are kept in shelf-numbered envelopes nearby and also have digital photographs.)
I sometimes rotate in thematic specimens on shelves 3 and 4 when I’m feeling enthusiastic or hosting a meeting.
Shelf 5 is for my kids to show off their favorites. They have gone collecting with me a few times and also get an allowance at shows. The bottom shelf is for big rocks I don’t trust on glass shelves.
Lighting for this case is a bit of a hodgepodge. It came with a single central overhead halogen, which I left in there. To fill in the rest, I installed a bunch of ribbon LEDs along the interior supports. These have worked out OK, but given how lighting has evolved in the last few years I think I could have found a cheaper and better solution.
It works well overall, but I would like to improve a few things, mostly a function of being in earthquake country. The cabinet is strapped to studs in the walls, but I would like to acquire thicker glass shelves and heavier-duty supports for the shelves. Better lighting would be nice as well, but I think we're more likely to do remodeling of the house before we get there.
Fun thread!
D.
Personal displays are just one aspect of a collection. I like to show off my better examples, for others to see, at shows. I have been displaying for about 20 years now. Here are a few examples of my displays, both in my own display cases and in show or museum display cases.
EXAMPLES OF BARITE AND CALCITE in my own display case, at a local show.
ONE OF MY FIRST DISPLAYS, AT THE INDIANA STATE MUSEUM, about 2000.
MY 2015 CASE AT THE CINCINNATI SHOW; self collected examples from Washington County Indiana.
EXAMPLES OF BARITE AND CALCITE in my own display case, at a local show.
Dear Al & Scot,
Many thanks for the complements.
I used LED-strips from the brand Tronix, type PM 2700K. I don't know if this brand is available all around the world. It's not the cheapest brand but I made the choice to invest in more quality lighting. These LED strips have a 'warm yellow' color, easy to paste against timber, metal etc.. Strips are available in different lengths. You have the possibility to reduce the length by simply cutting the strip with a scissor. (there are marks on the strip on every 4 centimeters where you can cut the strip). You can connect 2 or more LED-strips by soldering in case you need more length. The LED-strips are dimmable. With the remote controle you can switch on/off and dimm each showcase separately.
My showcases are double-walled. I use the space between the walls for the wiring. In the space above the showcase are the transformer and socket situated. I made the choice to place the transformer and socket out of sight but always accessible in the event of a malfunction. In my showcases the LED-strips are pasted in the corner just behind the doors in order to have them out of sight. Rubber strips between the doors and the frame makes te showcases dust-free. I hope these information helps but I'm always pleased to share more information when needed.
Kind regards Wilfred
Many thanks for the complements.
I used LED-strips from the brand Tronix, type PM 2700K. I don't know if this brand is available all around the world. It's not the cheapest brand but I made the choice to invest in more quality lighting. These LED strips have a 'warm yellow' color, easy to paste against timber, metal etc.. Strips are available in different lengths. You have the possibility to reduce the length by simply cutting the strip with a scissor. (there are marks on the strip on every 4 centimeters where you can cut the strip). You can connect 2 or more LED-strips by soldering in case you need more length. The LED-strips are dimmable. With the remote controle you can switch on/off and dimm each showcase separately.
My showcases are double-walled. I use the space between the walls for the wiring. In the space above the showcase are the transformer and socket situated. I made the choice to place the transformer and socket out of sight but always accessible in the event of a malfunction. In my showcases the LED-strips are pasted in the corner just behind the doors in order to have them out of sight. Rubber strips between the doors and the frame makes te showcases dust-free. I hope these information helps but I'm always pleased to share more information when needed.
Kind regards Wilfred
Oh, to have space at home to display more than one rock at a time! Thanks, everybody, for sharing your spectacular displays. May be some day . . . .
We live in a 4-room apartment with no basement or garage space, so my toolbox and bucket of field collecting tools live in the kitchen and the mineral collection storage is in the front room with our desks and my wife's house plants--more of a den/office for the two of us than a "living room" in the traditional American sense.
One weekend a year for our club's annual show (or two if EFMLS is close and I can take time off from work) a few specimens get out of storage and into displays. Here's a display that did well at EFMLS in Bristol, Connecticut in 2017:
It scored 99 of a possible 100 points in the judging for educational exhibits. The last point was deducted for having to substitute a hand-lettered label at the last minute for a misplaced printed one.
We live in a 4-room apartment with no basement or garage space, so my toolbox and bucket of field collecting tools live in the kitchen and the mineral collection storage is in the front room with our desks and my wife's house plants--more of a den/office for the two of us than a "living room" in the traditional American sense.
One weekend a year for our club's annual show (or two if EFMLS is close and I can take time off from work) a few specimens get out of storage and into displays. Here's a display that did well at EFMLS in Bristol, Connecticut in 2017:
It scored 99 of a possible 100 points in the judging for educational exhibits. The last point was deducted for having to substitute a hand-lettered label at the last minute for a misplaced printed one.
Here are my main displays. I can't see how to make the pictures display full size in the post. If you click on them you will see them full size.
A birch wall mounted cabinet with glass sliders and internal lighting. It's about thirty inches tall. I had this made about 12 years ago. Makes a good whisky shelf also.
Two glass-fronted oak curio cabinets bought at an antique store. For the money, every bit as good a value as anything you can get new. The round sided one does a nice job letting light onto the specimens. I think these were in the $400-600 range nine years ago, and I couldn't have done better buying something equivalent that was new.
A six foot tall, sliding glass fronted cabinet with glass sides. Got a deal on this at a garage sale. Has internal lighting. This is a really great ready-made display cabinet readily available these days. Great as a stand alone in a room along a wall.
Oak china cabinet. I like this because of the storage space underneath. It is not the greatest for displaying minerals though, and I don't have any really great stuff in it.
Pictures 2 and 4 are Golden Age of Oak antiques from the early twentieth century. They are not uncommon, especially in the eastern US. If I wanted, I could take out the side panels of the china cabinet and put in glass to let more light in. These kinds of cabinets are not considered fine antiques and modifying them does not devalue them since they were made for, and continue to see, practical use.
A birch wall mounted cabinet with glass sliders and internal lighting. It's about thirty inches tall. I had this made about 12 years ago. Makes a good whisky shelf also.
Display 2
Two glass-fronted oak curio cabinets bought at an antique store. For the money, every bit as good a value as anything you can get new. The round sided one does a nice job letting light onto the specimens. I think these were in the $400-600 range nine years ago, and I couldn't have done better buying something equivalent that was new.
Display 3
A six foot tall, sliding glass fronted cabinet with glass sides. Got a deal on this at a garage sale. Has internal lighting. This is a really great ready-made display cabinet readily available these days. Great as a stand alone in a room along a wall.
Display 4
Oak china cabinet. I like this because of the storage space underneath. It is not the greatest for displaying minerals though, and I don't have any really great stuff in it.
Pictures 2 and 4 are Golden Age of Oak antiques from the early twentieth century. They are not uncommon, especially in the eastern US. If I wanted, I could take out the side panels of the china cabinet and put in glass to let more light in. These kinds of cabinets are not considered fine antiques and modifying them does not devalue them since they were made for, and continue to see, practical use.
My contribution is a picture of one of many different cabinets. (Sorry i have tried to rotate the image...).This cabinet has a mirror and combined LED- and halogen lights. The cabinet contains about 200 displayable specimens with nearly 100 different species only from foreign (not Norwegian) granite pegmatites. The close-up photos of one two of the shelves show that each specimen is on a labeled plexi glass base. In the middle of the shelf there is a three-level plexi-glass stand for minature and TN-sized specimens.
Several years ago I inherited a collection of about 400 rocks/minerals and fossils from my grandmother. She had been a rockhound for many years and accumulated a nice collection of specimens from the midwest, especially Iowa. I have added quite a few specimens over the years and have displayed the better minerals in an antique case that she left me. The best fossils are displayed in a curio cabinet my wife picked up at a garage sale.
