Mineralogical Record

Mineralogical Record
Title	Mineralogical Record
Frequency	Bimonthly
Category	Mineralogy, Gemology
Firstdate	1970
Country	United States
Based	Tucson, Arizona
Language	English

Mineralogical Record is a bimonthly periodical devoted to the study, documentation, and photography of mineral specimens, localities, and collecting history. It serves collectors, curators, researchers, and educators with detailed articles, locality reports, and photographic plates covering specimens from notable mines, museums, and private collections. The journal interfaces with major institutions, exhibitions, and fieldwork projects across North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and South America.

History

Founded in 1970 by J. Donald (Don) and Evie Garrett, the publication emerged amid a surge of interest in mineral shows such as the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, the Denver Mineral Show, and the Munich Show (Edelsteinmesse); early development intersected with collectors from the New York Mineral Club, the Philadelphia Mineralogical Society, and the British Mineralogical Society. The magazine chronicled discoveries at sites like the Broken Hill (mining) deposits, the Skaergaard intrusion, and the Tsumeb Mine, while documenting miners, curators, and dealers associated with such localities. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s it featured work by figures linked to institutions including the Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History, the Natural History Museum, London, and the Field Museum of Natural History. Editorial leadership and advisory boards have included curators and scholars connected to the National Museum of Natural History (France), the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, and university departments at Harvard University, Stanford University, and University of Arizona.

Scope and Content

Coverage spans classic localities—Bisbee, Arizona, Ilímaussaq complex, Himalayan pegmatites, Krzemionki—and modern finds from operations like Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP), Glencore, and artisanal workings in Minas Gerais and Potosí. Articles frequently discuss notable specimens now held by institutions such as the Natural History Museum, Los Angeles County, the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Rijksmuseum van Natuurhistorie; dealer and collection profiles mention private holdings like the Ralph B. Stanley Collection and the H. Carlton Phillips Collection. The journal presents mineralogical taxonomy updates that intersect with nomenclature from bodies including the International Mineralogical Association, crystallographic studies from laboratories at ETH Zurich, and geochemical analyses from research centers like the Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory. Field reports reference expeditions organized by groups such as the Geological Society of America, the Mineralogical Society of America, and the Geological Society (London).

Publication and Editorial Practices

Published bimonthly with high-quality color plates, the periodical follows peer-review and editorial practices informed by standards at the American Alliance of Museums and publishing norms from houses like University of California Press and Cambridge University Press. Production involves collaboration with photographers and illustrators associated with the Royal Photographic Society and museum imaging teams from places including the Natural History Museum, London and the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. Back issues and special volumes have been auctioned at events run by organizations such as Sotheby's, Christie's, and Bonhams, and the magazine participates in meetings at venues like the Tucson Convention Center and the Exhibition Centre, Munich.

Contributors and Notable Articles

Regular contributors have included curators and authors linked to Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Royal Ontario Museum, and the Australian Museum. Notable articles chronicled the mineralogy of the Herkimer Diamond occurrences, the morphology of Beryl from Emerald mines of Colombia, analyses of Dioptase from Tsumeb Mine, and photographic monographs on tourmaline from Pala Chief Mine and aquamarine from Minas Gerais. Profiles of historical figures and collectors reference names associated with George Frederick Kunz, Gustav Rose, Friedrich Mohs, James Dwight Dana, and Ralph S. Ellison (mineral collector), as well as modern curators from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the Peabody Museum of Natural History. Special issues have documented finds tied to events like the 1906 San Francisco earthquake-era mining, the Silver Boom (19th century) at Comstock Lode, and twentieth-century industrial developments at Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation.

Reception and Impact

The publication is cited by museums, universities, and collectors for authoritative photography and locality data, influencing exhibits at institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Its high-resolution plates have been reproduced in catalogs by the Gemological Institute of America and referenced in academic papers from MIT, Caltech, and University of Cambridge laboratories. Reviews and commentary have appeared in periodicals linked to the Mineralogical Society of America, the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, and regional outlets like the Arizona Republic and Tucson Weekly, shaping public engagement with shows including the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science exhibitions.

Related Collections and Exhibitions

Coverage often cross-references major collections and exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, London, Field Museum, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris), Royal Ontario Museum, Museum of Natural History, Vienna, Tokyo National Museum, and the National Museum of Natural History (Sofia). Touring exhibits documented in the journal have appeared at venues like the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, National Museum of Natural History (Washington, D.C.), Queens Museum, and international fairs such as the Munich Show (Edelsteinmesse) and the Hong Kong Mineral Show.

Category:Mineralogy magazines Category:Publications established in 1970