"What's New!" A fluorescent minerals blog.

Today I have added 17 new mineral specimens to the United States Showcase Page of my website.    

The specimens all contain very rare eucryptite crystals from the famous Foote Mine in North Carolina.  The specimens were collected in the 1960s.  It is my understanding (and I may be wrong about this), that the Foote mine has been the only locality where eucryptite crystals have been found.

About a year ago I was contacted by a well-known mineral dealer.  He told me that he had acquired a collection that included a batch of fluorescent specimens containing very rare eucryptite crystals.  Since he knew I was a fluorescent mineral dealer, he offered this batch to me first.  He knew fluorescent eucryptite crystals were very rare and would be appreciated by my customer base.  I was honored that he chose to sell this batch to me.

The eucryptite crystals range in size from approximately 1mm to 3mm.  They fluoresce under shortwave ultraviolet light with the same crimson red response as massive eucryptite.  Along with the fluorescent crimson red eucryptite is a pale blue fluorescing albite. 

Unfortunately, these specimens were very difficult to photograph.  As a result, the photography is poor.  Trying to capture the crimson red of the eucryptite was impossible.  Also, in some cases not all the blue was from the fluorescing albite.   My digital camera wanted to over emphasize the reflected blue from the UV light on the feldspar etc.  Please contact me if you have any questions about the quality of these specimens.  Since these specimens were collected so long ago, and the Foote mine has been closed for many years, this may be a once in a lifetime chance to obtain one of these specimens for your collection.

1) Today I have added 24 new specimens to the Potter-Cramer Mine Showcase Page of my website.   

2) For this Showcase update I tried to add some smaller and less expensive specimens than in the previous updates.  Of course, there are some larger specimens included as well.   

For those of you who are new to my email list, please take the time to read about the Potter-Cramer mine at the top of the Potter-Cramer Mine Showcase page of my website.  I have owned the mine since 2002 and have mined some very significant specimens of the rare mineral wickenburgite.  I have left a lot of the SOLD specimens on the webpage so that new collectors could see some of the fluorescent variety found in this mine.  For those who wish to learn even more about this unique mine, I wrote the definitive article on the mine for the January/February 2021 issue of Rocks and Minerals (see photograph below).  A large display size specimen from the Potter-Cramer mine was used on the cover of this issue.  The editor of Rocks and Minerals asked me to help sell some of the back issues of this release, so I have some for sale for $12.00 plus $10.00 shipping.  If interested, just shoot me an email and I’ll get one sent out to you.

Today I have added 40 new specimens to the Worldwide Showcase Page of my website.  There are four main batches to this update, as well as many single specimens.  A description of some of the larger batches is provided below.

A) Calcite from Zimapan Municipality, Hidalgo, Mexico – I was able to obtain another nice batch of these multicolored calcites from Mexico.  The calcite fluoresces best in shortwave ultraviolet light.  The primary calcite fluoresces various shades of red and yellow, with secondary calcite fluorescing shades of orange, pale blue and green.  The combination of color and various patterns makes these calcite specimens very aesthetic.

B) Ruby in Zoisite, Longido, Arusha, Tanzania – Included in this update is a batch of nicely fluorescent crimson red ruby specimens in white light green zoisite.  It is difficult for my digital camera to capture the true crimson color of the fluorescent response of these ruby specimens.  However, they fluoresce quite nicely.  If using a longwave LED flashlight these specimens will really “pop”.

C) Agrellite, Albite, Thorite, Quebec, Canada – I have quite a large stock of agrellite specimens from Quebec.  It has been a long time since I released a batch of multi-colored specimens consisting of fluorescing pink agrellite, fluorescing crimson red albite and fluorescing green uranyl activated thorite.  I am a big fan of these multi-colored specimens.

D) Hydrozincite, Calcite, Five Islands, Nova Scotia, Canada – I recently obtained a batch of hydrozincite specimens (some with calcite) from Nova Scotia, Canada.  This locality is not one I am familiar with, and I was unable to determine if this was from a recent find or older material.

1. Today I have added 19 new specimens to the United States Showcase Page of my website. 
2. The specimens are all sphalerite from a fairly recent find in Montana.  The sphalerite fluoresces in a multitude of colors under longwave ultraviolet light.  Some of the colors include yellow/orange, pink, violet, pale blue and even red!  You may have seen some of these sphalerites for sale on EBAY or social media platforms.  Those people selling this material may have had permission to own these specimens but were never given permission to sell them.  That is why their posts were quickly removed.  The mine owner’s representative contacted me and asked if I would be willing to sell these sphalerite specimens on behalf of the owner.  I agreed, and currently have these 19 specimens for sale.
3. The sphalerite from this locality will respond to longwave tube lighting.  However, they respond best to longwave LED lighting.  I understand that some people do not own longwave LED flashlights.  For this reason, I have photographed these specimens under both a 36-watt longwave tube lamp and a Convoy C8+ LED flashlight.  If you do not own a longwave LED flashlight, I do have two types available for purchase on my website.

1. It is with great sadness I report that my good friend and fellow fluorescent mineral collector Al Liebetrau passed away on Friday, April 28, 2023.  I have known Al for more than 30 years.  In that time, he proved to be one of the nicest and most dedicated people I have ever met.  He was a giant in the mineral community, both white light and ultraviolet light.  Anyone who knew Al always saw a small notebook with him when he attended mineral shows.  He always took meticulous notes on specimens, dealers, locations etc.  Many times, he would call me and ask if I knew more information about a certain mineral or locality.  I’m sure his mineral catalog was as accurate as one could be.
2. For several years Al was the President of the Fluorescent Mineral Society and did a great job in that position.  With that in mind, there was only one person who could have taken on the monumental task of putting together the FMS’s 50th anniversary exhibit at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show in 2022.  Al dedicated about 3 years to this arduous task.  Needless to say, the exhibit was a success, in spite of all the problems encountered along the way.  It is my understanding that even a week before Al passed away, while in hospice care, he was still talking about fluorescent minerals with those who visited him.  Now that is someone who was truly passionate about his hobby.
3. Al is survived by his wife Sue.  The two were a match made in heaven as she was as dedicated a mineral collector as Al was.  Not only will Sue miss her late husband, but Al will be missed by many in the mineral community.  Truly a great loss for all those who knew him.  My deepest condolences to Sue, his family and friends.  We can all pay tribute to Al by pursuing our hobby with the same passion and vigor that he did.  Rest in peace Al and may God bless.  I will miss you.

George V. Polman

Today I am excited to add 11 new calcite specimens to the Worldwide Showcase Page of my website.  The specimens are from a recent find in Mexico.  The specimens come from a quarry in the Zimapan Municipality, Hidalgo, Mexico.  Each of the 11 specimens were hand-picked for quality from a larger lot.  The calcite fluoresces best in shortwave ultraviolet light.  The primary calcite fluoresces various shades of red and yellow, with secondary calcite fluorescing shades of orange, pale blue and green.  The combination of color and various patterns makes these calcite specimens very aesthetic.

Today I have added 41 new specimens to the Worldwide Showcase Page of my website.  This batch consists of specimens from England, Italy, Afghanistan, China, Canada and more.

1. During the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, I visited the Rocks and Minerals magazine booth.  Marie, who is the editor of the magazine, asked if I could help them sell the two back issues focusing on fluorescent minerals.  These issues were designed in order to complement the Fluorescent Mineral theme for the 2021 and 2022 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show.
2. The first issue (below) is the January/February 2021 issue.  On the cover is a photograph of the largest and most aesthetic specimen of wickenburgite, willemite and fluorite ever produced from the Potter-Cramer mine in Arizona.  This issue also contains an article I authored on the Potter-Cramer mine, the Type locality for the rare lead silicate wickenburgite.  A list of the featured articles for this issue is provided below the cover photograph.
3. The second issue (below) is the January/February 2022 issue.  On the cover is a photograph of a very nice specimen of Shuster Park margarosanite, willemite and calcite from the Franklin Mine in New Jersey.  This issue contains an article I authored on the fluorescent mineral history of the Nellie James mine in Arizona.  A list of the featured articles for this issue is provided below the cover photograph.
4. If you don’t subscribe to Rocks and Minerals, these two issues would make a great addition to your fluorescent mineral reference library.  The issues are $12.00 each.  Since magazines cannot be sent via media mail, and due to the weight of both issues, the cheapest way to ship these is through the US Post Office (Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope).  The shipping cost is $9.65.  The magazines will be shipped with a piece of cardboard for protection during shipping.  I will be offering these magazines for sale soon through my website as well.
5. If you wish to purchase these two issues, please email me at

gpolman@polmanminerals.com.  We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, PayPal and personal checks.

1. Today I have added 34 new specimens to the United States Showcase Page of my website.  
2. The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show is now over for 2023.  Although I did not sell at the show this year, many thanks to those who came up from Tucson to visit.   I spent several days in Tucson early in the show, making sure to obtain quality fluorescent specimens for my customers!   I won’t make any announcements yet about these specimens but will make information available when they are ready for sale.

Today I have added 38 new specimens to the Worldwide Showcase Page of my website.   This batch consists of specimens from Greenland, Australia, England, Italy and more.