J.M. Mooney Fine Minerals and Art LLC

J.M. Mooney Fine Minerals and Art LLC J.M. Mooney Fine Minerals and Art LLC brings the unusual right to you! We specialize in gems, minerals, fossils, and rock art.

03/15/2026

One of the most beautiful green fluorite specimens I've seen in a very long time. Big with some well defined crystals but then back lit? Wow! Fluorite is calcium fluoride and while it is very desirable with collectors due to its varied colors, it's also an industrially significant mineral. Being used for its optical properties as well as a flux for various metallurgy applications! Super cool 😎!

03/13/2026

This almost alien crystal formation is a stalactitic cluster of apophyllite (likely fluorapophyllite) and stilbite-ca. Not only are the individual crystals top quality, the formation is so bizarre. Delicate even. This specimen was seen March 13th 2026 at the Kansas City Gem and Mineral Show.

02/25/2026

Since the turn of the last century a common name for iron pyrite (and chalcopyrite) has been "fool's gold" for it's ability to deceive inexperience prospectors into thinking they had found gold. So what are the main factors you should look at to determine if you found real gold or not. Here are four: tenacity, Hardness, specific gravity, and structure. Does it break or is it malleable? If it's more malleable then it's likely native gold. Is it soft? If it is around a 3 on the mohs scale of hardness, that's a good indicator that the mineral specimen is gold rather than pyrite. Does it feel heavier than it should? A high specific gravity is a good indicator as well. Using water that is around 35 degrees Fahrenheit you can divide the dry weight of the specimen by its dry weight minus its weight suspended by a string in said water. If you do it right, that's your specific gravity. A 15-19.3 is likely gold compared to pyrite's 4.8-5.0. Finally a visual check! Pyrite likes to form in cubes and octahedrites while gold can as well but will typically be distorted with sunken faces. Gold also will form in nuggets or feathery crystals while pyrite won't. And if the pyrite is in a "nugget form" you'll still generally see cube or octahedral crystals making up the nugget. Taking a couple of these tests can help you figure out if you have native gold or pyrite - fool's gold.

An image of some of the finest lepidolite you'll ever see (via mindat.org). Lepidolite is a name given to a series of li...
02/18/2026

An image of some of the finest lepidolite you'll ever see (via mindat.org). Lepidolite is a name given to a series of lithium bearing micas. Which are rapidly becoming a significant source for the lithium that has become a huge part of our industrialized world. The battery in the phone I'm posting this with right now has a hearty amount of lithium in it, after all. If it can't be farmed, it has to be mined.

02/08/2026

Just some cool mineral specimens for your weekend! Got some malachite, conichalcite, chlorite quartz and more! Just realized it's mostly green minerals. Nice!

02/06/2026

Manganoan calcite (or Mangano calcite) is a manganese (mg+2) rich calcite where the manganese has replaced some of the calcium in the calcite typical crystalline structure. These manganese impurities act as activator, reaching an excited state under various wavelengths of light and giving off a beautiful fluorescent glow! So cool!

01/01/2026

The garnet group (not to be confused with the garnet super group) is a group of silicate minerals that are delineated by chemical make up (and have the same structure). They tend to form from volcanic or metamorphic events, have a 6.5-7.5 Hardness, and the absolute best structure! Garnets range in a wide variety of colors (not just red) and have been used in jewelry for around 5,100 years! This historically significant gemstone has been loved by generations and civilizations. Each one is unique and a lovely little prize. The name itself is derived from the Latin word "granatum" which means pomegranate, in allusion to how much they look like pomegranate seeds. We live on a beautiful designed and dynamic planet. Have a good day.

12/29/2025

The Tri State Zinc and Lead District of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri was one of the most prolific mining districts in modern history. Running for over 120 years with approximately 4,000 Mines AND producing nearly 25 BILLION USD of processed material in 2025 dollarydoos. Minerals have a lot of stories to tell, for sure. And this sphalerite and chalcopyrite on chert is no exception.

10/31/2025

This, of course, is not including the garnet supergroup which includes a lot of garnet-like vanadates. Garnet is a complex silicate mineral that has been a prize to collectors for thousands of years. Traditionally people may also assume all garnets are red, but this is not the case. Pyrope, almandine, and spessartine garnets can be red, but uvavorite can be green. Andradite (demantoid) can be green. They can be orange and many other colors! Each locality of garnet is a little bit different. Have a great day!

While supplies last. If I run out of my series of nifty specimens to send out I'll switch to $10+ Mystery bags until eit...
10/24/2025

While supplies last. If I run out of my series of nifty specimens to send out I'll switch to $10+ Mystery bags until either my supplies or time runs out. This is one of the biggest sales I've had on my shop in the past so if you're wanting some cool locality minerals and crystals, check out my site. And you'll get a cool mineral OR fossil on top of that! Woo hoo! Any outstanding orders I have will automatically have this applied to them (looking at you fluorite dude).

10/23/2025

Fluorite was named in 1797 from the Latin word "fluere" which means "to flow" alluding to its use as a flux in various metal works. Specimens from all over the world garner attention for fluorite's wide range of color and pleasing geometric shapes. Illinois specimens are now hard to find, for instance, since overall mining shut down in the 90s. The specimens you see here are from another classic locality, New Mexico. And are excellent mineral specimens for the collector wanting U.S. localities. Have a good day.

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11010 Dillon Outer Rd
Rolla, MO
65401

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