Mineral Collections of Russia,
Edited by Dmitrii V. Rundqvist
published by Ocean Pictures Ltd.
Russia, 2000. Softcover, color,
8-1/2” x 11”, 129 pages, $44.00.

Reviewed by June Culp Zeitner.

Interest in the minerals found in Russia has never been greater, and here is a fascinating and beautiful book which will only increase that interest. Written by curators, professional mineralogists, and amateurs, this book documents 14 superb personal collections dating back to the 18th century. Eight of these collections are in museums. The six personal collections are described by those who have studied the collections and those who have made the collections. The pictures are exciting, many of them by Michael Leibov, noted for his videos of Russian treasures. This book celebrates the 300th anniversary of the Geological Survey of Russia.

As is true in America, great Russian collections have been made by amateurs and professionals, by well-known and high-placed individuals, as well as by those almost unknown to the public, and by such diverse people as Peter the Great, Archbishop Nil, and A.A. Kammer, the “mining druggist.”

Most of the collections are not systematic — an outstanding exception is that of Igor Pekov, a professional mineralogist whose estimable collection highlights the minerals of the Kola Peninsula. Pekov was instrumental in the discovery of 11 new minerals, four of them through careful study of his own collection.

For the most part, most of the collections included in this book include minerals from the former Soviet Union. However, some of the museum collections have classic specimens from the United States, Brazil, Japan, Australia, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and more.

Polished gem materials are notable absent from many collections, but Vyacheslav Kalachev, who worked on the Pamir spinel and clinohumite gems, indicates high interest in polished specimens, such as jasper, agate, charoite, lazurite, and rhodonite. He is especially fond of “landscape stones” and named a favorite jasper slab, “A Martian Runs by the Milky Way.” (Boris Kantor commented that lapidary was a leading part of the mineral hobby in the 1960s, also a highwater mark in America.)

Kantor started his collection when he helped his son prepare for a science project at school. Victor Ivanovich Stepanov, a distinguished Russian mineralogist, was sought out by Kantor and the two became friends, travelling together to Karelia, the Urals, Georgia, and Azerbaijen. Among my favorite Kantor specimens are curly chalcedony pseudo stalactites and fanlike crystals of epidote with a variety appearance.

Vladamir Pelepenko, and electrical engineer from Yekaterinburg, found an emerald when he was a student and has been an ardent collector ever since. He was also acquainted with Stepanov. His collection of about 10,000 specimens includes many agates and 150 Faberge-style stone carvings. Pelepenko also went into the jewelry business. One of his specimens is a broken blue-green beryl crystal in matrix. The four sections, obviously part of one crystal, are in a vertical line separated by gaps — but it is apparent that they could never fit together.

I’d love to see two strange specimens from the Stepanov collection. An aggregate of spheroidal barite looks like pulled taffy just before it is ready to spread out and break into delicious pieces. An unbelievable malachite specimen looks like a carefully combed beehive hairdo of the early ‘70s, except it is vividly green. An aragonite cluster looks like a primitive coral. Then there’s a galena specimen which looks likes it got to hot and started to flow.

The book first describes the outstanding museum collections. Most familiar to the American collector is the Fersman Mineralogical Museum where the Stepanov collection is star. Located in Moscow, this museum is a magnet for collectors. Several fine collections are in St. Petersburg. It would be interesting to have biographical notes about the authors of these eight histories. Of the remaining six articles, one by Kantor is of particular interest.

In addition to writing so well about his own collection, Kantor wrote the introductory chapter, “Collecting Minerals as Environment Protection.” (I wish lots of people who don’t have a clue about mineral collecting could read this.) In this chapter, Kantor makes a strong case for the importance of collecting, and the vital part taken by amateurs. He presents the work and the goals of the collectors, which echo those of American collectors. We can identify with these people. We can dream of visiting their collecting sites. We can hope someday to see some of their treasured specimens. This book is for everyone interested in minerals and gems.

Editor’s Note: To order this book, send a check for $44.00 (postage included) to Mr. Terry Muizing, 5341 Thrasher Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45247. Make checks payable to Mineralogical Almanac. If you are interested in registering for the series, the book is $35.00.

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