Skip to main content

Curating a Crystal Mineral Collection




       Crystals and Minerals have been coveted since ancient times. These mysterious, eons old beauties connect us with nature and center us in a world of sensory overload. Truly, they are nature's most beautiful medium and savvy decorators use them to enhance the decor of homes around the world. They work with every decor style, mid-century, bohemian, traditional, French,or Italian.
        Some women covet jewels but I prefer them in their natural state and I have collected a number of quartz crystal specimens, a few of which you can see below...



These gold leafed amethysts mounted on clear acrylic bases are very versatile...


This enormous quartz point and  a set of 4 quartz point candle holders add ambiance  as they catch the morning light...

A perfectly placed specimen enhances artwork..and can make a conversation starting centerpiece.



 When I first began collecting, pieces were only available at fleamarkets and mineral shows. Both are still great sources. Now however you can find them on Chairish,at Horchow and numerous other online sites dedicated to decor. I have a few mounted on museum stands, like sculpture but in general I prefer a more casual approach, resting on books or other unexpected locations.



No matter which  type of mineral you gravitate to, you cannot deny that Nature is  the world's best designer!



















Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Antique Wardian Cases

When I moved into my present city apartment, a mere 680 square feet,  Things had to serve a purpose. No longer could this antique wardian case hold trinkets for display, it had to be functional. So I gave up a rather large chunk of my micro kitchen to grow fresh herbs. I figure it is a fair trade off. I have a full spectrum vita light shining on the plants and they seem to do quite well in there. I adore wardian cases, terrariums and the like. They were a fixture in the Palace of Versailles like the one above, and later the Victorians made great use of them when it was discovered that they could successfully transport rare species of plants home from  around the globe. I thought I would share some pinned photos of various styles.. Imitation cases are usually zinc and plexiglass ,like this one I spotted at a local market. You can tell the age of a real one by the thickness and color of the glass.The glass will most often be 1/4 inch to a 1/2 inch. They are always quite

Southern Bacon and Crawfish Cornbread Dressing

Imagine you are dining outside at Blake Shelton's house this Thanksgiving and deep frying some big turkeys. A crawfish dressing would probably be on the menu. Deep fried turkeys and outdoor dining on Thanksgiving day is very popular in the South. And while people don't wild catch crawfish like they did a century ago, crawfish are always popular on the menu. Here I have  paired it with bacon, corn, mirepoix,and jalapenos to give you a dressing with real local flavor. Here is what you need: 5 cups crumbled cornbread 1 1/2 lbs  boiled crawfish tails ( frozen is fine) 10 ounces bacon, cooked and coarsely crumbled 12 ounces yellow corn 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion 1/1/2 cups chopped celery 1/1/2 cups green red and orange bell pepper 1 jalapeno ( optional) 2 eggs beaten 2 cups chicken stock salt, thyme, and sage to taste. Fry your bacon until it is ready to crumble, remove from pan and set aside. Saute the mirepoix, (onions ,peppers and celery) corn and jalap

Birdcage Beauties

Bird keeping is an ancient art. Long before the Spaniards invaded Mexico, Macaws were being bred as pets and the Japanese were cultivating beautiful songbirds. But of course it was the French, during the time of Louis XIV that brought bird keeping into popular culture. These birds all needed housing and the variety of cages designed for them is as varied as our own homes. From the Baroque... ..to primitive... ..whether for decor impact, or for keeping live birds..  beautiful bird cages, with their airy design adds ambiance to every space they grace. It is no surprise that they are the darlings of decorators around the world. If you love bird cages as much as we do, we offer this gilded cage currently on Chairish. https://www.chairish.com/product/286472/gilded-birdcage  or click our icon in the right hand column. A stunning home for a pair of Java Temple Birds, Finches or Canaries. Until next time..