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To this collector (Will Heierman, seen above holding a 55 pound sapphire crystal from
Madagascar), CORUNDUM seems to be one of the World's must
underappreciated minerals. I have watched people react with
amazement to our illustrated talks and displays, and I hope this website will enable even
more to share that experience.
Drum roll, please
... I am pleased to welcome Brenda LaCroix
to the "THE CORUNDUM PROJECT" team,
beginning January 3, 2005! Brenda is, as I am, an obsessive
corundum collector. She will be collaborating with me on
PROJECT research, data management, and website organization.
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Brenda will be dividing her time between the PROJECT and her
other passion, assisting abused
and neglected Boston terriers; through fundraising, fostering,
and placement services. |
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We will all benefit from her enthusiasm, boundless energy,
corundumological expertise, and a degree of computer literacy
far greater than my own. |
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Expect to see improvements to
"THE CORUNDUMINIUM" in the near future. We hope
our combined efforts will provide an even more useful and
enjoyable description of this remarkable member of the mineral
kingdom. |
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You cannot imagine my happiness, when I realized: "Egad!
There are two of us!" |
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Mount San Jacinto, California |
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"THE CORUNDUM PROJECT"
What began more than twenty years ago as a mineral
collecting hobby has grown into "THE CORUNDUM PROJECT", of which this
website is just one manifestation. The project goals, simply stated,
are
1: to assemble the finest possible collection of
CORUNDUM specimens and related library materials our resources will allow,
2: to share visual appreciation and
understanding
through talks, displays, loans, and publications (principally, through this
website), and
3: to find a permanent home for the collection
where it may remain on display and continue to be actively involved in
scientific and historical research.
SERVICES
In addition to photographs and articles, "THE
CORUNDUMINIUM" offers links to others with similar interests, news and
messages, humor, specimens available for sale or trade, and personal
attention to your requests or suggestions.
Please do not hesitate to contact us by email at collector@corunduminium.com
(for Will) or corundogs@charter.net
(for Brenda)
for information about localities, specimens, photographs, etc. If you
have comments or suggestions about website content, or any items you would
like posted here, please direct them to webmaster@corunduminium.com
or to corundogs@charter.net. .
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am greatly indebted to several Friends of the
Project, without whose contributions it would not have reached this stage.
Though too many acknowledgements, like too many CORUNDUM crystals, seem to
lack a termination, I must thank a few very special ones.
1: For their provision of valued information and
substantial gifts to the collection: F. John Barlow, Anil Dholakia,
Bill Larson, Rajeesh Shrestha.
2: For sharing knowledge of collection sites and
rockhounds from whom specimens were obtained: all my fellow mineral
club members in New York, Montana, and Texas.
3: For their appreciation and encouragement
which motivated the development of "THE CORUNDUM PROJECT": the staffs
of the American Museum of Natural History and the Gemological Institute of
America.
4: For his indispensable help with the designing
and construction of this website for a "computer illiterate":
webmaster Mike Billingsley of Ewebdesigning.
COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS
There are no copyright restrictions whatsoever on any
of my own text or images here, though in any publication or distribution
proper credit to the source is requested. However, links to other
sites may access material which is the property of others, and the rights
and restrictions of these owners must be respected.
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