Mica Mine Schoolhouse

An exploration of Muscovite Mica how cool is that

An explosion of Muscovite.

Have e nice

"Who is Jim Pecora? Who ISN'T he! Known locally as the "New Hampshire Rock Guy", Jim is a passionate author, mining historian, lapidarist, and even the Executive Director of the New England Mineral Museum (NEMM). When he’s not leading educational programs or exploring New England's mining history, you can find him capturing the beauty of light through photography or crafting art from wood and stone. Known as "the Rock Guy," Jim is dedicated to preserving New England’s rich geology, Native American history, and mining heritage.

WMC is very excited to have Jim as one of our demonstration hosts! He will be showing off his wire-wrapping skills— check out his Instagram to get a preview of what's in store!"

47th Annual Worcester Mineral Club Mineral, Gem, Fossil and Jewelry Show

We had a wonderful visit today at Pecora's Metaphysical Mica Mine Schoolhouse.

Rick, Jeanie, my #1 Fan Lori and I had a wonderful dinner together as well.
Jim Pecora Crystal Rock Arts NEMMrocks Jeanie Pecora

Now this is one very impressive and large Standing Stone. A visit to this pub is on the bucket list.

5000 years ago, the Neolithic people of Dartmoor, UK cut and placed this 27 feet high standing stone of granite where The Oxenham Arms pub is now located.
The pub was built around it about 800 years ago, the stone goes all the way down into the foundation’s in the cellar.

OMGosh what a story, what a beautiful site ...

Deep beneath Yekaterinburg, Russia, lies a striking network of salt mines, where vibrant, naturally occurring stripes of carnallite create an almost surreal underground landscape. These psychedelic patterns, formed by mineral deposits, stretch across miles of tunnels, turning what was once an industrial site into a natural wonder.

These mines, which date back to Russia’s 20th-century industrial expansion, were key to the nation’s agricultural development. The mineral carnallite, crucial for fertilizer production, was extracted here as part of the Soviet effort to boost crop yields. While a small section remains operational today, much of the mine is now abandoned and accessible only by special permit.

Photographer Mikhail Mishainik, fascinated by the hidden beauty of the mines, spent over 20 hours exploring their depths. He and his team navigated winding, pitch-black tunnels, risking gas leaks, landslides, and disorientation to capture the stunning scenery. For Mishainik, these dangers are part of the thrill—an opportunity to explore a subterranean landscape few have ever witnessed, where geology and history intersect in a remarkable display of nature’s artistry.

📸: Mikhail Mishainik

Wanna learn about a very unique mushroom!

Fang-tastic Fungus: the bleeding tooth fungus! 🩸🍄‍🟫

The bleeding tooth fungus, also known as Devil’s tooth fungus or strawberries and cream (isn’t that nice?), is a type of mushroom that oozes a thick, red fluid from the pores on its cap. Imagine stumbling upon this ghastly spectacle in the woods! The exact reason for the “bleeding” is unknown, but some think it’s to cause nightmares or enhance your fear of dentists, the devil, or strawberries. Wait, we’ve been informed that is not 100% correct. Ah, the gooey red liquid is a sap of sorts that oozes in a process called guttation. Gutta what? Our gut says it’s a process by which plants force out water droplets from the tips or edges of their leaves. This typically occurs when the plant has absorbed water through its roots faster than it can transpire through its leaves. In the case of the fungus, the sap bleeds through the surface. Talk about a mushroom with a penchant for drama. Horror? Definitely drama.

Is it edible? Why is the first question people ask when encountering something unusual in nature always, Can I eat it? Technically, anything is safe to eat once. But since you asked, the Bleeding Tooth Fungus, although not toxic, is known to taste so bitter (someone took one for the team) as to be inedible. Although it may look like strawberries and cream, it tastes like bitterness and regret.

In conclusion, if you happen upon the bleeding tooth fungus in your woodland wanderings, just remember—it’s all fun and games until the mushrooms start bleeding!

Image: Closeup up of bleeding tooth fungus at Isle Royale National Park.

Great info ...

There are multiple different reasons that a mineral can fluoresce; the mineral itself can be inherently fluorescent through its chemical composition, there can be activators and coactivators replacing atoms in the crystal structure that fluoresce, crystallographic defects (errors in the arrangement of atoms in the structure) can disturb the electrostatic balance and promote fluorescence, and there can be inclusions or a coating of another material in a non-fluorescent mineral that does fluoresce.

Common activator and coactivator elements include manganese [Mn2+], lead [Pb2+], tungsten [(WO4)2-], molybdenum [Mo6+], boron, titanium [(TiO6)8-], uranium [(UO2)2-], chromium [Cr3+], silver [Ag+], and rare earth elements such as europium, terbium [Tb3+], dysprosium [Dy3+], samarium [Sm3+], and yttrium. One of the common inclusions of fluorescent organic material is humic acid.

Last all days for the General Public to attend the newly reopend Ruggles Mine in 2025!

FINAL DAYS of Rockhounding
for the General Public at Ruggles Mine for 2024 will be:

- Friday, Oct 4
- Saturday, Oct 5
- Sunday, Oct 6
- Friday, Oct 11
- Saturday, Oct 12
- Sunday, Oct 13

Weekend of Oct 5/6 there will be a number of New England Mineral Clubs on site for pretty serious mineral collecting.
Nashoba Valley Mineralogical Society
Maine Mineralogical and Geological Society
Southeastern New Hampshire Mineral Club Group
Kennebec Rocks and Minerals Club
Penobscot Mineral and Lapidary Club
Oxford County Mineral & Gem Association
Capital Mineral Club

I was paused in Irving MA last evening at the beautiful Vetrans Memorial.

Now this post of the most amazing specimen I from the famous Red Emvers Mine in Irving MA.


for sure!

Almandine-pyrope garnets in graphite, which have an amazing cherry-red color when backlit. From the Red Embers Mine, Erving, Franklin Co, Massachusetts.

Photo Copyright ©️

Purchased a really cool piece of Mica memorbilia.

An advertising piece for the Museum's collection of "Mica Axel Greese" a critical component of any wagon train headed West!

It's kinda accurate, yet writing was rushed and riddled with errors. Too bad because the color blue is one of the most amazing stories in History!

Book my lecture "Acres of Diamonds, what does the color Blue have to do with the Curse of the Hope Diamond?"

The full story will blow your mind! Eric said my lecture was "Enthralling" the single best compliment I have ever gotten!

New England wide, message me now!

"The Egyptian Blue"
Egyptian Blue is the oldest known artificial pigment. The Blue color has been throughout the history of humanity one of the most quoted, identified by it with royalty and divinity, due to the difficulty of its obtaining.
Blue pigments were used from very old, but more late than others such as red, Black, brown or ochre, easier to get in nature and used already in the art art. But the most quoted blue pigment came from minerals such as lapis, scarce and rare, and therefore very expensive. The largest lapis deposits are located in the hindukush of Afghanistan, where they are still exploited with procedures very similar to employees more than 3.000 years ago.
The Egyptians cared about those mines large amounts of lapis to obtain the azurite, the dust that provided the blue pigment with which they adorned their artistic works. Its price was so high that even in medieval times still cuadriplicaba the gold. That"s why towards 3000 BC they sought a way to make their own blue pigment. Little by little they were perfecting the technique, which consisted of grinding silica, lime, copper and an alkaline base, and heat it at 800-900 degrees Celsius. The result obtained is considered the first synthetic pigment in history.
The Egyptians used it to paint wood, papyri and canvases, coloring enamels, inlays and vessels. But especially in the funerary field in masks, statues and paintings of the graves, as they believed that the blue color protected the dead from evil in the other life. The oldest known example of the pigment dates from about 5000 years ago and was found in the painting of a tomb of the reign of ka-Sen, the last Pharaoh of the first dynasty. In the new kingdom the Egyptian Blue was used abundantly as a pigment being found in statues, paintings of tombs and sarcophagi.