Tuesday Update – World Cup of Minerals

LIKE it or loath it, the 2026 FIFA World Cup has started, hosted jointly by the USA, Canada and Mexico. I am normally an avid fan, but perhaps it is the time difference between America and England but I must confess to having only seen part of one match so far.

Nevertheless, I had the thought that it would be fun to try and represent every competing country with a mineral specimen. Simple right? Hmm, then the realization dawned, that I hadn’t even heard of some of the countries, let alone seen a specimen from there. For example, Curacao, an island in the Caribbean has a population of just 155,000 and is notable for… salt.

There are 48 national teams in the World Cup finals. 31 teams are represented in today’s mineral listing and, to get the total number up to 36, I have given a bonus specimen to each of the host nations, another for the holders, Argentina, and one extra for the previous host nation, France.

If the tournament was based on the value of specimens, then the final would likely be between Colombia and South Africa, but on the basis of the first few real football matches that seems highly unlikely.

It will be interesting to see how the countries perform, both with the ball, and as crystals. Everyone’s collecting goals are different, which is part of what makes mineral collecting so special. Like in football, some like to see lots of corners [in their crystals], but possession is not everything, as Switzerland discovered to their cost against Qatar the other day. Ultimately, it is the end result that matters most.

It is not always the most expensive players that perform best on the biggest stage, so always look out for the upcoming talent - the as yet undiscovered gems - just like at mineral shows. Sometimes a grouping of specimens works better as a ‘team’ display rather than a single object and that is the beauty of planning a collection. In the mineral collecting world the options are almost boundless and not restricted like the generational talent pool faced by some football nations. And like the saying goes: “Class is permanent, form is temporary”, the same applies to minerals.

Next week, our attention turns to minerals from Africa. This will include new finds from the Democratic Republic of Congo and superb older specimens from historic collections we have recently acquired, including material from Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia, Morocco, Zimbabwe and the Republic of the Congo.

I hope that you have a great week, and if you are following the World Cup that your team has a successful tournament.

Please note: Today's featured specimens are situated at both our US and UK showrooms.