by Allan Taylor

Created on: July 27, 2011   Last Updated: July 31, 2011

Home decor is a fascinating and extensive subject. It reflects the interests and personality of the occupant of the space decorated. Sometimes the nature of the building determines the decor to a certain degree. So where do minerals and fossils fit in?

Let’s reflect over what is common practice today. Think of your friends’ houses and how their lounge rooms are decorated. Certain extremes are common, such as the sparse ultra-modern look with a few choice prints or paintings, or the homely untidy look with filled bookcases and magazines in abundance. Also there will be an overprint, weak or strong, of greenery, of pot plants, which do much to calm the mind of both occupant and visitor.

Mineral and crystal specimens are becoming increasingly popular to own, use and display. This has come about by the surge of interest in crystal healing which is an off-shoot of the power of positive thinking. Innumerable businesses import and sell fine specimens for this purpose and also for collectors and decorators of home and office. This is a welcome development.

Even a single fine mineral specimen can make an impact in a room or office. Don’t over do it, like what may be acceptable with greenery. For example, a paper weight cluster of glistening yellow Peruvian pyrite immediately attracts your attention. You can pick it up and fondle it to admire its crystal faces. You can’t do this with a pot plant. It is something completely different and has a positive impact on your mind. You unconsciously feel a rapport with the specimen and its owner.

So too with other choice mineral specimens, such as quartz crystal clusters and lone pointy prismatic quartz crystals that sit on a flat base, and amethyst geodes that come from Brazil and Uruguay. A $100 or less will buy you a nice decorative specimen. They last for ever and only need occasional washing or dusting.

Crystals and gemstones are considered to be the flowers of the mineral kingdom. Let’s use them to decorate our abode just as we would put pretty flowers in a vase to attain a cheery and welcoming atmosphere.

I have always considered the ore minerals to be the vegetables of the mineral kingdom. We eat vegetables, like we use ore minerals to extract useful metals like iron, lead and copper. Large lumps of hematite (iron ore), glistening galena (lead ore) and chalcopyrite (copper ore) make fine display items and are not costly, although heavier than other specimens.

Other crystals to consider for

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