THE HISTORY OF YMC
ABOUT US
The Young Mineral Collectors (YMC) group was founded in September 2018 by Lauren Megaw and Gawan Fiore, as a way to connect young people in the mineral community all over the world. Now, we are a global organization of over 2,200 mineral enthusiasts. We use Facebook groups and a Discord as our primary social organization platforms, but we also have a presence at shows and conferences, and share media related to the group on Instagram and YouTube. Our goal is to promote this fantastic hobby and ensure its longevity over generations.
When it began, YMC was an experiment in digital interaction; though some mineral pages existed online, no major mineral club was purely virtual. The success of YMC thus far, and the friendships that have emerged from it demonstrate that this format can work for the mineral community. Of course, we also hold a variety of in-person events including social gatherings, collection tours, displays at shows, and field collecting trips.
Beyond that, YMC is also a great avenue for education. In addition to the knowledge-sharing that occurs on a daily basis, we also publish an article written by a YMC member every month, provide virtual video tours of museums all over the world, and plan on hosting educational talks in the near future. As we grow, we anticipate turning our educational outreach toward the general public in order to raise awareness about mineral collecting and bring new collectors into the hobby.
These activities are all facilitated by the YMC Leadership Team (seen below), often in coordination with interested members of the group.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT
JESSE SANSEVERE
Colorado, USA
Member since 2022
Favorite Mineral: Topaz
Jesse Sansevere was born 1992 and lived in suburbs of NYC until moving to Connecticut in 2000. He currently resides in the Denver area for the past 11 years. He has been an active YMC member since 2022 and has so far lead four YMC Field Trips across the U.S., with more to come!
VICE PRESIDENT
MATTHEW METZLER
Arizona, USA
Member since 2019
Favorite Mineral: Sperrylite
Matt is a production geologist by trade. His collection contains specimens from around the world with special suites of minerals from the Midwest, Canada, and Russia. In addition to being vice president of YMC, he is also a member of the Mineralogical Society of Arizona (MSA) the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society, Cuyuna Rock Gem and Mineral Society, and the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME).
SECRETARY
TAMA HIGUCHI
Texas, USA
Member since 2019
Favorite Mineral: Neptunite
Tama Higuchi is a watercolor mineral artist and thumbnail collector, with a focus on aesthetics and KMF mineral species. She loves to create watercolor mineral “portraits” of specimens from her collection, many of which have been exhibited and published around the globe, from Nanjing, China, to Munich, Germany. In the “real” world, Tama is a graphic/brand designer and illustrator at a Dallas-based independent studio.
TREASURER
LAUREN MARIE JAFFE
Georgia, USA
Member since 2020
Favorite Mineral: Chrysoberyl var. Alexandrite
Lauren is a mining engineer and a collector of rare, gem minerals. When she’s not helping YMC, Lauren enjoys carnivorous gardening, barbequing, and taking care of her cats.
WEBMASTER
TOMER SHAPIRA
New Jersey, USA
Member since 2023
Favorite Mineral: Corundum
Tomer is a mineral photographer and collector. His collection specializes in pegmatite minerals, corundum geology, and the tourmaline family, where specimens are preferably on matrix and above roughly 5-6cm in their longest dimension.