Collector Spotlight: Aubin Cosson

1. How many years have you been collecting and what started your passion?

I have been really interested in fossils since middle school (my biology teacher was a geologist, she’s now my mentor and friend). She started bringing me with her to the field to find fossils and small things (nothing crazy, but i kept them all). I started collecting minerals at 15 when I watched the TV Show Prospectors (yeah, I know, not very original). I was already passionate by nature but not really into mineralogy. And I guess that it’s the research of the perfect aesthetics what really motivated me.

But my collection became way more serious when I turned 18 (because I could drive!). Moreover, at the geology faculty at uni, with 4 friends, we started to prospect a lot together and it became really really serious (and we have found some crazy fluorites). We’ll expose as dealers for the first time next week at the Lyon’s show.

2. What’s the focus of your collection and has that changed through time? Why?

I have always collected French minerals and more especially French Fluorite. I also really enjoy American classics (like Illinois and Tennessee fluorite, Wulfenite from Arizona and minerals from Ojuela Mine in Mexico). My focus didn’t really change through time.

**3. What do you like to do outside of mineral collecting? (hobbies, job, music taste, etc). **

I’m studying geology so it’s a major part of my life at the moment. But I also often do horseback riding (I have several horses), spear fishing, caving, climbing…. I’m really into sports. Also, I'm part of several student associations on the campus I'm studying so it takes a lot of time.

4. What’s your favorite species? Why?

I really love Fluorite because of the diversity of shapes, colors, associations and truncations. Also because it is a mineral frequently encountered on the field (and especially in France, we have more than 1240 occurrences). This mineral is really interesting to dig because it’s very fragile and brittle. So it can make you cry, jump out of joy or both at the same time !

5. Have you been to any shows? If so, what;s your favorite part of them? If not, are there any particular ones you would want to experience one day?

Yes, I have already been to a lot of mineral shows. The advantage is that France is a « small » country and it’s very easy to move in it. So I was able to participate in several shows like Lyon, Paris, Châtel-Guyon, ect. And a lot more are planned like Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines.

Also, I'm organizing the Beauvais’ mineral show in March 2022. It’s a great opportunity for me to manage a project like that.

6. Are you a stay-at-home collector or do you collect on the field too?

I’m everything but not a « stay-at-home » collector! A very big part of my collection is self collected (i would say 85 to 90%). It’s a bit repetitive because I might have several hundreds of similar specimens from the same area (or pocket). With my team, we mainly dig in Auvergne because there’s some very productives mines (even if they’re supposed to be closed !). I also travelled to a lot of localities in France (like Valzergues, Le Franciman etc..., always looking for fluorite).

7. If you could give any advice to someone new to the hobby, what would it be?

It’s the geologist who’ll speak there haha ! But just go on the field, observe, learn and draw. Nature is the best teacher. That’s how geology has to be learned (and every passion linked to nature too), not in labs. I mean, you can learn in labs but you won’t be a good field geologist.

Also, read a lot, that’s how you get knowledge; go to mineral shows to learn about minerals and speak with dealers, they have important knowledge to share too.

If I had to summarize geology and mineralogy, it would be really easy : friends, sharing, rocks and field trips !