Collector Spotlight: Jay Chemelli
1. How many years have you been collecting and what started your passion?
I have been collecting crystals and mineral specimens since I was 19 which would be going on 17yrs now, I had a agate sliced geode when I was a kid but never had anyone around me to really spark my interest in minerals untill I was older and was on Dead tour and met a few people who were selling rocks... which to me was different and I had never seen anyone selling rocks before.. I ended up making friends with a few of these people right away and they had some really cool crystals with them, which really sparked my interest in them right away. (I'm still good friends with most of these crystal friends to this day as well) It was not until I was given a piece of Black Tourmaline from a vendor at a Music Festival that I was attending (I still have that piece of black Tourmaline as well btw), after that it really took a grip on me and I started looking into where I could find some crystals for sale. Luckily I had a few friends who had been collecting for a few years and told me I had to go to Arizona for the gemshow and thats where to buy the crystals im looking for. So off to Quartzsite in January I went for my first Gemshow which was a really crazy experience being in the middle of the desert with thousands of people camping and selling their wares, thats is where the crystal bug really bit me and many years later here we are ;)
2. What's the focus of your collection and has that changed through time? Why?
Focus that is something I have Never been good at when it comes to Crystals but I would say that I was heavily into Tourmaline right away as all the different colors that are available either in the same crystal or in general the fact there is so many different sub species of Tourmaline and that it is found all over the World and that makes it very collectible as theres always a hunt for a crystal from a specific find or locale. All the different formations and associations that Tourmalime grows in and with always make it fun geometry wise as well. I did focus on a specific size range more than anything in the beginning which could be being the bigger specimens were always more $$, but I focused alot on smaller jewelry sized crystals in general as I had my friends make me some jewelry and I always supplied other artists with material as well. Which Today I now have alot of really nice Thumbnails because of it so it worked out well.
Yes my "focus" has changed many times over the years indeed and I would attest that to the fact the more you learn along this collecting journey the more certain things become alot more interesting to you and you start to realize what actually interests you and why. I also feel its good to expand your horizons in the Mineral world and be open to new things as there are so many aesthetically pleasing crystals & minerals, Combos and Multiple Mineral Associations out there and if you only focus on one thing you will miss out on something new and exciting that could really be something you will love! Be Open to Change in Your Collection Always!
3. What do you like to do outside of mineral collecting? (hobbies, job, music taste, etc).
So my job is one of the best there is, I am a crystal and mineral dealer I own Mother Natures Recipes. I mostly work online but I also setup at Gemshows as well including Denver, Tucson etc, I am also a Music Festival Vendor so I spend alot of time at music festivals with lots of live music which I Love as well of course. I am a Deadhead so I have seen alot of live music all over the country and have met lots of grate people on my journeys including lots of mineral friends along the way as well as good Music brings like minded people together. I also like to fish as much as I can get a chance to as well and hope to get lots more salt water fishing in in the future.
4. 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 been to quite a few Shows, Quartzsite, Tucson, Denver, East coast and a few locale shows to me here in NY where I live. So my favorite part of going to shows is getting to see all my Mineral Friends that I don't get to see often enough and get to connect and talk about minerals together and life of course. I love all the Minerals of course and any new finds is always super interesting and fun to see and find out info about. I do like to see the personal collections of people that are on display, to see some world class collections always resparks interest in me for our Great Community . In terms of being a dealer at the shows I love helping people add new specimens to their collection and the joy of them finding what they have been looking for, is always a great fealing. I really want to go to the Munich, St Marie, Hong Kong and the Tokyo shows and more someday and get to experience the thrill of the hunt in a different part of the World.
5. What is your favorite/dream specimen outside of your collection? Why?
My Favorite Dream Specimen... that's a Hard Question but I would have to say the Bluecap Rubellite Tourmaline crystals from the Queen and King Mines in San Diego California are on the very top of my list. Specifically the 1972 Shiny cap "Rabbit Ears" from the Queen mine and the "Steamboat" from the King mine are 2 of the most known Tourmaline Specimens in the World and are In Highly Protected Collections including the Smithsonian.. True American Mineral Treasures and Dream Specimens to be able to have in my collection is indeed a Real Dream... But its so hard to really say because obviously the "Alma King" Rhodochrosite is just Amazing as well as the "Star of Pederneira Tourmaline Specimen, which I was fortunate to see once. There are soo many Exceptional World Class Minerals that I could list... good thing we can Dream about these Specimens...
6. What fuels your enthusiasm for mineral collecting?
I love crystals, crystals which are the finest purest form of any mineral and Mother Nature's Recipes can make some really special unique things. The natural formations, colors and aesthetics of crystals make each and every single one of them unique and special and that really interests me, the uniqueness and purity of a crystal and the fact that there could be 10,000 crystals on a table and not one of them is exactly the same as another make them even more special. I really like Rare crystals, One Time Finds and unique aesthetics over all and am very particar about damage on my Minerals, so the hunt for a perfect specimen is always a Huge Thrill!
7. What specific aspect of the hobby would you like to learn more about?
I love this Hobby so much because there is Always something to Learn and no one knows Everything about this hobby. I would like to do more mining and learn more about that part of the industry, underground mining specifically would be very interesting and I think i would be into finding crystals deep in a mountain and being the very first person to see and hold something that is thousands or millions of years old, that connection is very special indeed. I would also like to learn more about the prep side of the hobby as well as I like very clean minerals and would like to learn how to clean and trim my own specimens alot more, my next investment will be a bead blaster and that will be rather addicting I am sure...
Thank you all for reading a little bit about me and my Journey into the Wonderful World of Minerals! I am available always to chat with anyone of course and am always interested in making new Mineral friends. I'm looking forward to chatting with alot more of you in the Future!