Collector Spotlight: Jingnan Zhang
1) How many years have you been collecting and what started your passion?
I’ve been collecting about 12~13 years.
I do not quite remember the accurate time when I got start mineral collecting now, I am 19 so I probably started at six or seven years old, none of my parents, relatives or friends who know minerals, and there are no mineral shows in the province where I come from, interestingly, there are even no mountains or any mines near my hometown. So, I always say my hobby is the mandate of Heaven.
2) What's the focus of your collection and has that changed through time? Why?
Thumbnails and miniatures are my focus in my collection, not a specific mineral series or locality. When I just got start, mineral species came to the first and less focused on the quality. About 5 years ago, my concentration went to the thumbnails, because they are very cute and delicate, and you do not need to pay for big money on most of thumbnails even they are very fine. The quality become the most significant factor, rare also an important factor to my standards but I will not focus on rare only. Now, thumbnails and miniatures are my main collection parts, and it is possible I will increase my collections’ scale in the future such as small-cabinet and museum sizes.
3) What do you like to do outside of mineral collecting? (hobbies, job, music taste, etc).
As I am a sophomore, I do not have a real job, but I have stared my self-employment a few years. I really appreciate the god gave me this hobby because my self-employment is gem & mineral business that I can feed myself by my efforts. In other words, I cannot survive in here without it, I do the business could help me to pay the tuition and new collections. I also love mineral photograph, and this has become one of my hobby, too. I usually do some mineral photographs when I am free, normally during the summer/winter holidays and upload them on Mindat. I also love music and plan to learn Guqin(古琴) which is a Chinese traditional instrument has over 3000 years history.
4) Is there anyone who has inspired you in this field? Do you look up to the collection of someone in particular?
There are many of my Chinese and American friends helped me a lot on my way of mineral collecting and business. But for the most important people for me, definitely Robert Lavinsky who is a professional Chinese mineral collector and a famous mineral dealer. He is my Sifu in this field. I knew Rob at least 8 years. The first time I met Rob was in Shanghai Gem Mineral Show, I was a first-grade student in middle school. He invited me to go to his Dallas Mineral Collecting Symposium when I was 16 and visited Spann and some famous collectors who are around Dallas at that time. Rob opened my eyes and gave me so many experiences that I could not imagine, just like a dream. If no Rob, I cannot run as fast as now I am and I may not come to University of Arizona. He changed my life. Another is my “Uncle’s” family Allison Megaw and Peter Megaw really helped me a lot in Tucson, whether my living or in the mineral field. I also thank to my parents, because they did not kill my hobby under the stressful Chinese education system and give me as much as supports they can.
I look up to many collectors’ collections, it is hard to say someone specifically because there are so many great collectors who I admire in the world.
5) Are you a stay-at-home collector or do you collect on the field too?
I collect both stay-at-home and, on the field, those are totally different experiences, generally collectors have a bigger chance to get a better piece in mineral shows than rockhounds but if you really find the crystals by yourself in the field, you will have an achievement it is different with buying a rock in a mineral show. I went to at least 40 mines or the recorded rockhounding places in China and USA. It is hard to describe the feeling of YOU found crystals on the ground or the pockets even not very high quality. For me, it always makes me more exciting than take a piece with a higher quality from the shows.
6) What was the moment you realized there was no going back, you are a collector?
I believe there were many moments from the first time I interested in minerals to now so my answer will be like a summary of how I know I am a collector rather than just a hobby. I have a few other hobbies out of mineral collecting but I also collect something else like antiques, shells, gems, fossils, Garage Kits etc., but minerals are poisons which make me addicted to it so much-loved. Even the topics I talk to my schoolmates or friends are all about minerals and do not care about if they are interested in it, however, the disadvantage is making non-mineral-collectors to be friends become a question because most of my topics and friends are about minerals. All my vacations during holidays were going for rocks, but we still had some normal travels for example, If I planned go to Wulian, the famous smokey quartz mine I will decide to live in Ri Zhao where is a coastal city for relaxing and I get both rocks and travel. Another interesting thing is when I was in China, my gifts to the teachers were minerals on each Teachers’ Day while my classmates prepared flowers or articles of daily use. Same as my friends’ birthday gifts. With spending more and more time on minerals, I never thought give my mineral collections up, instead, I slowly grew up from a young mineral lover to a real collector.
7) Does this hobby change your life? How it changes?
No minerals no Tom, rock means everything in my life and it really changed my whole life.
I could say that Minerals helped me choose the collage and major, I am in Geoscience department at the University of Arizona because the geology/gem science is one of the world’s best majors in this school and the biggest mineral & gem show held in February in Tucson every year. I knew the Tucson show was in 2014 but I could not believe that one day I would come to USA and visit the show. Now, I just live in here, traveled many places and mineral museums where I saw on the mineral magazines. I also could not believe that I had a chance that have a showcase for display the Chinese minerals in the University of Arizona Mineral Museum in this year (2021), it is my great honor and one of my dream. IT IS AMAZING!!!
I had many new friends both are at mineral collecting field and normal life in here and I really love you guys inspire me and share mineral stories!