The British Micromount Society is a national organisation, founded in 1981. The aims of the Society are to promote contact between micromounters in the UK and encourage the development of micromounting as a branch of mineralogy through the publication of a regular newsletter, occasional field meetings and symposia. The Society publishes the British Directory of Micromounters – now in its 10th Edition, and maintains a National Reference Collection of Micromounts, available for postal loan to members. The Society has also developed a range of Occasional Papers on topics of interest to amateur mineralogists. There are local groups in Norfolk, Sussex, West Midlands, Cornwall, The North West Group in Bolton, and the South East Group in London. These meet at regular intervals and all members are welcome to attend any of the branches. Details in the About link.
Read MorePhotographic Competitions There will be three photographic competitions this year. Entries must be emailed to David Ifold no later than Thursday 31 August. Please submit your entries early so that any problems can be resolved. We welcome photographic entries from members who are not able to attend the Symposium in person. All entries will be combined into three separate pdf files, one per class. These will be emailed to members so that every member with an email address will be able to submit votes for their three favourite images prior to the Symposium. The results will be announced following the AGM on Sunday morning. The three classes are as follows. A competition open only to those members that have never won a BMS photographic competition before. To encourage participation the subject may be anything to do with mineralogy or geology. The mineral topaz. A red mineral. Maximum of two entries per class, per member. Winning entries will be published in the BMS newsletter and will be made available to both Steve Stuart and Steve Sorrell for the publications they edit. Copyright will be credited to the photographer. Mineral Competitions The theme for the Micromount Competition this year is hematite and entries may be from any location worldwide. Entries must be mounted in a standard box and either be glued or on tack. Maximum of two entries per person. The Micromineral Competition is restricted to British specimens only (including Northern Ireland but not Eire) and is judged on ‘wow factor’ only, […]
Read MoreThis year’s symposium will be held at a new venue (Salwarpe Village Hall, Salwarpe, near Droitwich, Worcestershire. WR9 0AH). The hall is easy to reach from the M5 motorway and has ample car parking with step-free access to the hall. The Symposium will start at 09:00am on Friday 15 September, 2023, and end at around 12:00 on Sunday. As advertised in the Newsletter, the BMS will cover the cost of the venue hire for 2023 meaning that attending the Symposium itself will essentially be free of charge, with only a small cost for teas and coffees (and lunch if required). Further details on refreshments and booking lunch will be provided nearer the date, maybe £15/head). The new arrangements mean that delegates will be able to book to attend for one day, two days or the whole weekend without penalty. We very much hope that this will encourage some of our friends who we have not seen in recent years to consider coming back to the Symposium. If you have not attended the Symposium before, please be assured that you will be made most welcome. The BMS membership includes many knowledgeable people who will be very happy to share their expertise with newcomers. The weekend includes a range of practical sessions, talks, exhibits, swap sessions, specimen and equipment sales, an auction in aid of BMS funds on the Saturday and the ever-popular ‘grab table’. Please note that delegates are responsible for booking and paying for their own hotel accommodation. Many delegates […]
Read More16th, 17th and 18th September 2022. Everything is in place for our Forty First BMS Symposium to take place at the College Court Conference Centre, Knighton Road, Leicester. It will be great to get back to a real event meeting friends in person and talking about minerals which we can share and enjoy together. Everyone is looking forward to the weekend. For those wanting the extra day of mineral chat and socialising, we will start to assemble at the Conference Centre on the afternoon of Thursday 16th September and there will be the opportunity to join other delegates for an evening meal. The Symposium will officially start first thing on the Friday morning as further delegates arrive. We have the usual Oak Room booked where we can set up our microscopes and put out material for viewing and sharing with the other members. Ample space will allow for the usual range of micros and hand specimens to be displayed, exchanged and sold. After two years of Covid it is likely that the traditional “Grab Table” of “excess to requirements minerals” will be more than usually laden. Buffet lunches and evening meals will be available on the Friday and Saturday. As usual, a range of experts will be on hand to identify minerals or give advice on almost any mineralogical subject from UK locations to specimen photography. A number of talks are planned. As always, Nigel Hoppe will provide a microscope cleaning service. And of course there will be the usual […]
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From David Ifold… I am writing my first letter to outline our plans for the 41st BMS Symposium which takes place as a real event in Leicester at The College Court Conference Centre this September starting 9.00AM on Friday 16th September and finishing lunchtime Sunday 18th September. Since the outbreak of Covid 19, the world of Conference Centres and Hotels has changed. College Court has now re-opened but is run directly by the owners Leicester University through their own conference business. The original staff that we once knew at College Court have long since gone. Booking a conference venue this year has not been easy. A number of members including Jeanette Inkin and Martin Stolworthy have kindly made enquiries on our behalf but the main stumbling block has been that most conference venues today have very strict contracts with penalty clauses that can apply even twelve months before the event! We have decided to go back to College Court as they have offered us the most favourable terms. The Russell Society have used College Court for their ASM the first weekend of April and a number of us attended that function and so we will be able to judge how well they have restarted their business. Our booking gives members a number of options with the possibility of delegates joining or leaving us at their convenience. We of course hope you will be with us for the whole weekend! The Symposium will officially start Friday 16th September at 9.00AM with […]
Read MoreA good way to show off specimens with different viewpoints (such as UV reactive). Click on the image below for a higher resolution version and use the slider to see specimen under white light and longwave UV. Colourless but iron-stained fluorite crystals. Fluorescent blue under longwave UV. Width of view 11.5mm. Stack of 40 images (white light) and 30 images (UV). Steve Sorrell specimen and photos.
Read MorePosted on behalf of the North West Highlands Geopark. In 2015 UNESCO accredited the North West Highlands Geopark as one of their Global Geoparks in recognition of the importance of managing outstanding geological sites and landscapes in a holistic manner. They work closely with their remote communities and warmly welcome large numbers of geologists and visitors to their region every year from countries all around the world. Throughout the course of every year they publish a series of newsletters highlighting the geology, features and events in their geopark. They kindly ask you to consider subscribing to their newsletters. Subscription is free and can be done via the following page within their official website: As well as their newsletters they would also send you news of their geotours which have been very well received by many geologists over the years. Each touring group is led by a local geology expert who has an encyclopedic knowledge of their region, aptly called the ‘Cradle of Geology.’ Further details of the geotours can also be found within their website via the following links: They would be delighted to add you to their mailing list and share the best of their geopark’s news and attractions with you. Sent by Jonathan Archer North West Highlands Geopark Project Assistant email: projects@nwhgeopark.comNorth West Highlands Geopark Limited Registered Scottish Charity no. SC046510 Registered office – The Rock Stop, Unapool, Kylesku, Sutherland, Scotland IV27 4HW Reg. no. SC422047
Read MoreAn index of articles, authors, minerals and photographs in BMS Newsletters is now up to date and can be found here. Many thanks to Trevor Devon for this daunting task!
Read MoreIssues 73, 74, 75, 79, 80, 81 and 83 have now been uploaded. You can find them in the Newsletter Archive.
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