Hey guys, just curious what you think about names like "Pink Amethyst". In my opinion, #Amethyst should be violet/purple. And we already have another 2 pink #Quartz varieties (rose quartz and pink quartz), to create enough confusion. "Pink amethyst" geode from Pehuenches, Argentina.

Perfect Alpine #Fluorite octahedron on matrix from Planggenstock, Switzerland. #minerals #crystals #mineralcollecting #mineralexpert #rockhounding #mineralogy

Rare primary #Malachite crystals on pale blue #Chrysocolla from DR Congo. #minerals #crystals #mineralcollecting #mineralexpert #rockhounding #mineralogy

Tabular bright yellow-orange #Wulfenite crystals from Ahmad Abad Mine, Bafq Co., Yazd Province in Iran. #minerals #crystals #mineralcollecting #mineralexpert #rockhounding #mineralogy

Twiddling your thumbs after already voting in #MinCup25? Why don’t you take our annual Players Survey and help us improve for next year! www.mineralcup.org/2025/players...

Blue #Kyanite with dark #Staurolite crystals from Chironico, Tessin, Switzerland. Size 18 x 8 cm #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy

#Kyanite is a super important mineral for metamorphic petrology. It is trichroic and has different hardness perpendicular and parallel to its long axis. Check our comprehensive overview: #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy mineralexpert.org/article/kyan...

#MinCup25 Final: After a month of learning and laughter, we’re at the final match to determine the 2025 Mineral Cup Champion! We have blue blades of #kyanite up against optical magician #tugtupite. Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r5... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

Perfect #Dioptase crystals sitting on #Dalcite matrix from Tsumeb, Namibia. Size 6 x 4 cm; Anton Watzl collection, Albert Russ photo #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy

#MinCup25 Semifinals 2: Beautiful optics are in play for our last semifinal round between reindeer blood #tugtupite and desert queen #dioptase. Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r4... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

Nice #Hematite (var. Iron Rose/Eisenrose) with #Muscovite on #Adularia from the Mörchnerkar, Zillertal Alps, Austria. Bramberg museum specimen #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy

#MinCup25 Semifinals 1: It's a battle of classic minerals for red #hematite vs blue #kyanite. Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r4... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

Nice #Dioptase crystals on contrasting matrix from Kolwezi, DR Congo. #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy

#MinCup25 QF4: Team Green will win either way as desert emerald #Dioptase faces off against radioactive #Cuprosklodowskite! Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r3... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

#MinCup25 Quarterfinals 3: It's a showdown between Team Green and Team Blue for #kosmochlor vs #kyanite. Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r3... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

#MinCup25 Quarterfinal 2: It's #perovskite and its intriguing structure against #tugtupite's collection of optical tricks for this quarterfinal match! Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r3... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

Monster size #Hematite (var. Iron Rose/Eisenrose) from the Mörchnerkar, Zillertal Alps, Austria. Bramberg museum specimen #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #mineralogy #crystal

#MinCup25 Quarterfinal 1: Colourful phoenix #Haüyne goes against heavyweight industrial powerhouse #Hematite. Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r3... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

#MinCup25 Round 2 Match 8: Bright green radioactive #cuprosklodowskite is up against jet black phantom #mannardite. Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r2... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

Fresh find of blue #Kyanite with minor dark #Staurolite in typical fine grained mica from Chironico, Tessin, Swizerland. #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy

#MinCup25 Round 2 Match 7: It's high-pressure #kyanite against deep-space #taenite. Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r2... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

Dark green #Dioptase is a rare secondary copper silicate, renowned as a spectacularly colorful mineral. It is quite useless, but highly popular among mineral collectors. #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy mineralexpert.org/article/diop...

#Molybdenite is an extremely important ore for hi-tech applications. And it is sometimes also nice :) Learn more in our comprehensive overview: #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #ore #mineralogy mineralexpert.org/article/moly...

#MinCup25 Round 2 Match 6: It's more exciting versions of familiar favourites as emerald #dioptase is pitted against silvery #molybdenite. Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r2... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

#MinCup25 Round 2 Match 5: We’re going for namesake-minerals as bright meteorite-derived green #kosmochlor is up against the wedge-shaped indicator mineral #titanite.  Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r2... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

#MinCup Round 2 Match 4: It’s a battle of mineralogical oddities as organic mineral #Carpathite battles against vs #Tugtupite, a mineral that looks like reindeer blood! Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r2... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

Botryoidal #Hematite (variety Kidney Ore) from Morocco. Size 12.5 x 8 cm #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #mineralogy

#Baryte is a primary barium source and important industrial material. It forms wide range of shapes and colors, which makes it very popular among collectors. Learn more in our comprehensive overview: #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy #Barite mineralexpert.org/article/bary...

#MinCup25 Round 2 Match 3: It's a heavyweight match between industrial powerhouses as soft #baryte competes against rusty red #hematite. Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r2... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

Shiny #Stibnite crystals from Hubei Province, China. #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy

#MinCup25 Round 2 Match 2: It's all about how minerals interact with humans as dramatic #stibnite faces off against futuristic #perovskite. Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r2... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

#MinCup25 Round 2 Match 1: It's a pair of striking blue beauties as #pectolite the uncrushable faces off against #hauyne, the phoenix from volcanic ashes! Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r2... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

#MinCup25 Round 1 Match 16 - It's a battle of the tiny as bright green #paddlewheelite goes up against jet black #mannardite. Both are small yet mighty minerals, but only one can win! Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r1... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

#MinCup25 Round 1 Match 15 - It's a mineral found mostly in the farthest reaches of space vs one so common an exhaustive list of localities is nigh impossible as alloy #taenite faces off against clay #nontronite. Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r1... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

#MinCup25 Round 1 Match 14: It's radioactive #cuprosklodowskite vs ephemeral #ikaite for today's match. Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r1... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

Crazy #Topaz cluster with smoky #Quartz from Zabytoe, Russia. #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy

Nice cluster of #Topaz crystals from Pantaw, Myanmar. #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy #pegmatite

Aggregate of blue tabular #Kyanite crystals from Ústup u Olešnice, Czech Republic. Size 10 cm #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy

#MinCup25 Round 1 Match 13: It's a battle of high-pressure colourful beauties of #topaz vs #kyanite. Which can stand the heat of round 1? Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r1m13 Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results/r1m13

Greasy #Molybdenite is a primary source of Mo and Rh. Here is a selection of photos from Krupka/Vrchoslav deposit, Czech Republic. #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy #ore

Perfect crystal of rare #Zunyite from Qalat Payeen, Hormozgan Province, Iran. The color is caused by #Hematite inclusions. #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy

#MinCup25 Round 1 Match 12: It's the visually-unmistakable #zunyite vs the physically funky #molybdenite. Vote: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r1... Results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

World class Alpine #Titanite (var. #Sphene) from the Stubachtal, Hohe Tauern, Austria. Bramberg museum specimen #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy

#MinCup25 Round 1 Match 11: It's a pair of T-minerals with as versatile #Titanite faces off against the home of rare earth elements #Thortveitite. VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r1... Check results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

#Wavellite is a simple aluminum phosphate, but various impurities render wide range of nice colors. Beware that many wavellites are in fact fluor-wavellite! Learn more in our comprehensive overview: #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #mineralogy mineralexpert.org/article/wave...

Aggregates of white #Wavellite with yellow layer of #Cacoxenite from Třenice, Czech Republic. FOV 4 cm #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy

Nice #Dioptase crystals on #Chrysocolla matrix from Kimbedi, Mindouli District, Congo. #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy

Nice #Dioptase cluster on #Calcite matrix from type locality Altyn Tube, Kazakhstan. #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #crystal #mineralogy

#MinCup25 Round 1 Match 10: It’s a green, green world for kiwi #Wavellite vs desert emerald #Dioptase. Will it be revenge or a repeat in this rematch of the 2024 quarterfinals? VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r1... Check results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

Well shaped #Azurite crystal from Kerrouchen, Morocco. Crystal size 2 cm #MinCup25 #MinCup #mineral #mineralogy #crystal