Chris Whitney-Smith

Specializing in aesthetic and historic mineral specimens in the thumbnail to cabinet size range, with a focus on copper and lead minerals from Arizona and Africa, alongside classic material from Cornwall (UK) and Freiberg (Germany). Active in the mineral community through society involvement, show production and participation, mining and publication projects, and educational outreach, always seeking new ways to help others explore a world most people never knew existed.

In partnership with Dr. Alexander Schauss and a grassroots movement spanning Arizona that included junior and adult members of the Mineralogical Society of Arizona (MSA), we spearheaded the successful "Wulfenite Is Love" campaign in support of House Bill 2092, which designated wulfenite as Arizona's official state mineral when Governor Doug Ducey signed HB 2092 into law on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, making it official: Wulfenite is Loved!

"We live in a golden age of exploration, with clubs like MSA to educate us and lead us into the field and resources like Mindat.org and Google Earth to chart the way. Here's to the adventure of the hunt, the thrill of a new discovery, and the friends we meet along the way."

Avatar and cover image Chris Whitney-Smith photos.