The most beautiful mineral specimens are the smallest. Under the microscope, those tiny crystals are crisp and clear, the colors clean and bright. Micromounters collect such tiny minerals and mount them in protective boxes to make micromounts.
The Baltimore Mineral Society 70th Paul Desautels Memorial Micromount Symposium October 9-11, 2026 Maryland Museum of Natural Sciences, 6908 Belair Rd, Baltimore, MD 21206
“There are lots of reasons to take up micromounting,” says Mike Seeds, “but I think the main ones are the fabulous beauty of the minerals and the fact that they are very inexpensive — free in most cases. Words fail me when I try to tell people the beauty I see through my microscope. People pay as much as $100,000 for big specimens that are not nearly as nice as the little rocks I have in my collection. And I got them for two or three dollars or, in most cases, free from giveaway tables.”
In addition to being inexpensive and accessible, micromounts are also small. A collection of a thousand could fit in a large shoebox. Best of all, micromounters can collect lots of different minerals. Nearly 6000 minerals are known, but only a few hundred form crystals big enough to see without magnification. The rest form micro crystals, and micromounters typically gather collections of many hundreds of different minerals.
WalkIns are Welcome. Registration is $45.
Friday, October 9
7:00 PM Registration, Drinks and Snacks
8:00 PM Fellowship with other Micromounters
Short talks and slide shows
How they made those paper boxes – Mike Seeds
Building Wooden Crystal Models – Kate Ruof
Saturday, October 10
9:00 AM Symposium Opens – Trading, Giveaway tables, Mineral sales
10:00 AM Silent Auction
12 Noon Light Lunch (provided)
2:00 PM Voice Auction
3:00 PM Micromounters’ Hall of Fame Induction
Conducted by Quintin Wight
Manfred Seitz and Alan Pribula
Announcement of Next Year’s Honorees
“A Life Without Minerals? Possible but Lacking in Substance”
Presented by Manfred Seitz
5:00 PM Dinner (at local restaurants on your own)
7:30 PM “I’m Not Going to Become a Micromounter – And Other Lies I’ve Told Myself”
Presented by Alan Pribula
9:00 PM Symposium adjourns for the day.
Sunday, October 11
9:00 AM Trading, Giveaways, Conversation
12 Noon Symposium Concludes
Questions: Mike Seeds mseeds@fandm.edu Symposium Chair
Remember to bring goodies for the giveaway tables.
Registration: Registrations will be accepted by mail or will be taken at the door either Friday night or Saturday morning. We encourage you to pre-register by mail prior to October 10th. A form is attached for your convenience.
Registration Fee: The fee for the Symposium is $40.00 in advance or $45.00 at the door (includes drinks and snacks on Friday evening and light lunch on Saturday). Dinner will be on your own at local restaurants both Friday and Saturday evenings.
Digital Programs: Short informal digital (PowerPoint) programs are welcome on Friday night. We request that you notify the Chair in advance of the content of your program. Programs should not exceed 15 minutes and should be provided on a memory stick. It will not be possible to swap computers. A digital projector and laptop will be available.
Sales: Micromounts and mineral specimens of interest to micromounters will be available. Small tools, boxes, loupes, and other items also will be available. Contact Al Pribula apribula@towson.edu for Sales and facilities ahead of time if you wish to sell any items at the Symposium.
Donations Please contact Al Pribula apribula@towson.edu to donate any items for the Saturday auctions to benefit the Micromounters’ Hall of Fame.
Give-Away Table: Micromounters love to share. Tables will be provided for the sharing of surplus specimens. In the past, these have come from dozens of localities across the U.S., Canada, and other countries. Please help to make this a valuable part of the Symposium by bringing good material to share.
Display: Items of historical interest will be on display, including items from the Baltimore Mineral Society Historical Collection of micromounts and copies of the Hall of Fame Citations.
Zoom: Some parts of the Symposium will be available by Zoom. These will include the Hall of Fame presentations, the Hall of Fame announcements of honorees for 2027, talks on Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening. For a Zoom invite email Mike Seeds mseeds@fandm.edu.