High-resolution photographs of minerals for your computer
monitor on optical disks

There are probably millions of images of mineral specimens available on the web. The problem is, they are rarely larger than 800x600 pixels. If you're like me, you want wallpaper and screensaver images to FILL THE SCREEN, with no gaps or distortion.

I have created thousands of images of beautiful mineral specimens at resolutions of 1280x1024 (5:4), 1600x1200 (4:3), and 1680x1050 (16:10). They are designed to fit nearly any computer monitor, with no gaps or distortions. Each specimen is photographed from different angles and in full view and closeups, and fluorescent specimens under ultraviolet light. Each image comes in two versions: one untitled, and one titled with the mineral name and location.

I am selling these images in two ways. I have compiled the best images of selected specimens on CDs (700 MB format), to save you the trouble of picking them out or buying a large number of images that you won't use. Currently there are 4 CDs available, with more to come. Each costs $15. If you buy three or more CDs I will burn them all onto one DVD disk. There is an average of about 10 different views per specimen, and 30 specimens per disk. Currently only disk 1 has any stereo images but I will soon be updating the other disks.

Alternatively, you can purchase entire sets organized by mineral groups (such as garnet; phosphates and sulfates, etc.) or by location, usually by country. These include nearly all of the photos I have of each specimen - all of the best ones, but also some that are not be so good. However, the lesser images might have additional educational value (and "lesser" is subjective!). These sets cost $10/gigabyte and I will burn them onto multiple disks as necessary. So, a single DVD with about 4 GB of images will typically cost about $40. The number of different views of each specimen is highly variable - large, complex specimens may have as many as 50 views (!!) and small, simple ones as few as one, but a typical number is 10 to 20. Many of these image sets include stereo versions.

Why include several pictures of the same specimen? Rarely can one angle do justice to a good specimen, and most have a wealth of fine detail worth exploring in closeups. Different lighting arrangements can reveal different features, even from the same angle. And who wants to see the same view of a specimen, day after day? But most importantly, you get to choose the pictures you like best. Tastes vary!

The images have been optimized for viewing at the selected resolution. They have been carefully edited to remove digital noise and the occasional offending fleck of dust but otherwise, every effort has been made to accurately recreate the natural beauty of the specimens. purchase information.


Here are the 'best of' disks that are currently available:

View the contents of disk 1 here.
View the contents of disk 2 here.
View the contents of disk 3 here.
View the contents of disk 4 here.