Click how to order for information on how to order your education kit.
Kits Include:
1)4-Watt Longwave UV Lamp - The kit includes a battery operated 4-watt BLB longwave lamp. There are four AA batteries included with the lamp. The lamp attaches to the kit with Velcro.
2)10 Brightly Colored Fluorescent Mineral Specimens - Each kit comes complete with 10 brightly colored longwave fluorescent mineral specimens. Each specimen is labeled with name and location found. The types of specimens used may change periodically due to availability
3)No Asbestos Minerals - The kit does not contain asbestos minerals, as found in other kits on the market (a good thing when using for classroom activities!).
4)Educational/Instruction Pamphlet - Each kit comes complete with a pamphlet which includes instructions and educational information. The educational section was written by a professional geologist, and explains the phenomena of fluorescence in easy to understand language (ideal for young students and beginners).
Rock & Gem Magazine December 2001 Page 58
Fluorescent Fun
by Robert W. Jones Jr. (used with permission)
Another very interesting Christmas gift for a young rockhound is a small fluorescent mineral kit that comes with a set of fluorescing minerals and a handy, battery-powered ultraviolet lamp.
Fluorescence in minerals is experiencing a renaissance these days. My interest in collecting minerals was triggered when I saw the fluorescent mineral exhibit at Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven, Connecticut, when I was a fifth grader in 1935. When I became a serious collector, I specialized in collecting minerals that respond in some way to short or longwave ultraviolet stimulation. The result was that the subject I chose for my master's thesis was "Luminescent Minerals of Connecticut." Shortly after that, I began writing a column called "Collecting Fluorescent Minerals" in Rocks and Minerals magazine. I wrote that column for 12 years before becoming a contributor to Rock and Gem Magazine.
So I urge you to consider this wonderful little starter kit of fluorescent minerals and lamp. You never know where it might take your youngster. I first saw one of these kits about five years ago when its developer, George Polman, showed me his prototype. It has taken all that time for George to work out the bugs, which tells me he is not only dedicated but very particular about the results of his work. The big problem George faced was finding a lamp that was both reliable and inexpensive. This was finally achieved, and the kit is now ready, just in time for Christmas.
