By Frank Ruehlicke
We all “do” micros differently. The idea behind a “Brag Box” is to get people to bring some specimens from their collection to our gatherings and pass them around the group so we can see the kinds of things that you collect, how you mount items, the kind of boxes you use, how you label them, etc. We all love looking at micro minerals so this is a way for everyone to show off a few samples from their collection.
How Does It Work?
Simple.
- Pick a theme. The theme can be anything. Your favorite mineral. Your favorite locality. Your favorite mineral class or group. Your favorite crystal system. Recent additions to your collection. Old favorites. Can’t think of a theme – how about random items from my collection.
- Pick your micros. How many? There is no rule here but we recommend four to eight specimens. It is totally ok if your box has more or less than that.
- Put them in a box. Gather your specimens into a box or container. Label the box with your name and theme. You may want to put a piece of clear plastic or glass on your box so that people can view your micros without handling them.
- Is that it? Pretty much. The only hard rule is that the specimens need to have been “mounted” in the box by you. Mounting with sticky tack is fine. You can acquire the specimens in any way, finding it in the field, buying it, trading for it, etc., but you must have put it in the box. Because we want to see how you do micros.
- Does it have to fit in a micro box? No. It should be a specimen of micro minerals but if the piece is in a TN or larger box, that’s ok.
At our 2023 Spring Symposium, we encouraged attendees to bring a Brag Box to share with the group. We had a certificate printed up with each participant’s name and their theme. Participants passed their Brag Box to others at the Symposium. People who viewed the Brag Boxes were asked to sign and add brief comments to the certificate. Participants who collected at least 4 signatures were entered into a draw for a prize.
Sample Brag Boxes
The images below show some of the Brag Boxes from our 2023 Symposium. You will see a variety in themes, specimens, micromounting techniques and even variety in how Brag Boxes are put together. I enjoyed putting my Brag Box together and creating a short narrative to describe it – I plan to create a few Brag Boxes to have at the ready to bring whenever I attend a micro mineral gathering.
