About Mineral Mike

Hello and thanks for stopping by! I’m Mike Moriarty, owner of MineralMike.com!  I’m avid mineral collector and retailer. My love for gems and minerals stems from a very young age. Ever since I can remember, gems have been a part of my life, and this is because my father Steve Moriarty has been in the gem trade since the early 80's! He is a seller of fine colored gemstones, so I have seen 1000’s of gemstones throughout my life. My attraction to natural crystals and minerals developed after a few trips to the Tucson Gem & Mineral Shows that are held in Arizona every year. I started going with my dad, Steve, in 2007 (who is also a lapidary) to learn more about the gem business, how to buy faceting rough, and fine cut colored gemstones. It is here where I was exposed to this huge, culturally diverse, gem and mineral show that housed the most beautiful array of crystals and minerals from all over the world.  After the first couple of times going, I was hooked.

Not long after that, I started traveling to different mines with my Brother, Jeff, and Dad, Steve, to see how and where many of these beautiful minerals were found. A few of the places that we've visited to do a little digging have been: Arkansas for Quartz & Diamond, Montana for mainly Sapphire (and some Quartz), Oregon for Sunstone, Nevada for Opal, Alberta, Canada for Ammolite, and in Africa we went to the Tanzanite mines in Tanzania. Even though we generally don't personally find anything too extraordinary (with some exceptions), it does give me the opportunity to learn a little and buy direct from the miners. Not only that, but we also travel regularly to the big gem & mineral shows in Arizona & Colorado in the USA and Thailand & Hongkong in Asia. You can see some of the pictures from a few of our trips below!

When shopping my selection, you should know that I am mainly attracted to anything that catches my eye and has a nice showy look to it. I like cabinet sized pieces that will show well in a home or large cabinet, but I do find that the thumbnail sized specimens are pretty remarkable, too (and they don't take up much space)! There are other oddities that you'll see spark my interest in other ways.

When looking for my inventory, I'm not always seeking perfect undamaged specimen, but I do look for things that stand out and are of good quality for a reasonable price. I do not tend to purchase in bulk or by the flat, so each piece is hand selected personally by me.

You may also be wondering, is selling crystals and minerals what I do full time. The answer to that is no. I am actually a full-time bench jeweler at my family’s fine jewelry store, Moriarty’s Gem Art, in Crown Point, IN. I am on the manufacturing end of our custom design shop, so I am mainly doing finishing, setting, and repair work on our jewelry. I’ve been working on the bench since 2005. I also recently started gemstone faceting in early 2023, so now I'm occasionally torn on whether to cut a clean specimen or keep it natural! You can see our work online at www.MoreGems.com!

My passion for seeking out these beautiful works of natural art is real, so my hope is that I can help you can find an amazing piece here at MineralMike.com. If you have any questions I will be here to assist you, so please feel free to contact me if you need any help picking out your next fine mineral.

Sincerely,

Mike Moriarty